The Cheerful Earful Page 1 of 12
Monthly newsletter of the Altrusa Club of Macomb, IL
October 2014
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Next Meeting Information
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Contents Next meeting information
What:
Minutes from September meeting
Potluck and Special Visitor District 6 Governor Elect Chris Devlieger will be the speaker Where: When:
Georgetown Club house 95 Charleston Dr, Macomb Weds. Oct. 22 6 p.m. NOTE THE TIME
Membership Committee will be hosting and it will be a potluck! The membership committee will be bringing meat dishes and beverages. All other members should bring whatever they would like, salad, fruit, veggies, or dessert.
Bazaar News and Info. In Our Community Our Favorite Recipes Additional Announcements “Just a minute with a member” Calendar of Events Obituary for Rosalie Serverinsen d
“Leading to a Better Community” Altrusa is an international non-profit organization making our local communities better through leadership, partnership and service
This newsletter is brought to you by the Communication Committee of the Macomb Altrusa Club, Macomb, Illinois
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DRAFT OF MINUTES Altrusa International of Macomb
September 24, 2014 General Meeting
Finance Committee hosted the general meeting at the Everly House. The guest speaker Kassie Courson was unable to attend. President Cindy Roon called the meeting to order. Pledge of Allegiance Introduction of guests: Margo Awala, Rhonda Lydeard and Brae Hattaway The minutes of the August meeting were approved by a motion by Liz Duvall, seconded by Penny Pollock, motion carried as reported in the Cheerful Earful. Treasurer’s report was unavailable.
Old business: Literacy Day was held October 7 at Grand Prairie Assisted Living Center. Poetry reading of members and residents was a success. Nancy Dobey reported that the Alzheimer’s Walk was a success. 21 teams with 188 walkers. Altrusa raised $645.00 and came in third. You can donate up to November 30th. Heather Munro reported that Alta Sargent has donated a set of Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls to be raffled off at the Bazaar. Raffle tickets were passed out to each member in attendance to presell. If you do not sell all of your tickets please bring them to the Bazaar. The kitchen committee will meet at 5:30 September 24.
No one reported on the correspondence.
Standing committees gave the following reports: Communication: Heather Munro- asked if everyone was receiving the Newsletter, also asking for suggestions regarding the Newsletter. If you should have any suggestions please email Heather. Finance: Nancy Jameson-no report Membership: Karen Iversen-no report Service: Penny Pollock - thank you to all whom have signed up for reading at PACT Head Start. Reminder that “Make a Difference Day” will be October 25 from 9 to 11:30 at the Old Dairy. The members will be collecting new or gently used Children’s books to be donated to PACT Head Start and Wee Care Center.
Bazaar Kitchen Planning Committee members meeting before the general meeting on Sept. 24.
A signup sheet was passed around for the raffle baskets. There will be 10 baskets raffled off. The Flyer for the Bazaar is in the Cheerful Earful. Please feel free to make as many copies as you would like and display them. Marsha McCormick has signs for display. Please contact Marsha. The radio stations have been contacted and on October 21 at 10:30, a recording will be done with Darcy Shinberger. Also on November 5, an
advertisement about the Bazaar will be recorded.
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Two new applications for membership were voted on. A motion by Liz Duvall, seconded by Penny Pollock, motion carried. Please welcome Brae Hattway and Kerrie Bishop to the club. Next Board meeting will be Thursday, Oct. 16th, Everly House @ 5:30 p.m.
at Sept. meeting Nancy Dobey discussing the Bazaar
A signup sheet for donations for the Bazaar will be emailed. Adopt the Class room- Lincoln School, Mrs. Olson 2nd grade. At this time, it is a month-to-month basis and no set date. Reading will be done 12:15-1:00. Karen Trusley will have more information on this at the next general meeting. New business: Cindy Roon gave an update on Rosalie. She is still in OSF and the family would like to request prayers. Sandy Collier gave a report on the summer tutoring program. There are some recommendations as to possibly expanding beyond the 20 to 25 children. Suggestions on how to raise more funding for this program. Also, whether or not we would like to restructure the committees and add a committee for the Tutoring Program. This will be voted on at the next general meeting.
at Sept. meeting Sandy Collier speaking about the Tutoring Program
Next General Meeting will be held Oct. 22nd, Georgetown Club house at 6 p.m. Potluck. District 6 Governor Elect Chris DeVlieger will be the speaker for the evening and we will be finalizing the Bazaar. Upon a motion of adjournment by Liz Duvall, seconded by Jean Sowers, all in favor. Attendance: Lynne Brinker, Sandy Collier, Judy Dallinger, Nancy Dobey, Valerie Dugan Liz Duvall, Judy Kentner, Peggy Ma, Marsha McCormick, Heather Munro, Penny Pollock, Nancy Reed, Paula Rhodes, Cindy Roon, Miriam Satern, Thelma Smiddy, Jean Sowers, and Ann Abbot. Respectfully submitted, Ann Abbot, Secretary
Say Hello to our 2 new members!
Be sure to Welcome our two new members! On the left is Kerrie Bishop and on the right is Brae Hattaway! Please make them feel welcome to Altrusa as they “learn the ropes� and find out how great it is to be a part of this wonderful club!
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Bazaar News and Info. Bazaar Reminder! The Bazaar is Sat. Nov. 8 Mark your calendars -Also, Fri. Nov. 7 is set-up night! Also, if someone has not signed up for a bazaar committee they need to do so! It is ok to serve on more than one committee. I will have the list at the meeting. Jeanie Sowers, Chair, Bazaar Co-Chair
Special Bazaar Raffle item Tickets to be pre-sold Alta Sargent has graciously donated a beautiful handcrafted Raggedy Ann and Andy doll set to be raffled off at the Bazaar. We are asking all members to please pre-sell these special raffle tickets. See this newsletter for raffle tickets – please print tickets yourself or we will have tickets at the next meeting to distribute to each member. We hope each member will try to sell as many tickets as possible! These beautiful dolls would make an awesome Xmas gift for a special little girl in your life! Please collect money and give to Miriam at the October meeting or at the Bazaar. Tickets will also be sold at the Bazaar and the dolls will be raffled at the end of the Bazaar. Thank you! Miriam Satern and Heather Munro, Special Promotions Comm.
Bazaar Publicity Committee We have banners almost done and signs almost all up. By the time of the meeting all banners and signs should be up. WIU-Foundation with Darcie Shinberger will be taped on Oct. 21 & Liz Duvall will be doing the spot with Darcie and will be on Sat., Nov 1st. We are working with Prestige Radio with radio spots again this year and on Nov. 5th Liz Duvall & Cindy Roon will be on the Radio and be doing 3 stations that a.m. Prestige will be doing a live radio at the Bazaar from 10-12. We have 8 spots and we're working on who will be talking. The price is the same as last year. Heather has been helping us get info out there on websites, etc. Marsha McCormick, Chair- Bazaar Publicity Comm.
Donations Requested For Bazaar
From Nancy Dobey – Kitchen Comm. Members are asked to donate homemade pies; desserts, etc. (see the following list). Donations preferred are homemade food items; especially pies. Altrusa Bazaar is known for their concession food, especially pies & desserts. (As per MDC Health Dept. Regs, soft pies cannot be sold.) Donated items should look “yummy” & “special”. Choose from the following list…Each member should donate items that will sell for approximately $15-20 (cost or labor).
24-30 Homemade fruit pies (if homemade…list the kind you are making)….OR…. ($20 per member cash donation in lieu of homemade pies...pies will be purchased from Doris Carman or Roger’s Bakery in Rushville)…OR…(items chosen from following list, valued at approximately $20) 75-80 Veggie bags (description of contents per bag….is available on request) 12 dzn. cookies (bagged 3/bag) 4-6 dzn. mixed rolls & donuts (purchased) 5 sheet cakes 24 “Fancy” cupcakes 3 dzn. breakfast muffins (i.e. crumb topping) 2-4 loaves breakfast bread 7-9 Cases of water Other items to consider are bags of puppy chow, caramel corn, granola, or popcorn balls, etc. Ponderosa usually donates a large pan of Brownies
Again, this year….Alta Sargent is donating 9 lbs. cleaned onions (ready to chop) & 5 dzn. shelled, hardboiled eggs. E-mail me about what you will donate to nancy.dobey@mortonbank.com or call 837-0643 (W) or 836-6395 (H) or sign up at the next meeting. If too much of the same item is donated I will call you & ask for another commitment; i.e. 20 cases of water, when we only need 7-9 or 12 sheet cakes, when we need 5. There is also sign-up list for kitchen work shift times for Friday & Saturday (11/7 & 8). Indicate the kitchen jobs you prefer & the time preferred, first-come, firstserved. We’ll do the best we can. Kitchen jobs are pretty self-explanatory: Breakfast/Drink Table Food Prep…. Serving Line Servers… Serving Line Support (Behind the line Nachos/Taco Salads/Chili Dogs/etc.)… Dessert Table (Wrap & Stock)… Wrapping & Stocking (Desserts/Take Outs/ Coffee/Steam Table…. Dining Room Duty (Condiments/Signs/Trays/Garbage Cans/Etc Dish Washing & Clean-Up…. Volunteers & Relievers
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In our Community MAKE-A-DIFFERENCE DAY PROJECT CHILDREN’S BOOK DRIVE Please see the attached flyer! Please print out the flyer and post and share! Please remember to be collecting “gently-used” children’s books for Make-a-Difference Day Saturday, October 25 Ask neighbors, friends and family to be collecting children’s books or picking them up at yard sales!
Collect books now! We will be giving the books to the children at the PACT Headstart (children from 6 weeks old to 5 years old) and to Wee Care Center (ages 2-6)! Also mark your calendars for Oct. 25 to meet at the Old Dairy to collect the books! Bring all the books you have collected and bring them to the Old Dairy on Saturday Oct. 25 9am-11:30am Please come to the Old Dairy on Make-ADifference Day as we collect the books!
Community Support for our Children’s Book Drive! Altrusa member Paula Rhodes reports that the H.O.P.E. Thrift Store of Macomb has donated 30 gently used children’s books for our Make a Difference Day project! Also, The New Copperfield’s Book Service is putting out a box for us in their store to collect books for us! The Altrusa Club of Macomb says Thank you to the H.O.P.E. Thrift Store and New Copperfield’s for your support! The Altrusa Club of Macomb appreciates the community support!
Our members in action! The Altrusa Club of Macomb participated in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s. This local walk was a great success! There were 21 teams with 188 walkers. Our club raised $645.00 and came in third in group contributions. Here are Macomb Altrusa Club members, Karen Iversen, Paula Rhodes and Karen Trusley at the walk.
“Our Favorite Recipes”
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Recipes gathered by Lynne Brinker Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili This recipe comes from Marsha McCormick. She says this is a good recipe for a new twist on chili for the cooler temperatures.
3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes 1 large onion, chopped 1 T. olive oil 2 T. chili powder 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 tsp. ground cumin 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper 2 cans (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained 1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained 1/4 c. brewed coffee 2 T. honey 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper 1/2 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese or Mexican cheese blend
In a nonstick Dutch oven coated with cooking spray sauté sweet potatoes and onion in oil until crisp-tender. Add chili powder, garlic, cumin and cayenne; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in beans, tomatoes, coffee, honey, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30-35 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender. Sprinkle with cheese.
Rosalie Severinsen July 14, 1930 - October 2, 2014 Altrusa member Rosalie Severinsen passed away on Oct. 2. She will be missed. Please see her full obituary in this newsletter.
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“Just a minute with a member” Each month we will feature a Macomb Altrusan - to learn a little bit more about each other! “Minute” by Sandy Collier, Communication Committee member
How have you been involved in the community? I have been involved with Altrusa, “Dickens on the Square”, the Salvation Army, Centennial Rotary Club, Macomb Library Board and Downtown Development Corps. I love volunteering – it’s a big part of my life. I have been blessed to have many family members who are big believers in volunteering. What do you like to do for fun?
Lin Stults, left, with as she says, “… 2 of my favorite people. Alta invited me to join Altrusa and Nancy was the Chair of the First committee I served on....”
Say Hello to Lin Stults, our featured member of the month! Lin, tell us a little bit about yourself! I was born and raised in Macomb and was a graduate of Western High School. I attended Midstate Junior College in Peoria and then moved to Colchester with my 1st husband Rex. We have a son, Ted Renner, who is a Deputy Director at WIU and teaches classes in Aggregates. He is also the lead singer in the band Hong Kong Sleepover. In 1991, I moved back to Macomb when I married my 2nd husband Rich Stults. His daughter, Cori Lynn, came to live with us and became a great addition to our family and my daughter, too. Cori is a Business Management Level Supervisor/Engineer for Concur in Texas. She is married with 1 son and 3 stepchildren. What type of work have you done? I have worked as a carhop, swimming teacher, secretary/assistant photographer at Blankenberg Photographers, sales clerk and later an engraver at Arrasmith Jewelers. For the past 35 years, I have operated Engraving by Lin at Gumbarts.
I love classical music, soft jazz, reading, PBS mysteries, old movies and collecting postcards. I also love sports and spending time with my family, especially grandson Payton. He lives in Texas and travels to Macomb every summer for the WIU basketball camp. He spends an extra week working in my shop and enjoys building trophies. He is a BIG help to me. How did you get involved with Altrusa? Alta Sargent asked if I would like to join so I attended a December Bags for Bridgeway meeting and joined in 2002. I love meeting the ladies and working with them. It’s a very eclectic group and everyone has interesting stories and backgrounds. I have a passion for reading since I had a very difficult time in Junior High and was saved by a teacher who recognized the problem and took the time to give me individual help. Hence, the summer tutoring program has a great deal of meaning for me on a personal level. Tell us something surprising about you! In high school I was the timpani player for our high school orchestra and the lead drummer my last 2 years of high school. I was a twirler in the marching band my senior year.
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2014-2015 Macomb Altrusa Officers and Board
Cindy Room Sandy Collier Kathy Wyatt
11/20 11/21 11/21
President - Cindy Roon President-Elect – Karen Trusley Past President - Liz Duvall Vice-President - Jean Sowers Recording Secretary - Ann Abbott Treasurer -Nancy Jameson Corresponding Secretary - Sara Featherlin Directors: Karen Iversen, Heather Munro Penny Pollock
Oct. 16
Board Meeting, 5:30pm Everly House
Oct. 18
Moon over Macomb - downtown
Oct. 22
General Meeting POTLUCK –Georgetown Clubhouse @ 6:00pm
Oct. 25
Make-a-Difference Day 9-11:30am Old Dairy Book Drive – collecting books
Nov. 7
Altrusa Bazaar set-up, Macomb High School
Nov. 8
Altrusa Bazaar, 9am-3pm, Macomb High School
Nov. 20
Board Meeting, 5:30pm Everly House
THERE IS NO GENERAL MEETING IN NOV. Dec. 3
General Meeting – SOUP SUPPER, Old Bailey House, 6pm ALSO MOSAIC BAGS
Chair: Communication Comm.-Heather Munro Finance Committee: Nancy Jameson Membership Comm.: Karen Iversen Service Committee: Penny Pollock
Obituary for Rosalie Marguerite Severinsen (July 14, 1930 - October 2, 2014) Rosalie Marguerite Severinsen of Macomb, Ill., died Oct. 2, 2014 of complications due to brain surgery. Mrs. Severinsen lived in Macomb since 1961. She was a retired speech teacher and very active participant in dozens of area organizations. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, K. Norman Severinsen, who also grew up in Marion. Mrs. Severinsen grew up during the Depression, and although her family was far from wealthy, they nearly always had at least one homeless person living with them. This lesson of providing for the less fortunate stuck with her all her life. Mrs. Severinsen and Norman met at Marion High School. They became good friends, and eventually decided perhaps they would date. They married in 1951 during Norman’s senior year at the University of Iowa. Mrs. Severinsen followed a conventional path of becoming a housewife and mother, but in the 1960s, she started taking classes at Western Illinois University, where Norman was a professor. She was a fanatical student, typing all her class notes from her shorthand, studying for hours every day and throwing herself into every class, from art to bookkeeping. Eventually she experienced her first personal renaissance. During a time when many American women were discovering their own identities, she discovered a new one for herself. In 1976, she earned a master’s degree in speech pathology, then taught elementary school speech in Monmouth, Ill. schools. She loved working with children, creating unique bulletin boards and developing her own technique for teaching children to say their Rs. Within a few years of launching her career, however, they learned that Norman had Parkinson’s disease. She worked for about 15 years, but eventually retired to become Norman’s caretaker, a role that became increasingly demanding as his health declined. In this latest renaissance, she worked hard to keep physically strong so she could lift and move him. She learned everything she could about the disease, joined groups, took him to specialists, and counted endless boxes of pills. Norman lived 38 years with his illness, far longer than most patients, and the family thinks this was due in no small part to her painstaking caregiving. Despite his illness, the couple continued to travel, both in the U.S. and abroad to such destinations as Asia, Africa,
Page 9 of 12 Europe and around the horn of South America. Rosalie also found creative expression while staying home with Norm by creating stained glass windows for herself, friends and family. Following Norman’s death in 2010, Rosalie could not imagine life without him. And yet she re-imagined it and lived it to the fullest for four more years. She threw herself into community events and volunteerism, as if to make up for the years she missed during caregiving. She became more active in Altrusa, Baby TALK and Soup & More, and continued her interests in gourmet club and church volunteerism. She enjoyed her widow’s group, a Parkinson’s support group, and playing bridge. She never missed an ice cream social at the Old Dairy or an episode of Dr. Oz. Mrs. Severinsen was tight with a buck and generous with her donations, time and advice, since there was always a student in need of a scholarship or a grandchild in need of her dietary or fashion guidance. Over the years, she sewed many hundreds of school bags for children in need, and designed and created most of the paraments in use today at Trinity Lutheran Church. She also took great joy in giving, funding scholarships at Western Illinois University and Spoon River College, providing gifts to McDonough District Hospital, and many other worthy causes. In late spring this year, when she and her sister Diane Allen of Marion were planning a cruise to St. Petersburg in Russia, Mrs. Severinsen was diagnosed with a meningioma. She opted to try surgery and radiation, but the complications were more than she could withstand. Mrs. Severinsen was born July 14, 1930 in Marion, Iowa to Robert and Iva (Comport) Hess. She is survived by her two children, Kay (Joseph) McElroy of Naperville, Ill., and Kris (Maureen) Severinsen of Germantown Hills, Ill., seven grandchildren, Mike, Laura and Brendan McElroy, and Sherri (David) Suszek, Shana (Jarred) Maher, Dane and Serena Severinsen, and two great-grandchildren, Anna and Allison Suszek. She is also survived by her sisters, Diane Allen and Nancy (Jim) Lang of Iowa and Pat (Harry) Wullschlager of Kansas, and her brother, Tom (Nancy) Hess of Iowa. Along with Norman, her parents and other loved ones, Mrs. Severinsen has joined Our Lord’s everlasting feast where all the food is delicious and low-fat. But there is also chocolate ice cream. A celebration of her life will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4 at Trinity Lutheran Church, 123 South Campbell St., in Macomb. A visitation will follow the service from 2 to 4 p.m. also at the church. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Trinity Lutheran Church or the National Parkinson Foundation, Gift Processing Center, PO Box 5018, Hagerstown, MD 21741-5018, in honor of Rosalie Severinsen.
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