ASTRA is:

• A volunteer organization for young people sponsored by a local Altrusa club.

• An opportunity to use your time and talent to enrich the lives of others.

• Working with other local civic and volunteer groups on service projects of lasting benefit.

• Interaction with the business, professional and civic leaders who are members of the sponsoring Altrusa club.

2009 ASTRA Officers

Co-President  Krista Koscik, kkoscik@ufl.edu

Co-President  Shan Wong, woruby@ufl.edu

Vice President Rebecca Azeff, azeffr@ufl.edu

Corresponding secretary Sasha Gidwani, gidwanis@ufl.edu

Recording secretary Hanny Lane, kitty07@ufl.edu

Treasurer Brian Tackenberg, btack@ufl.edu

Public Relations coordinator Jessica Sargo, jmsargo@ufl.edu

Faculty Sponsor, Vicki Clifford, vclifford@ufl.edu

 

Club activities included service to Altrusa of Gainesville:

• 5 members returned again this year to help with the Stuff the Bus fundraiser at Butler Plaza. The ASTRA members promoted and encouraged donations from Walmart shoppers from 9:00am until 2:00pm.
• 2 members (Krista Koscik and Jessica Sargo) helped Friday night at Trading Closets and were instrumental in the success of our first-ever raffle. We raffled off several leftover silent auction baskets (with a $350 value) and raised $700!
• 7 members (Krista Koscik , Jessica Sargo, Nicole Fukes, Hanny Lane, Patrick Christopher,  Britany Telford and Rebecca Azeff) attended the March 26 Altrusa meeting  and had a wonderful time chatting up the members.
• Co-president Krista Koscik was a reader at Wiles Elementary for the annual Altrusa ReadIN.
• Krista Koscik was server at the club’s annual International Dinner (Opah!)

Service activities to the community included:

• Dinners during each fall and spring term at Ronald MacDonald House.
• March and April fundraisers at CiCi’s Pizza in Butler Plaza and TCBY on Newberry Road for the March of Dimes.  These establishments contributed 10% of the evening’s sales when customers mentioned the ASTRA effort for the March of Dimes.  We generated $210.
•  When the ASTRA members attended the March 26 Altrusa meeting, we placed MoD buckets at all the tables and raked in $125 from Altrusans!
• In total, after sending 5 walkers to the annual Walk-for-Babies, ASTRA contributed $335 to the Alachua County chapter.
• Fall and spring collection drives for Peaceful Paths

Fundraising/Service plans for next year:

• Continue to support the March of Dimes campaign in the spring
• Continue semester dinners at Ronald McDonald House
• Continue Peaceful Paths drives. We plan to do more for kids at holidays and want to give them holiday baskets for the lesser holidays (start of school, Halloween, Easter, Valentine’s Day)
• Continue to work Stuff the Bus (perhaps also supporting the Santa Fe initiative) and
• Continue to work Trading Closets

NEW

• Plan to work with Better World Books for fundraising project. We place book collection boxes across campus. Once provided to Better World Books, they will give us money. They want school texts primarily, but will accept anything of educational value.
• I am considering asking Altrusa Club members to donate books to this cause as well and have the proceeds go to ASTRA. More info when I meet with Better World Books in late summer.
• (These monies will be forwarded to Altrusa and will not be retained as part of our petty cash for operational and service activities throughout the year.)
•  Sponsor a dinner or two at St. Francis HouseExpand ASTRA’s involvement in Altrusa ReadIn and other of the club’s literacy projects
• Expand ASTRA’s involvement in Altrusa ReadIn and other of the club’s literacy projects