Club news 5-22-16

FCE Southeast District Meeting

The Spring FCE Southeast Missouri District meeting was held April 21 at the Assembly of God Church in Doniphan, Missouri. Hostesses were Ripley County Clubs. JoAnn Hahs opened the meeting with a call to order. Oak Ridge Homemakers (Cape Girardeau County) President Barbara Barks presented an ice breaker game, in which members were asked to choose an item from a tote bag and offer suggestions that the object provided insight to their character and personality.

Hahs introduced several guests, including FCE State President Edna Crain and FCE National President Lynn Maples. Both women are members of clubs in the Southeast District of Missouri FCE.

Thought for the day was presented by Lois Fritsche of Perry County, who read a poem called "Lillies of the Valley," which emphasized sharing with others.

Roll call was answered by Butler County (12); Cape County (12); Perry County (3); and Ripley County (11) for a total of 38 in attendance.

Hahs gave an overview of the State Spring Board Meeting held April 6 and 7 in Jefferson City, Missouri. Missouri has a total FCE membership of 434 as of April 3. She also stated that the Child Advocacy Day was a success -- more dolls were donated than were needed this year, so the surplus will be held over for next year. Among other items discussed was the need for applications for foundation grants. The deadline for application is July 15. Hahs announced the National FCE Conference will be in Memphis, Tennessee, July 14 to 17.

MAFCE State Conference will be Sept. 28 to 30 in Osage Beach, Missouri, at the Grand Glaize Hotel. Lots of new topics and skills will be featured. Several quilts or throws will be raffled off. First-timer scholarships are still available. Nominations for state vice president are needed, as Liz Fish has resigned due to the illness.

The morning presentation was on building teamwork and was presented by Crain. She stressed that there is no "I" in teamwork, but "responsibility" has three. She presented several qualities that are desired in a good leader, but all need to work together for a common goal.

Membership awards were presented before lunch, after which the presentations of the district essay/art contests were enjoyed. Three out of four essays were read by their authors; all four counties sent in essays this year.

Lynn Maples presented the program for the afternoon session. It was titled "Stolen People, Stolen Dreams," and Maples gave interesting facts and information on how all of us need to learn methods to thwart the rising numbers of persons, including children, who are caught in human trafficking

Silent auction winners were announced, as were door prizes.

Town and Country FCE

The Town and Country FCE Club met April 14 at the home of Karen Murphy. The devotion "Fresh Perspective" was given by the hostess.

The hostess sponsored a game on hidden books of the Bible. The game was won by Mary Klaproth. Roll call was given by the secretary, Sue Jones. Members answered with activities they engaged in on Easter Sunday. Correspondence was read from the Community Counseling Center in Cape Girardeau, thanking members for their contribution of cupcakes and sodas to the students at Cottonwood Treatment Center for Easter. Darlene McCain, Linda Thompson and Klaproth delivered the treats on March 22. The minutes were read and approved.

The treasurer's report was given by Donna Woolsey and approved. Pennies for Friendship were collected.

It was reported that eight club members had attended All Clubs Day at the University of Missouri Extension Center on March 28. Leader training was held April 4 with six members attending.

Forms were handed out to club members from the FCE Tour Committee advertising a bus trip to The Muny Opera in St. Louis on July 11. The cost of the trip is $85, which includes admission to The Muny and bus transportation. Attendees will pay for their own dinner at Favazza's Restaurant in St. Louis. Payment for the trip is to be made by check to Verla Mangels. Deadline to register is June 27.

The program titled "Small Steps to Health and Wealth" was given by Linda Thompson. Hearth Fire No. 34 Person to Person Â…"Here's to a Healthy Heart" was read aloud by members.

The Town and Country FCE club met May 12 at the University of Missouri Extension Center in Jackson. The meeting was hosted by Lois Seabaugh, who gave the devotion titled, "The Girl I Used To Be." Klaproth led members in a game.

Roll call was given by Jones, which was answered by telling how many times members exercise each week. Correspondence was read from Parkview State School thanking FCE Council members for weighted blankets donated to the school and the St. Patrick's Day party provided by our club. The minutes were read by the secretary and were approved as read. Woolsey gave the treasurer's report, which was approved as read. Coins for Friendship were collected.

Under old business it was reported by the president that six members had attended the Spring District FCE meeting at Doniphan, Missouri. The club received a certificate for being a club for 50 years. Linda Thompson, charter member, also received a certificate.

Six club members participated in recipe testing of apple dishes at the University of Missouri Extension Center on May 2. A few of these recipes may appear in "Today's Farmer" magazine at a later date.

Under new business it was decided to give an end-of-school party for Parkview State School on May 20. The same day members will donate fans to the Salvation Army's Fan Club for heat relief for the needy. Woolsey was in charge of purchasing the fans.

Books for Newborns were collected at the meeting to be given to SoutheastHEALTH in Cape Girardeau. Labels for the books were made by Jones and the books were to be delivered to the hospital by Lois Seabaugh.

Food items to be donated to the Jackson Ministerial Alliance Food Pantry were collected. Klaproth was in charge of delivering the items to the food pantry at First Baptist Church in Jackson.

The president made the following announcements: All members were reminded to contribute daily to the May calendar fundraiser. The Cape County FCE Council meeting will be held at 7 p.m. June 2 at the Extension Center. Weighted blanket work day will be at the Extension Center lower level on June 7.

The program on fall prevention was given by Darlene McCain. She led the members in exercises for ways to strengthen their bodies to prevent falls. All members participated in reading Hearth Fire No. 8-A, "Person to Person ... Does Your Engine Purr?"

The door prize was won by Sue Jones. Club out will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Hickory House Restaurant in Jackson.

The next club meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. June 9, at IHOP in Cape Girardeau to celebrate the club's 50-year anniversary. A birthday cake and balloons will be provided by the club. The hostesses for the celebration will be Klaproth, Thompson and McCain

-- From staff reports