Tidewater Altrusan Newsletter
January 2024
Important Dates / Information
Subscribe to the Altrusa of Tidewater Google Calendar. Click here for directions.
Use this link to join.
Our next Pre-meeting Pizza Social will be on February 19th.
4:00 pm - about 5:40 pm when we head to the meeting.
Windy City Pizza See map. ---->
480 Kempsville Rd, Chesapeake, VA. 23220
Check out their menu - click here!
President's Message
Happy New Year to All!
Hope you all had a Healthy and Blessed holiday. There's a lot of sickness out there, please take care of yourselves. I am wearing my mask in the presence of others.
We're starting our New Year with our first Saturday meeting, January 20, 2024. I am so excited to have the Days for Girls program! Ellen and Susan are working so hard getting ready for it. Make sure we check to see what we can do to assist them.
I hope we have all contacted our Altrusa buddy to wish them Happy New Year and invite them to our next meeting!
In Altrusa Love,
Sherral
Board Actions - January 2024
Board Recommendation: Full registration be paid for delegates and alternates to the District Conference in April 2024 being held in College Park, Maryland.
Accent
Happy New Year, Altrusans!
I hope this message finds you all doing well and excited to welcome the year 2024! Wow! Where does the time go? As I advance in age, the speed of time seems to increase to an unbelievably quick rate! Do any of you agree? If so, let us work together to “slow down” with purpose, embrace the moments we have together, and be thankful! Many of us are blessed with family and friends that we hold dear; let us keep them close at heart and remember those who remain with us in spirit. January can be a time of change, resolution, and reflection. I am not “much” on resolutions, but I do think it’s important to take a moment to “check on” our spiritual and physical health. I have made a choice to read more, walk more, and love more! I hope you all take the time to think on the things that make you smile; that is what it is all about! Click here for 5 ways to practice gratitude in 2024!
Tracey
Zoom Link for Altrusa Meetings:
Click here to join all scheduled Altrusa Zoom Meetings. The password is the same with a capital first letter.
Committee Reports
Service Committee: Joanne, Chair and Deb, Co-Chair
Show Your Service in 2024!
Let's show our District just how active we are and what we do. Recognize your wonderful service and add it to our club's total. Just click the "Service Hours" image just above this paragraph and answer a couple quick questions. You might be surprised by how good it feels each time you do it!
Valentines for Veterans
Jennifer will be hosting an event to make Valentines for Veterans on Saturday, February 3rd. We will meet from 10:00 to 12:00. Please bring Valentine-making supplies. Jennifer’s address is available in the yearbook. Hope to see you there!
GRES Holiday Family Giving
A deserving Green Run Elementary School family of three was able to enjoy a wonderful holiday season thanks largely to Altrusa of Tidewater. The single father received gift cards to purchase groceries for their holiday meals. The two girls received all the toys on their wishlists plus needed winter coats, pj’s, undies, socks, and outfits.
The family is facing difficult times as the father was in an auto accident and has been unable to work. He expressed much gratitude to Altrusa for the gifts and our kindness.
Did You Know?
Our Holiday Dinner included a Service Project Too!
Our annual Holiday Dinner was held on Monday, December 4th at the Village Hall in West Neck. Members, friends, and family enjoyed a potluck dinner of all the holiday favorites. Besides filling our plates, volunteers filled ten Salvation Army Christmas stockings for older girls with goodies of socks, books, toiletries, diaries, pens, pencils, and notebooks. It was tricky sometimes getting everything to fit. The stuffed stockings were delivered the following day to the Salvation Army Office and then on their way to surprise some 10 to 12-year-olds.
Reminder: We will hold our January meeting on Saturday, January 20th, at Jo-Kell.
Our program will support Days for Girls.
Here's the schedule:
9:30 a.m. Social with breakfast snacks
10:00 a.m. Altrusa Business Meeting
During the meeting, Ellen Barta will give a quick update on the current focus of Days for Girls.
11:00 a.m. Workshop
We'll be preparing the material and ribbons used to make the transport bags, drawstring bags, and shields. We will have plenty of activities for sewers and non-sewers! If you have sharp scissors or shears, please bring them with you. That way, we'll have plenty to share.
Click here to view the DfG Fabric Guidelines.
12:00 p.m. We'll wrap up by noon.
Please join us! Invited not-yet Altrusans (your family or friends) are greatly welcome! Joining with us in activities is a great way to introduce them to Altrusa!
Enviornmental Committee: Ellen and Barbara D., Co-Chairs
Our January 2024 Environmental focus is on recycling and repurposing.
Days for Girls needs Cotton and Cotton poly fabrics.
If you have appropriate fabrics to share at the workshop, please wash, press, and bring them. Click on the link above to view the DfG Fabric Guidelines.
Communications Committee: Chair, Shari
Got something to share in the newsletter?
Send it to: altrusatidewaterNL@gmail.com.
For pictures, Please save the files as .jpg or PDF.
Thank you!
Have you called your Phone Buddy lately?
Go ahead! Wish her a Happy New Year and invite her to join us on Jan. 20th, for our special Saturday meeting! (No Zoom)
Reminder! Club 21 dues must to be paid online. Use this link to update your personal Club 21 dues to support International Foundation.
Want to order items from Amazon for Hope Village and other service projects? Check out this wish list created by Joanne (with a little help from her sister, Karen)!
Program/Business Minutes: November 2023
Treasurer's Report: January 2024
Altrusa Tidewater - Treasurer's Report January 9, 2024.pdf
Want to know what's happening in the club before it hits the newsletter? Join our Facebook group - Friends of Altrusa International of Tidewater.
Click here to join or use the QR code on your phone or tablet.
"The older you get, the better you get,
Unless you are a banana."
- Betty White
January Birthdays
9th Joyce Barnes
17th Judy Saunders
12th Fran Whitehead
20th Deb Davis
14th Lisa Carter
21st Gina Gelico-Leach
Thank You Note Says It All
We received this wonderful thank you note from Green Run Elementary School. It says:
"Thank you so very much for sponsoring one of our families for Thanksgiving and Christmas! The father was overwhelmed with how generous Altrusa has been to him and his daughters! We're so thankful for your support!
Your friends at,
Green Run Elementary"
We look forward to offering continued support for the teachers and families.
Celebrating Our Stories
Our thanks to Blanch and June for sharing their family photos and stories with us, helping us to get to know and understand more about one another.
Blanch had quite a busy holiday time:
I traveled by train to NYC to attend my cousin's 65th Birthday Celebration. While there, I attended the historic Mother's AME Zion Church and visited a college Alum last seen in person in 1973! She lives only a few blocks from my brother, Dudley, on the same street.
My brothers joined me at my home in Norfolk for Christmas. Dudley made owls for our tree, while Buster cooked calamari and Sulaiman cooked goat. I filled in all the other spots.
June and Jennifer celebrated Christmas with family at the Pocahontas State Park Lodge.
On the left is June with her grandsons and four great grandchildren.
On the right is Jennifer with her son and three grandchildren, including their newest addition!
Barbara and Don S. are in Sonoma meeting their new granddaughter. Zoe Irene Gill was born on December 6. Her big sister Lucy is as excited as they are.
Here are some of June's favorite FREE places in the region to visit:
Some of my favorite free places:
1. Chrysler Museum is a wonderful free place to meet up. Sometimes they have special concerts in the small auditorium.
2. Fort Monroe is full of interesting history too with docent-led tours and it's free.
3. The Planetarium in Chesapeake used to have evening public programs that were excellent. Had to sign up and spots went fast - check on this before attending as things may have changed.
4. Whitehurst trail off of North Landing, across from the Municipal buildings and next to Astraea coffee shop. The trail is paved and then outside the coffee house are picnic tables. It's a great place to sit and visit.
5. Virginia Beach Farmers market Friday night country music. April through October. Bring a chair and enjoy.
Thanks June!
District Two News
District Two Board and Committee Chairs
This document lists the board and committee chairs.
DSB Summer 2023
DSB Summer 2023 District Two.pdfGovernor's Message
January 2024
District Two Governor_s Message January.pdfDistrict Two Service Newsletter:
Click here to view the December 2023 District Two Service Newsletter.
District Two Conference 2024
Save the Date
April 25-28, 2024
Upcoming District Two Virtual Leadership Workshops
January - February - March
Workshop Conference Flyer.pdf
January 16 or 18, 2024: Awards Applications - Why? How? What's New? @ 7pm
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83124817665?pwd=ayt4RG85YjNrMU5CcnU2ZEk2MzN0QT09
Meeting ID: 831 2481 7665
Passcode: 044754
International News
Altrusans,
Reminder that half-year dues open December 1, 2023. New members added after December 1 will only be charged half-year dues.
Altrusa International Literacy Challenge One Book at a Time, Part II
President Linda is continuing Immediate Past President Kathy book challenge and we want you to be a part of it. President Linda firmly believe that literacy is the number one focus for Altrusa and we want to continue to enhance that commitment. Our ultimate goal is to enhance the lives of others ONE BOOK AT A TIME! The challenge is for Altrusans to distribute one million books and/or devote 500,000 literacy service hours to our communities during the 2023-2025 biennium. So how can you participate?
Develop a signature literacy project (or expand on an existing one) that will continue to grow and develop into the future. Large and small clubs alike can participate in this challenge.
2. Assign a record keeper to keep track of the number of books you distribute AND/OR the number of service hours you spend (for example reading to children, the elderly, participating in a book exchange … something that works for you, your club and your community).
3. Carry the project over through the next club year.
4. Send your numbers (for both years) to the International Service Committee before
June 1, 2025. The easiest way to record this is to record each time you club donates books so you don’t forget any!
5. Sit back and relish in the fact that you are making a difference …. ONE BOOK AT A TIME.
Remember the end goal is to enhance the lives of others. And the simple gift of a book to a child who has never had one can help eradicate illiteracy and give these children a chance to succeed in life. Will you accept the challenge and join our movement? We all know that Altrusans R.O.C.K. and what better want to REALIZE OPPORTUNITY, CREATE KINDNESS than to create intentional acts of kindess by donating books. As Altrusans we can make a difference! We can change lives – sometimes the book you donate is the only one a child can call their own! Let’s help others develop a passion for reading that will last a lifetime!
Click the image to view the April 2023 issue of The Altrusa Compass.
International Astra Gram
May 2023 ASTRAGram.pdfFoundation News
Click here to view the Volume 13 - January 2024 edition of the Altrusa International Foundation, Inc The Impact.
Hey! Look at that!
You read all the way to the end of our newsletter!
Which piece was your favorite? Tell us in an email sent to: TidewaterAltrusaNL@gmail.com and you'll receive a goodie at the January meeting.
See you there!