ADWC

ALPHA DELTA WOMEN’S CLUB IN THE TIME OF COVID-19

Susan Meyer, Rachelle Liebmann and Rita Miskewicz were the organizers of the food collection at The Resort many years ago. When Alpha Delta was founded, Susan suggested that we take over the food drive responsibilities. And we did.

I spoke with Susan Meyer, who now lives at Daniel Pointe, to check the history of the DWCB connection to food collections. Susan taught in a Title 9 school, saw the need in this area firsthand and she acted. She was a founding member and the first president of Alpha Delta (then a chapter of Epsilon Sigma Alpha) and a member when we left ESA and became a charter club. Blessings to you, Susan.

Obviously, food pantries are critical to many people in this time of job losses and furloughs. Deb Cosbey, chair of our food pantry collection, continued to collect food dropped at her front porch when The Resort closed. Cheryl Ray, Philanthropic Co-chair, reached out to Alpha Delta members and $550 was donated. Cheryl suggested that members reach out to friends and neighbors and more food came in. The Wine Club contacted their members and food poured in. The Veterans’ Club at Del Webb reached out to Cheryl. They then contacted their members for approval to donate $500. Not Jontos, President. Donations delivered! By Pat Jontos only did members give their approval, but some were generous with their personal donations, which brought the Vets’ Club donation to a whopping $2,200! The CornHole Club donated money and food. The Pickleball Club, the Tennis Club, the Epicurean Club and Cane Bay Players also made monetary donations and the Wine Club, Shalom Club and Cane Bay Players all had food drives.

DWCB donated $6,125 and 968 pounds of food to Helping Hands of Goose Creek (HH).

HH is a 501(c)(3) organization that has been serving the community for over 30 years. It helps over 10,000 people in need each year. Aside from providing vital food support, they also have computer training courses and a budget-training program for clients. They have been incredibly grateful to DWCB for our efforts to assist them fulfill their mission during this time of crisis.

I would like to offer my deepest thanks to Deb and Roger Cosbey, who regularly “schlepp” to Helping Hands, to Cheryl Ray and to Nancy Douthwaite, Alpha Delta’s vice president and president-elect. AND, I thank each of you who donated money or food. I thank the clubs that donated and organized food drives. I find it hard to express how proud I am to live in this community. A standing “O” for you all. This started as our club doing a small charitable giving project. Our efforts inspired other people and other clubs to support this worthy cause. One of my neighbors, whom I had emailed, thanked me. She said that she thought everyone was feeling helpless in this time of pain and anxiety and they appreciated a way to give back. That’s what this was really about. Amen and blessed be.

Alpha Delta has, of course, paused our fund-raising events at The Resort. There are no hands-on efforts making meals at Ronald McDonald House, but we did donate the budgeted amount of the meals to RMH. There are no groups going to Lowcountry Orphan Relief to pack duffle bags for children. But please know that we are doing what we can and we’re looking forward to getting back to doing those hands-on projects and raising funds for organizations that aid women and children.

From left: Nancy Douthwaite, Vice President and President Elect, Jennifer from Helping Hands, Pat Virtual hugs for all of you.

Nancy Douthwaite with a trunkful of food for Helping Hands.

Savannah (May 2019 – March 10, 2020) Our “Candle in the Wind”

Savannah was with us for only 8 months. We believe she was sent to us so her short life would be filled with compassion, love, and affection. She had a rough start and tragic end, but in the middle she lived life to its fullest.

On July 6, 2019, I was at The Resort for the Veteran’s Club meeting. When I passed The Resort desk Clare Griffith told me Glen Jones had seen a small kitten near the guard house at the entrance to our community. Clare knew that Carol and I had rescued kittens in the past, so she thought of us immediately when Glen told her the news.

I called Carol and she said go rescue the kitten. Next stop was the guard house where I met Glen and had my first look at the kitten. She was small, wet, and weak. I picked her up and Glen had some food for her to eat, which she gobbled up.

Next stop was the Ryan residence. Her initial safe haven was my office. We noticed she had some serious open wounds, especially on one of her rear legs. We fed her and set up typical kitten things like a litter box and a comfortable bed.

We had a conversation about naming the kitten. If the kitten was a girl Carol would name her Savannah, a name she always wanted to give to one of our cats. If the kitten was a little boy I was going to name him Morgan (the pirate cat) after one of the cats in T. S. Eliot's “Old Possum's Book Of Practical Cats.”

The next morning, we brought her to the Cane Bay Veterinary Clinic to be cared for by Dr. Katie Hill, DVM, and her staff. After Dr. Hill’s initial assessment, she confirmed that the kitten was a little girl (now named Savannah) and was about 8 weeks old. Dr. Hill kept Savannah with her because she needed to anesthetize her for x-rays and to examine her injuries. That afternoon the clinic called and informed us Dr. Hill had cleaned her injuries and that she had multiple pelvic fractures.

Savannah was on her way to our house to meet our other cats. When she arrived the cats were curious, but not concerned. SaBy Marty Ran

vannah weighed about 2 pounds and they did not consider her much of a threat.

Her first few weeks in the house she showed obvious effects from her pelvic fractures. She could not jump well and had a noticeable wobble when she walked. There was nothing wrong with her appetite; she ate everything we fed her. As she recovered she put on some weight and started to regain some ability to jump.

She also found a great friend in Christine, our 9 year old cat we rescued in 2012 at Del Webb. We think Christine considered Savannah her little girl and would spend time showing her the things kittens needed to learn. Christine and Savannah would wrestle several time a day, sometimes Christine would start the fun and other times Savannah would instigate.

Savannah had a wonderful Christmas. She climbed up our Christmas tree several times a day and broke only one ornament. She knocked over our Nativity daily. There was not a place in the house she did not explore and was frequently found in one of Carol’s silk flower arrangements doing a little rearranging of her own.

She was healthy until early March when Carol noticed Savannah was having trouble breathing. We brought her to Dr. Hill, and she advised us Savannah was very ill and in respiratory distress; she also had a mass in her abdomen. She directed us to the Veterinary Specialty Clinic in Summerville, where she was seen by Dr. Kelsey Harris, DVM.

After examining Savannah, Dr. Harris delivered the devastating news that Savannah had an advanced case of large cell lymphoma and the prognosis was dire. We were holding her in our arms when at 7:15 PM Savannah made her final journey over the “Rainbow Bridge.”

Savannah is buried in the pet cemetery at Whispering Pines.

A BLAST FROM THE PAST

Those of you who were DWC residents on November 9, 2013, may remember the benefit put on for OPERATION FINALLY HOME. Out of curiosity I rode my bicycle to The Resort to check it out. Lucky for you I took my camera along. I'm sure there was Resident News coverage of that event, but I really don't remember, and I don't keep copies of back issues.

Anyway, I mingled with the crowd and snapped a few pictures, mostly By Carl Smith

of the four lovely ladies who came up from the Northwoods Mall-area Hooters to help sell raffle tickets. It looked like things were winding down when I had a brainstorm.

I hopped on my bike and rode home, swapping the bike for my roadster. I drove back up and illegally parked near a fire hydrant. The crew was standing apart from the festivities talking among themselves, so I walked over to them and asked if I could get them to pose for a photo or two and pointed to the car.

They were happy to. I only regret now that I didn't sit in the seat between dangling legs and have someone use my camera for one more shot. A few days later, I printed off four sets of the best photos, including some 8.5x11s, and delivered them to the restaurant - and ate lunch. One of them was working that day, so I was able to hand them off to a participant. Good times.

PANDEMIC FREE TIME

It was Sunday, around 5 weeks into quarantine. I was not in a good mood waking up looking in the mirror at my hair and thinking where is Krystal, my hair stylist, when I need her?

My friends know I am happiest when I am cooking/baking. Decided I should start cooking fast.

Looked in the pantry and on the floor was the bread maker our sons had given us years before. Marty put it on the counter and we both became very excited. Bread had to be made this day. Marty looked for the instruction book and luckily found it.

The ingredients were put into the bread maker and the house smelled wonderful as it baked for 4 hours.

Then, evening with candles, pasta, wine and fresh baked bread. It was a good day!

TIME, BY PAINTING.

How are you spending yours?

QUARANTINE AND THE BREAD MAKER

AGNES FREAS FILLED HER

By Carol Ryan