Club news 3/17

Town & Country FCE

Town & Country FCE Club met at the home of Shirley Heise on Thursday. The meeting was called to order by Darlene McCain, president. Ten members were present with one visitor.

The devotional, "Let's Make Room for Peace," was given by the hostess. Food pantry items were brought to be donated to the Jackson Ministerial Alliance Food Pantry. Caroline Thompson gave highlights on the FCE County Council meeting held on March 8. McCain reported on the leader training meeting.

Mary Klaproth reported on "Tune Out Violence" committee decisions. Margie McAnally and Klaproth will collect signatures at Wal-Mart in Cape Girardeau from 1 to 4 p.m. Friday. All members are encouraged to collect names individually.

The April project will be held at Cottonwood Treatment Center at 6 p.m. on April 5. It will have an Easter theme. Judy Johnson will be the Easter bunny. Norma Schrieber, Becky Davis and Johnson will purchase items to be donated to the center.

All Clubs Day is Monday at the Cape Girardeau County Extension building in Jackson.

Programs were given by Sue Jones on low-maintenance landscaping and by Thompson on meeting with a flair.

The next meeting will be held on April 1 at the home of Norma Schreiber. Club Out will be at Margie's Restaurant at East Cape, Ill., at 6 p.m. on March 25.

Alpha Mu Master

Aplha Mu Master Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi met at the home of Margaret Little. Marsha Parrish, president, conducted the meeting.

Information was received concerning the cancer insurance available through the International Office for members and their families.

A report was given on the recent couples' dinner held at Margie's Restaurant in East Cape, Ill.

Judie Herbst reported that her granddaughter, Amanda Herbst, had applied for a Beta Sigma Phi scholarship. She will be attending Southeast Missouri State University next year. She is a senior at Jackson High School.

Little presented the program. She shared an essay titled "Geezerdom" and also shared memories, yearbooks, scrapbooks, photos, newspapers articles and other memorabilia from high school, college and early Beta Sigma Phi days.

The chapter's election of officers for the coming year, and the chapter's selection of "Woman of the Year" for this year will be held at the Monday meeting, at the home of Charlotte Bess.

American Legion Auxiliary

Members of American Legion Auxiliary met at Cape Town Assisted Living Facility for their monthly meeting. A lunch was served by the facility and the group took a tour of the home.

A brief business meeting was conducted by Iola Amelunke. Plans are being made to send six girls to Missouri Girls' State. Chairman Caryn Michel will have lists of girls who are academically eligible from local schools. The girls chosen will need to be in Sikeston, Mo., on April 18 for a briefing. The auxiliary will make 350 girls' state favors. Over 700 girls participate in girls' state.

A letter was received from the Salvation Army requesting food items and women's hygiene products. Members will bring something of this nature to the April meeting.

Amelunke passed out year-end report forms to the various chairwomen. A certificate of appreciation was received for a donation to the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Red House Project.

Membership chairwoman Frieda Howard said the club is one short of the membership goal.

On April 25, another house at Crystal Estates will be dedicated by Habitat for Humanity board members. The American Legion Auxiliary will be on hand to present a house-warming gift.

May 7 will be Poppy day. Sign-up sheets will be available at the April meeting.

All Auxiliary members are invited to the Post 63 birthday dinner at 6:30 p.m. today. The planning committee of the Post will take care of inviting guests. The dinner will be at the new Post home at 2731 Thomas Drive in Cape Girardeau.

Scottish Rite Men's Club

The Scottish Rite Men's Club met March 10, with decorations reflecting a Mardi Gras theme. The ladies served potluck while the men provided the rest of the meal. Three strands of beads were distributed to all the ladies in purple, green and gold. The color purple represents justice; green, faith; and gold, power.

John Fry, first vice president, opened the meeting. Several members were mentioned on the sick and distressed list.

Fry gave the program, telling about his trip with wife, Irma, to Louisiana and the Mardi Gras carnival celebration they enjoyed. He told that the celebration originally started in 1699 on Fat Tuesday and lasted through Lent of each year.

The next meeting will be on April 14 in the lower level of the Masonic Lodge.

Cape County FCE Council

Six local FCE Clubs were represented when the Cape Girar-deau County Council met for its quarterly council meeting on March 4 at the Cape Girardeau County Extension Office. Mary Gosche, human development specialist, reported that 17 dolls were collected by the county clubs for Child Advocacy Day in Jefferson City. Dolls collected were delivered to legislators as a part of the FCE awareness mission of "We Care About Kids." The dolls, with others collected statewide, are then in turn given to children by the state legislators.

Mary Klaproth, chairwoman of the Tour Committee, reported having six tours planned for 2004. The first one is April 17, for "Riverdance" at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis, Mo. Other tours announced are Lewis and Clark Festivities in St. Charles, Mo., on May 24; The Muny Opera, date to be announced; Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View, Ark., Oct. 15 through 17; to Branson on Nov. 12 through 14; and Lady of the Snows on Dec. 11.

Nelda Crader and Opal Collins were introduced as co-chairwomen for the Red Cross blood drive to be held in June.

The "Tune Out Violence" campaign will be observed by having pledges taken at the Wal-Mart in Cape Girardeau and Wal-Mart and Sav-A-Lot in Jackson. Club members will be soliciting pledges of persons who will make a conscious effort to have people avoid watching or listening to violent television, music, video games or radio programming, especially on April 5.

Ryan Hale and Shelby Kiehne were reported first- and second-place winners in the FCE Essay and Artwork Contest for fourth grade students from Nell Holcomb and Immaculate Conception School. Sixty students did pencil drawings illustrating trustworthiness, the pillar of character. Accompanying the drawing, students wrote a story of explanation. Marilyn Retherford chaired the contest committee.

All Clubs Day was announced for Monday at 9:30 a.m. at the Extension Center. The Willing Workers will be host and a salad luncheon will be served at noon. Inez Statler will be conducting the awards ceremony.

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, free educational workshops, will be conducted by Univesity of Missouri Outreach and Extension and will be held in Jackson, Charleston, Mo., and Poplar Bluff, Mo., during March and April. Registration deadlline is Friday at the Extension Center. For more information, call 243-3581.

All members were encouraged to attend the SEMO District FCE meeting at Doniphan, Mo., on May 4.

Crader, county president, concluded the meeting by pointing out the importance of using the 2004 Member Handbook for obtaining useful information.

Cape Girardeau County AARP

The Cape Girardeau County Chapter of AARP No. 4041 met March 1 with Laverne Nothdurft, president, presiding.

Committee reports were given. AARP Volunteer Day will be May 13 at the Missouri Veteran's Home. It was voted to change the yearly dues to $4, beginning January 2005.

Dr. Frank Nickell presented a program about "The Mississippi River." He gave a history of the river.

New members are Iris Likens, Jim and Jeanna McGinnis, Tom and Mary Wiginton, and Nickell.

Kage FCE

The Kage FCE Club met Thursday, at the home of Martha Slaten.

Opal Collins, Linda Farrow and Edna Hey will be seeking pledges to "Tune Out Violence" on television at a local store on Friday.

Inez Statler, Dortha Strack and Shirley Palen attended the Leader Training session at the Extension Center on March 8.

Individuals contributed toward the expense of digging a well for the Mississippi Valley Therapeutic Horsemanship Program. Farrow announced that a barn dance to benefit the program will be held on May 1.

Members brought items for FISH Food Pantry.

The program on "Creating a Healthier Home" was given by Slaten.

Shirley Ruehling will host the April 8, meeting. Bring yarn for Romania. The program will be on "low-maintenance landscaping."

Xi Nu Phi

The Xi Nu Phi Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi met March 2 at the home of Cathy Pancoast. Information on the endowment fund grant proposal was distributed. It will be voted on at a future meeting.

A discussion was held on the convention to be held in Cape Girardeau in 2005. Plans were tentatively made to attend the Nashville Flea Market on March 27.

Pancoast presented the program on exercise workouts using an exercise ball.

New Salem UMW

The UMW of New Salem United Methodist Church of Daisy met in the home of Barbara Brown on March 3. There were 29 sick calls and shut-in visits made during the month. A new piano has been bought for the church.

Final plans were made for the Vigertone meeting which was held on March 4. The UMW ladies prepared the dinner for this meeting.

Each member will bring one food and one paper product to the next meeting for a needy family of the community. A committee for a wedding shower will be planned.

The World Day of Prayer program was given by Betty Hahs.

-- From staff reports