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__________________________________________________________________
ALTRUSAGRAM Official
Newsletter of Altrusa International, Inc., of New York
Summer Issue, 2014
__________________________________________________________________
PRESIDENT’S
MESSAGE
I have always considered autumn to be
the season of new beginnings, no matter what the calendar says. Adults
come back rejuvenated by their summer
vacations to tackle the workplace anew, while kids of all ages anticipate the
new school year (either eagerly or with dread).
This fall also starts a new chapter in my life as the incoming president
of the Altrusa International Club of New York.
I suppose you could say that I am eagerly anticipating my new
duties…with dread (just kidding!!). I am
truly looking forward to the upcoming year and would like to extend a warm
welcome to our returning and new members.
To our new members, in particular, welcome into the fold and thank you
for joining us.
As I began to prepare for the upcoming club
year, I revisited the mission statement for Altrusa, to wit: “We make our
communities better through leadership, partnership and service.” Now,
that is a very simple statement that
packs a whole load of meaning. I started
to think of other quotes of similar simplicity and immediate impact:
“Without
community service, we would not
have a strong quality of life. It's important to the person who serves as well
as the recipient. It's the way in which we ourselves grow and develop.” --Dorothy
Height, educator and social
activist
Each
member’s reasons for joining Altrusa are as unique as the individual who
espouses them, but I am sure that we all believe in the adage that the reward
is in the giving and in the sharing. In
the recent past, New York Altrusans have undertaken such projects as serving
lunch to the homeless and hungry at the Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen; donating
books and clothing (especially pajamas) to children in need in shelters and in
the Hour Children program; and donating funds for the purchase of bed nets and
solar cookers for distribution in developing countries. The smiles of thanks
we have received are our
reward. Over the next year, we will
continue with similar projects, along with developing some brand-new ones that,
hopefully, will spark the interest of current members, while attracting new
recruits to our ranks. These new projects, if they are to succeed, will require
active and thoughtful collaboration of our membership with prestigious outside
organizations.
Which
brings me to the next quote:
"Unity is strength. . . when there is teamwork and collaboration,
wonderful things can be achieved." --Mattie J. T. Stepanek, peace
activist and NY Times-bestselling poet and essayist who died at the age of 13
from a rare form of muscular dystrophy
A club, by definition, is a team, i.e., an association working collaboratively in
pursuit of common interests. Every
culture has proverbs that praise the value of, and the strength to be found in,
teamwork and collaboration; here are but two:
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
-- African proverb
“One chopstick is very easily to be
broken, but ten chopsticks together are so hard to break.” –Chinese proverb
I
do not think I would be remiss in saying that we all recognize the value of
teamwork and of increasing our chopsticks (um… our membership), so as to
better undertake our good works in both the
local and global communities. And,
collaboration with outside organizations could only be to the benefit of all
parties. So, the plan is, simply, to
increase our active projects and embark on outside collaboration to complement
our regular dinner meeting roster of speakers, who will continue to give talks
on current events and other interesting topics.
In
closing, I hope to see everyone at the September meeting at the National Arts
Club and start the year off with a bang, and not a whimper. My personal thanks
to outgoing president, Catherine
Kleszczewski, and last year’s board, as well as to the incoming board for all
your support and good wishes.
See you on September 23rd!
Anne Marie Basic, President
******************************************************************
NEW YORK CLUB OFFICERS
Newly-elected Officers were installed at the June Dinner Meeting,
along with a new Board of Directors.
This list will be in the Club’s Yearbook which will be distributed at
the September Dinner Meeting (another reason to attend).
If, however, you want to have this information immediately, see
the following list.
President: Anne Marie Basic basican@hotmail
Vice
President: Audrey Braver
audiedaniels@aol.com;
Secretary: Jessica Leeds
jleeds1235@gmail.com;
Treasurer: Penny Gardner mary.p.gardner@rcn.com;
Immediate
Past
President: Catherine Kleszczewski Catherine.composer@gmail.com;
Directors: Diane Daniels DDaniels25@aol.com
Henie
Parish
HP-ins@hotmail.com;
Julie
Kleszczewski
JulieK@msn.com
SEPTEMBER DINNER MEETING
The
first Dinner Meeting of 2014-15 Altrusa Year will be held at
the National Arts Club, 15 Gramercy Park South, at 5:30 pm, on Tuesday,
September 23. President Anne Marie Basic
wants this dinner to be a “get to know you” meeting with an exchange of ideas
and suggestions for the coming year.
Yearbooks will be distributed and you can sign up for a Committee. Hopefully,
you will all be able to attend.
******************************************************************
OUR FOUNDING
MEMBERS
Back
in June, I found myself at a stone wall while I was doing
some research on the computer, and thought it would be interesting to see what
could be found out about the Altrusa International New York Club’s charter
members.
Starting
with our most famous member, Eleanor Roosevelt. I’m sure
you all know her history. Her husband,
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was
Governor of New York, and 32nd
President of the US. She was a tireless
worker to improve human condition and the United Nation’s first Chairperson for
the Committee on Human Rights. Mrs.
Roosevelt joined in the first year and was not considered a charter
member.
Of
the original charter members, nineteen in all, information was
found for only twelve. The first
secretary, Vera Bull Hull, was married to an inventor, William C. Hull. As administratrix
of his estate in September,
1947, Mrs. Hull filed for a patent on her husband’s invention of an appliance
in the form of a footrest (situated at foot of hospital bed) that enabled a patient
to exercise his leg muscles while lying in bed.
It also had the advantage of lifting the covers off the legs and feet
for added comfort.
Dr.
Lillian M. Gilbreth, is well-known to most of us due to her
daughters’ novels, “Cheaper By The Dozen” and “Belles on Their Toes,” and the
film portrayal by Myrna Loy. She was a
well-respected mechanical engineer by profession.
Florence
Brobeck wrote best-selling cookbooks and had a weekly
column in The New York Times in
1936-37. She was also associate editor
of The New York Herald Tribune Women’s
Page in the 1940’s.
Elsie
Eaves was the first female associate member of The American
Society of Civil Engineers and a founding member of the American Association of
Cost Engineers, now known as the ACCE.
Gloria
Browning was a dressmaker.
May Alexander was a dress salesperson.
Margaret B. Benson, born in England, was a merchandising clerk. While
Grace M. Clarke, also born in England,
was a nurse manager. Catherine Fisher
was a supervisor for the telephone company, and Elizabeth Phillips was a
secretary for the telephone company.
Susie W. Smith was a railroad company clerk. Elizabeth R. Wylie, born
in Scotland, she was
a manager and was married late in life to Dr. Frederick Demarest. Regrettably,
I was unable to get the official
names of the companies that employed these women nor the names of the
educational institutions they attended.
It’s
a long shot, but if anyone knows anything more about these
women, or the other charter members – Evelyn Hopper, charter President; Eva B.
Gage; Frances Massey; Bertha Miller; Cora S. Riefer; Helen Waldo; Jeanette Ware
-- please let us know as it would be nice to have this history.
******************************************************************
3
******************************************************************
ANNUAL
BELMONT FUNDRAISER FOR THE NY CLUB’S FOUNDATION
This
year’s fundraiser at Belmont Race Track was a lot of fun for
all who attended. There was a true air
of excitement. While the profits were
down about $200 from last year’s fundraiser, it was a successful effort. In
fact, the lesser profit had more to do
with the fact that Belmont raised their prices but we chose not to pass that on
to our loyal attendees.
*************************************************************
THIRTEEN
HELPFUL HOUSEHOLD HINTS
Shirley
Day has sent these hints which you may find very
helpful.
The
simplest
way to slice cherry tomatoes is to place them between to lids and run a knife
through all of them at once.
Do
you find
yourself throwing out hard blocks of brown sugar every time you go to the
package? Try storing a few marshmallows
in the bag with the brown sugar. Make
sure that the bag is airtight.
Don’t
have a
watering can? Create
one by puncturing holes in the top of a used milk bottle.
Remove pet hair from furniture
and carpets with a squeegee.
Water straight from the tap
becomes cloudy when frozen. To make ice cubes crystal clear, allow a kettle of
boiled water to cool slightly and use this to fill your ice cube trays.
Use a large muffin tin to cook
stuffed peppers in the oven - it will help keep them upright.
Add half a teaspoon of baking
soda to the water when hard-boiling eggs to make the shells incredibly easy to
peel off. To tell if eggs are fresh,
immerse them in a bowl of water. Fresh eggs will lie on the bottom, while stale
eggs will float to the surface.
Grandchildren are a blessing but
the wee ones can’t always keep within the lines or even on the paper. In
that case, WD40 can be used to remove
crayon marks from any surface!
To clean a wooden chopping
board, sprinkle on a handful of Kosher salt and rub with half a lemon. Rinse
with clean water and dry to ensure it is clean and germ-free.
To sharpen scissors, simply cut
through sandpaper.
Store
bed sheets inside their pillowcases for easy storage and access. I’ve
tried this, not only does it give easy
access and storage, it makes an attractive and neat shelf in the linen closet.
Psst! Don’t tell the Container Store, but you can use
egg boxes to store delicate Christmas tree decorations.
Use chalk to remove grease
stains from clothes. Simply rub white chalk on the affected area and wash as
normal - the chalk will absorb the grease and be washed away in the cycle.
*************************************************************
The Altrusa Club of New York has a website: http://altrusanewyorkcity.tripod.com.
Don’t forget to visit
it.
************************************************************
REMEMBER: This is
your newsletter. It is only as good as
the articles you submit. Thanks to Penny
Gardner, Shirley Day, Julie Kleszczewski, Anne Marie Basic, and Jessica Leeds for
their help in producing this edition.
Audrey Braver, Editor.
__________________________________________________________________
ALTRUSAGRAM
Official Newsletter of Altrusa
International, Inc., of NY May,
2014, Issue
__________________________________________________________________
PRESIDENT’S
MESSAGE
Finally, spring is
here. It
feels like summer! It is time to put away the winter clothes and bring out the
summer wardrobe!
First of all, I want
to
thank everyone on the board and all the members as well! Special thanks to
Penny for being on top of our finances, for organizing our reservations at the
National Arts Club, and for countless hours of putting together the Treasurer’s
report and our biggest fundraiser of the year at Belmont Racetrack; to Audrey,
for putting together the directory, newsletter, and for giving me guidance; to
Jessica, for hosting wine and cheese events and for her guidance; to Carole
Kennedy for hosting and organizing our jewelry workshop, to Julie, my mother,
for throwing me into the “lion’s den.” I thank everyone who has not been
mentioned here by name. You are and have been an inspiration to me! I want to
wish our new board members, especially President-Elect Anne Marie Basic, a
successful and uplifting future for our club and for those charities we assist
and a thank you especially to our Foundation board members (Thank you, Carole
Lancaster, for keeping it together). A big thank you goes to Maureen McGough
for taking the time to install our new slate of officers! Maureen, you are a
powerhouse!
It is difficult to
find the
right words as this is my final message to you as President of Altrusa
International Club of New York other than giving suggestions on how to help our
communities grow stronger. There have been many news stories of caution.
Tornados, murder trials, kidnapped school girls from Nigeria, a Korean ferry
boat that sunk leaving countless victims and grieving families…more bad news
than good news. Some stories are receiving more attention than others. There
was one shocking story that did not make much of a splash: "Widow Loses
House Over $6.30 Tax Bill!" (Forbes,(April 29, 2014) NBC News)
What?! Apparently, the Pennsylvania Court was not flexible regarding the
defendant paying the remaining balance of her property taxes. Without going
into great detail, she is a widow. Her late husband left her the house and all
of the finances that go with it. She relied on him 100% to pay all the bills
and taxes. She had nothing to do with it. What’s the lesson here? I know
that many of you, if not all of the members in our club are financially
literate. If you know of someone who is not, it is a necessary and good deed to
take action and educate that person in finance, even if they say that they do
not have a “head for numbers.”
I repeat. Educate someone
about personal finance: a student, a wife (who will someday become a widow or
divorced – always a possibility), an unemployed person, a cousin, etc. Some
might not want to be taught (Please ask why, because ignorance is NOT bliss in
this case!). Send gentle reminders such as sending them stories of financial
misfortune or have them check out these websites: www.investopedia.com or www.smckids.com (for kids).This is not a popular topic. No one likes to talk
about money. BUT no one likes to eat cat food either!
Another article that
I read
was in today’s Wall Street Journal (May 12, 2014), “Should Companies
Monitor Their Employees’ Social Media?” This seems like common sense, but if
any of you have a social media count, you should ask yourself, “Why do you have
one?” There have been many articles that list mostly the cons of having such an
account. For example, if you announce to your Facebook friends that you will be
on vacation for a week, guess what? You might be inviting someone to break into
your home, or to live in your house. Ugh! Also, I see people posting pics of themselves
at crazy parties, children’s activities. Okay, be aware that you are opening up
yourself to potential employers rejecting your job application. Also, there was
a story of a mother who actually posted her child’s weekly schedule! Guess
what? Her child was kidnapped. I don’t know if the child was ever found.
My point is this: even
though some of us feel safe and secure in the land of cyberspace, it should be
treated as if we are swimming in the ocean of shark-infested waters. Sometimes
there is a false sense of security (i.e. Hackers are able to steal millions of
debit and credit card numbers). There are many people out there who are wolves
in sheep’s clothing (or they are simply nuts). Be cautious in who you confide
in. Caveat emptor.
I feel the urgency
to
inform and to bring attention to issues that are not so obvious, to things that
we don’t want to talk about.
On a lighter note,
I have
learned a great deal in these last two years. Everyone who has served as club
president and our members, both longtime and new, have taught me how to become
a better leader. A true leader listens, and is accessible to their board and
club members. Throughout history, the most successful leaders were people who
see the world in a realistic, sober fashion, and not being a “Pollyanna,” (who
has always had their way in life). True leaders have the ability to empathize
and to remain calm in a crisis, but find a solution rather than complain and
not act. Thank you for this opportunity to serve you!
Be aware, be safe,
and have
a “MAH-vel – ous” summer everyone!
See you all at our
fundraiser at Belmont on Sunday, June 22nd!
Catherine
Kleszczewski, May 12, 2014
******************************************************************
APRIL
DINNER MEETING
The Dinner Meeting that would normally have been
held on Tuesday, April 22nd and was to be incorporated into the
Friday, April 25th UN Woman’s Project Orange dinner at Audrey Braver’s
apartment at 21-55 34th Avenue, Apt 6B, Long Island City.
That dinner was to have celebrated the
six month anniversary of UN Project Orange and a small
fundraiser for the New York Club.
*************************************************************
ANNUAL BELMONT FUNDRAISER
This
year’s racing event will be on Sunday, June 22, 2014. The price of a single
ticket is $125.00 each,
buy two and the price is reduced to $100.00 each. Buy two, bring a friend. It’s a bargain! In fact invite
all your friends. It is a great day, we are in the Turf and
Jockey Room with a private betting window, lots of delicious food, a cash bar
for drinks and a dessert table. See
attached flyer.
Also,
there will be a van pickup on Roosevelt Island at 12 noon
and return after the races. Contact
Audrey Braver, if interested (718-721-4229).
For
tickets, contact Penny Gardner at 212-348-1433.
*************************************************************
DO
NOT FORGET – 2014/2015 MEMBERSHIP DUES
At the
March Board Meeting, the Board voted to increase the Membership Dues from
$135.00 to $140.00 per person. The
Members voted on this increase at the March meeting.
Dues
renewal notice is on the last page of this newsletter. Please complete in full. Dues must be paid no later than May 31st
to avoid the $30.00 late payment fee.
******************************************************************
May Dinner Meeting
Please
note: Change of
Date.
The
May Dinner Meeting will be on May 20th, not May 28th,
as originally scheduled due to a
change in the National Arts Calendar.
District
Two Governor, Maureen McGough, will join us and perform
the Installation of Officers. This is
our last regular meeting of the Altrusa International Club of New York and all
members should try their best to attend—especially and most importantly, the
newly-elected officers.
******************************************************************
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is coming up as well as D-Day.
So many other events such as the worst tragedy of the US Navy in
history: the USS Indianapolis, which delivered
the atom bomb. The ship sank on July 30, 1945. Out of 1,197 sailors,
300 went down with the ship. The rest survived only to find themselves in
shark-infested waters for about a week. Only 317 men survived. Google
it if interested in further details.
Monopoly - I Did
Not
Know This!
(You'll never
look at the game the same way again!)
Starting
in 1941, an increasing number of British Airmen found themselves as
the involuntary guests of the Third Reich, and the Crown was casting about
for ways and means to facilitate their escape...
Now obviously, one of the most helpful aids to that end is a useful and
accurate map, one showing not only where stuff was, but also showing the
locations of 'safe houses' where a POW on-the-lam could go for food and
shelter.
Paper maps had some real drawbacks -- they make a lot of noise when you open
and fold them, they wear out rapidly, and if they get wet, they turn into
mush.
Someone in MI-5 (similar to America's OSS) got the idea of printing escape
maps on silk. It's durable, can be scrunched-up into tiny wads, and
unfolded as many times as needed, and makes no noise whatsoever.
At
that time, there was only one manufacturer in Great Britain that
had perfected the technology of printing on silk, and that was
John Waddington, Ltd. When approached by the government, the firm
was only too happy to do its bit for the war effort.
By
pure coincidence, Waddington was also the U.K. Licensee for the
popular American board game, Monopoly. As it happened, 'games and
pastimes' was a category of item qualified for insertion into
'CARE packages', dispatched by the International Red Cross to prisoners
of war. Under the strictest of
secrecy, in a securely guarded and inaccessible old workshop on the
grounds of Waddington's, a group of sworn-to-secrecy employees began
mass-producing escape maps, keyed to each region of Germany, Italy,
France, or where ever Allied POW camps were located. When processed,
these maps could be folded into such tiny dots that they would actually
fit inside a Monopoly playing piece.
As long as they were at it, the clever workmen at Waddington's also
managed to add:
1. A
playing token, containing a small magnetic compass
2. A
two-part metal file that could easily be screwed together
3.
Useful amounts of genuine high-denomination German, Italian, and French
currency,
hidden
within the piles of Monopoly money!
British and American air crews were advised, before taking off on their
first mission, how to identify a 'rigged' Monopoly set -- by means
of a tiny red dot, one cleverly rigged to look like an ordinary printing
glitch, located in the corner of the Free Parking square.
Of the estimated 35,000 Allied POWS who successfully escaped, an estimated
one-third were aided in their flight by the rigged Monopoly
sets. Everyone who did so was sworn to secrecy indefinitely, since the
British Government might want to use this highly successful ruse in
still another, future war.
The story wasn't declassified until 2007, when the surviving craftsmen from
Waddington's, as well as the firm itself, were finally honored in a
public ceremony.
It's
always nice when you can play that 'Get Out of Jail Free'
card!
I realize that many of you are (probably) too young to have any personal
connection to WWII (Dec. '41 to Aug. '45), but this is still
an interesting bit of history.
http://www.snopes.com/military/monopoly.asp =
TRUE!
*************************************************************
4
*************************************************************
Minutes of May Board Meeting
Board Meeting Minutes May 5, 2014, Altrusa International, New York
Club
to be approved at the next Board Meeting
Attendees: Catherine
Kleszczewski, Audrey Braver, Julie Kleszczewski, Jessica
Leeds, Henie Parish.
Excused: Carole
Kennedy, Margaret
Stadler, Anne Marie Basic, Gwen Ascadi and Penny Gardner.
President Catherine called meeting to order at 6:10 p.m.
The minutes of the March 25 Board Meeting were approved as
corrected.
Old Business:
Governor of District Two, Maureen McGough, will be our special
guest and install the new officers on May 20, 2014 (third Tuesday not fourth).
June 22, Sunday, is the date of Belmont Raceway fundraiser. Trains
leave from Penn Station, Long Island
Railroad, twice after 11 a.m. and once at 4 p.m. and at the conclusion of the
races.
Carole Kennedy has organized a Jewelry Workshop on May 10, 2014,
at 11 a.m. A percent of proceeds will be donated to the Altrusa International
New York Foundation.
New Business:
A suggested alternate location for 2014 November and 2015
February meetings to be investigated
further is Solera Restaurant that has a private room, on 53rd, between Second
and Third Avenues, (www.solerany.com), 212 644 1166, 216 East
53rd Street at Third Avenue.
Meeting
adjourned at 6:47 p.m.
Julie Harrison Kleszczewski
Recording Secretary
*************************************************************
The Altrusa Club of New York has a website: http://altrusanewyorkcity.tripod.com.
Don’t forget to visit
it.
************************************************************
REMEMBER: This is
your newsletter. It is only as good as
the articles you submit. Thanks to Catherine
Kleszczewski, Penny Gardner, Shirley Day, Julie Kleszczewski for their help in
producing this edition. Audrey Braver,
Editor.
4
ALTRUSA CLUB OF NEW
YORK
March, 2014 Dues Invoice
Altrusa International of New York
Annual Dues of June 1, 2014 to May 31, 2015
$140.00
If paid after May 31, 2014, add late charge
30.00
Make checks payable to ALTRUSA CLUB OF NEW YORK
Mail payment to:
Mary P.
Gardner
245 East 87th
Street, Apt. 9C
New York, NY
10128
OR BRING YOUR CHECK TO THE NEXT DINNER OR BOARD MEETING
NAME
__________________________________________________________
ADDRESS
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
PHONE
__________________________________________________________
CELL
___________________________________________________________
EMAIL
__________________________________________________________
BIRTH DATE: Month
____________Day ____________Year (optional) ___________
OCCUPATION – IF RETIRED, FORMER OCCUPATION
_____________________________________________________________
SPECIAL INTERESTS
______________________________________________________
ALTRUSA
INTERNATIONAL OF NY FOUNDATION
INVITES YOU TO JOIN US FOR
A Day at the Races
Sunday,
June 22, 2014, from 12 noon until the last race
Turf & Field Club at Belmont Park
Race Track
Tickets are $125 for one or $200 for
two (A bargain!!!)
(Checks should be payable to Altrusa International of NY Foundation)
Deluxe Buffet Luncheon
Private Betting Window -- $1.00
minimum
Cash
Bar
Belmont is easily accessible via LIRR, bus, or
car.
For ticket reservations
and
further information, call
Ms. Gardner at 212-348-1433.
Altrusa
International, Inc., established in 1917, is the oldest women's service
organization in the U. S. with clubs in over 10 countries. This is the annual
fund-raising event for the benefit of the New York Club’s 501(c)3 Foundation.
Below is a list of some of the organizations
that receive the Foundation’s support: Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen--feeds over 1,000 homeless daily; Hour Children--cares for
children born in prison of incarcerated mothers; Pajama Project—provides a
new pair of pajamas and a book to every child entering a homeless shelter; UN Women--Altrusa
International of New York is a sponsor of their campaign to End Violence
Against Women; Nothing But Nets--Purchases
and distributes anti-malarial bed nets in sub-Saharan Africa; Jewish World
Watch—Distributes solar cookers to refugee camps in Iridemi.
__________________________________________________________________
ALTRUSAGRAM
Official
Newsletter of Altrusa International, Inc., of NY April,
2014,
Issue
__________________________________________________________________
PRESIDENT’S
MESSAGE
It’s springtime, everyone! April Fool! Happy Birthday,
Altrusa – April 25th. I hope everyone has filed their taxes
already. Nothing like listening to Schnittke’s Concerto Grosso No. 1
while writing this to you. (Wow, I wish I had written
this piece). Obviously, the spring air has put me into a giddy mood.
Lately, I have been volunteering my time to my son’s music
class. I edited parts for my son’s first band piece. Yes, it’s not a
common way to volunteer, I admit. But, it is certainly much more constructive
than selling cupcakes at a table in the cafeteria (unless baking is one’s
livelihood). If you are an expert in a particular craft (painting,
jewelry-making, investing, computers, etc.) even if it’s not main stream, then you
should share it with the world.
Years ago (last century), I was accepted but decided not to attend
the University of Southern California’s Film Scoring for Motion Pictures and
Television. It was an incredible opportunity to learn from the best film
composers in the business. Instead, my first priority was to become a
mother. Like many women, we tend to sacrifice our personal goals to
attain other goals which rely on timing (i.e. biological clocks). We women do
not have control of the calendar in this respect.
Well, good came from that decision. Not only do I have two
beautiful children, but also they compose music! So, you can say the
amount of composers in our family has tripled! This is a repeated theme
in many of my messages as your president: teach what you know.
Because you never know who will benefit. If your passion is writing, teaching
or giving guidance in a particular field, then it’s a possibility that that
person might wish to become a writer or teach someone in their family or community
what you just taught them. That type of volunteering is what helps make the
world a better place, thus giving back to one’s community.
Happy Earth Day! April 22nd.
We
do not inherit the
earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.
– Native American Proverb
Catherine
Kleszczewski, President
******************************************************************
1
APRIL
DINNER MEETING
This month the Dinner Meeting which would normally
be held on April 22nd has been postponed and incorporated into the
April 25th Un Woman’s Project Orange dinner at Audrey Braver’s
apartment at 21-55 34th Avenue, Apt 6B, Long Island City.
UN-Women’s
Project Orange encourages everyone to wear orange on the 25th day of
each month to draw attention to the universal problem of violence against
women. April 25th is
the
six-month anniversary of Project Orange.
The New York Altrusa International Club has chosen to have an Orange Dinner as their way to celebrate the six
month anniversary. All
the food will be orange in color or accented with orange, e.g., macaroni and cheese,
and salad with orange slices, etc.
The dinner will be potluck; everyone is encouraged
to bring some kind of “orange” food.
This will be a fund raiser so the cost will be a $25.00 donation for each
of us; $30.00 if you don’t bring food.
We have already had offers of table cloth,
napkins, paper plates. The macaroni and
cheese is covered, as is the salad.
Please call Audrey at: 718-721-4229 to make reservations and for
directions to her apartment and what you will bring.
Items
still needed are: Orange
juice, orange soda, gin, vodka (for
Mimosas and Screwdrivers);
Dessert
suggestions—Orange Sherbet, Orange-iced cake/cupcakes;
Another
entrée—Salmon or Lox, perhaps
*************************************************************
ANNUAL
BELMONT FUNDRAISER
This
year’s racing even will be on Sunday, June 22, 2014. The price of a single
ticket is $125.00 each,
buy two and the price is reduced to $100.00 each. Buy two, bring a friend. It’s a bargain! In fact invite
all your friends. It is a great day, we are in the Turf and
Jockey Room with a private betting window, lots of delicious food, a cash bar for
drinks and a dessert table.
For
tickets, contact Penny Gardner at 212-3348-1433.
*************************************************************
DO
NOT FORGET – 2014/2015 MEMBERSHIP DUES
At the
March Board Meeting, the Board voted to increase the Membership Dues from
$135.00 to $140.00 per person. The
Members voted on this increase at the March meeting.
Dues
renewal notice is on the last page of this newsletter. Please complete in full. Dues must be paid no later than May 31st
to avoid the $30.00 late payment fee.
******************************************************************
2
*************************************************************
March
Minutes of Board Meeting
Altrusa
Club of New York, March 25th, 2014, Minutes of
Board Meeting
Attending:
Catherine Kleszczewski, Mary (Penny) Gardner,
Audrey Braver, Carole Kennedy, Jessica Leeds
Absent:
Anne Marie Basic, Julie Kleszczewski, Gwen
Acsadi, Henie Parish, Margaret Stadler
Minutes
from the previous board meeting had been distribute,
corrected and approved via email. Several of the board members express
unhappiness over this process and hope the board will go back to the former
procedure.
Treasurer’s
report: Penny Gardner recommended the dues for
2014-15 membership be raised by $5.00 from the current dues of $135.00.
Also raise the late fee $5.00. Jessica Leeds made the motion to increase
the dues and late fee, Carole Kennedy seconded the motion. Motion
carried. The dues for 2014-15 will be $140.00 and $30.00 for late
fee. Dues are due May 31, 2014. Penny Gardner discussed the contract with
the National Arts Club for the dinner meetings. It is expected that the
cost of the dinner will increase but Penny has not been informed by the
National Arts Club at this date. The Club may need to raise the price of
the dinners for the members. Dates for the dinner meetings at the
National Arts Club for the coming season are as follows: September 23rd,
October 28th, January 27th, March 24th, and
May 19th. Another venue will be found for the dinner meetings
November 18th, February 24th. The April dinner
meeting will be cancelled so members can attend the District Meeting in
April. The New York Club is responsible for activity at the District
Meeting.
Audrey
Braver discussed the Orange Dinner schedule for April 25th.
The event will be held at Audrey Braver’s home, beginning at 6 pm, members will
contribute food in the orange theme. This is to support the UN awareness
campaign on violence against women. It is possible the Altrusa
International President Ilona Kerby will be in NYC and will attend.
Carole
Kennedy reviewed the information for the fund raiser for
May 10th, 2014 Jewelry Making at her Broadway store. The store
will have information on Altrusa on their web page and a window display
At
the May 20th meeting, the District Governor Maureen
McGough will attend and install the new officers and directors.
Belmont
“Day at the Races” tickets are available for sale.
Meeting
was adjourned at 5:45 PM
Submitted
by Jessica Leeds
*************************************************************
3
REPORT FROM DISTRICT TWO 58th
ANNUAL CONFERENCE
There was a total attendance of 78 (including
13 first timers) at the Richmond Conference.
This
insured that it would be a lively and fun
conference. The International
Representative was
International President, Ilona Kerby. She
is a native of Longview, Washington, and
is a thoroughly
charming, fun person. While her message was
inspiring and
encouraging, it brought home the
point that Altrusa has lost about 1,000 members
this past year through attrition, we are an aging
group, and the disbandment of clubs. This is
despite the fact that Altrusa is
adding new clubs and
expanding into new countries. Therefore recruitment
of new members is not
only desirable, it is
essential.
The International Office has moved to less
expensive quarters and is relying on E-blasts to get news
to the members—please read them when you get
them as the “International Altrusan” will now be
published only once a year and that issue
will be devoted to the International Convention.
Ilona also stressed the fact that
International is insisting that every club be incorporated by
December 31, 2014. International
office will be providing assistance to the clubs to help with this
transition.
Indeed, some information regarding incorporation of not-for-profits in
New York State
was given to the club’s representative to
share with the club.
The fun part of the Conference was just
that—FUN with capital letters. The
service projects included
pruning in the azalea garden of Bryan Park; a
blood drive, garden work in the learning
therapy
garden at St. Joseph’s Villa, an organization
devoted to helping children; packing baskets for the
residents of Safe Harbor, a shelter for
battered women.
After
dinner on Friday night, the Capital City ASTRA club ran a
Bingo game which is always fun. The
Awards Banquet on Saturday night was exciting.
The New York club received three club awards—second place for both the
Eleanor Pettersen Awards for Membership Growth in number of members and by
percentage; and second place for the Nina Fay Calhoun International Relations
Award for our Project Orange; and Julie Kleszczewski and Jessica Leeds shared
top place for the Sponsorship Award with six new members. Catherine Kleszczewski
received recognition
for Presidential Excellence. At the end
of the evening, the catering and wait staff were invited to take a bow and
receive their tips for the Conference service.
Then the staff returned their tips to Altrusa as a donation. This was
a first since I’ve been going to
Conferences.
While
the Richmond Club was host and the membership certainly
worked hard to make this a great conference, kudos go to Tammy Boyd who
supervised everything and raised troubleshooting to an art form. Whatever glitsch
was thrown at her, she rose to
the challenge. Thank you, Tammy.
************************************************************
The Altrusa Club of New York has a website: http://altrusanewyorkcity.tripod.com.
Don’t forget to visit
it.
REMEMBER: This is
your newsletter. It is only as good as
the articles you submit. Thanks to Catherine
Klescszewski, Jessica Leeds, Penny Gardner for their help in producing this
edition. Audrey Braver, Editor.
4
ALTRUSA CLUB OF NEW YORK
March, 2014 Dues Invoice
Altrusa International of New York
Annual Dues of June 1, 2014 to May 31, 2015
$140.00
If paid after May 31, 2014, add late charge
30.00
Make checks payable to ALTRUSA CLUB OF NEW YORK
Mail payment to:
Mary P. Gardner
245 East 87th
Street, Apt. 9C
New York, NY
10128
OR BRING YOUR CHECK TO THE NEXT DINNER OR BOARD MEETING
NAME
__________________________________________________________
ADDRESS
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
PHONE
__________________________________________________________
CELL
___________________________________________________________
EMAIL
__________________________________________________________
BIRTH DATE: Month
____________Day ____________Year (optional) ___________
OCCUPATION – IF RETIRED, FORMER OCCUPATION
_____________________________________________________________
SPECIAL INTERESTS
______________________________________________________
ALTRUSA
INTERNATIONAL OF NY FOUNDATION
INVITES YOU TO JOIN US FOR
A Day at the Races
Sunday,
June 22, 2014, from 12 noon until the last race
Turf & Field Club at Belmont Park
Race Track
Tickets are $125 for one or $200 for
two (A bargain!!!)
(Checks should be payable to Altrusa International of NY Foundation)
Deluxe Buffet Luncheon
Private Betting Window -- $1.00
minimum
Cash
Bar
Belmont is easily accessible via LIRR, bus, or
car.
For
ticket reservations and
further information, call
Ms.
Gardner at
212-348-1433.
Altrusa
International, Inc., established in 1917, is the oldest women's service organization
in the U. S. with
clubs in over 10 countries. This is the annual fund-raising event for the
benefit of the New York Club’s 501(c)3 Foundation. Below is a list of
some of the organizations
that receive the Foundation’s support:
Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen--feeds over 1,000 homeless daily;
Hour Children--cares for
children born in prison of incarcerated mothers; Pajama Project—provides a
new pair of pajamas and a book to every child entering a homeless shelter; UN Women--Altrusa
International of New York is a sponsor of their campaign to End Violence
Against Women; Nothing But Nets--Purchases
and distributes anti-malarial bed nets in sub-Saharan Africa; Jewish World
Watch—Distributes solar cookers to refugee camps in Iridemi.
__________________________________________________________________
ALTRUSAGRAM Official
Newsletter of Altrusa International, Inc., of NY
Summer Issue, 2014
__________________________________________________________________
PRESIDENT’S
MESSAGE
I have always considered autumn to be
the season of new beginnings, no matter what the calendar says. Adults
come back rejuvenated by their summer
vacations to tackle the workplace anew, while kids of all ages anticipate the
new school year (either eagerly or with dread).
This fall also starts a new chapter in my life as the incoming president
of the Altrusa International Club of New York.
I suppose you could say that I am eagerly anticipating my new
duties…with dread (just kidding!!). I am
truly looking forward to the upcoming year and would like to extend a warm
welcome to our returning and new members.
To our new members, in particular, welcome into the fold and thank you
for joining us.
As I began to prepare for the upcoming club
year, I revisited the mission statement for Altrusa, to wit: “We make our
communities better through leadership, partnership and service.” Now,
that is a very simple statement that
packs a whole load of meaning. I started
to think of other quotes of similar simplicity and immediate impact:
“Without community
service, we would not
have a strong quality of life. It's important to the person who serves as well
as the recipient. It's the way in which we ourselves grow and develop.” --Dorothy Height, educator and social
activist
Each
member’s reasons for joining Altrusa are as unique as the individual who
espouses them, but I am sure that we all believe in the adage that the reward
is in the giving and in the sharing. In
the recent past, New York Altrusans have undertaken such projects as serving
lunch to the homeless and hungry at the Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen; donating
books and clothing (especially pajamas) to children in need in shelters and in
the Hour Children program; and donating funds for the purchase of bed nets and
solar cookers for distribution in developing countries. The smiles of thanks
we have received are our
reward. Over the next year, we will
continue with similar projects, along with developing some brand-new ones that,
hopefully, will spark the interest of current members, while attracting new
recruits to our ranks. These new projects, if they are to succeed, will require
active and thoughtful collaboration of our membership with prestigious outside
organizations.
Which
brings me to the next quote:
"Unity is strength. . . when there is teamwork and collaboration,
wonderful things can be achieved." --Mattie J. T. Stepanek, peace
activist and NY Times-bestselling poet and essayist who died at the age of 13
from a rare form of muscular dystrophy
A club, by definition, is a team, i.e., an association working collaboratively in
pursuit of common interests. Every
culture has proverbs that praise the value of, and the strength to be found in,
teamwork and collaboration; here are but two:
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
-- African proverb
“One chopstick is very easily to be
broken, but ten chopsticks together are so hard to break.” –Chinese proverb
I
do not think I would be remiss in saying that we all recognize the value of
teamwork and of increasing our chopsticks (um… our membership), so as to better undertake our good works in both the
local and global communities. And,
collaboration with outside organizations could only be to the benefit of all
parties. So, the plan is, simply, to
increase our active projects and embark on outside collaboration to complement
our regular dinner meeting roster of speakers, who will continue to give talks
on current events and other interesting topics.
In
closing, I hope to see everyone at the September meeting at the National Arts
Club and start the year off with a bang, and not a whimper. My personal thanks
to outgoing president, Catherine
Kleszczewski, and last year’s board, as well as to the incoming board for all
your support and good wishes.
See you on September 23rd!
Anne Marie Basic, President
******************************************************************
NEW YORK CLUB OFFICERS
Newly-elected Officers were installed at the June Dinner Meeting,
along with a new Board of Directors.
This list will be in the Club’s Yearbook which will be distributed at
the September Dinner Meeting (another reason to attend).
If, however, you want to have this information immediately, see
the following list.
President: Anne Marie Basic basican@hotmail
Vice
President: Audrey Braver
audiedaniels@aol.com;
Secretary: Jessica Leeds
jleeds1235@gmail.com;
Treasurer: Penny Gardner mary.p.gardner@rcn.com;
Immediate
Past
President: Catherine Kleszczewski Catherine.composer@gmail.com;
Directors: Diane Daniels DDaniels25@aol.com
Henie
Parish
HP-ins@hotmail.com;
Julie
Kleszczewski
JulieK@msn.com
SEPTEMBER DINNER MEETING
The first Dinner Meeting of 2014-15 Altrusa Year will be held at
the National Arts Club, 15 Gramercy Park South, at 5:30 pm, on Tuesday,
September 23. President Anne Marie Basic
wants this dinner to be a “get to know you” meeting with an exchange of ideas
and suggestions for the coming year.
Yearbooks will be distributed and you can sign up for a Committee. Hopefully,
you will all be able to attend.
******************************************************************
OUR FOUNDING MEMBERS
Back in June, I found myself at a stone wall while I was doing
some research on the computer, and thought it would be interesting to see what
could be found out about the Altrusa International New York Club’s charter
members.
Starting with our most famous member, Eleanor Roosevelt. I’m sure
you all know her history. Her husband,
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was
Governor of New York, and 32nd
President of the US. She was a tireless
worker to improve human condition and the United Nation’s first Chairperson for
the Committee on Human Rights. Mrs.
Roosevelt joined in the first year and was not considered a charter
member.
Of the original charter members, nineteen in all, information was
found for only twelve. The first
secretary, Vera Bull Hull, was married to an inventor, William C. Hull. As administratrix
of his estate in September,
1947, Mrs. Hull filed for a patent on her husband’s invention of an appliance
in the form of a footrest (situated at foot of hospital bed) that enabled a patient
to exercise his leg muscles while lying in bed.
It also had the advantage of lifting the covers off the legs and feet
for added comfort.
Dr. Lillian M. Gilbreth, is well-known to most of us due to her
daughters’ novels, “Cheaper By The Dozen” and “Belles on Their Toes,” and the
film portrayal by Myrna Loy. She was a
well-respected mechanical engineer by profession.
Florence Brobeck wrote best-selling cookbooks and had a weekly
column in The New York Times in
1936-37. She was also associate editor
of The New York Herald Tribune Women’s
Page in the 1940’s.
Elsie Eaves was the first female associate member of The American
Society of Civil Engineers and a founding member of the American Association of
Cost Engineers, now known as the ACCE.
Gloria Browning was a dressmaker.
May Alexander was a dress salesperson.
Margaret B. Benson, born in England, was a merchandising clerk. While
Grace M. Clarke, also born in England,
was a nurse manager. Catherine Fisher
was a supervisor for the telephone company, and Elizabeth Phillips was a
secretary for the telephone company.
Susie W. Smith was a railroad company clerk. Elizabeth R. Wylie, born
in Scotland, she was
a manager and was married late in life to Dr. Frederick Demarest. Regrettably,
I was unable to get the official
names of the companies that employed these women nor the names of the
educational institutions they attended.
It’s a long shot, but if anyone knows anything more about these
women, or the other charter members – Evelyn Hopper, charter President; Eva B.
Gage; Frances Massey; Bertha Miller; Cora S. Riefer; Helen Waldo; Jeanette Ware
-- please let us know as it would be nice to have this history.
******************************************************************
3
******************************************************************
ANNUAL BELMONT FUNDRAISER FOR THE NY CLUB’S FOUNDATION
This year’s fundraiser at Belmont Race Track was a lot of fun for
all who attended. There was a true air
of excitement. While the profits were
down about $200 from last year’s fundraiser, it was a successful effort. In
fact, the lesser profit had more to do
with the fact that Belmont raised their prices but we chose not to pass that on
to our loyal attendees.
*************************************************************
THIRTEEN HELPFUL HOUSEHOLD HINTS
Shirley Day has sent these hints which you may find very
helpful.
The simplest
way to slice cherry tomatoes is to place them between to lids and run a knife
through all of them at once.
Do you find
yourself throwing out hard blocks of brown sugar every time you go to the
package? Try storing a few marshmallows
in the bag with the brown sugar. Make
sure that the bag is airtight.
Don’t have a
watering can? Create
one by puncturing holes in the top of a used milk bottle.
Remove pet hair from furniture
and carpets with a squeegee.
Water straight from the tap
becomes cloudy when frozen. To make ice cubes crystal clear, allow a kettle of
boiled water to cool slightly and use this to fill your ice cube trays.
Use a large muffin tin to cook
stuffed peppers in the oven - it will help keep them upright.
Add half a teaspoon of baking
soda to the water when hard-boiling eggs to make the shells incredibly easy to
peel off. To tell if eggs are fresh,
immerse them in a bowl of water. Fresh eggs will lie on the bottom, while stale
eggs will float to the surface.
Grandchildren are a blessing but
the wee ones can’t always keep within the lines or even on the paper. In
that case, WD40 can be used to remove
crayon marks from any surface!
To clean a wooden chopping
board, sprinkle on a handful of Kosher salt and rub with half a lemon. Rinse
with clean water and dry to ensure it is clean and germ-free.
To sharpen scissors, simply cut
through sandpaper.
Store
bed sheets inside their pillowcases for easy storage and access. I’ve
tried this, not only does it give easy
access and storage, it makes an attractive and neat shelf in the linen closet.
Psst! Don’t tell the Container Store, but you can use
egg boxes to store delicate Christmas tree decorations.
Use chalk to remove grease
stains from clothes. Simply rub white chalk on the affected area and wash as
normal - the chalk will absorb the grease and be washed away in the cycle.
*************************************************************
The Altrusa Club of New York has a website: http://altrusanewyorkcity.tripod.com.
Don’t forget
to visit it.
************************************************************
REMEMBER: This is
your newsletter. It is only as good as
the articles you submit. Thanks to Penny
Gardner, Shirley Day, Julie Kleszczewski, Anne Marie Basic, and Jessica Leeds for
their help in producing this edition.
Audrey Braver, Editor.
_________________________________________________________________
ALTRUSAGRAM Official Newsletter of Altrusa
International, Inc., of NY
February, 2014 Issue
__________________________________________________________________
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Happy February
weather! As one newspaper put it,” S’no more!” That groundhog wasn’t kidding!
So many events
have occurred: Super Bowl Sunday – it wasn’t a game, it was
a massacre! Groundhog Day on the same day as the Super Bowl (that cute, furry
little critter! Leave Phil alone!);
death of an actor from my generation, Philip Seymour Hoffmann. He was only 46,
and a father of three
children ages 5, 7 and 10; death of Shirley Temple Black, actress and UN
Ambassador, age 85. She lit up the lives
of millions during the Great Depression with her cheerful talent, innocence and
grace.
February
9, 2014 marked the 50th
Anniversary of the Beatles performing on the Ed Sullivan Show in New York (aka “The British Invasion!”), in
front of a U.S. audience. I can’t help
think that all of those screaming teenage fans are now in their 60s!
On another light note, there’s the
Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. All of
the Olympians from every nation are amazing – so many stories, so many words of
inspiration. Russia’s Police Choir https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P08B_lBUL0E really caught my attention.(Oo La La!)
Besides, rooting for the USA, I am rooting for the Jamaican bobsled team!
Should I
discuss the influence of
Washington and Lincoln since President’s Day is coming up? Beside the
fact that February is Black
History Month, Rosa Parks birthday was on February 4th.
Even though
the holidays are over, I
feel as though life has been nonstop. I
mean look at all the events that have already occurred before Valentine’s
Day! The bottom line is: life goes on.
In our minds and hearts, we know that life isn’t always fair or beautiful.
There are troglodytes (please remember this word for our meeting in February.
Spelling counts, ladies.) in this world, but still…hopefully we can all
experience the beauty of life and give that to others in need. Making small
gestures such as giving food or saying a “hello” can brighten someone’s
spirit. When our spirit is lighter, we
can succeed and love so much more.
Think “Hot
Cocoa” and click on this link for a special treat! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5E_zXbmrlM
"Here
Comes The Sun"
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
And I say it's all right
Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
And I say it's all right
Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
And I say it's all right
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes
(repeat times)
Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been clear
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
And I say it's all right
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
It's all right, it's all right
- Written by George Harrison
of the Beatles
Have a Happy
Valentine’s Day! XOX
- Catherine Kleszczewski, February 12,
2014
******************************************************************
DISTRICT II CONFERENCE UPDATE
At the January
dinner meeting, we selected our representatives to the District II
Conference. Audrey Braver and Abaynesh
Asrat are the delegates, and Henie Parish and Julie Kleszczewski are the
alternates. Remember this Conference is
not just for delegates. It is for all
members. Richmond, VA, is an
historically rich city, well worth the visit.
We should all think
about attending, if not this year, certainly next year when our Area (I) is the
host. Location will be Washington,
DC--lots to do in DC. We will also need
volunteers to help with the various phases of the conference. So, please, start
your planning now—2015 is
less than a year away.
***********************************************************************
EASTER EGGS
The South
Central Pennsylvania Altrusa Club is taking orders for
their divine Peanut Butter, Coconut, Butter Cream and PB Krispie Easter
eggs. Cost is $12/dozen, or $15/dozen
for special orders, e.g., white chocolate, bittersweet or milk chocolate. Order
forms will be available at the Dinner
Meeting. Please note the NY Club will
not be selling them this year.
3
A FEW SMILES AND WISE ADVICE
The
following comments have been attributed to Andy Rooney, our
apologies if this is not the correct attribution.
“I've
learned …
That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.
That just one person saying to me, 'You've made my day!' makes my day.
That being kind is more important than being right.
That you should never say no to a gift from a child.
That simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights when I was a
child did wonders for me as an adult.
That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the
faster it goes.
That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.
That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person
continue to hurt you.
That love, not time, heals all wounds.
That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile..
That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss.
That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.
That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.
That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.
******************************************************************
4
MINUTES OF JANUARY, 2014, BOARD MEETING
Attendees:
Catherine
Kleszczewski; Audrey Braver, Penny Gardner; Carole Kennedy, Julie
Kleszczewski
and Jessica Leeds, Henie Parish.
Excused: Anne Marie
Basic, Margaret Stadler.
President Catherine called
meeting to order at 5:20 p.m.
The minutes of the last meeting
were read and approved. Jessica
Leeds moved and Carole Kennedy seconded a motion to approve the minutes that
were approved.
Treasurer’s report:
$5,347.22 in our regular bank account.
Old Business:
A successful Wine and Cheese
Event was held Thursday, January 9,
2014, at Jessica’s. Those attending were
new members: Connie DiBenedetto, Jacqueline Feldman, and their guest, Mary
Kreiger, plus guests, Mary Beth Cornell (She will arrive late.), and Liz Voss.
Carole Kennedy will hold
another jewelry workshop (two weeks prior
to Mother’s Day) May 9, at 11 a.m. , $35 an hour, $70 for two hours at 1160 Broadway (27th
Street). Catherine K. will send an EVITE
at least two weeks in advance.
The January 28 Program will
feature Carol Smolenski, Executive
Director of ECPAT.
New Business:
An Orange luncheon was suggested
as a fundraiser at Audrey's house
on April 25, Friday, 6 p.m. Directions to follow. (Menu will consist of all
orange food). Cost is $25. Two
dollars to paint two fingernails
orange. Carole Kennedy will announce.
Speaker for dinner meeting,
woman real estate in Manhattan.
(Jessica suggested her as a speaker.)
Speaker for March: possibly Anne Marie Carlson, Chair of DPI/NGO
Executive Committee. Speaker for April ... working on it and maybe at the
Hungarian Literary Club. Anne-Marie Basic working on May.
Need two delegates to District
Conference April 11-13. Audrey
offered to be a delegate. We also need
two alternates.
Maureen McGough, Governor,
will be our speaker, Tuesday, February
25, at our dinner meeting at the Hungarian Literary Society (79th Street
between First and Second Avenue). We
are considering the Hungarian Literary Society for our April 22 meeting. Henie
suggested that her brother, a city
planner, as a speaker for April 22, 2014.
5
Nominating Committee: Three
volunteers are to be appointed at our
January, 2014, meeting and nominees to be elected at our April meeting.
Our District Conference will
be held on April 11-13 (Friday - Sunday,
Palm Sunday) in Richmond, Virginia.
Our Day at the Races will
be held at the Belmont Raceway on June
22, 2014. They offer new menu
selections, a pasta station in addition to passing appetizers. Penny presented
the flyer for the Belmont
for suggestions from the board.
President
Catherine
shared her conversation with Reba Davis regarding the April 2015 District
Two Conference
that
will be held in Georgetown, Washington D.C .
No date has been set as yet.
Meeting adjourned at 5:56
p.m.
Julie Harrison Kleszczewski
*********************************************************************
CONFERENCE DELEGATES
At the dinner meeting on
January 28, Audrey Braver and Abaynesh
Asrat were selected as delegates to the District Two Conference in Richmond,
VA, beginning April 10, 2014. Julie
Kleszczewski and Henie Parish were selected as alternate delegates.
*********************************************************************
REMEMBER: This
is your newsletter. It is only as good as the articles you
submit. Thanks to Catherine Kleszczewski,
Shirley Day, Jessica Leeds, Julie Kleszczewski,
Penny Gardner for their help in producing this edition. Audrey Braver, Editor.
ALTRUSAGRAM Official
Newsletter of Altrusa International of New York January
2014 Issue
__________________________________________________________________
PRESIDENT’S
MESSAGE
I hope everyone has had a
happy new year so far. A new year gives us an opportunity to regroup; and to
think how we can make a positive difference.
Lately,
I have been reading
and watching biographies and interviews of famous and successful people. One of
the things that they all have in common was their drive for having quality
content, and not so much focus on procedure. I think, at times, we all want to
do the right thing and follow protocol of what other clubs and/or companies are
doing. However, sometimes, the larger the company, the more confusion there is.
For example, why did all of these companies such as Enron, JP Morgan Chase, and
Goldman Sachs (to name a few), get themselves into financial trouble? The short
answer is their accounting practices, but, of course, it is more complicated
than that. Google to find the answer.
In
a lost interview with
Steve Jobs (filmed in 1994, available on Netflix), he explained why Apple with
its new CEO, John Sculley, back then in the 1980’s, had so much trouble.
Sculley thought that just having a great idea would be enough to push the
company forward. Per Jobs, having an excellent idea is only 10% of the success,
but in reality it’s 90% hard work. This hard work includes the shaping of the idea:
figuring out what works and what doesn’t work. Not all ideas work. [Remember
this word for our January dinner meeting: Rosebud] John Sculley, who was the
CEO at the time after Jobs was fired, was the former CEO of Pepsico. Pepsi’s
concept of an innovative idea was making a new bottle shape. Sculley didn’t
understand that as a team of professionals work on an idea, that idea can
change slightly (i.e. certain materials such as metal or glass may work
differently than thought.)
Where
am I going with all
of this? We all have great ideas. But if we don’t put the work into them, then
they fizzle out. A few months ago, I asked each of you to fill out a survey on
how to improve our club. Only a few responded (Thank you, to those who gave
their invaluable input). To those who chose to remain silent, I am assuming you
like the way our club is functioning right now. Feedback and ideas are welcomed
any time. When providing feedback, also include a solution and evidence to back
it up. As Dale Carnegie once said, “only fools criticize.”
 As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday approaches, let us
remember his legacy. From time to time, I often think about MLK, Jr. as well as
Nelson Mandela, and all the positive energy that they had. (When you have a
chance, please watch the movie, “Invicus.” It’s a must-see!) Without them, this
world would be a much different place. On that note, please invite a friend or
colleague to one of our dinner meetings.
Let us celebrate our
cultural diversity!
Catherine
Klescszewski, President
************************************************************************
JANUARY DINNER MEETING
Our
speaker speaker is Carol Smolenski, the Executive Director and one of the
founders of ECPAT-USA, has been working in the field of children’s rights for
eighteen years. She is a long-time nationally recognized leader working to stop
the commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking of children.
This
is a most important topic and I’m sure you will find it both interesting and
stimulating. Don’t forget to make your
reservations with Penny Gardner, 212-348-1433.
************************************************************************
QUILT PROJECT
We
received a thoughtful thank you note from Yvette, Director of Volunteer
Services for the two quilts we donated. We
visited the VA Hospital the Saturday before Christmas … There was a snowstorm
which delayed my friend. But we finally made it about 4:30 p.m.! One quilt is a bold design using recycled
maroon curtains, gingham sheets and other fabrics of the tied quilt we made. This
was given to a gentleman whose home is
in Pennsylvania so he had very few visits. He was so happy!
Our maroon and gingham surprise was the icing on the cake for he was returning
home in the morning! The other as
you know was composed of beautiful tiny triangles framed in pale green.
This quilt was given to a totally thrilled female veteran who worked in the
battle zone as a medic.
************************************************************************
2
************************************************************************
CALL TO CONFERENCE
In case you didn’t
receive the District
Service Bulletin, below is information about the District Two Conference, April
11-13, 2014, in Richmond, VA.
The Fifty-eighth
Annual District Two
Conference will be hosted by the Richmond club at the Holiday Inn Airport,
Sandston, VA April 10 - 13, 2014. Conference Chair Tammy Boyd and Co-Chair
Cindi Jennings have been working hard to plan an exciting, growth-producing experience
for us. Our International Representative will be International President Ilona
Kerby who is a member of the Longview-Kelso, WA Club in District Twelve. We are
honored to have Ilona attending our Conference as it will be her first
Conference in her position as International President. Let’s welcome her and
show her how District Two presents the most rewarding and informative
Conference! Ilona is stressing the importance of growing Altrusa – every Club
increasing their membership by one new member. How proud District Two would be
to know that we are doing so by having our new members attend Conference! I
would like to see the First Timers Session packed! Stress to Club members the
camaraderie we experience with our sisters and brothers in Altrusa Service, the
networking and leadership training provided through workshops, and the
heartfelt joy experienced by participating in our service projects.
There will be two
general sessions – one
on Friday and one on Saturday -- and it is imperative that each Club sends its
allotted delegates and alternates as this is where the business of the District
takes place. So many times members ask “what does District do for us?” Come to
Conference and find out! There will be training for Club Presidents and Club
Treasurers; an opportunity to meet International President Ilona Kerby and
participate in her all-session workshop; an Astra Workshop; town hall session for
sharing club service projects; an Area meeting session to discuss Fall
Workshops; opportunities to be updated on International and District
objectives; and all-session workshops from a guest speaker on Friday who works
in A Domestic Violence Safe House and on Saturday whose specialty is in
Leadership and Career Transitions. The District Board and members of Altrusa
International of Richmond, VA look forward to seeing many Altrusans at
Conference.
Delegates and
Alternates:
Names of Delegate(s)
and Alternates(s) from each club must be reported on the enclosed form to the
District Secretary. There are NO credential cards to give to your delegates(s)
or alternates(s). Delegates and alternates are determined sixty (60) days prior
to District Conference pursuant to Club Bylaws. Each club in good standing that
has an Active and Active Retired membership of 20 members shall be entitled to
one delegate and one alternate. For each additional 20 members or portion
thereof, a club shall be entitled to 1 additional delegate and alternate. The
District Treasurer will review with the District Secretary and notify you of
any discrepancies. Send attached form by 3/1/14 to: District Two Secretary
Tammy Boyd, 117 McCauley Pkwy, Aylett, VA 23009.
Please
let me know if
you need a Registration form.
3
A Cruise
on the Danube
Clelia was generous
enough to write about her recent vacation and submit it to the
Altrusagram. It is, as always,
entertaining.
For
years I had been dreaming of doing a cruise on the scenic
Danube. None of my friends was interested and time was passing. Then one day I
talked about this plan to a friend in Brazil and the moment I mentioned Danube,
her eyes sparkled. I had found a companion and Edilah and I went on a cruise in
October of 2013.
The
Danube has always been the main route to connect west Europe
to the Black Sea. But this river had large rock formations and swift waters
that represented sizeable obstacles. Charlemagne had dreamed of a canal
creating a continuous waterway linking hundreds of inland ports and such a
canal was finally built and finished in 1992, making our cruise possible. We
went through 67 locks !
We
spent 12 days and 14 nights aboard the Var, of the Viking River
Cruise Line. Their ships are small and every cabin has a balcony. We were 138
aboard, a group consisting of many Americans, Canadians, some Englishmen, a few
Australians and two Brazilians. We started in Budapest and ended up in
Amsterdam, Holland
We
sailed mostly at night, but also some mornings and every day we
were in a different town. Sometimes it was a large city like Vienna, in
Austria, or Nuremberg and Cologne, in Germany. But we also stopped in medieval
towns and charming villages such as Bratislava, in Slovakia, Melk (famous for
its magnificent baroque abbey), in Austria, and Passau (city of three rivers),
Regensburg (a very well preserved medieval city), Bamberg (with its smoked
beer), Wurzburg (a baroque town that is a center of production of wines, mostly
white) and Wertheim (famous for its blown glass artifacts), in Germany.
It
was wonderful to enjoy a cup of tea watching baroque and
grandiose castles, fabulous churches and monasteries pass by on both sides of
the river. The famous Melk Abbey and the
magnificent St. Stephan cathedral of Passau can be seen and photographed from
the ship. Sometimes one
village was very close to another, but other times all we saw was beautiful
green or yellow plantations on terraced land.
Before
arriving at Amsterdam we spent one day in Kinderduck, on
the Rhine. This town has Holland’s largest assemblage of wind mills, 19 of
them, built at the beginning of the 18th century.
We
did not stay in Amsterdam. We went from the port straight to
the airport, thus ending a fabulous river cruise, a dream that finally became a
wonderful reality.
Clelia
Leite Moraes
*****************************************************************
4
MINUTES OF JANUARY 2014
BOARD MEETING
The Board Meeting was
held on Monday, January 6, 2014, at Jessica Leeds’ apartment.
Attendees:
Catherine
Kleszczewski; Audrey Braver, Penny Gardner; Carole Kennedy, Julie
Kleszczewski
and Jessica Leeds Henie Parish.
Excused: Anne Marie
Basic, Margaret Stadler.
President Catherine
called meeting to order at 6:05 p.m.
The minutes of the
last meeting were read and approved as corrected. Carole Kennedy moved and
Audrey Braver seconded a motion to accept the minutes that were approved by
consensus.
Old Business: A Wine and Cheese Event will be held Thursday,
January 9, 2014 at Jessica’s. Those
attending: new members: Connie,
Jacqueline and their guest, Mary Kreiger plus guests, MaryBeth Cornell (late),
and Liz Voss.
Carole Kennedy will
hold another jewelry workshop (two weeks prior to Mother’s Day) May 9, 11 a.m.
, $35 an hour, $70, two hours. 1160
Broadway @ 27th Street. Catherine will send an EVITE at least two
weeks in advance.
The January 28
Program will feature Carol Smolenski, Executive Director of ECPAT.
New Business: Maureen McGough, District Two Governor,
will be our speaker, Tuesday, February 25, Tuesday, at our closed dinner meeting (no guests) at a different location.
Nominating Committee: Three members will be appointed at our
January 2014 meeting for the Nominating Committee to select nominees for Club
Officers. Elections will be held at our
April meeting.
The District Two
Conference will be held on April 11-13 (Friday - Sunday, Palm Sunday) in
Richmond, Virginia.
Our Day at the Races
will be held at the Belmont Raceway on June 22, 2014. They offer a new menu
selections, new pasta
selections in addition to passing appetizers.
Meeting adjourned at
7:09 p.m.
Respectfully submitted by Julie Harrison Kleszczewski
*********************************************************************
5
A FEW SMILES FOR A
WINTRY JANUARY
At
a recent luncheon, we were discussing the aging process. This discussion was
prompted by the fact that
two members of our group were in Rehab and not able to join us that day. So,
I thought I would share some thoughts
about getting old. Our younger members
will benefit from this article--just wait a decade or two.
#1
I very quietly confided to my best friend that
I was having an affair. She turned to me
and asked, “Are you having it catered?”
And that, my friend, is the definition of
'OLD'!
#2
Reporters
interviewing a 104-year-old woman: “And
what do you think is the best thing about being 104?” the reporter asked.
She simply replied,
“No peer pressure.”
#3
I’ve sure
gotten old! I've had two bypass
surgeries, a hip replacement, new knees, fought prostate cancer and
diabetes. I'm half blind, can't hear
anything quieter than a jet engine, take
40 different medications that make me dizzy, winded, and subject to blackouts. Have
bouts with dementia. Have poor
circulation. I can hardly feel my hands
and feet anymore. Can't remember if I'm
85 or 92. Have lost all my friends.
But,
thank God, I still have my driver's license.
#4
THOUGHT
FOR THE DAY: I don't want
to brag or make anyone jealous or anything,
but I can still fit into
the earrings I wore in high school.
#5
My
memory's not as sharp as it used to be.
Also,
my memory's not as sharp as it used to be.
*********************************************************************
REMEMBER: This is your
newsletter. It is only as good as the articles you
submit. Thanks to Catherine Kleszczewski,
Julie Klescszewski, Penny Gardner for their help in producing this
edition. Audrey Braver, Editor.
6
ALTRUSAGRAM
Official Newsletter of Altrusa International, Inc., Club of New York,
November, 2013
Next Dinner Meeting: November 19, 2013
Reservations:
Penny Gardner
Natiional Arts Club, 15 Gramercy
Park South
New York, NY 10010
5:30 p.m. 212-345-1433
*************************************************************
__________________________________________________________________
ALTRUSAGRAM Official Newsletter of Altrusa International, of NEW YORK November, 2013 Issue
__________________________________________________________________
PRESIDENT’S
MESSAGE
This is
a time to remember and renew our promise to ourselves: to be productive and thoughtful members of society. It’s important
to think about why we do what we do. I am in the middle of reading the book, “The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg.
He states that 40% of all the things that we do is by habit, not necessarily because we want to do it or by free will. He
also explains how we can change our habits.
Look into
yourself and ask, “Is this what I want to do with my life?” Maybe you are thinking, “Why does that matter?
I have lived most of my life already.” Well, I have news for you: It’s never too late to do what you want to do.
For example, as a college student, I remember listening to Pearl Bailey at a benefit in Washington, DC. At the age of 71,
she graduated from college with a Bachelor’s in Religion. She said she was a French Major, but she switched to Religion
because she thought it was easier to understand God than it was to understand French. People laughed at that statement. What
stayed with me from that day was that Pearl had the courage to go back to school to earn her undergraduate degree. She didn’t
let age stop her. Another example, after a 14-year hiatus, I am composing music again. It’s a little bit of a learning
curve because technology and methods in this area have changed, but it’s for the better.
Why is
Catherine writing about all of this? What I am trying to tell you is to WAKE UP. Expand yourselves: think of new ideas for
possible projects and programs. Think about what you can do to help others, and help our Altrusa club grow. When you share
Altrusa with a friend or someone who you think is nice, you are actually helping the community. Many hands make light work.
And why do we like helping others? One reason is because it makes us feel good about ourselves. Wouldn’t we want our
friends to feel good about themselves as well? When you give to the community, you are, in fact, giving to yourself.
Also,
if you are talented in something, let’s say, art. Imagine that you are a talented artist, but you don’t create another artwork for the rest of your life. Don’t
you think that it’s unfair to the world? Without
music and art, our quality of life in society would suffer; our souls would be lost. Just this week, about 1,500 pieces of
art were found in a Munich apartment. This artwork had been confiscated by the Nazis. Some of the works were by Picasso, Chagall
and Matisse. The world has been deprived of experiencing these works of art! I suggest there are many other places which have
hidden “gems.”
Whether
it is created and hidden from the world, or never created at all, but hidden in our brains, it is depriving the world. The
same goes for education. For every person in the world who cannot read or write, they are crippling our society. For example,
there are many diseases out there that no known cure has been found. One of those uneducated individuals could possibly find
the answer, or be the next Marie Curie, the next Da Vinci if they pursue an education.
I am thankful
for many people in my life and for the things that I have in place, but there are so many things that we can do to improve
our lives, directly and indirectly. If you can’t find the time or have the strength to help, then assisting monetarily
or mentoring someone who you think would benefit would be a great help.
One type
of charity which is often overlooked is the arts. One such arts organization
is HERE. They have a website: www.HERE.org. It is worth a visit to see the various arts projects
they support. I made my donation to help support the creation and production of a new opera, called Scarlet Ibis, composed
by Stefan Weisman and libretto by David Cote. Their work will be premiered in January 2015.
If
you think that it’s frivolous to give to arts, then I would like you to do an experiment: Try to live without music
and art for one day, and see what happens. Can’t do it, right? To do this, there would be no TV, no books, no newspapers,
no looking at the walls in your home, no internet, etc. Music is everywhere. You get my point.
Looking
forward to seeing you all at our next dinner meeting on November 19.
HAPPY
THANKSGIVING!
Catherine
Kleszczewski. President
Altrusa
International, New York Club
************************************************************************
INTERESTING FACT ABOUT THANKSGIVING DAY
The person
responsible for making Thanksgiving a national holiday was a woman by the name of Sarah Hale. She was a mother of five. Over
a 37-year period, she wrote letters to the U.S. President. Finally, in 1860, President Abraham Lincoln said “yes”
and Thanksgiving became a national holiday.
Sarah
Hale also wrote the song, “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” Some “food”
for thought.
*******************************************************************************
A COUPLE
OF SMILES
GETTING OLDER
An
older gentleman was on the operating table awaiting surgery and he insisted that his son,
a renowned surgeon, perform
the operation. As he was about to get the anesthesia, he asked to speak to his
son.
"Yes,
Dad, what is it?"
“Don't
be nervous, son; do your best, and just remember, if it doesn't go well, if something happens to me, your mother is going
to come and live with you and your wife...."
REPAIRING HEARTS
A mechanic was removing a cylinder head from the motor of a Harley motorcycle when he spotted
a well-known heart surgeon in his shop.
The surgeon was there, waiting for the service
manager to come and take a look at his bike.
The mechanic shouted across the garage,
"Hey, Doc, can I ask you a question?"
The surgeon a bit surprised, walked over to
the mechanic working on the motorcycle. The mechanic straightened up, wiped his hands on a rag and asked, "So Doc, look at
this engine. I open its heart, take the valves out, fix 'em, put 'em back in, and when I finish, it works just like new. So
how come I get such a small salary and you get the really big bucks, when you and I are doing basically the same work?"
The surgeon paused, smiled and leaned over, and whispered to the mechanic... "Try doing
it with the engine running."
************************************************************************
NOVEMBER
DINNER MEETING
Please Note: The November
Dinner Meeting is scheduled for November 19, and not November 26 as originally planned.
Our speaker will be Dr. Glen Chalmers from Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen. He
will give us an update on their outstanding program and their trials and tribulations in view of today’s economic situation. I’m sure all club members will find his presentation most enlightening.
The Reverend Glenn B. Chalmers—has been the Rector of the Church of the Holy Apostles
and Executive Director of the Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen since May of 2009. He was Executive Director of Cathedral
Shelter of Chicago from 1997-2009, Rector of Grace Episcopal Church of Lawrence, Mass from 1990-97, Director of Program Development
of Episcopal City Mission in Boston, MA, from 1998-90, and Vicar of Grace Episcopal Church in Elizabeth, NJ, from 1982-1988.
He received his D. Min. in 2008 from the Graduate Theological Foundation, his M.S.W. in 1982 from Rutgers University and a
M. Div. in Applied Ministries from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1980.
Rev. Chalmers and Shirley, a volunteer at the Soup Kitchen.
Don’t forget you must make a reservation with Penny Gardner, 212-348-1433, by November 11th for the dinner meeting on the 19th.
************************************************************************
DID YOU KNOW?
Below are a selection of interesting facts that you probably
didn’t know but will find a handy solution in certain situations.
Most aluminum foil boxes have press-in tabs that secure the roll in place, so you don’t have worry about it
flying out every time you rip off a sheet.
Chinese takeout containers are actually made to fold out into plates. The
containers actually are meant to unfold into a makeshift plate, which you can easily reassemble into a box for storing leftovers.
Greek yogurt containers are meant to be folded in half.
Chances are you’ve been scooping the toppings with your spoon
onto the yogurt. But, have you realized,
the topping holder folds over, so you can pour the toppings DIRECTLY ON TOP?
Soda can tabs double as straw holders. Turn the tab around so that
it acts as holder that can stop the straw from raising out of the can as the soda fizzes.
************************************************************************
MINUTES OF NOVEMBER BOARD MEETING
Attendees: Catherine Kleszczewski; Audrey Braver, Penny Gardner; Gwen Acsadi,
Carole
Kennedy;
Julie Kleszczewski.
Excused: Anne Marie Basic; Jessica Leeds, Henie Parish,
Margaret Stadler.
President Catherine called meeting to order at 6:17 p.m.
The minutes of the last meeting were read and approved.
Old Business: Jewelry
Workshop: Nov. 16, 2013, 11 a.m. Deadline RSVP: November 7, 2013. $35, first hour. It can be extended for another hour for
$35 at 1160 Broadway @ 27th Street. Catherine will send an EVITE.
New Business:
All clubs who have Altrusa International, Inc., in their charter must
change their name to remove “inc” after International. Example our
name should be Altrusa International of New York, Inc., because each club must now be incorporated. Deadline is December 31, 2013.
Carol will look into a site for February Meeting.
Great Decisions Program is being offered beginning Thursday,
January 30, 2014, 5:30 p.m. at the Harvard Club (44th Street) and costs $50 for six to eight sessions. The rest of the meetings will be held bimonthly thereafter. If
interested, please contact juliek@msn.com.
Meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m. Julie
Julie Harrison Kleszczewski
__________________________________________________________________
ALTRUSAGRAM Official Newsletter of Altrusa
International, Inc., of NY May,
2014, Issue
__________________________________________________________________
PRESIDENT’S
MESSAGE
Finally,
spring is here. It
feels like summer! It is time to put away the winter clothes and bring out the
summer wardrobe!
First
of all, I want to
thank everyone on the board and all the members as well! Special thanks to
Penny for being on top of our finances, for organizing our reservations at the
National Arts Club, and for countless hours of putting together the Treasurer’s
report and our biggest fundraiser of the year at Belmont Racetrack; to Audrey,
for putting together the directory, newsletter, and for giving me guidance; to
Jessica, for hosting wine and cheese events and for her guidance; to Carole
Kennedy for hosting and organizing our jewelry workshop, to Julie, my mother,
for throwing me into the “lion’s den.” I thank everyone who has not been
mentioned here by name. You are and have been an inspiration to me! I want to
wish our new board members, especially President-Elect Anne Marie Basic, a
successful and uplifting future for our club and for those charities we assist
and a thank you especially to our Foundation board members (Thank you, Carole
Lancaster, for keeping it together). A big thank you goes to Maureen McGough
for taking the time to install our new slate of officers! Maureen, you are a
powerhouse!
It
is difficult to find the
right words as this is my final message to you as President of Altrusa
International Club of New York other than giving suggestions on how to help our
communities grow stronger. There have been many news stories of caution.
Tornados, murder trials, kidnapped school girls from Nigeria, a Korean ferry
boat that sunk leaving countless victims and grieving families…more bad news
than good news. Some stories are receiving more attention than others. There
was one shocking story that did not make much of a splash: "Widow Loses
House Over $6.30 Tax Bill!" (Forbes,(April 29, 2014) NBC News)
What?! Apparently, the Pennsylvania Court was not flexible regarding the
defendant paying the remaining balance of her property taxes. Without going
into great detail, she is a widow. Her late husband left her the house and all
of the finances that go with it. She relied on him 100% to pay all the bills
and taxes. She had nothing to do with it. What’s the lesson here? I know
that many of you, if not all of the members in our club are financially
literate. If you know of someone who is not, it is a necessary and good deed to
take action and educate that person in finance, even if they say that they do
not have a “head for numbers.”
I
repeat. Educate someone
about personal finance: a student, a wife (who will someday become a widow or
divorced – always a possibility), an unemployed person, a cousin, etc. Some
might not want to be taught (Please ask why, because ignorance is NOT bliss in
this case!). Send gentle reminders such as sending them stories of financial
misfortune or have them check out these websites: www.investopedia.com or www.smckids.com (for kids).This is not a popular topic. No one likes to talk
about money. BUT no one likes to eat cat food either!
1
President’s Message
(continued from page 1)
Another
article that I read
was in today’s Wall Street Journal (May 12, 2014), “Should Companies
Monitor Their Employees’ Social Media?” This seems like common sense, but if
any of you have a social media count, you should ask yourself, “Why do you have
one?” There have been many articles that list mostly the cons of having such an
account. For example, if you announce to your Facebook friends that you will be
on vacation for a week, guess what? You might be inviting someone to break into
your home, or to live in your house. Ugh! Also, I see people posting pics of themselves
at crazy parties, children’s activities. Okay, be aware that you are opening up
yourself to potential employers rejecting your job application. Also, there was
a story of a mother who actually posted her child’s weekly schedule! Guess
what? Her child was kidnapped. I don’t know if the child was ever found.
My
point is this: even
though some of us feel safe and secure in the land of cyberspace, it should be
treated as if we are swimming in the ocean of shark-infested waters. Sometimes
there is a false sense of security (i.e. Hackers are able to steal millions of
debit and credit card numbers). There are many people out there who are wolves
in sheep’s clothing (or they are simply nuts). Be cautious in who you confide
in. Caveat emptor.
I
feel the urgency to
inform and to bring attention to issues that are not so obvious, to things that
we don’t want to talk about.
On
a lighter note, I have
learned a great deal in these last two years. Everyone who has served as club
president and our members, both longtime and new, have taught me how to become
a better leader. A true leader listens, and is accessible to their board and
club members. Throughout history, the most successful leaders were people who
see the world in a realistic, sober fashion, and not being a “Pollyanna,” (who
has always had their way in life). True leaders have the ability to empathize
and to remain calm in a crisis, but find a solution rather than complain and
not act. Thank you for this opportunity to serve you!
Be
aware, be safe, and have
a “MAH-vel – ous” summer everyone!
See
you all at our
fundraiser at Belmont on Sunday, June 22nd!
Catherine
Kleszczewski, May 12, 2014
******************************************************************
APRIL
DINNER MEETING
The Dinner Meeting which would normally have been
held on April 22nd and was postponed to be incorporated into the
April 25th Un Woman’s Project Orange dinner at Audrey Braver’s
apartment at 21-55 34th Avenue, Apt 6B, Long Island City, was
cancelled for lack of participation.
Not only was that dinner to have celebrated the
six month anniversary of UN Project Orange, it was also a much-needed
fundraiser for the New York Club.
*************************************************************
2
******************************************************************
ANNUAL
BELMONT FUNDRAISER
This year’s racing event will be on Sunday, June 22, 2014. The
price of a single ticket is $125.00 each,
buy two and the price is reduced to $100.00 each. Buy two, bring a friend. It’s a bargain! In fact invite
all your friends. It is a great day, we are in the Turf and
Jockey Room with a private betting window, lots of delicious food, a cash bar
for drinks and a dessert table. See
attached flyer.
Also, there will be a van pickup on Roosevelt Island at 12 noon
and return after the races. Contact
Audrey Braver, if interested (718-721-4229).
For tickets, contact Penny Gardner at 212-348-1433.
*************************************************************
DO
NOT FORGET – 2014/2015 MEMBERSHIP DUES
At
the
March Board Meeting, the Board voted to increase the Membership Dues from
$135.00 to $140.00 per person. The
Members voted on this increase at the March meeting.
Dues
renewal notice is on the last page of this newsletter. Please complete in full. Dues must be paid no later than May 31st
to avoid the $30.00 late payment fee.
******************************************************************
May Dinner
Meeting
Please
note: Change of
Date.
The
May Dinner Meeting will be on May 20th, not May 28th,
as originally scheduled due to a
change in the National Arts Calendar.
District
Two Governor, Maureen McGough, will join us and perform
the Installation of Officers. This is
our last regular meeting of the Altrusa International Club of New York and all
members should try their best to attend—especially and most importantly, the
newly-elected officers.
******************************************************************
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is coming up as well as D-Day.
So many other events such as the worst tragedy of the US Navy in
history: the USS Indianapolis, which delivered
the atom bomb. The ship sank on July 30, 1945. Out of 1,197 sailors,
300 went down with the ship. The rest survived only to find themselves in
shark-infested waters for about a week. Only 317 men survived. Google
it if interested in further details.
3
Monopoly - I Did Not
Know This!
(You'll never
look at the game the same way again!)
Starting
in 1941, an increasing number of British Airmen found themselves as
the involuntary guests of the Third Reich, and the Crown was casting about
for ways and means to facilitate their escape...
Now obviously, one of the most helpful aids to that end is a useful and
accurate map, one showing not only where stuff was, but also showing the
locations of 'safe houses' where a POW on-the-lam could go for food and
shelter.
Paper maps had some real drawbacks -- they make a lot of noise when you open
and fold them, they wear out rapidly, and if they get wet, they turn into
mush.
Someone in MI-5 (similar to America's OSS) got the idea of printing escape
maps on silk. It's durable, can be scrunched-up into tiny wads, and
unfolded as many times as needed, and makes no noise whatsoever.
At
that time, there was only one manufacturer in Great Britain that
had perfected the technology of printing on silk, and that was
John Waddington, Ltd. When approached by the government, the firm
was only too happy to do its bit for the war effort.
By
pure coincidence, Waddington was also the U.K. Licensee for the
popular American board game, Monopoly. As it happened, 'games and
pastimes' was a category of item qualified for insertion into
'CARE packages', dispatched by the International Red Cross to prisoners
of war. Under the strictest of
secrecy, in a securely guarded and inaccessible old workshop on the
grounds of Waddington's, a group of sworn-to-secrecy employees began
mass-producing escape maps, keyed to each region of Germany, Italy,
France, or where ever Allied POW camps were located. When processed,
these maps could be folded into such tiny dots that they would actually
fit inside a Monopoly playing piece.
As long as they were at it, the clever workmen at Waddington's also
managed to add:
1. A
playing token, containing a small magnetic compass
2. A
two-part metal file that could easily be screwed together
3.
Useful amounts of genuine high-denomination German, Italian, and French
currency,
hidden
within the piles of Monopoly money!
British and American air crews were advised, before taking off on their
first mission, how to identify a 'rigged' Monopoly set -- by means
of a tiny red dot, one cleverly rigged to look like an ordinary printing
glitch, located in the corner of the Free Parking square.
Of the estimated 35,000 Allied POWS who successfully escaped, an estimated
one-third were aided in their flight by the rigged Monopoly
sets. Everyone who did so was sworn to secrecy indefinitely, since the
British Government might want to use this highly successful ruse in
still another, future war.
The story wasn't declassified until 2007, when the surviving craftsmen from
Waddington's, as well as the firm itself, were finally honored in a
public ceremony.
It's
always nice when you can play that 'Get Out of Jail Free'
card!
I realize that many of you are (probably) too young to have any personal
connection to WWII (Dec. '41 to Aug. '45), but this is still
an interesting bit of history.
http://www.snopes.com/military/monopoly.asp =
TRUE!
*************************************************************
4
*************************************************************
Minutes
of May Board Meeting
Board Meeting Minutes May 5, 2014,
Altrusa International, New York
Club
to be approved at the next Board
Meeting
Attendees: Catherine Kleszczewski, Audrey Braver, Julie Kleszczewski, Jessica
Leeds, Henie Parish.
Excused: Carole Kennedy, Margaret
Stadler, Anne Marie Basic, Gwen Ascadi and Penny Gardner.
President Catherine called meeting to order at 6:10 p.m.
The minutes of the March 25 Board Meeting were approved as
corrected.
Old Business:
Governor of District Two, Maureen McGough, will be our special
guest and install the new officers on May 20, 2014 (third Tuesday not fourth).
June 22, Sunday, is the date of Belmont Raceway fundraiser. Trains
leave from Penn Station, Long Island
Railroad, twice after 11 a.m. and once at 4 p.m. and at the conclusion of the
races.
Carole Kennedy has organized a Jewelry Workshop on May 10, 2014,
at 11 a.m. A percent of proceeds will be donated to the Altrusa International
New York Foundation.
New Business:
A suggested alternate location for 2014 November and 2015
February meetings to be investigated
further is Solera Restaurant that has a private room, on 53rd, between Second
and Third Avenues, (www.solerany.com), 212 644 1166, 216 East
53rd Street at Third Avenue.
Meeting adjourned at 6:47 p.m.
Julie Harrison Kleszczewski
Recording Secretary
*************************************************************
The Altrusa Club of New York has a website: http://altrusanewyorkcity.tripod.com.
Don’t forget
to visit it.
************************************************************
REMEMBER: This is
your newsletter. It is only as good as
the articles you submit. Thanks to Catherine
Kleszczewski, Penny Gardner, Shirley Day, Julie Kleszczewski for their help in
producing this edition. Audrey Braver,
Editor.
4
ALTRUSA CLUB OF NEW YORK
March,
2014 Dues Invoice
Altrusa International of New York
Annual Dues of June 1, 2014 to May 31, 2015
$140.00
If paid after May 31, 2014, add late charge
30.00
Make checks payable to ALTRUSA CLUB OF NEW YORK
Mail payment to:
Mary P.
Gardner
245 East 87th
Street, Apt. 9C
New York, NY
10128
OR BRING YOUR CHECK TO THE NEXT DINNER OR BOARD
MEETING
NAME
__________________________________________________________
ADDRESS
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
PHONE
__________________________________________________________
CELL
___________________________________________________________
EMAIL
__________________________________________________________
BIRTH DATE: Month
____________Day ____________Year (optional) ___________
OCCUPATION – IF RETIRED, FORMER OCCUPATION
_____________________________________________________________
SPECIAL INTERESTS
______________________________________________________
ALTRUSA
INTERNATIONAL OF NY FOUNDATION
INVITES YOU TO JOIN US FOR
A Day at the Races
Sunday,
June 22, 2014, from 12 noon until the last race
Turf & Field Club at Belmont Park
Race Track
Tickets are $125 for one or $200 for
two (A bargain!!!)
(Checks should be payable to Altrusa International of NY Foundation)
Deluxe Buffet Luncheon
Private Betting Window -- $1.00
minimum
Cash
Bar
Belmont is easily accessible via LIRR, bus, or
car.
For
ticket reservations and
further information, call
Ms.
Gardner at 212-348-1433.
Altrusa
International, Inc., established in 1917, is the oldest women's service
organization in the U. S. with clubs in over 10 countries. This is the annual
fund-raising event for the benefit of the New York Club’s 501(c)3 Foundation.
Below is a list of some of the organizations
that receive the Foundation’s support:
Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen--feeds over 1,000 homeless daily;
Hour Children--cares for
children born in prison of incarcerated mothers; Pajama Project—provides a
new pair of pajamas and a book to every child entering a homeless shelter; UN Women--Altrusa
International of New York is a sponsor of their campaign to End Violence
Against Women; Nothing But Nets--Purchases
and distributes anti-malarial bed nets in sub-Saharan Africa; Jewish World
Watch—Distributes solar cookers to refugee camps in Iridemi.
| Hematite and pearl necklace and earrings designed |
|
| at Jewelry Workshop fundraiser! Thanks Carole Kennedy! |
| Americana in Norfolk, VA |
|
|
