Annual picnic in high wind, grab your plate.

Our Club has a bit of a tradition, we eat before we meet.  It is not my favorite thing, as I am not a fan of brunch, but I do like picnics.  This month we had our annual picnic in one of Spokane’s numerous and wonderful neighborhood parks, Comstock park. We were challenged by the weather.

Yum, fresh whole wheat pecan bread

The wind was gusting up to 35mph and we still had fun!  About thirty members and family attended, with the youngest attendee 4 years old, and  the oldest 80 something.  Newest member 1 hour and  longest time members from 1968.  The food was great  and our meeting was lively.

Pat T blowing in the wind with good humor

Today, five club ladies gathered sewing machines, donated white tablecloths and compression rods, and turned them into custom curtains for our Small Auditorium. Waste not, want not. And no more looking at missing teeth on the vertical blinds, yeah.

Patt H ironing the panels.

Sewing Station at the curtain factory Susan B and Ginger B.

Our parcel is located in Spokane oldest neighborhood, Historic Cannon’s Addition, platted in 1883.  Appearances can be decieving.  The flag pole needed a setback from the property line of 15 feet.  Our street right of way is wide enough to turn a carraige with four horses without having to back up.  Half of our lawn is city property, the property line was 30 feet from the curb! The flag pole ended up 10 feet from the building, not in the center of our lawn where I imagined it standing.

The flag pole arrive May 3rd. The project had many delays.  It rained and rained, and my elderly and wonderful father passed away, at age 96, on Memorial Day weekend.  Finally, on June 8th, nine volunteers  dug a hole and filled it up with concrete.  On June 11, seven volunteers raised the flagpole and set the plaque.  On June 14, Fairchild Airforce Base provided a color guard to raise our USA  flag in a beautiful ceremony, with a corpsman singing the Star Spangled Banner,  a three gun salute,  and a beautifully played Taps.  The installation was attended by disabled vets, a Gold Star mother, firemen and battalion chiefs from the Fire department,  two pastors from the churches on the block, club members, friends and neighbors.  After the reception of cupcakes and punch, we raised the GFWC flag.  Today Philip and I installed a solar flag pole light. Sweet.

Phil, Cole, Bill , Luke and Dan man the concrete mixer and wheel barrow.

Jacque, Rick, Phil and Dan raise the flag pole

Ginger Bowman-Rape, club president with the front side of the plaque.

From one Navy man to another, Rick Noll dedicates the plaque [backside] to Gene Bronson, our friend and neighbor, died on Memorial Day 2010.”]

Cupcakes all in a row.

A new view of the clubhouse.

That’s the contest my picture of the Illinois Capitol through the Windows of the Hall of Flags was entered in.  Yes, it WON!  It will now be blown up to 16″ x 20″ and matted and framed and put under glass!  It will hang at Head Quarters in Washington D. C. along with the other 49 state photos!

Illinois had a wonderful convention!  Over 200 people voted on the changes to our By-laws and our resolutions.  The new officers are to be congratulated!  We are all looking forward to a wonderful two year term!

On a VERY sad note, our GFWC President Elect was with us when she learned Saturday that her mother had passed away.  We all extend to Carlene Garner our sincerest sympathy for her loss and will pray for her.

I was the team captain this year and it was a lot of responsibility but I enjoy this event. I am glad TTWC has decided to join RFL. This year theme was “Toon out cancer” so each team had a cartoon theme! Ours was Casper the Friendly Ghost. Our tent was wonderfully ghostly and we even played the casper song… We had a survivor in our team who walked the survivor lap.

The ceremony was great and the most exciting part was the Luminaria. As you may know (or not know), Luminaria is lighting the candles.  As the sun sets over campsites and darkness falls, the night is brightened by the glow of illuminated bags called luminaria, each bearing the name of someone who has battled cancer. Some celebrate cancer survivors, while others help us honor and remember those gone too soon. All represent someone special who has been profoundly affected by cancer and the family and friends who continue to fight back in their honor. I am partial to this ceremony because I was in it this year. I was among the 5 people chosen from the teams to recite a poem. My poem was called: “I Light A Candle”. I was pretty nervous to read this but then I realized the lights are off and it is pretty dark and I could only see if I used flashlight to read, so I read! I did enjoyed it a lot….

I wanted to thank eveyone who stopped by our tent to visit and buy raffle tickets and give us word of encouragements. Please join us again next year….

I began to discuss my various frustrations with the clubhouse with Correen. I explained to her how important this building was in our neighborhood. It is a visual anchor that is so important to help preserve the viability and feeling of security in an older low income neighborhood. I saw a huge need for a renovation plan and a business plan for the clubhouse.

She answered my call for help by joining our club and becoming the House Coordinator. Correen is a retired college professor who brings so many skills [and contacts]with her to our club. Two years later we now we have a very active House committee with six members. We have an new building inventory, a house vision statement for the future and people energy to move it all along. We working on a master plan for renovation and maintenance of our 100 year old building. We have exciting projects working with students at Eastern Washington University on a business plan for the clubhouse and on grant writing for major capital improvements to the building. We are now working on our first public fundraiser for the clubhouse, a Father’s Day event to celebrate the the 100th anniversary of Father’s Day. Sonora Smart Dodd, the founder of Father’s Day was a member of our GFWC Spokane club for 37 years. I hope we can keep up the momentum.

On Woman’s Club front,  it has been a busy new year. I am the new chair for our Int’l Affairs department and I am glad that the previous chair is in my committee and agreed to be the co-chair. I was panicking there for a while. It should be a new challenge for me as I have not been a chair before.  I also agreed to be Relay for Life team captain this year.  I was the co-captain last year so this is more responsibilities for me now.  I have to say I really enjoy doing Relay for Life and it is one of the projects of Home Life that I am glad we participate at. If they asked me again next year to be the captain, I will say yes… Well, our RFL event is March 26-27  at Greco Middle School again in Temple Terrace, FLorida. As I said before, it is a wonderful event and I just found out last night at one of the captain’s meetins, that I will be one of 5 people who would read a poem during the Luminaria ceremony. I am actually looking forward to that although I have always been shy in public speaking but I thought why not, it is for a great cause. My team has made 75% of our goal as of today which is great and I am proud of them. I personally made cupcakes again this year and sold quite a bit of them. So we are doing just fine.  Relay for Life theme this year is: Toon Out Cancer so each team had to pick a cartoon theme and we decided to go with “Casper the friendly ghost”. ALthough my first choice was olive oil and popeye since eveyone thinks I look a little like olive oil!!!!!!

Well, I think I’ll sign off now. I promise I will write soon….

Here is a quote from an email I got from her good friend Karel Volpert:  “Good news!  Christy had twin baby girls last Thursday.  They weighed 5 lbs.14 1/2 oz. and 5 lbs.15 oz.  The babies are doing fine and look exactly alike.  I got to see a phone picture of them today”

Christie has spent the better part of the last several months hospitalized and on total bed rest.   Let’s all keep them in our prayers!

The disaster there has moved me to watch the news continuously for days now.  The horror is unspeakable.  I think we are all being moved to try to help in some way.  But which charity will make the best use of our cash?  At this early stage, all the media is begging us to keep our “stuff” and just send money.

I want to ask all of you to send some amount of money, no matter how much, to some charity that will primarily look after the children.  That’s one of the things that makes GFWC unique.  We are always thinking of helping children.

The first news show I listened to asked for contributions to UNICEF.  The lady being interviewed said that the first thing UNICEF does when they help in a disaster is to gather the children and try to reunite them with their parents.  Then they concentrate on the essentials:  water, food, blankets, shelter.  You can contribute by going to http://www.unicefusa.org/

When I posted this information on the GFWC FaceBook page, Janice Adler mentioned that Plan USA is also a partner of GFWC and can use your funds for Haiti.  Here is what I found on the Plan USA site about Haiti:  “Plan Haiti is accounting for staff in the capital and its 10 program units, including three units in the quake zone to the south of the capital. Plan is preparing to deploy staff for assessments and emergency response starting on Wednesday.

Roger Yates, Plan Director of disasters and humanitarian response, said: “Of all the countries in the region, Haiti is the most vulnerable . . . . Our priority is assisting children and their families and getting people at risk into safe accommodation wherever possible.”

Plan will also be working to help ease the psychological trauma caused by the disaster, as well as ensuring that children are protected throughout the recovery effort.

Plan has worked with children, families, and communities in Haiti since 1973. It currently implements child-centered community development programs featuring Health, Education for Girls and Boys, HIV and AIDS, and the Rights of the Child.”

I found this information and a link to donate to Plan USA at: http://www.planusa.org/contentmgr/showdetails.php/id/1188742.

And I just heard on the radio that many phony charities are trying to capitalize on this tragedy.  Please be sure you know where your money is really going.  Both UNICEF and Plan USA take almost no money out of donations to run their organizations.

I urge you to donate SOMETHING today to aid the survivors in Haiti.  These two charities are our partners here at GFWC and would be excellent choices for your generosity!

Gail Cropper as"Who is That?"

007 makes a Mummy for Cowgirl

In October, our Club decided to do an old fashioned Halloween Bingo Family Fun Night.  It was a bit last minute so we did simple decorations, games and crafts projects for the children.   We had a haunted house on the stage, Bingo for prizes and a super cake walk.  T he PR was a little short, but everybody had fun, we made a little money and we learned a lot for next year.

One week before Thanksgiving brought the Fire Marshal to the the clubhouse for our annual inspection.  She was a young inspector and sharp on all points.  Six of 10 emergency exit lights were not functioning, 2 exit lights were out, and one 90 year old exterior door used maybe 3 times a year simply would not open. I got a good education out of the experience, met a great volunteer electrician, and dragged my fix-it friends to the building for help and company. Well, things happen to a 100 year old building, but what a pain to have this at the holidays. It took 5 weeks to get all this corrected, whew!

The day before Thanksgiving our eldest  member passed away.  Blanche Madren was 102 years old and just a delight to talk too.  We were all sad but want a wonderful life she had. We held a memorial on Dec 14.

Blanche and Rosemary August 2009

December 5 was our huge annual Snowy Lace and Lilacs Vintage Fashion Tea.  Seating for 140, tea delicacies piled high for 14 tables, hot tea  and a fabulous 100 year retrospective of fashion from our clubs Spokane Vintage Fashion collection.  Amazing outfits modeled by club members of all ages.  I narrated the fashion show for the first time this year and got pretty decent reviews.

Teapots and a few goody trays ready for serving

At our November and December Club meetings we held an in club Crack fundraiser, to repair the  foundation cracks  in our basement level  room called the Rose Room.  We raised $1000 pronto and got bids.  The contractor was scheduled to come in Dec 21 for a three day job.  Last December, Spokane had maybe 60″ of snow, this year it poured rain all December. The Rose Room was an on again off again pond. Rain was pouring through the cracks as the workers prepped for sealing.  The repair  seems to be working.  At least the room stayed dry for the wedding rental on December 28.  It was a  Military wedding with full honor guard.

I finished up the year doing major rewrites of rental contracts for Club Rentals.

We just completed our 1st quilting bee of the year and made about 30 quilts.  The process is very simple, and no one needs to know how to “quilt.”  At our 1st meeting of the year, our International Affairs Chairman distributes plastic baggies of the material for the quilt tops.  This consists of nine 13 inch squares and 4 strips of edging about 46 inches long.  We use cotton material in pretty printed patterns.  Usually the squares have some common color or pattern theme to work well together in geometric patterns. The ladies take home the baggies and sew the squares and edges to make a top about 45 inches square.

In the meantime the chairman buys the batting material in 45 in rolls and some plain colored solid cotton material to act as the bottom of the quilt.  She cuts those bottoms in 45 in squares too.  We get together one morning in late October for our quilting “bee.”  This process is usually repeated two more times throughout the club year.  When we have our quilting bee we choose a room with large banquet tables and good light.  Three ladies bring sewing machines, and the rest of us bring scissors, straight pins, thread, yarn, and needles.  Usually ten or more ladies show up.  There are probably fifty members who participate at one time or another.

To put the quilts together the roll of batting is pulled out on a table, a backing square is placed on top of it, and then a top square is put down face down.  That square is then cut from the batting roll and moved to the next group who keep it flat on a table and pin all the way around the edges.  The square is next moved to the sewing machines where the outside is sewn close to the edge.  A twelve inch gap is left on one side, so the quilt can be “turned.”

After the pins are removed by the next group of gals, the quilt is turned inside out…actually it’s outside out   The gap is sewn carefully shut, and the “tying” begins.  A piece of yarn is sewn all the way through the quilt at  each corner of the small squares that make up the pattern.  The piece of yarn is cut off about 3 inches long on each side and knotted.  All the corners are knotted, and yarn is also knotted in the center of each square and at intervals along the edges.  Sometimes we take the quilts home to finish the tying step.

Voila..a completed lap blanket for some lucky child who will have facial surgery in some far distant country.  The children get to keep the blankets when they go home.  Our love and good wishes are sewn right into the fabric of those blankets.  Your club can easily take up this project too.  The most expensive part of the process is the postage mailing them to Operation Smile.  We often get the fabric stores to donate the material or a part of the cost.

Making these blankets has become a real membership tool for our club.  There is nothing more rewarding than making a tangible item you know is going to be used with love.  Our members continue their participation in our club and this project because they feel so connected.

Int. Affairs Chrm. Carolyn Van Patten

Our club holds a unique event to introduce prospective members to GFWC and our club.  We hold a New Member High Tea.  The tables are set by the Department and Standing Chairmen with fine bone china and crystal, silver and decorations.  The Chairmen attend and all members are invited to bring new friends and to attend themselves.  Chairmen are asked during the proceedings to give a brief overview of their committee activities.  The structure of GFWC is explained, and the ladies are invited to join in our philanthropic work and community service.

This party always occurs during October, so that we can Act in Oct.  Today’s party was also a Halloween Costume party.  We had almost 60 ladies attend, with 6 prospective new members.  Little tea sandwiches were delicious as were all the desserts.  Coffee, tea, and cider rounded out our snacks.

Please take a few minutes to see our costumes and creative table decorations by clicking on the above pictures.  Prizes were given for the tables voted best.   (The purple table won.)

This conference was one of the very best I’ve ever attended.  The entertainment was superb…the meals were scrumptious and presented beautifully, the workshops were very worthwhile, with lots of new ideas brought forward.

Sunday’s inspirational speaker, Sister Susan Keller, had us all laughing and crying with her humor and touching stories of surviving Cancer four times.  She says the big C isn’t Cancer, it’s Christ in her life!  I found it interesting to hear how the Sisters of today are all ministers in some way…working hard to help people in need.  Sr. Susan is a humorist who performs for groups like ours, and yet also ministers to women in shelters and does other work.  One of her writings can be found in the book Chicken Soup for the Survivor’s Soul.

Sandra Pecha and Sr. Susan Keller

Our membership workshop on Saturday afternoon turned out to be a great brainstorming session.  Some good ideas I heard to build new membership were make a club brochure and make bookmarks with your club information that you place at the library.  My club has a book sale every summer, and we’re going to put those bookmarks in the books we sell.  We really stressed the need for every club to have an informative brochure.  The Board in Illinois has designed a template for Illinois clubs that we’ve placed on our website for our state to download.  Hopefully, it will spark the brochure creativity in our clubs!  We need to stress that every time we interact with the public, we need to tell them who we are.

I hope you are taking the opportunity to attend your district, state, and region conferences and conventions.  First of all they are really fun, you make new friends from all over your area, and you learn an awful lot that can apply in your job, your life, and your club.  We are a very professional group of women that are really good for each other!  As a matter of fact, we’re really good for our communities and our country.

Int. President Dr. Rose Ditto

Int. Pres. Elect Carlene Garner

Great Lakes Pres. Sandra Pecha

2010 Great Lakes Pres. Debbie Bach

Michigan National Guard Army Band

Michigan State Night at the Great Lakes Conference has been spectacular!  The dinner was just perfect, including a cream puff with CHOCOLATE for dessert.  To quote Sandra Pecha, our region president, the entertainment “took your breath away.”   We were treated to a performance by the 126th National Guard Army Band of Michigan.  They played a selection of patriotic music and everyone was moved to tears, especially during the featured portion of the performance when the brass quintet played “Going Home.”  They had played this at the funeral of President Gerald Ford, a Michigan native, whose home is there in Grand Rapids.

GFWC International President Rose Ditto and President Elect Carlene Garner addressed us, and Rose presented a rose to each of the attending state presidents:  Debra Strahanowski from Illinois, Sherry Wellman from Michigan, Rose Logston from Ohio, Marianne Potter from Wisconsin and Barbara Conaway from Indiana.

We’re all really looking forward to the meetings and workshops that the rest of the weekend will bring.  We’ll be electing our next president and the rest of the board tomorrow.

I hope you all get a chance to attend your regional conference this year.  It is a wonderful opportunity to tune up your enthusiasm for this great organization and the work that we all do.

I suggest every state consider asking your state National Guard Army Band to perform at your state convention.  According to the Michigan Band, every state has a band like this, and California has two!

Band Director