club news

Cape Girardeau County FCE

Twenty-one members and one guest from the five FCE clubs in Cape Girardeau County met Oct. 25 at the University of Missouri Extension Center in Jackson to construct weighted blankets for autistic children in Southeast Missouri. The group made 16 blankets to take to the Easter Seals Center in Cape Girardeau. No lap pads or snakes were made due to not having any rice for the stuffing, so members concentrated on constructing the blankets in preparation for stuffing. At the next workshop we will attempt to have several blankets ready to stuff at the beginning of the session. The date for the next workshop has not yet been but each club will be notified as soon as possible.

FCE Lamplighter Club Meeting

The FCE Lamplighter Club meeting was held Oct. 20 at New Salem Methodist Church. Jackie Kurre was hostess.

Since the program was about Afghanistan, a meal consisting of dishes from that country was prepared by Verla Mangels, Sharon Bogenphol and Kurre.

After the meal, Judy Strickland, vice president, called the meeting to order. Kurre gave the devotion, "Explaining God." Roll call was answered by each member saying which Afghanistan dish she liked best. Dorothy Hahs read the September minutes and Linda Sebaugh gave the treasurer's report.

Meat donations for the tiger sanctuary were discussed. Verla Mangels and Margaret Friese will be on the committee for this project.

Judy Strickland and Karen McLane reported on the fall district meeting they attended in Poplar Bluff, Missouri.

It was announced that the National FCE Conference will be held in Omaha, Nebraska.

The program was the Afghanistan meal, with each lady explaining the dish she had prepared. Bogenphol talked about the country and some of its customs.

Brynn Myers, a senior at Oak Ridge High School, joined us for the meal and spoke about her experience at Girls State. She answered questions from the group.

Apple Creek Winery will be the venue for the Nov. 17 meeting. Those planning to attend should meet at the First Baptist Church of Oak Ridge parking lot at 11 a.m. We will have lunch, a tour of the winery and a program. Roll call will be a favorite comfort food. The meeting was adjourned.

FCE Southeast District

The Fall FCE Southeast District meeting was held Oct. 18 at the chamber of commerce in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. The theme of the meeting was "Coloring Our World" and all present were urged to get involved in activities to help each of us put our own stamp on the future.

The meeting was called to order by State FCE President Edna Crain, who also introduced several dignitaries: Lynn Maples, National FCE president; Betty Shalk, state board; and June Romine, state treasurer. Crain also led an icebreaker during which members could get acquainted. Steve Halter, president of the Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce, welcomed the group to Poplar Bluff and related some pertinent facts on the advancement of new schools, programs and businesses.

Roll call revealed a total attendance of 25 members and one guest: Butler County, nine; Cape Girardeau County, nine; and Ripley County, seven. During the business meeting, Crain reported on the state FCE meeting held in September and stated that the board was investigating a more central location for the state meeting. Maples also encouraged members to try to attend the national conference in Omaha, Nebraska in June or July 2017.

The morning speaker was Christina Miller, a school counselor at Twin Rivers High School, who spoke on "Living a Life of Gratitude." She gave several tips on enjoying your life and being happy.

Crain announced that the new secretary of the state FCE will be Mary Klaproth from Cape Girardeau County, and the new treasurer is Judy Strickland, who will replace June Romine, who resigned.

After the lunch break, a skit, "Cinderella, British Style," was presented by a group of members of the host counties.

The afternoon program was on human trafficking, during which Jacquie Castaneda and Amanda Mohl from the SEMO Rescue and Restore Coalition presented much information on how the program works, as well as the types of problems that arise and their causes. Tips were given on how to rescue people who are being taken advantage of. A song, "Over and Over, God's Blessing's On Me," was sung by Castaneda.

Silent auction winners were announced, door prizes were awarded and the 50/50 winner was announced. The meeting was adjourned at 2:30 p.m.

Oak Ridge Homemakers FCE

The Oak Ridge Homemakers FCE club met Oct. 11 at the home of Billie Criddle in Oak Ridge. The meeting was called to order by Jean Rehak, president. The devotion, "He Keeps Me Going" by Betty Patten, was given by Marilyn Retherford. Minutes were read by Peggy Barks and the treasurer's report was read by Pat Hecht. Both were approved.

A proposal to have a food stand at a member's auction was discussed and it was decided we could not do so because of the many other projects in which the club was involved at this time. Barbara Barks reported on the programs presented at the state conference in Osage Beach, Missouri, which was attended by Barbara Barks, Peggy Barks, Betty Dellinger and June Peetz. Rehak reminded members to turn in the number of hours they were involved in different areas at the November meeting.

Christmas cards to the troops are due at the December meeting. The plans for the Christmas giveaway at the Elks Lodge were discussed. It will be on Dec. 8, with setup on Dec. 7. The Elks Lodge is giving us $150 for the candy bags we will distribute that day. Bags will be filled after the club's Thanksgiving dinner, which will be hosted by Pat Hecht at 11:30 a.m. Nov. 15. The menu was discussed, and members volunteered to bring side dishes for the meal.

In other business, members were asked to bring old kitchen utensils to make an "old-fashioned" display on a Christmas tree at the Cape Girardeau County History Center.

A game of "Find the hidden objects" was played and won by BeBe Jenkins. The meeting was adjourned at 1:15 p.m.

-- From staff reports