From the State Fraternal Director

State Fraternal Director shares March adult, youth member engagement activities

It’s always nice when we can do something special for someone you know or a total stranger. Monday, March 13 is National Good Samaritan Day. It’s the idea of carrying out selfless acts in celebration of kindness. I revere the idea of actively seeking out ways to spread joy. The concept is everyone carries around an empty bucket of love, and in order to fill our own bucket, we must fill others. It’s a win-win; we feel good, they feel good – and around we go! Here’s a link that offers some ideas to be a Good Samaritan and to make someone you know or a total stranger feel good and make it a special day: https://www.readunwritten.com/2018/03/13/20-nicethings-national-good-samaritan-day/

What is so special about Tuesday, March 28? Well, if you are a cat lover, it’s “Respect Your Cat Day!” It’s the day to celebrate you and your feline bestie! Fully respecting a cat means much more than just giving them attention. Pet parents need to know how to treat and handle their cats and take care of them properly. This link can help you understand more about your cat: https://coralvilleanimalhospital.com/news/respect-yo ur-cat-day-celebrate-your-favorite-feline-friend.

I want to share a story about our cat, Mr. Kitty. Unfor tunately, one night about four months ago, he was run over. He came crying to the door. I took him to our veterinarian to see if there were any internal injuries and what we could do to help him. Our vet told us he suffered a broken pelvis and that in time, it would heal on its own. We were very happy to hear that news. We nursed him to good health at home. He scooted himself around from place to place in our living room for two weeks. After two and a half weeks, he was walking again. As each day that passed, he got better and better. Mr. Kitty is now climbing trees, fences, and still very independent — until he wants to be fed or be loved. Cats are independent, very resilient, and can easily adapt to change. I now understand the saying,

“Cats have nine lives!”

Cats are not much different than humans. Many of us are independent, resilient, exuberant, and very passionate of our beliefs. One thing that is difficult for many of us though — is change. I challenge you — how adaptive will you be to change? There are a number of changes I am sharing with you in this letter, and we will soon be setting up workshops for lodge officers in the districts to review the changes.

I leave you with this quote by baseball great Nolan Ryan: “Enjoying success requires the ability to adapt. Only by being open to change will you have a true opportunity to get the most from your talent.”

Lodge Information

Annual District Meeting Dates

Districts have scheduled their annual meetings for 2023. They are:

District One—Sunday, April 16

Lodge 9, Snook

District Two—Sunday, August 6

Lodge 48, Beyersville

District Three—Sunday, April 23

Lodge 6, Cottonwood

District Four—Saturday, April 1

Lodge 49, Rowena

District Five—Sunday, April 30

Lodge 88, Houston

District Six—Sunday, April 16

Cathedral Center St. Gabriel Hall, Victoria

District Seven—Sunday, March 5

Jourdanton Community Center

State Tournaments

We have hosted two state tournaments this year, and both have been successful. Thanks to all who attended and participated. Please consider joining us at the two remaining state tournaments in 2023. Registration is $30 per player, and a meal will be provided. Register online at spjst.org/tournaments; send an email to tammym@spjst.com; or call 254-7731575, ext. 164.

Progressive Straight Dominoes

Saturday, March 4

SPJST Home Office in Temple

Regular 42 Dominoes

Saturday, April 1

SPJST Home Office in Temple

Incentives for Districts, Lodges, Youth Groups

We have an exciting district and lodge incentive program for 2023. Districts, lodges, and youth groups will have several ways to earn funds for their activities and projects. Keep a list of all of the lodge or youth club/group donations, meetings, activities, projects, and volunteer hours until we fully launch the webpage where we will ask you to input the information. We will be asking for lodges to enter these hours on a quarterly basis. We will also host several online discussions and trainings on what can be collected and what will not count. Watch for more details to be coming soon.

The Fraternal and Insurance Departments are happy to be working hand-inhand on lodges earning money through “The Survivor Game” and the SPJST Membership Drive for 2023. A big congratulations to Lodges 79, Corpus Christi; 88, Houston; 92, Fort Worth; and 160, San Angelo who each received $100 awards for adding new members into their lodges! Details for these programs were outlined in a previous Vestnik.

100 Pennies Scholarship Fund Drive

The 100 Pennies Scholarship Fund Drive for the 2022-2023 year continues through March 31—and we need your help! Our goal is $25,000, and we have raised $19,904 so far. Please help us make our goal for this year with a donation to this drive. Donations go directly to funding scholarships that are awarded to deserving SPJST members who are furthering their education.

March Caring Challenge— Design and Donate 100 Pennies

The March Caring Challenge is to design a work of art using 100 pennies or a dollar bill and make a donation to the SPJST 100 Pennies Scholarship Fund. Photograph your design and submit online at spjst.org/gives. Share it on social media using #spjstgives. Donate to the scholarship fund online at spjst.org/scholarships or mail your donation to 100 Pennies Scholarship Fund Drive, c/o SPJST Home Office, PO Box 100, Temple, TX 76503-0100.

These caring challenges are for members and friends of all ages. They are for active members, non-active members, and friends, too! We hope you will participate!

Souper Bowl — Statewide Community Service Project

Thanks to all lodges, youth clubs, and members that are collecting soup for the Souper Bowl. These collections benefit your local community.

• SPJST lodges, youth clubs, and members are invited to collect and donate soup to a food bank near you. Contact your local food bank for specific needs.

• Photograph your soup donations. Submit your photos along with the total items donated to spjst.org/gives and share on social media using #spjstgives.

• Start planning for the next quarter (April through June). The next statewide community service project will be Paws for a Cause. Lodges, youth clubs, and members will be asked to collect and donate supplies for local animal shelters. Be thinking of your community or city animal shelter or rescue that you would like to support. Then, reach out to them for their specific needs.

2023 Youth Theme

In September, youth were asked to submit a theme for the 2023 youth year. We had many youth participate by submitting their ideas. SPJST youth then voted on their favorite theme from among four submissions that were listed in the December Vestnik Project. After all the votes were tallied, the winning theme was “Painting the World a Better Place” by Kyren Plachy of Lodge 17, New Tabor. Thanks, Kyren, for the theme idea, and thanks to Graphic Design/Communication Specialist Brooke Hoelscher for creating the design that defines Kyren’s theme and will be the center of much of our youth programming in 2023.

District Youth Counselors’ Workshop

The District Youth Counselors’ (DYC) workshop held on Sunday, February 5 at the Home Office was attended by all DYCs and several members of the Executive Committee. We covered a lot of material between 10:32 a.m. when the workshop began and 2:20 p.m. - the time it ended. Thank you, DYCs, for traveling to Temple on a Sunday morning to review the 2023 youth program.

Youth Leaders: I am working with the DYCs to set up a time for several workshops around the state. This will be similar to the meetings that we hosted last year—except this year, we will be presenting updates to the Youth Program. Scheduled workshops are:

District One—Wednesday, March 22

La Bamba Mexican Grill in Caldwell

6:30 p.m.

Districts Two and Three— Saturday, March 25 at 10 a.m.

SPJST Home Office in Temple Districts Five and Six— Sunday, March 26 at 10:30 a.m.

The Jay Café in Needville District Seven—Sunday, March 5

Jourdanton Community Center 3 p.m. (approx.)

SPJST State Camp

Summer camp registration is now open for SPJST members at this link: https://spjst.org/camp. The one state camp session is Wednesday, June 21 to Sunday, June 25 at Camp Kubena in Ledbetter, Texas.

• Youth enrolled in 1st through 12th grade as of the 2023-2024 school year may attend.

• Fee is $335 (includes $25 non-refundable registration fee).

• SPJST youth members can earn up to $210 in camp credits for attending 7 meetings between June 1, 2022, and May 31, 2023. Youth leader (lodge secretary for adult meetings) provides sign-in sheet for verification of attendance to apply towards the camp registration.

• SPJST youth who have a current life certificate that are unable to attend youth club/adult lodge meetings/activities can earn credits by earning service hours for community projects on behalf of SPJST. Please contact me for more details. Projects completed through May 31, 2023 will count.

• The $25 non-refundable registration fee is due at the time of registration. Please select the $25 online/$310 offline payment option. This will defer the remaining balance until the Home Office can update the meeting credits, if applicable. Payment can then be made through login.

• All fees must be paid by June 1. Fees (except $25) are refundable until June 6.

• Registration ends on May 1 or when all available slots are filled. Registration is first come, first served. A waiting list will be created, if necessary. Please notify us by June 6 if unable to attend for a full refund (except non-refundable fee).

• Camp registration will open to nonSPJST members on March 15, pending availability.

• Fee for non-members is $450 (includes $50 non-refundable registration fee).

• All fees must be paid by June 1. Fees (except $50) are refundable until June 6.

• If you have any questions about camp registration, please contact Frank at 254773-1575, ext. 177 or Tammy at 254773-1575, ext.164.

State Youth Showcase

Registration for State Youth Showcase will open at 7 a.m. on Saturday, April 1 and end at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, June 30. More information will be pre- sented to the youth leaders at the March workshops—and complete information will be soon available at spjst.org/youthshowcase. The registration process will be on the webpage and will be the same process as last year. There are 12 creative arts categories, and youth can submit one entry for each category. Note that four new categories have been added.

Creative Arts Categories

• Christmas Ornament (new)

• Constructed Items

• Desserts

• Handicraft

• Hobby Kits

• Holiday Corner (new)

• Photography

• Pictorial Art

• Science / Education

• Special Category (new)

• Video Short (new)

• Yearbook (for youth groups)

Talent Categories

• Individual Talent

• Group Talent

Royalty Categories

• Mr. and Miss SPJST

• Junior Mr. and Miss SPJST

• Little Mr. and Miss SPJST

The State Youth Showcase will be held on Friday, July 28 and Saturday, July 29 at the Frank W. Mayborn Civic and Convention Center in Temple. We will host a special event on Friday evening at Summer Fun Water Park. More information will be shared with the youth leaders at the district workshops and in the April newsletter. Fraternally, Frank Horak State Fraternal Director —SPJST—

Who?

SPJST youth clubs, lodges, members, and friends are invited to participate.

What?

Design a work of art using 100 pennies or a dollar bill and make a donation to the SPJST 100 Pennies Scholarship Fund. Photograph your design and submit online at spjst.org/gives. Share it on social media using #spjstgives. Donate to the scholarship fund online at spjst.org/scholarships or mail your donation to:

District Seven Annual Meeting Agenda

Sunday, March 5, 2023 • Jourdanton Community Center

2023 Annual District Meetings

District One - Sunday, April 16 at Lodge 9, Snook

District Two - Sunday, August 6 at Lodge 48, Beyersville

District Three - Sunday, April 23 at Lodge 6, Cottonwood

District Four - Saturday, April 1 Lodge 49, Rowena

District Five - Sunday, April 30 at Lodge 88, Houston

District Six - Sunday, April 16 at Cathedral Center St. Gabriel Hall, Victoria

District Seven - Sunday, March 5 at Jourdanton Community Center

District Two plans August 6 annual meeting, fun day at Lodge 48, Beyersville

The District Two annual meeting will be held at Lodge 48, Beyersville on Sunday, August 6, 2023. Thank you so much to Robert Leshikar for working us into the lodge’s busy schedule. Hopefully, all pertinent meetings of directors and advisory council members will have

District Six plans April 16 annual meeting in Victoria

Dear Members, District Six has set its annual meeting for Sunday, April 16, 2023, at the Cathedral Center St. Gabriel Hall in Vic- been held prior to our district function. We hope to combine business with fun by streamlining the business portion. More information will be sent as the date approaches. We look forward to seeing you in August. Please contact me if you have any questions or suggestions—email rita@hot.rr.com or phone/text 254-760-6427.

Fraternally, Rita Spinn, President District Two —SPJST— toria, Texas. More information will be made available once the final arrangements have been made.

Fraternally, Elizabeth Holub

District Six Secretary —SPJST—

1101 Campbell Avenue • Jourdanton, Texas 78026

SPJST District Seven Annual Meeting, hosted by Lodge 202, Jourdanton, will be Sunday, March 5, 2023, at Jourdanton Community Center, 1101 Campbell Avenue in Jourdanton, Texas 78026.

Registration begins at 10 a.m. Refreshments will be furnished by Lodge 202. The lunch served at 12:15 p.m. will consist of chicken fajitas with all the trimmings for $10. Members are asked to report the number of plates needed to your lodge secretary by Monday, Feb- ruary 27, 2023.

The meeting begins at 10:30 a.m. Members are asked to bring items for the silent auction. Members are also asked to bring eyeglasses and cases, hearing aids, and aluminum can tabs. Your attendance and support will be appreciated. Bring a friend.

Fraternally, Wendy Pruski District Seven Secretary —SPJST—

10 a.m. - Registration

Refreshments and drinks provided by Lodge 202, Jourdanton Activities will be available for the youth.

10:30 a.m. - General Discussion

Czech Heritage Museum............................................Director Roxanne Bertrand

Senior Living Centers ............................................................Director Val Barta

Meeting Begins .......................................................District President James House

Presentation of Colors/Pledge of Allegiance .....................District Youth Members

Welcome ............................................................Lodge 202 President James House

Introduction of Guests ............................................District President James House

Announce Committees ...........................................District President James House

Roll Call of Officers/Lodges.................................District Secretary Wendy Pruski

Memorial Ceremony ....................................District Seven Director Regina House Minutes .................................................................District Secretary Wendy Pruski

Correspondence .....................................................District Secretary Wendy Pruski

Financial Report ................................................District Treasurer Sandra Hoggard

Recognition of Milestone Members .......................District FAC Kathleen Polasek

District Youth Report ..................................................................DYC April Adkins

Governance Committee Report ............................................................Oscar Korus

12:15 p.m. - Meal - Chicken Fajita Plate - $10

Executive Committee Report ..........................Vice President of Communications Melanie Zavodny

SPJST Home Office ......................................State Fraternal Director Frank Horak

District Director....................................................................Director Regina House

Audit Committee Report

Old Business

New Business

Nominating Committee Report/Election of Officers

Installation of Officers .........................................................Director Regina House

Site of Fall Fun Day

Youth Prize Drawing Winners Announced ................................DYC April Adkins

Split-the-Pot Winners Announced

Silent Auction Results

Door Prizes

Adjournment

Fraternally, Wendy Pruski, District Seven Secretary —SPJST—