Extended Ventures for Clubs-At-Large

(Alexina Y Baldwin, Chair, International Clubs-At-Large Committee; published in the April-May 2010 International Altrusan)

This is a call to all Altrusans to harness the energy that has been generated by Carol Latham, the Altrusa International Clubs-At-Large Committee, and Terri Weeks during the last biennium, to make this new decade one that will see a growth and stabilization of our Clubs-At-Large.

Explorations for new clubs have been started in Kenya, Sierra Leone, Uganda, China, and Russia. With new technology that brings the entire world into our living room, this is the time to extend Altrusa’s message of service and leadership around the globe. Clubs will develop if our message is heard. Many of us became Altrusans because of this leadership in service of which we wanted to be a part.

The task is not an easy one but the rewards are worth the time and energy spent in experimenting with new ideas for outreach. Why not try on some of these for your club? Much energy can be generated I am sure.

• Encourage your club to adopt a Club-At-Large. Support the work of the selected club through their local projects. This can be done as an individual club or in cooperation with another club. The list of Clubs-At-Large can be secured from altrusa@altrusa.com.  If you make a decision on a club, send that information to clubsatlarge@altrusa.com.
• Encourage your sister club to join you in obtaining information on possible places for developing new clubs.
• Secure information from community centers that you visit overseas about their volunteer and charity work.  Share your “Altrusa business card” and make contacts.
• The International Office knows about the many services we are doing for communities around the world so that these efforts can be shared and inspire other clubs.
• Check with your Chamber of Commerce about becoming a sister city to one in another country.  Or check with them to see if there is already an active sister city program. Lawrence, Kansas, has three.  There are others I am sure. What an opportunity for growth in these cities!
• Mine your club for relatives, friends, and business contacts in various countries.
• Use time during District Conferences to provide supportive activities for your Clubs-At-Large or community.
• Join Facebook or utilize other social media communication strategies to keep in touch with prospective clubs or present Clubs-At-Large.

Every attempt will be made to secure information about the projects in which our Clubs-At-Large are participating so we can support their efforts in any way that we can. You and your club can become more global in your ideas about Altrusa. Let’s give it a try.

No one said this would be easy, but we can make a difference. Please. . .join us in continuing the ALTRUSA GLOBALIZATION VENTURE.

San Buenaventura Improves Veteran's Home

A group of the San Buenaventura Altrusans have been working at the new Veterans Home in East Ventura to make their two libraries more user friendly and to devise a system whereby the contents of the libraries are clearly labeled as to category and easy for the residents to access. Judy Heard (pictured left), re-shelves one of the books in the section devoted to fiction.

We have designated one of the libraries as fictional works and the other as non-fiction, as well as musical CDs and movies on DVD or VHS. There are also a few audio books. Sondra, Judy, Beverly Mueller, Sue Leonard and Diane Suskin have worked on this project to date. 

Sondra Short, below, organized some of the biographies in one of the Veterans Home libraries on a recent visit.

Glendale Altrusans Support College View School

Glendale's Donnalee Monninger and President-Elect Barbara Winsor attended the Fiesta Fundraiser at College View School in Glendale, CA (a school who's entire student body is mentally challenged).

To raise funds, there were many silent auction items displayed throughout the school with a cake walk event happening every 15 minutes or so with the winners getting their choice of homemade delectables. Outside, taco dinners were being served and entertainment was provided by a couple of young Mexican boys who played guitar and sang.

For dessert, there were churros served from a cart sponsored by the Glendale Altrusa Club.  100% of the proceeds from the cart went toward College View's fund raising efforts.

Glendale's President-Elect, Barbara Winsor, waiting her turn for a churro at the cart Altrusa sponsored

Glendale Member, Donnalee Monninger waiting for a taco as part of the Fiesta themed celebration

Conference 2010 Award Winners

Dr. Nina Fay Calhoun International -- San Diego, CA

The Altrusa Club of San Diego developed the LIFE (Literacy Is For Everyone) Literacy Project in partnership with WellSpring Faith and Hope Community School, Zambia, Africa. The one room school has 4 teachers and 86 students. Many of the students are single or double orphaned. Our mission is to provide education for the poor. Involvement in this school is having a profound impact in the lives of the children, their families and community and opening the eyes of the children to possibilities other than a life of abject poverty.

Mamie L. Bass Service -- Chula Vista, CA

A three year old child dies suddenly after her 3-drawer dresser topples over on her.  What would you do?  If you are a member of Altrusa, you turn your pain into something positive by fighting back and preventing these senseless injuries.  The Kendall Project had clear and straightforward objectives:  raise awareness by educating parents and the community of the inherent danger of furniture tipping over and showing was to prevent these accidents.

Chula Vista parternered with Scripps Mercy Hospital, which delivers approximately 5000 babies each year, to distribute the Kendall Project Brochure.  The brochure is now distributed through Rady Children's Hospital, Safe Kids Coalition, City Heights Wellness Center, Santee School District's First Five, Kindercare of Bonita and Eastlake Church Preschool.  The brochure is written in English and Spanish.  Altrusa is now a member of the national Safe Kids Coalition because of our work on furniture tip over prevention.  Altrusa members now serve on the San Diego Safe Kids Coalition Advisory Committee and the Home Safety Task Force.  Members are actively involved in designing and coordinating a "Jr. Home Inspector Program" geared to children ages 5-11.  This program educates children and their parents on identifying and correcting hazards in the home.

Letha H. Brown Literacy Award -- Central Coast, CA

The Central Coast's Club's Readable Kingdom was designed to celebrate reading, to offer an exciting event for families in the community and to motivate families to read and learn together.  The club started with a poster that gave directions.  Parents and children went to stations, where they saw large stuffed replicas of jungle animals, read information about the animals, and picked up related activities to do at home.  There were eight stations and at the end, each child got to select a "Zoobook" about an animal they would like to know more about.  Over 200 books were given out to children and they all had at least one parent with them, so at least 300 people were served.

Club members supplied the animals that were used at the event, transported the items to the local mall, set up the event and tore it down it afterwards, helped read and translate information to parents and children, handed out books, answered questions, engaged the ASTRA Club to participate and aided them with their puppet show and book mark project, and took pictures.

Marilyn Atwood Recognition - Anaheim, CA

Dolores Suter-Crupnick won this prestigious award, specific to District Eleven.  It is presented to a District member who is always available to the local club, working in the background, and usually does not receive recognition on a larger scale.

Let's Be AMIGAS!

AMIGA is a term most of us know automatically. It is a Spanish term used to address or refer to a female friend, and in our Southwestern part of the country it is a very common way to greet a fellow friend. In an attempt to more fully appreciate our new members in Altrusa International, Inc. of Tucson, we have created the AMIGA PROGRAM. It is actually a retooling of a concept created "a couple of Conventions ago", and if there were time and historical documentation, it might be possible to find the true beginnings of the Amiga Program.

Staying with the present, the Tucson Altrusa Membership Committee met one evening and discussed at length the possibility of restarting this idea. We wanted to match a more seasoned Altrusan with a new member to guide and teach and have someone on hand to answer the many questions new Altrusans may have. We were also looking at the perpetual question of retention of members. Each new member - actually EACH member - is a treasure and we want everyone to know how valuable Altrusans are.

Three members of the committee agreed to ask three newer members if they would become an Amiga with another Altrusan. The Amiga concept is different from the sponsor, although that is also a resource and guide for the new member.

The program took off in February 2010 and is successful according to the new members who love to have an Amiga by their side at meetings and activities. In fact, those of you who went to District Conference saw Amiga Ruth (l) with newer member, Cathy Koenig (r). Who knows, soon we may have an AMIGO program side by side with the Amigas!