FCE clubs unite for community support and emergency preparedness

Town & Country FCE

The Town and Country FCE club met Thursday, Sept. 12 at the home of Linda Thompson. Pledges to the US flag, the State of Missouri flag and the National FCE Creed were repeated in unison by club members.

Thompson gave the devotional entitled “The Seasons of the Soul.” Roll call was given by Sue Jones, secretary. She also read a thank-you note from Community Counseling Center thanking the club for a back-to-school party for the residents at Cottonwood Treatment Center on Wednesday, Aug. 14.

Jones read the minutes from the August club meeting and Thompson gave the treasurers report. Both were approved as read.

Mary Klaproth, president, made the following announcements:

The MAFCE Conference will be held Tuesday, Oct. 1, through Thursday, Oct. 3, in Columbia. Klaproth plans to attend the conference.

National FCE week is Sunday, Oct. 6, through Saturday, Oct. 12. In observance of the week, Members will attend church together at Emanuel United Church of Christ Church in Jackson at 10:10 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 6, and go out to lunch after the service.

Fall District meeting will be hosted Tuesday, Oct. 22, by Ripley County in Doniphan. Refreshments will be served at 9:30 a.m. and the business meeting will begin at 10 a.m. Cost of lunch will be $1.

The club can no longer get program books supplied to it from FCE. Klaproth asked members if they would approve having them printed by Benchmark Printing in Cape Girardeau at a cost of $5 each. Brenda Pender made a motion to purchase the books with a second by Donna Woolsey. The motion passed.

FCE Extension clubs will meet at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6, to test Christmas Cookie recipes for” Today’s Farmer” magazine. The meeting will be held on the lower level at the University of Missouri Extension Center in Jackson. Ten recipes will be tested. Volunteers to bake two recipes from Town and Country FCE for the test are Klaproth and Pender. The remaining recipes will be given to other Cape County FCE clubs.

The program was given by Jones on “saving food when the power goes off” and “three keys to emergency preparedness".

The door prize was won by Jones.

The next meeting will be hosted by Lois Seabaugh at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 10. Pender will give the program. Members will need to bring Halloween candy for treat bags to be given to Cottonwood Treatment Center in Cape Girardeau.

Cape Girardeau County FCE Council meeting

The Cape Girardeau County FCE Council (Family and Community Education) met Wednesday, Sept. 4, at the University of Missouri Extension Center. President Mary Klaproth presided. The pledges to the American Flag and the Missouri Flag were recited. The devotion, “The Scent of Apples” was presented by Kage Club.

Roll call was taken by Judie Herbst, Cape County recording secretary. Attending were members of Kage, Lamplighters, Town and Country and Oak Ridge Clubs, totaling six members.

In the absence of treasurer, Jo Dixon, the report was presented by Barbara Barks.

A thank-you note will be written to The Acee Gas/Convenience Store in Gordonville, for allowing the club to participate the month of June in its 10% day. All members were encouraged to participate at Acee’s for the month. The council took part last month with Jimmy John’s in Jackson. These funds will go toward the upcoming scholarships that are becoming available this fall.

Jo Ann Hahs gave a report on the weighted blanket workshop held Thursday, July 18. Forty weighted blankets, along with 25 lap pads were completed and delivered the next day. Hahs will check with Easter Seals in October to find out about their need for more. She also reported that Butler County had contributed eight spools of Velcro as they are no longer making the blankets. A thank-you note along with a small contribution will be sent to Butler County in appreciation.

Membership forms for 2025 will be mailed directly to all current members. They again this year have the $5 coupon included. Members are asked to respond as soon as possible as the time this year is six weeks shorter than the normal schedule. Please mail form and dues to your treasurer if your club has already met this month.

The nominating committee reported that Jo Dixon, treasurer, and Judie Herbst, recording secretary, have agreed to hold their office for another two years.

The membership committee will meet to determine which members qualify for years of service pins in December. Jones, Herbst and Verla Mangels are members of this committee.

Members were reminded of the Fall District meeting to be hosted by Doniphan in Ripley County. More information will be made available at a later date.

Members were also reminded of the Cape Girardeau County FCE College scholarship applications for 2024. These applicants must be a Cape Girardeau County High School or Home Schooled graduate and be a resident of Cape Girardeau County. They must have a minimum of 30 college or post high school credits, must be enrolled and have a GPA of 2.75. The $300 scholarship will be paid directly to the institution in which the recipient is enrolled for the spring 2025 semester. This can be an out of state institution as long as the applicant is a resident of Cape Girardeau County. These applications are due Tuesday, Oct. 15.

The National Conference held in Erlanger, Kentucky, on July 25 through 28, was reported on by Klaproth. Some membership pins that will be needed in December were obtained at the conference.

The FCE Conference will be held in October in Columbia. The theme will be “FCE — A Key to Success.” The craft workshop to be held on Tuesday evening will be “Making a Wreath." Jo Dixon will purchase an item to represent Cape Girardeau County for the silent auction. It was also reported that Sarah Ross had received the Cape Girardeau County scholarship to attend the conference. This includes the registration fee and the hotel room. Several members are planning to attend.

The next Cape Girardeau County Council meeting will be held Wednesday, Dec. 4, at the Extension Center for the annual Christmas Luncheon. This year the host club will be the Cheerful Country Doers. More information will be available at a later date.

Kage Club was reminded that they are in charge of All Clubs Day in March 2025.