Kiwanis
The weekly Kiwanis meeting was held 12:05 p.m. Tuesday, April 30, at Pizza Ranch meeting room with 26 members and two guests. President Terry Freeman presided, Dave Abiltrup gave the prayer and Lori Harvey was the finemaster.
The program was given by Melissa Driskell and Leslie Wurster with Creston CWC. They discussed their philanthropic group of women that find projects for the betterment of the Creston community. The flowering basket project is one they started that outside groups were asked to continue this year. Creston Kiwanis Club presented them a check for $358 to sponsor a basket for this summer. They also discussed some of their other projects they have helped fund and will be doing in the future. They told the group about Creston Booster Club they are a part of and how they help the middle and high school students in a variety of fine arts and athletic activities with equipment and uniforms. They are having a fundraiser May 11 with a four-person best shot golf tournament.
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PEO
The regular business meeting of Chapter AZ was held April 16 at the home of Kay Kinsella with Connie Purdum as co-hostess. Nineteen members responded to roll call.
Connie Purdum moved to put Jessica Duncan on the signature card at the bank for the PEO account. Jody Emerson seconded the motion and the motion passed.
The next regular meeting will be May 7 with hostess Judy Eklund and co-hostess Mindi Dresbek. May 21 will be the Corning Opera House tour and dinner. Cost will be $15 for the meal and a $5 donation for the tour. Meet at First Presbyterian Church at 4 p.m. to carpool.
Keychain fundraiser for the state convention: give money, if not paid, to Carol Brentnall. International convention: the club is on the “meals committee” (Sept. 12-14). Trunk sale: need more vehicles to sign up and a reminder of no clothing donations.
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Elzevir Reading Circle
GFWC Elzevir Reading Circle met 1:30 p.m. April 12 in the home of Jean Davis. Members answered roll call by telling of a book they were reading or their Easter plans. Minutes of the March meeting were read and approved. The treasurer reported no changes.
GFWC Federation news and notes were shared. Elzevir became a federated club in 1894. Jean Paul has been a member for 57 years, Francine Weckerlin for 56 years, Alice Bowers for 41 years and Carol Brentnall for 38 years. Members were reminded April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. A thank you from SWCC Education Foundation for the donation toward the GFWC scholarship was read.
Officers elected the 2019-20 year will be president, Linda Topliff; secretary, Brentnall; treasurer, Terry Ammon; and reading chairman, Angela Pullen. Bowers moved to approve the slate of officers; Barb Thomsen seconded it and the motion passed.
Members brought purses packed with miscellaneous items that will remain with Davis until the next meeting. Members signed up for hostess and review dates for the coming year. The meeting closed with members reciting Mary Stewart’s “Club Collect.”
Topliff reviewed the book “My Sisters Keeper” by Jodi Picoult. This is the story about Anna, who was conceived in a petri dish to be an exact genetic match to her older sister Kate. Their family was complete after Jesse, the image of his father Brian, and Kate, a close copy of her mother were born. But Kate was found to have leukemia and needed many types of medical interventions to keep her semi-healthy and alive.
After the final verdict of APL, pediatric leukemia, Brian and Sara were yet again sitting in the waiting room, emotionally and physically drained. Brian had asked about outcomes – Is she going to die? The prognosis was three months to three years. They decide to have another baby. Anna, the medical match, is born and immediately, her cord blood is drawn for Kate. Through the years, she undergoes many blood draws, white platelet extractions, bone stem and marrow withdraws to help keep her sister Kate alive.
When she is 13, she is asked to give her sister Kate one of her kidneys. Anna decides she does not want to do this and convinces her brother Jesse to take her to an attorney. Campbell Alexander agrees to take her case.
Sara, an attorney, decides she will represent the family and a court date is set. Anna testifies she does not want to have a transplant surgery and no more medical pain. After being questioned in court, does Anna decide on the transplant? The answer to the question is for the reader to learn.
The hostess served a delicious dessert. The last meeting of the year will be May 10. Members will carpool to Lenox at 12:30 p.m. for lunch at Tiger Den and then a tour of the United Charitable Association transitional house.
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Afton Federated Garden Club
Members of Afton Federated Garden Club met 10 a.m. April 12 at the Butterfly Garden for clean up, then went to Judy Harman’s and worked on her flower beds. Afterwards, members ate lunch at the 54th Street Deli, then back to Afton Community Center for the regular meeting. Hostesses Bev Rowe and Audrey McDowell served two delicious desserts as they started. President Shirley Wallace called the meeting to order with members repeating the Pledge of Allegiance and the Club Collect. Roll call was answered by 10 members.
Minutes of the March meeting were read by Monica Huddleson. Motion to accept the minutes (after the correction of the spelling of Joanne Hackett’s name) was made by Rowe and seconded by Ginny Quick. Wallace read the treasurer’s report for March and April. A motion was made by Rowe and seconded by Quick to accept the reports.
The group discussed the Polk County Master Gardener Scholarship that has been set up in memory of Joanne Hackett, past club president of Afton Garden Club. It would provide two scholarships for Master Gardener training.
Correspondence: District 4, 5 and 7th meeting is June 3; Spring Quilt Show at the Wallace Center is April 27-May 5; Groth’s Garden sent a 2019 plant list; Van Meter has a plant sale May 4 –Plant Life Designs; Polk County Master Gardeners have a scheduled a daytrip May 25 in the Boone area and a two day trip June 22-23 to Dubuque; Iowa Arboretum has a spring plant sale May 4; May 10-11 the Winterset Sunshine Garden Club will have a plant sale; May 11 is Winterset’s city-wide garage sale; and May 11 the Master Gardeners will have a plant sale in Winterset in the morning.
Afton Federated Garden Club is to provide a gift for the silent auction and, with the Woodland Hills Club, will be in charge of the plant sale for the district meeting June 3.
Beth McGrath made and McDowell seconded a motion to adjourn. Everyone recited the conservation pledge.
Rowe and McDowell had the program on wildflowers. Rowe brought pictures and told about southwest dessert wildflowers. Rowe showed beautiful pictures of many cacti, including the prickly pear, hedgehog, Beaver tail, barrel, Ochoa, the Spanish whip which can grow 15-30 feet tall. Rowe told members the one thing they all had in common was the thorns. McDowell told about wildflowers in the area, when they bloomed and some of the uses Native Americans had for them. McDowell said the Trillium is one of the first to bloom in the spring; Virginia Blue bells were used as a general tonic; and Bloodroot gets its name from it’s red juice that was used as dye and to cure things like warts and ringworm.
The next meeting will be May 10 at Afton Community Center. The club will meet at 1 p.m. to have the in-club plant exchange with the regular meeting at 1:30 p.m. Hostesses will be Carolyn Hubatka and Kathy Tapken. Hubatka will have the program on birds.
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Crest Area for Life
Crest Area for Life met 7 p.m. April 23 at the Holy Spirit Hall. Six members were in attendance.
Vice President Meg Crawford opened the meeting with the right to life prayer.
Terry Madison read the secretary’s report from March. It was approved.
June Huwee gave the treasurer’s report. It was approved.
Velma Rigel sent one baby letter.
Under old business, members discussed the Lc Clinic banquets that were held April 4 in Stuart and April 11 in Creston. Both had good attendance. The group also discussed replacing the billboards on Highway 25 and Pole Road.
Under new business, the group will put Mother’s Day ads in the Creston and Afton papers.
The next meeting is 7 p.m. May 28 at the Holy Spirit Hall.
Rich Madison made a motion, seconded by Pat Pokorny, to adjourn the meeting.
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Beta Sigma Phi
Iowa Alpha Sigma Chapter No. 1632 met in regular session Thursday evening, April 25, at the Pizza Ranch. The meeting was also a commemoration of Founder’s Day and an observance for two special rituals. President Loretta Kelly conducted a Golden Ritual for Martha McAuley noting her 50-year membership and Vice President Marilyn Larimore conducted the Diamond Ritual for Kelly for her 60-year membership.
Following the special ceremonies, Kelly called the business meeting to order with the opening ritual and roll call. Minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved, and official communications discussed and approved for action. Unofficial communications included thank you messages from Cheryl McClure, Dorothy Eyberg and Patricia Fils.
In the absence of the treasurer, bills will be held until the next meeting. Committee reports included a discussion of a memorial service May 9 for Marilyn Blazek at Larimore’s and a reminder of the May basket distribution at Homestead. Members were asked to choose hostess dates for the coming year and activities briefly discussed.
Following adjournment of the business meeting, the group participated in the observance of the 88th year of the founding of Beta Sigma Phi.
After repeating grace and enjoying eating and visiting, they joined in repeating the Founder’s Day Pledge led by Larimore. Norma Putnam was crowned Woman of the Year and the program and evening ended with the closing ritual.
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Progressive Chautauqua Circle Study Club
The GFWC/Iowa Progressive Chautauqua Circle Study Club met April 23 at Jerrie Henderson’s home at Crest Ridge. Judy Weese served as co-hostess. The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance. Devotions followed by Bev Butler. Peg Anderson gave the program on legislative policy and public education. A game testing historical recollections was played. Anderson encouraged members to become more aware of legislative action. She also set a goal for the club to achieve 100% participation in the legislative action center. Step one for meeting this goal is getting signed up online.
President Pat Butcher called the meeting to order. Roll call was answered by 12 members. Joyce Anderson, acting secretary, read the minutes of February and March meetings. They were approved after the changes were made.
Butler gave the treasurer’s report. Speech students were given a stipend for their program in March. Motion by Linda Huffman and seconded by Mary Morris to approve the treasurer’s report was carried.
Peg Anderson reported on her role as state and district director for legislation and public policy. The Seven Grand Initiatives were addressed and the club will decide in May how to integrate these.
Anderson passed out a sheet for the upcoming year for members to sign up for various activities. The outing in October was also mentioned.
Betty Wallace reported 84 units of blood were donated which was 75% of the goal. That was a satisfactory amount.
Henderson shared with the group the various ways our donations are used by the Crisis Intervention and Advocacy Center.
Butcher, as district scholarship director, informed members state moneys were given to the following: Clarissa Hoffman – $1,000 to a four-year college, Brielle Baker – $500 to a community college and Marie Mullin – $400 to a music camp. These ladies are all from Creston. An alternate from Humeston was also selected.
Sandy Oswald gave a safety report on items in homes for which to be aware such as outdated food items.
Huffman informed us of the new creative writing booklet available to members.
Oswald, Huffman and Henderson attended the state meeting in April in Marshalltown. Huffman gave a few of the highlights of the convention. Dr. Seuss books (50 some) were collected and donated to Marshalltown Schools.
Under old business, a motion made by Wallace, seconded by Pauline McCoy, and approved by the group to bring only monetary donations for the domestic violence project for next year.
New business included voting no to membership in the $100 club. Huffman made the motion, and Butler seconded it, and it was carried.
A thank you from SWCC was received for the scholarship donation. Also, Vaughn Seckington sent a note humbly thanking the club for the recognition given to her for her service of 67 years. Her 100th birthday will be celebrated in May.
The May breakfast will be 9:30 a.m. May 14 at Butcher’s home.
The collect was read in unison and the meeting adjourned. Delicious refreshments were served.
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Ladies Lakeshore Auxiliary
Ladies Lakeshore Auxiliary met May 1.
Canasta winners were Janet Kessler, first; Linda Clark, second; and Wanda Nash, third.
Carolyn Skarda won the door prize.
Kessler will host cards and chatter Wednesday, May 8.