Vestnik 2023.05.22

LEFT PHOTO: Ennis High School graduating senior Preston Sullivan of Lodge 25, Ennis is recognized by Youth Leader Rita Holland and Lodge 25 at the May lodge meeting. Congratulations and best wishes to Preston! —Submitted by Margaret Krajca. CENTER PHOTO: Lodge 9, Snook youth and adults joined together to celebrate three active youth members who will be graduating May 26 from Snook High School. William See, left, Tatiana Tates, and Caleb See were honored with a reception and kind words. “All three youth have been very active members

since the age of six, participating in camp, Youth Achievement Day, and Leaders-In-Training, and all three have danced in the Snook Beseda Circle since second grade,” Youth Leader Loree Lewis said. “We wish William, Tatiana, and Caleb the best in their future endeavors and thank them for representing Snook SPJST so well over the years.” RIGHT

PHOTO: Lodge 30, Taiton Youth Club honors and congratulates El Campo High School graduating senior Lauren Kresta, pictured center. —Submitted by Kirby Lange, Assistant Youth Leader.

All About the kolá č (Kolache) Somewhere Over The Rainbow . . .

SPJST President/ CEO Brian Vanicek makes a presentation about the history of the kolache at the Temple Czech Heritage Museum’s featured Night at the Museum evening on Thursday, May 11. Photos on page 35.

Camp Kubena summer staff training began on May 15. While enjoying a dip in the pool, staff experienced a beautiful double rainbow over the camp.

VESTNIK

SPJST HOME OFFICE

PO Box 100 • Temple, Texas 76503

800-727-7578 • 254-773-1575 www.spjst.org

VĚSTNÍK EDITOR: MELANIE ZAVODNY, FIC

254-773-1575 (ext. 122)

Mobile/Text: 254-534-0807

vestnik@spjst.org

melaniez@spjst.com melaniez@usa.com

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

PRESIDENT/CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

BRIAN VANICEK, FIC

254-773-1575 (ext. 139)

Mobile: 254-534-2902 vanicek@spjst.com

VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES AND MARKETING DELISLE DOHERTY

254-773-1575 (ext. 240)

Mobile: 832-232-2049 delisled@spjst.com

VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNICATIONS

MELANIE ZAVODNY

254-773-1575 (ext. 122)

Mobile: 254-534-0807 melaniez@spjst.com

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

LEONARD D. MIKESKA, FIC

254-773-1575 (ext. 149)

Mobile: 254-721-4739 leonardm@spjst.com

CONTROLLER

ROY VAJDAK

254-773-1575 (ext. 142) royv@spjst.com

DISTRICT ONE DIRECTOR/VICE CHAIR

DONNIE VICTORICK, FIC, CFFM PO Box 85, Snook, TX 77878-0085

Home: 979-272-3265 • Mobile: 979-224-3125 dv.aggie71@gmail.com

DISTRICT TWO DIRECTOR JESSE POSPISIL

4710 FM 1331, Taylor, TX 76574-2164 512-826-7371 jlpospisil@yahoo.com

DISTRICT THREE DIRECTOR/CHAIR

JOHN ENGELKE

6475 Gholson Rd, Waco, TX 76705-5330 254-717-7534 john.engelke@hotmail.com

DISTRICT FOUR DIRECTOR

BOBBY DAVIS, FICF, CFFM

1886 Pecos St, Ste 3, San Angelo, TX 76901-3268 Mobile: 325-450-3748 • Fax: 325-657-2003 bgdsr2428@aol.com

DISTRICT FIVE DIRECTOR BRADLEY STAVINOHA, FIC

10522 Will Lehmann Rd, Needville, TX 77461-9164

Mobile: 979-739-2386 • Office: 979-793-7411 spjst@earthlink.net

DISTRICT SIX DIRECTOR ANNIE VAHALIK

413 Beechwood Dr, Victoria, TX 77901-4516 361-649-4888 amvahalik@gmail.com

DISTRICT SEVEN DIRECTOR REGINA HOUSE

176 County Road 343, Charlotte, TX 78011-3663

830-570-2046

spjst202youth@gmail.com

GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE

District One - Bill Orsak, Vice Chair PO Box 252, Snook, TX 77878-0252

979-272-1243 • billorsak@gmail.com

District Two - Edwin Pechal

10660 State Highway 53, Temple, TX 76501-7446

254-721-2887 • edwinpechal@yahoo.com

District Three - Michael Galler

1312 Fawn Lily Dr, Temple, TX 76502-7808

254-744-8973 • mlgaller54@gmail.com

District Four - Brad Teplicek

PO Box 372, Rowena, TX 76875-4006

325-442-2001 • bptep@aol.com

District Five - Dorothy Pflughaupt, Chair

1243 Clovis Rd, Houston, TX 77008-6232

713-859-8976 • dotpflugh@yahoo.com

District Six - Lisa Bubela, Secretary

1405 Divide St, El Campo, TX 77437-6152

979-543-7120 • lisa_bubela@yahoo.com

District Seven - Oscar Korus

2565 Bruce Rd, Poteet, TX 78065-5013

830-391-4169 • oscarkorus@gmail.com

STATE FRATERNAL DIRECTOR

FRANK HORAK

Office: 254-773-1575 (ext. 177) • Mobile: 254-534-0681 frankh@spjst.com

TERRITORY MANAGERS EAST TERRITORY

KERRY HERRINGTON

281-704-5737 • kerryh@spjst.com

NORTH TERRITORY

CHRIS LIEBUM, LUTCF®, NSSA® 346-261-2100 • chrisl@spjst.com

WEST TERRITORY

RALPH JUAREZ, FIC, FICF 361-537-5506 • ralphj@spjst.com

DISTRICT YOUTH COUNSELORS

District One - Hannah Kovar PO Box 28, Snook, TX 77878-0028 979-220-7904 • ladyjays@tamu.edu

District Two - Patsy Koslovsky 764 S St Joseph Rd, Burlington, TX 76519-3108 254-718-1606 • patsyk2011@yahoo.com

District Three - Mary Steinman 1136 Westgrove Dr, Saginaw, TX 76179-3463 817-731-2580 • appamary@sbcglobal.net

District Four

Contact State Fraternal Director Frank Horak 254-534-0681 • frankh@spjst.com

District Five - Kristen Bender Jones 9010 Banker St, Needville, TX 77461-9339 936-556-3248 • joneskb06@hotmail.com

District Six - Lisa Bubela

1405 Divide St, El Campo, TX 77437-6152

979-543-7120 • lisa_bubela@yahoo.com

District Seven - April Haag-Adkins

814 Madison Ave, New Braunfels, TX 78130-3918 830-624-9242 • aprhoward@gmail.com

CAMP KUBENA

• 2001 Waldeck Rd • Ledbetter, TX Rob Clift, Executive Director 979-249-5674 • robc@spjst.com

Thanks for caring.

SPJST introduced Monthly Caring Challenges in 2023 as a way to engage members in activities that touch lives and make a difference in communities. A heartfelt thanks to all members who have participated in these projects. All of the projects are presented online at spjst.org/gives along with information and instructions.

The June Caring Challenge is shared on page 13 of this Vestnik. If you enjoy coloring and making a difference, this is your project!

Looking ahead, the July Caring Challenge is to write letters to veterans or those currently serving in the military. If you know of an SPJST member who is currently serving in the military and would appreciate receiving letters of support, please send me his/her mailing address. Please contact me at melaniez@spjst.com or text 254-5340807. Thank you for your help.

Youth Showcase

Creativity at its finest! SPJST is presenting the 2023 State Youth Showcase for youth who will be in kindergarten through 12th grade as of the start of the new school year in September. The Showcase provides a platform for youth to share their creativity in three areas: Creative Arts, Talent, and Royalty.

(for youth groups) • Individual Talent

• Group Talent • Mr. and Miss SPJST Scholarship Program (includes Little Mr. and Miss and Junior Mr. and Miss).

Youth may enter one or all categories. All of the details and guidelines are at spjst.org/showcase. Remember, the deadline to enter is June 30.

The Showcase will take place on Friday, July 28 and Saturday, July 29 at the Frank W. Mayborn Civic and Convention Center in Temple, Texas. Entries will be judged during these two days, and winners will be announced on Saturday afternoon.

On Friday afternoon, creative arts entries will be turned in for judging. The Special Category contest will also be held. Then, all are invited to enjoy a family fun night at Summer Fun Water Park in Belton from 6 to 9 p.m.

Save the dates, sign up your Showcase entries by June 30, and plan to be in Temple on July 28 and 29 for a fun weekend with your SPJST family and friends!

Vestnik Dates and Deadlines

June 12 Vestnik

deadline is Mon., June 5 at 5 p.m.

June 26 Vestnik

deadline is Mon., June 19 at 5 p.m.

July 10 Vestnik

deadline is Mon., July 3 at 5 p.m.

July 24 Vestnik

deadline is Mon., July 17 at 5 p.m.

• Constructed Item

• Dessert

Categories are Christmas Ornament

August 14 Vestnik

• Handicraft

• Photography

• Pictorial Art

• Hobby Kit • Holiday Corner

• Science and Education • Special Category • Video Short • Yearbook

V

deadline is Mon., August 7 at 5 p.m.

August 28 Vestnik

deadline is Mon., Aug. 21 at 5 p.m. —SPJST—

(Number in parentheses denotes SPJST district location.)

May 22 Lodge 8, Weimar Memorial Service

Oakridge Smokehouse, Schulenburg (6)

May 24 Lodge 39, Bryan Special Called Meeting

Carter’s Burger, Bryan (1)

May 24 Lodge 81, Needville Trivia Night (5)

May 26-27 Lodge 49, Rowena Open House/Membership Drive (4)

May 27 SPJST Float: National Polka Festival Parade, Ennis (3)

May 27 Lodge 25, Ennis hosts National Polka Festival Event (3)

May 29 Home Office Closed: Memorial Day Holiday

June 4 Lodge 9, Snook Honors Milestone Members (1)

June 4 Lodge 9, Snook Youth Club Cemetery Cleanup at Snook City Cemetery (1)

June 4 Lodge 47, Seaton Annual Picnic (2)

June 8 Night at the Museum:

Stars, Stripes, Sausage and Sauerkraut

Czech Heritage Museum, Temple

June 21-25 State Camp • Camp Kubena, Ledbetter

June 24 Lodge 18, Elgin hosts SPJST Float: Western Days Parade, Elgin (2)

June 28 Lodge 81, Needville Trivia Night (5)

June 30 Youth Showcase Deadline for Entries

July 4 Home Office Closed • Fourth of July Holiday

July 13 Night at the Museum:

Czech Heritage Museum, Temple

July 16 Lodge 6, Cottonwood Annual Picnic (3)

July 26 Lodge 81, Needville Trivia Night (5)

July 28 Family Fun Day: Summer Fun Water Park, Belton (2)

July 28-29 State Youth Showcase • Frank W. Mayborn

Civic and Convention Center, Temple

July 30 Lodge 24, Cyclone: Vrazels’ Tribute Band (2)

August 6 District Two Annual Meeting • Lodge 48, Beyersville (2)

Westphalia KC annual community-wide garage sale set for June 3

The Westphalia Knights of Columbus is sponsoring a community-wide garage sale at Westphalia Parish Hall Pavilion, located on State Highway 320 in Westphalia, Texas, on Saturday, June 3, 2023, from 7 a.m. to 12 noon. Booth space is free of charge. To obtain a booth space or be placed on a map, contact Brian Wilde at 254-718-6764. Sausage wraps and drinks will be available for purchase from the Knights of Columbus.

James Kahlig

KC Council 13902 —SPJST—

Member expresses thanks

Dear SPJST, Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support and generosity in my endeavors. You are making my dreams into reality, and words cannot begin to express my gratitude.

Kerrigan Hooker Lodge 38, Kovar —SPJST—

Member shares gratitude

Dear Mr. Vanicek and SPJST, Thank you so much for the very generous scholarship award of $1,000. This award will be extremely beneficial in paying for my future studies. Thank you for all of the support I have received continuously. I am so grateful. Love, Madison Murphy Lodge 6, Cottonwood —SPJST—

Member relays appreciation

Thank you so much for the SPJST Joe B. Hejny Scholarship. This is very appreciated. I have loved my first year as an Aggie.

Thank you for your help as I continue my education at Texas A&M University. Shannon Schulz Lodge 30, Taiton —SPJST—

2023 SPJST Advisory Council Meeting

The SPJST Advisory Council was established as the result of the corporate governance by-law provisions that were approved by delegates at the 2021 SPJST Convention. That provision appears as Article 11 in our current bylaws:

ARTICLE XI SPJST ADVISORY COUNCIL

Section 57. Convention delegates shall serve as members of the SPJST Advisory Council between conventions. SPJST Advisory Council members shall serve on a volunteer basis and meet annually each spring with the Executive Committee with the objective of keeping the SPJST Advisory Council members engaged and responsive in matters relating to the growth and development of SPJST.

Opening of the Meeting

The meeting opened with a prayer led by Vice President of Sales and Marketing Delisle Doherty.

Executive Committee*

Participating in the Meeting

Along with Advisory Council members, participating in the webcast were SPJST Board of Directors - Board Chair/District Three Director John Engelke; Board Vice Chair/District One Director Donnie Victorick; District Two Director Jesse Pospisil; District Four Director Bobby Davis; District Five Director Bradley Stavinoha; District Six Director Annie Vahalik; and District Seven Director Regina House. Executive Officers - President/CEO Brian Vanicek; Vice President of Sales and Marketing Delisle Doherty; Vice President of Communications Melanie Zavodny; Chief Financial Officer Leonard Mikeska; and Controller Roy Vajdak.

* As a result of actions taken by delegates to the 2021 Convention, the directors and officers are now collectively referred to as the SPJST Executive Committee. Previously the term “Supreme Lodge” was assigned to that body

The following elements were addressed during the meeting:

➛ SPJST’s financial performance

➛ Review of SPJST’s investment performance

➛ SPJST sales and marketing initiatives achieved in 2022 and what to expect in the year ahead

➛ Review of SPJST’s fraternal engagement initiatives in 2022 along with some priorities in 2023

➛ Overview of camp initiatives which were achieved in 2022 as well as some projections for the current year

President/CEO Brian Vanicek’s Report

As President and CEO, my driving objective is to ensure the financial security and fraternal relevancy of SPJST. To that end, I thank my fellow officers, the Home Office staff, SPJST Directors, and all of you for working together as a team to help achieve SPJST’s fraternal mission of “Insuring and Enriching Lives.”

2022 Organizational Goals

We will begin the review with a look back at our 2022 Organizational Goals. A year ago, I stated that we were at a turning point in the evolution of SPJST. A point during which decisive changes were taking place and beneficial results were taking root. Today, I find myself optimistic and energized by what lies ahead for SPJST. With reference to SPJST’s 2022 Organizational Goals, the Society made good progress.

I want to start off by providing you with a glimpse of what goes on at the Home Office Board Room on Mondays at 1:30 p.m. for Team Meeting.

Department heads – that’s all of the officers along with Human Resources Administrator Nancy Miller and Insurance Department Manager Cynthia Hutka – meet weekly to review the activities of the preceding week, to address progress with ongoing projects, and to discuss those matters that sometimes “pop up” unexpectedly.

These visits gave us a chance to discuss any complex or pressing issues as well as talk through ideas and solutions. Over the years, the team meetings have helped to foster a sense of trust and camaraderie. Leonard does a good job of documenting these meetings and in turn, sharing them with team members as well and with our directors.

In addition to our quarterly meetings that you read about in the Vestnik, the Executive Committee also meets annually in the fall for a two-day strategic planning meeting. The main purpose of that two-day session is to identify departmental objectives, timelines, and accountabilities for the year ahead. Collectively, all of those objectives come together in our annual set of Organizational Goals.

Goal 1—Well-trained agents and high-quality customer service.

SPJST scheduled 49 scheduled sales training sessions in 2022. Delisle was the principal architect of this program, which included live classes throughout the state as well as monthly online classes that were held on the third Thursday of each month and facilitated by Melanie. The virtual training classes enabled participating agents to receive state-certified continuing education credits for their participation.

Getting all SPJST agents annuity-certified has been a priority. Of our current roster of 161 agents, only four remain to become annuity-certified. The rule is now if you want to sell for SPJST, you need to have your insurance license and be annuity-certified. It just stands to reason, when an agent is licensed and annuity-certified, that agent is better equipped to provide members and prospective members with competent information as well as being able to sell the full line of SPJST insurance and annuity products. High-quality customer service centers on being attentive – listening and attending to our members as well as our prospective members needs and desires.

The Home Office reorganization initiatives which commenced in 2021 continued throughout 2022, had a positive impact on the way SPJST has been able to respond to our members. The new territory manager system became effective on October 1. It is now the responsibility of the territory managers to hire, train, and manage all of the agents who are working within their respective territories. The job description also mandates

that the managers function in tune to the fraternal aspects of SPJST. By bringing the field management back in house, Delisle will have more control over their production and create accountability for the position. To that end, the territory managers will be motivated to identify and enlist agents who are more focused on SPJST, enhancing customer service and making the program stronger.

Goal 2—Improving technological capabilities.

On the technological front, the new illustrate, inc. illustration software went live on January 1, 2022. This package replaced the Praeses illustration software which was woefully inadequate in meeting SPJST’s illustration software needs.

To clarify, illustration software is a tool used by sales agents to present members and prospective members with insurance cost projections or in the case of annuities, expected growth charts. Since the implementation of illustrate inc., multiple upgrades have been added, providing SPJST sales agents with an effective web-based quoting, illustration, and application system.

Also, in 2022, SPJST began what is expected to be a three-year data migration and conversion process to the cloud-based Oracle Insurance Policy Administration software. This process represents a major investment in technology and will replace the USSI system which was installed in the early 1980s. Controller Vajdak serves as the primary SPJST Contact for the data migration and integration process.

Additionally, a Quality Assurance team is comprised of staff members representing various areas. Quality Assurance team members are Linda Hill (death claims), Marissa Salinas (annuities), Doni Powell (underwriting), Lisa Mills (agents and issuing), Lisa Kirby (billing), and Cynthia Hutka (annuity issuance). Other staff members may be designated as the project builds.

On the SPJST accounting front lines, the integration of the new administrative software platform mandates that SPJST integrate new accounting software as the existing USSI suite will no longer be functional in the new environment. Roy is currently contemplating accounting software solutions that will effectively manage all of our core finance and accounting functions.

The DocuSign agreement which went into effect in 2021 was thoroughly integrated throughout the whole of SPJST operations in 2022. DocuSign, once again to clarify, is the business world’s most widely used electronic signature and it enables SPJST members and prospective members to sign and send practically every official agreement, contract, or form that we issue.

DocuSign’s authentication functions help prove that signers are who they say they are at the time of signing, helping to ensure that SPJST documents have non-repudiation in a court of law should it ever be necessary.

In the fourth quarter, the Insurance Department integrated Quest Diagnostics as a way to cut costs and increase efficiency in the insurance underwriting process. Quest Diagnostics maintains an extensive nationwide database of patient prescription and laboratory histories, enabling SPJST to eliminate several blood and urine requests as well as APSes (Attending Physician Statements). This tool alone is expected to reduce the costs that SPJST used to pay for medical examinations for prospective certificate holders by at least 50 percent.

Finally, late in 2022, SPJST began its implementation of the Paycor human resource management system.

Paycor is a comprehensive software application that will enable the Home Office to more effectively manage payroll, tax payments, 401k administration, and paid time off (PTO). Paycor was selected after a thorough vetting process of four human resource management systems. We’re utilizing the Paycor system now; however, there are some modules that are still being implemented.

Goal 3—Improving the workplace.

When we talk about improving the workplace, we’re talking about creating a positive work environment that increases productivity. I want to compliment our SPJST Home Office staff members for their professionalism. They had big gaps to fill in 2022 as we had four dear members of the Home Office family retire last year. Retirees included Data Entry Clerks Joyce Harris and Marie Wolf, Fraternal Assistant Ruth Hanusch, and Accounting Manager Debbie Dohnalik. Combined, these ladies represented a combined total of 103 years of service. We also lost Melinda Bigham, hospitality manager in charge of the kitchen at Camp Kubena,

who passed away on June 18, 2022, and Mortgage Loan Manager Ann Paruzinski, who passed away on September 28, 2022, after more than 45 years with SPJST. May they rest in peace.

SPJST currently maintains a workforce of 37 employees. That’s down from the peak in 2016 which was 47 employees. That amounts to a 21 percent reduction in force – achieved largely through voluntary attrition. And just in case you’re wondering, that number – 37 employees – does include our five officers and the three full-time personnel at Camp Kubena.

Management introduced PTO (Paid Time Off) for the staff in 2022, and it has been working very well. The PTO policy combines vacation, sick time, and personal time into a single bank of days for employees to use when they take paid time off from work. It’s a structure that provides our employees with more flexibility to accommodate the demands of everyday life while also fulfilling the demands of their SPJST work schedule.

We also established an employee engagement committee during the fourth quarter of 2022. The committee is comprised of a group of employees – one representing each department – who meet periodically to exchange ideas and suggest ways to enhance staff satisfaction and work effectiveness. The main ingredient for any growing organization is amazing employees. That demands that SPJST be an amazing employer. We’re working on it.

In January, the Board of Directors approved the initiation of the Educational Support Program. This is a program that invites and encourages continuing education – at the collegiate level for fulltime and part-time employees after one year of employment. The coursework must be strategic to SPJST’s business, regardless of whether it’s related to the employee’s current role. All employees are eligible for course tuition and fees up to $4,000 annually or $2,000 per semester. Work-related courses must be taken at an accredited college or university and may be taken online. Employees must earn a B grade average in order to receive reimbursement in the subsequent semester.

Knowledge is power, and we want Home Office employees to be well-positioned to fill the mid- and senior-level management positions as they become open. Succession planning is something that we all need to consider. Whether it’s in the Home Office, on the Board, or in

the lodge – you want to motivate and develop talented individuals to step up and take on a more significant role in the future.

Goal 4—Conditioning lodges for growth.

I’m going to commence with a little preamble here . . . From a fraternal perspective, 2022 was a big year for SPJST. We marked its 125th anniversary on October 15 with a grand celebration at Texas Czech Heritage and Cultural Center in La Grange. With not one but two proclamations from the Governor, the big 125-prize raffle, great entertainment – and a shout out here to the orchestras that joined us from Lodge 84, Dallas and Lodge 88, Houston . . .

There was so much going on that beautiful and sunny day . . . and such a satisfying feeling – a public acknowledgment that SPJST is something so very dear and worthy of celebration. That great day was emblematic of so many of the major and minor member and community events hosted by SPJST lodges throughout the state in 2022.

My sincere thanks and appreciation to those members who in 2022 demonstrated the commitment, wherewithal, and creativity – a very important element – to working to keep their lodge and district events relevant to their members and the communities that they serve.

You could see it in every single issue of the Vestnik . . . And as good as that sounds – there’s a flip side to this –many of our lodges have been stalled by declining and in some cases non-existent member involvement. I could say that our sister fraternals, veterans groups, and civic organizations are dealing with the same scenario – but there’s really no comfort in that. In some ways, the distancing that was forced upon our lodge system by the coronavirus appears to have accelerated the decline in active membership that existed before this crisis came into play.

Our mission statement, “Insuring and Enriching Lives,” reflects the very premise upon which the Society was founded which was to bring people together for their mutual aid and empowerment. This goal of “Conditioning lodges for growth” was all about reengaging our members and reenergizing our lodges. It’s a process that has carried over into 2023 and will likely be with us for the foreseeable future.

Part One of the revitalization process commenced in February of this year with the reassignment of members. We started by focusing on the 15 communities where new lodges had been designated but were never officially organized or chartered. This includes the areas of Trinity, Fairfield, Palestine, Tyler, Waxahachie, Corsicana, Mineral Wells, Plano, Brownwood, Vernon, Goldthwaite, Amarillo, Denver City, and Odessa representing a total of 342 members. In each case, the members assigned to these unchartered areas were reassigned by the Home Office to the active SPJST lodge nearest the address that we have on file for the member. Individuals who were reassigned had the option to accept the reassignment or have their membership transferred to any other active SPJST lodge.

Part Two of the reassignment process is currently underway and is being directed at reassigning members from inactive chartered lodges to active chartered lodges. Inactive lodges will be determined on the basis of reviews and consideration by directors and management. Per the by-laws, lodges which experience a reassignment of membership will remain in inactive status for a period of five years from the time of reassignment. At some point during this 60-month period, the Executive Committee and/or local membership may find it practical to “reorganize” the lodge.

Bringing lodge members together by merger or reassignment is only part of the equation. The key to any successful lodge revitalization includes reestablishing an identity and clear purpose for the lodge. It simply isn’t enough to say a lodge has to meet regularly. Ideally, the process should also be about creating a vision – setting a direction – for where the members want to take the lodge and then communicating that message to the members and to the community.

Moving forward, district directors will be directly involved in this along with Home Office support teams in working with local lodge officers in planning, promoting, and advancing SPJST revitalization initiatives. A good place to start is by looking at what could be gained by cultivating closer camaraderie between the members of sister lodges and even units of our sister fraternal organizations in any given area.

What can we expect to achieve?

How about new and exciting activities and programs based on common inter-

ests; joint sponsorship of community service and cultural projects; and a heightened awareness of SPJST possibly resulting in an increase in active membership.

Just this past week – you may have seen it on the news – the Surgeon General’s Office issued a General Advisory calling attention to the public health crisis of loneliness and lack of connection in our country. In that context, fraternalism is right for the times! Here I want to share our SPJST Vision Statement:

Our vision is to provide financial security for our members; build a wholesome family environment; and encourage cherished Czech traditions.

To help lodges achieve the worthy objectives outlined in the vision statement, the SPJST Executive Committee developed the new 88-page SPJST Lodge Operations Manual, copies of which were distributed at the district annual meetings. The manual, which is also available online, will be updated on a regular basis.

Goal 5—Increasing investment performance.

SPJST’s investment income and annuity program enabled the Society to post strong operating results through year-end 2022. Investment income increased 7.2 percent to $12.233 million compared to $11.356 million at year-end 2021. We’ll elaborate on that performance when we get to the Investment Section.

Goal 6—Enhanced member activities and services.

Goal 6 is really closely related to Goal 4 – conditioning our lodges for growth . . . In January 2022, the Board of Directors designated Vice President of Communications Melanie Zavodny with the added charge of daily oversight of SPJST’s member engagement section, which includes the SPJST youth program and local lodge outreach and assistance. As a practical matter, I remain active and involved within in the broad realm of fraternal programming and outreach. Since the beginning of 2022, Melanie and State Fraternal Director Frank Horak have been working with the DYCs, youth leaders, and parents collecting their input on the many

and varied aspects of the SPJST youth program.

Melanie will address these initiatives and the evolutionary changes that were conceived in 2022 and being introduced in 2023.

Goal 7—Establish a visual identity for SPJST that conveys heritage, culture, and promise.

This was an objective which really got underway with the new SPJST signage in 2021 and continued through 2022. These activities have been primarily taking place through the offices of Vice President of Sales and Marketing Delisle Doherty and Vice President of Communications Melanie Zavodny. The thought process here is that a well-designed visual identity and marketing effort will boost SPJST’s brand awareness and serve as a powerful tool for telling SPJST’s story. That initiative expanded in 2022 to include a print, radio, and audio-visual advertising, something that Delisle will be expanding on during his presentation.

At this point, I’d like to turn over the program to Controller Roy Vajdak who will speak on SPJST’s 2022 financial performance as well as the many other projects his area was responsible for, including information technology.

Controller Roy Vajdak’s Report

The 2022 annual statement has both positives and negatives. The emphasis is squarely focused on investing in the business end of operations. I’d like to share some numbers now focusing on the positives first. What I’ve done is construct the charts in such a way as to illustrate the five most recent years of activity. In that way, I believe you can see a more visual representation of the trends and where they may be leading.

I’m going to start with Total Society Assets. Total society assets increased from $243 million in 2018 to $262 million in 2022. That’s a substantial increase over where we were in 2018.

Next, I’ll move on to Net Investment Income. It was $9.9 million in 2018 and increased to $12.2 million in 2022.

Next, I’ll move on to General Operating Expenses. You can see that general operating expenses have declined from $3.2 million in 2018 to $3 million in 2022. This is due to the Home Office focusing on reducing expenses where we can and on a reduction of staff.

The next two charts, respectively, illustrate the Death and Annuity Benefits (on page 7) that SPJST has paid to members over the past five years. You can see that in death claims, we were consistent in paying more than $3.7 million to members in 2018 and 2019. However, beginning in 2020, we saw a substantial increase by about $2 million each year in our death claims.

Annuity benefits are consistent at about $10 million-plus per year. However, in 2021, we saw an increase due to the special offer on annuities that was made to some of our members.

Now, let’s take a look at an Unallocated Surplus. Unallocated surplus is basically the retained earnings of SPJST. You’ll see that our unallocated surplus has declined from $16.8 million in 2018 to $11.8 million in 2022.

The decline in unallocated surplus for the year 2022 can be attributed to two items. First, SPJST incurred a net loss of $581,320 from operations . . . $200,000 comes from the increase in death benefits paid in 2022. Also, surrenders increased by $100,000. Given the increase of inflation in 2022, the increase in surrenders was not unexpected. Finally, Camp Kubena incurred a loss of $291,000. Brian will explain our efforts to address the camp loss later in the program.

Additionally, SPJST committed in 2021 to replacing our policy administration system. This project started in the summer of 2022 and is projected to be completed in the fall of 2024. All costs of this project are required to be capitalized until the software is placed in serv-

Total Society Assets

Net Investment Income

ice. To make this even worse, is the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) classifies software as a non-admitted asset. Therefore, SPJST could not recognize software expenses of $845,766 which reduces surplus.

If any member would like to receive a digital copy of the SPJST Annual Statement, please email me at royv@spjst.com, and I’ll be happy to provide you with a complete digital copy of the report by email.

President/CEO Vanicek’s Commentary

The two sets of numbers – “Death Claims Paid” and “Annuity Benefits Paid” – perhaps more than any others –communicate the important role that SPJST has played for generations of Texas families . . . the very reason we were chartered and the fundamental reason that we exist. And that is to provide financial support to the beneficiaries of our members when they die.

We can never replace a loved one or a friend; however, as fraternal brothers and sisters, we can offer our condolences to the survivors, and we can offer our assistance. The $24 million –almost $25 million in death benefits that SPJST delivered over the past five years most certainly helped to ease the financial burdens of those left behind. And, as the second set of numbers shows, during that same five-year period – from 2018 through 2022, SPJST distributed just under $68 million in annuity benefits to our members. Seldom do we draw attention to these statistics.

Since the year 2000, SPJST has delivered more than $74 million in death claims to beneficiaries and more than $210 million in annuity benefits. Collectively, that’s right at $284 million – a quarter of a billion dollars, and that’s just since the year 2000. It really does add up, and it speaks well of the strength and fidelity of SPJST.

Also, in his report, Roy made reference to the $291,000 loss recorded for Camp Kubena. From an accounting perspective, Camp Kubena is treated much the same as any other SPJST investment. Line 3 of the Summary of Operations lists our net investment income for 2022 at $12,232,746. Had Camp Kubena “broke even” for 2022, it would have increased our investment income by a little more than 2 percent. That may not sound like much; however, when you’re talking 2 percent of $12 million,

it’s something we want to see improve.

So, what’s being done to increase revenues at the camp?

Foremost, there’s a new rate structure that went into effect for 2023 at Camp Kubena . . . That will make a positive difference; however, it’s only the beginning. Even as Camp Kubena is consistently booked throughout the summer months, efforts are being made to eliminate the “off-season” that is typically associated with camp/retreat properties. There is a realization on the part of the Executive Committee and Camp Director that it is imperative that Camp Kubena branch out into new types of off-season programs that generate income and introduce the property to a new and appreciative audience.

The types of programs that Camp Kubena doing business as “Round Top Meadows” can offer in the fall, winter, and spring require a different approach to marketing and staffing.

The Camp Kubena Advisory Committee which is comprised of camp personnel, and select members of the Executive Committee and Home Office personnel are working on ways to bring projects like family camping, faith community retreats, work-group retreats and picnics, wedding venues, and seasonal public events to the property. While the shift from summer camp to off-season programming will be challenging, the Executive Committee believes that the rewards will be worthwhile—the property will generate additional income, build the reputation of its facilities and programs, and cast a positive light on the value that SPJST places on enjoying, protecting, and experiencing life lessons in the great outdoors.

Chief Financial Officer

Leonard

Mikeska’s Report

Note: President/CEO Brian Vanicek presented the first portion of CFO Mikeska’s report. CFO Mikeska’s comments and overview follow the presentation.

Chief Financial Officer Leonard Mikeska conferred with me earlier and shared information on SPJST’s investment performance for 2022 and offered some insight into our investment portfolio and how it is being managed.

I want to emphasize the increase of year-end income from 2020 to 2022. From $9.3 million to $12.2 million. That close to $3 million bump represents 24 percent increase in two years.

And none of that relates to gains achieved in the stock market.

Looking back, the events of the past three years have generated waves of great uncertainty and anticipation in the marketplace.

A lot of the information that we’re presenting today covers five year periods. This chart does the same thing in that it depicts the period from 2018 to 2023. Check out the blue line. That’s the Dow Jones Industrial Average – the stock market. The red line: That’s the Consumer Price Index or CPI. You hear economists and financial reporters referring to it constantly. Essentially, it mirrors the changes in the price of consumer goods. When that line goes up as you see it doing here, that’s inflation.

The short answer to that question is ‘yes.’ SPJST annuities are guaranteed in their entirety based on the financial strength and claims paying ability of the SPJST.

SPJST’s investments have actually fared quite well in recent years. The old “slow and steady wins the race” strategy has prevailed. Here’s why: High grade corporate bonds played and continue to play the leading roles in SPJST’s diversified securities portfolio. The strategy itself is simple: As a life insurance company, our aim is to invest our members premiums in longer-duration, low-risk fixed income assets.

That does three things for us:

1. Steady flow of income.

2. Guard against stock market volatility.

3. The ability to take advantage of new opportunities.

First, fixed-income investments provide SPJST with a steady flow of income. Our bond maturation dates are laddered in such a way as to provide the Society with a steady cash flow that enable it to meet its varied obligations.

strategy has also enabled SPJST to take advantage of some great opportunities, including business bridge loans and some select business mortgages.

SPJST’s bond portfolio is very diverse and as of today includes 266 position which support various US businesses and local governments. Pictured here are some of the well-known corporate issues that are included within the portfolio.

The SPJST NAIC Distribution chart shows how our bonds are rated according to the NAIC – National Association of Insurance Commissioners – rating scale: 55.7 percent are NAIC 1s. 43.6 percent are NAIC 2s. And less than 1 percent are NAIC 3s. We have no holdings in the NAIC 4, 5 or 6 range.

Bonds that are rated NAIC 1 and 2 are considered Investment Grade and are considered the most safe. Bonds which are rated 3, 4, 5, or 6 are considered noninvestment grade and carry a higher degree of risk.

jectives as well as the strategies that AQS should apply in meeting these objectives.

The Executive Committee meets with AQS each quarter and the management team – especially CFO Mikeska –meets with them periodically throughout the week. AQS also routinely provides SPJST Executive Committee complementary access to continuing education finance and investing seminars.

Note: Chief Financial Officer Mikeska thanked and complimented President/CEO Vanicek for a very thorough presentation of our investment performance and presented the following additional information.

Now, recall the market crash that hit in late February 2020? You can see how the market took a dive. By year-end, though, the market was up again. And from that point forward, the market has been in constant state of flux. Various reasons for that. Initially, there were fears of a resurging Covid epidemic. More recently, it’s inflation and the government’s efforts to keep it down that has been causing the erratic highs and lows. And again, just this past Wednesday, the Federal Reserve increased its key interest rate by a quarter percent, making it the 10th rate hike in 14 months.

Without question, those rate hikes and loose banking oversight that contributed to the three US bank failures we’ve seen so far in 2023 – Silicon Bank, Signature Bank and – again – just this past week – the closure of First Republic Bank. Collectively those three banks account for 2.4 percent of all assets in the banking sector.

In light of the banking failures, it’s no surprise that the Home Office has been hearing from concerned members wanting to know if their financial positions –especially as that relates to annuities are safe.

Second, fixed-income investments offer protection against the whims and volatility of the stock market. This past week – some of you may have noticed – many of the regional banks were scrambling to convince the public of their financial soundness as their stock prices were plunging

Third, the laddered structure of our bond portfolio enables us to us take advantage fixed-income investment opportunities that present themselves throughout the year. In recent years that

The two bonds that we own in the NAIC 3 category are Ford Motor bonds, and they have not presented us with any payment issues nor do we anticipate that they will.

SPJST’s trusted partner in navigating these investment seas is AQS Asset Management of Austin, Texas. AQS has been with us three years and already we are seeing impressive results. These results are the result of a very deliberate process. SPJST investments are closely managed according to the guides of an Investment Policy Statement. It’s actually a lot more than a statement. It’s a 10-page agreement between SPJST and AQS which specifies our investment ob-

SPJST NAIC Distribution

Being aware of the fiduciary responsibility to our members, the management engaged our actuary to perform an especially important test. A known fact is that our life insurance policies written today will extend out 10, 20, 30, or some even up to a hundred years in the future. The Society assets must manage our investments so that we can pay all claims extending years into the future. Knowing that interest rates and returns will change numerous times over the life of a policy, under guidance of the SPJST actuary, cash flow testing is done annually. The object of the testing is to assure that the Society has adequate funds to pay your claims under changing interest rate scenarios. The results of the actuary’s recent cash flow test were positive. The test assured us that the investments will provide adequate funds under changing interest rate scenarios. The actuary determined that no additional reserves needed to be set up at this time.

Goals for 2023 are to continue to look for opportunities to increase investment income. During the past three years, there was significant improvement in the quality of the investment portfolio and an equally important goal for 2023 is to continue this trend of improvement.

Vice President of Sales and Marketing

Delisle Doherty’s Report

Note: President/CEO Vanicek provided a brief lead-in to Vice President of Sales and Marketing Delisle Doherty’s report:

Effectively serving the insurance needs of our existing members and their extended families with high quality life

insurance and annuities remained a key component of SPJST’s invigorated efforts to achieve new growth in 2022 and beyond.

Under the leadership of Vice President Delisle Doherty, the marketing department’s emphasis is on achieving sustainable, year-over-year growth that is aligned with the mission of the Society.

I’d like to turn the program over to Delisle who will provide us with a review of SPJST’s sales and marketing initiatives and accomplishments and what we can expect on a go-forward basis.

In 2022, we focused on five areas (many more, but five main areas):

1. Ensuring all agents are certified to sell annuities.

2. Creating an e-app system to speed up underwriting and eliminate errors.

3. Revamping some products like the final expense and annuities.

4. Increasing quality of sales by increasing persistency through training.

5. Continuing to create new member benefits.

By ensuring that all agents are licensed and certified, they can sell all the products. Without the proper licensing and certifications, more than half of our agents could not sell a third of our products, which included the more profitable annuities products. With the agents able to sell more products, our new annuity sales increased by 81 percent in 2022. Currently, 157 out of 161 agents are fully licensed and certified.

Creating an e-app system—By going to the electronic application, we are able to speed up our underwriting. Applications have less errors to allow underwriting to be completed in as little as two days.

Revamped and added new products—we simplified our final expense and increased the limit to $30,000. This allows us to jet issue the products on an approved or declined basis, making it easier for those with medical issues to get insurance. We added a juvenile term to 21 product that is also simplified to make it easier for children to get involved with SPJST. Then we added a 3year annuity.

We increased our persistency to over 84 percent through 2022 and over 92 percent in the first quarter of 2023. This means over 90 percent of our business is staying on the books over a 25-month period. Twenty years ago, less than 50 percent was staying on the books. This was done by having 49 classes throughout the state and continuing to increase our training. We currently do a monthly virtual training to be able to touch more agents, in addition to our regional trainings. Thru the first quarter of 2023:

• Earned premiums are up 37.53 percent.

• Life certificates are up 7.77 percent.

• Insurance issued up 34.08 percent.

We are currently looking to add new member benefits. This will include group short tour opportunities, like the Tyler Rose Festival, and longer tours such as the Czech Republic opportunity. We are also working with a law firm to create an educational website to guide members with wills, trusts, POAs, and DNRs, etc. In today’s environment, we are tasked more and more with taking care of our loved ones and elder care. This will help members maneuver through some of these complexities.

Vice President of Communications

Melanie

Zavodny’s Report

Note: President/CEO Vanicek gave a brief update of the Board of Directors’ decision to shift member engagement section daily oversight:

As previously noted, in January 2022, the Board of Directors designated Vice President of Communications Melanie Zavodny with the added charge of

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daily oversight of SPJST’s member engagement section, which includes the SPJST youth program and local lodge outreach and assistance.

I’ll start out with a great big thank you to lodge officers and members for their fraternal devotion and dedication to SPJST and their communities. In lodges all over the state, members are once again volunteering their time and energy to support worthwhile causes, taking the best that SPJST has to offer — a tradition of helping people to care for their families — and extending these values to their communities.

Look through any issue of the Vestnik and you’ll see SPJST members having fun and doing good things for each other and for their communities. That’s what it’s all about, and that is always so good to see. Thanks to the devotion of Vestnik readers and reporters, we are never at loss for news and photos.

Through their participation in local SPJST Youth Clubs and statewide events, our young members between the ages of five and 18 developed a greater awareness of the common bonds that we all share. Throughout 2022, SPJST youth clubs worked independently and in collaboration with community-based organizations, tailoring programs to fit their local needs.

The Scholarship program also made a positive difference. A total of 51 SPJST scholarships were presented in 2022. 43 of those were presented in the spring and 8 were presented at SPJST State Youth Achievement Day on July 29.

I’m going to reserve commentary on Camp Kubena at this point as we will be receiving an update later from Camp Di-

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Thank

!"#$%"&#'()*%&$+(,-./ Hours –44,603

Disbursements -$119,987

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)*%&$+(,89/ Hours –17,650

Disbursements -$84,936

Total Events –1,238

Total Hours –62,253

Total Disbursements –$204,923

!"#$%"&#'()*%&$+(, :;<-. Hours –37,290

Disbursements -$190,652

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)*%&$+(,/8< Hours –27,061

Disbursements -$168,270

Total Events –1,139

Total Hours –81,893

Total Disbursements$358,922

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rector Rob Clift. Even so, a “shout out” is due to Camp Director Clift for the visionary role that he is fulfilling and his Camp Kubena team for the wonderful job that they are doing with the program.

Beginning in early 2022, State Fraternal Director Frank Horak and I worked with DYCs, youth leaders, parents, and youth to collect their input on many and varied aspects of the SPJST youth program. The vast majority asked for a dose of new life and energy to be injected into the youth program, which is celebrating its 70th birthday this year. Updates to the program continue to be rolled out – with two major events this summer. We will host one large statewide summer camp in June – instead of several smaller district camps AND we will host one statewide youth achievement day – or Youth Showcase – instead of the smaller district events. Combining these important activities creates improved efficiency and provides greater opportunities for our youth.

The overall goal for updating the youth program is to make it more appealing and relevant in the lives of our young members.

Conditioning our existing lodges for revitalization – and recommitting to the idea of volunteerism and service - also remains a top priority and one of our organizational goals for 2023.

We introduced quarterly community projects in January with the theme SPJST Gives. Cares, Shares. Many lodges and youth groups collected and donated soup to local food banks for the Souper Bowl in January through March. This quarter is Paws for a Cause, and already we are seeing lodges, youth groups, and members across the state collecting and donating supplies for local animal shelters.

THANK YOU for giving.

THANK YOU for caring.

THANK YOU for sharing. YOU are making a difference.

SPJST also introduced an exciting new program to engage members in community work and volunteerism. This program was created to motivate lodges and to reward them for their efforts to exhibit benevolence, humanity, and brotherhood in SPJST and local communities. The strongest lodges are the ones that meet regularly, maintain best business practices, and operate consistently with the SPJST Home Office.

Incentives for this program are

granted to lodges that contribute volunteer hours in community service and fraternal activities; host social engagement activities; raise funds; hold regular lodge meetings/activities; submit all required forms; and report their success to the Vestnik.

So why do we track hours and all of this other information? SPJST is a 501(c)8 non-profit tax-exempt organization. We track these hours, expenses, and donations to ensure this tax-exempt status is maintained. Each year, the information is reported to the American Fraternal Alliance and ultimately to government agencies to protect our exemption and fraternal status.

We have created a video that outlines the new incentive program for our lodges. (Video can be viewed at spjst.org/gives)

A parallel incentive program has also been introduced for youth clubs with opportunities to earn hundreds of dollars for their clubs. We continue to make our way around the state working hand-inhand with lodge officers, FACs, and youth leaders training them on submitting their hours.

There’s just so much to say regarding SPJST’s non-contractual benefits. Benefits including PerkSpot, travel insurance, and group tours to the Czech Republic and the Tyler Rose Festival are all profiled on the spjst.org website.

I could go on; however, I’ll draw my section to a close and share a video from Camp Kubena Director Rob Clift with an update on camp and the upcoming activities. (Rob’s video can be viewed at 1:49:50 at https://vimeo.com/spjst/advisory-council-2023.)

Closing

Note: President/CEO Brian Vanicek and Vice President of Communications Melanie Zavodny closed out the webcast.

Sessions like ours here today, I believe, are important, too, for the transparency that they provide as well as bringing our management to accountability. I’ll grant you, the format that we are using today, isn’t perfect. I do enjoy the personal interaction that you get in face-to-face meetings. The key takeaway from today’s session is that the delegates remain in the ultimate position of control in SPJST. You elect the board and the management control flows down from the board.

One of the areas that Delisle touched on is our ongoing efforts to enhance the visibility of the SPJST statewide. Over the past year, SPJST continued to show

strong support for a multitude of annual public events, most notably helping to sponsor such events as National Polka Festival in Ennis, Westfest in West and the Kolache Festival in Caldwell. The Society also offered lent its support to an array of cultural and heritage groups including Czech Heritage Museum and Genealogy Center in Temple, Czech Educational Foundation of Texas (CEFT), Texans of Czech Ancestry (TOCA), Czech Heritage Society of Texas, Texas Czech Heritage and Cultural Center in La Grange, Czech Center Museum of Houston, and Sokol. It was an honor for us to work with and to be affiliated with these fine organizations and the projects that they championed.

Advisory Council members will recall that the SPJST Foundation was established as an independent 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation in 2012 by SPJST to administer to the growth and development of the Czech Heritage Museum and Genealogy Center in Temple, educational programs at Camp Kubena, and endeavors of significant merit and in

line with the Foundation’s objectives.

Since January 1, 2023, the SPJST Foundation has been tasked with the oversight and management of the Czech Heritage Museum and Genealogy Center in Temple. We believe it’s a worthy initiative, one which could also help to raise the profile of SPJST – and not just in Temple, but statewide. Night at the Museum programs on the second Thursday of each month through August have begun. This Thursday evening, it’s the Origin and Evolution of the Kolache. It’ll be a fun – and informative –evening! May the present and future generations of our SPJST Family benefit as a result of our harmonious and collaborative efforts.

Thank you for your time and attention. Best wishes from SPJST to you and your lodge.

Note: The meeting can be viewed at this link: https://vimeo.com/spjst/advisory-council-2023 —SPJST—

2023 Listing of SPJST District and Local Lodge Secretaries

The SPJST Operations Manual states that in the month of May, the Vestnik shall publish the district and local lodge secretaries. The following directory is printed in compliance with this guideline.

Lodges that did not submit a current roster of officers are not included in the listing. To submit a current roster and/or to update any of the listings, please contact SPJST Compliance Specialist Tamara Gettys at the Home Office 254-7731575, ext. 100 or email tamarag@spjst.com. For contact information on any of the listed names, please contact the Home Office.

DISTRICT ONE

Sandra Stone

DISTRICT TWO

Linda Johnson

DISTRICT THREE

CarrieAnn Jones

DISTRICT FOUR

Joyce Kotulek

DISTRICT FIVE

Krystle Peterson

DISTRICT SIX

Elizabeth Holub

DISTRICT SEVEN

Wendy Pruski

LOCAL LODGE SECRETARIES

Lodge 1, Fayetteville

Debbie Pflughaupt

Lodge 4, Hallettsville

Helen Zabransky

Lodge 6, Cottonwood

Barbara Jean Hykel

Lodge 8, Weimar

Carolyn M. Tobola

Lodge 9, Snook

Sharon Kovar

Lodge 13, Dime Box

LaDonna Jatzlau

Lodge 17, New Tabor

Betty Suehs

Lodge 18, Elgin

Charles Wilson

Lodge 20, Granger

Jvonne Elwood

Lodge 63, Sweet Home

Ann Moseley

Lodge 66, Waco

Dana McAdams

Lodge 67, Schulenburg

Mary Ann Kutac

Lodge 73, Seymour

Alice Orsak

Lodge 76, Wichita Falls

Dianna Ibarra

Lodge 79, Corpus Christi

Virginia Rebecek

Lodge 80, Holland

Lodge 157, Lubbock

Cynthia Kristinek

Lodge 160, San Angelo

Charlene Dusek

Lodge 162, Iowa Colony

Geraldine Frank

Lodge 177, Academy

Alyssa Marek

Lodge 180, Burleson

Patricia Sill

Lodge 183, Arlington

Kay Weeks

Lodge 184, Moulton

Lodge 23, Moravia

Kathleen Guenther

Lodge 24, Cyclone

Cathy Bruggman

Lodge 25, Ennis

Patricia Fowler

Lodge 28, East Bernard

Helen Kelner

Lodge 29, Taylor

Linda Pospisil

Lodge 30, Taiton

Marjorie Treumer

Lodge 32, Victoria

Linda Mozisek

Lodge 35, Elk Carla Price

Lodge 38, Kovar Dana Bunte

Lodge 39, Bryan

Shirley Vytopil

Lodge 40, El Campo-Hillje

Carol Garcia

Lodge 41, Port Lavaca

Mary Sitka

Lodge 47, Seaton

Patsy Koslovsky

Lodge 48, Beyersville

Alice Bracewell

Lodge 49, Rowena Becky Wood

Lodge 54, West Janice Kaluza

Linda Hill

Lodge 81, Needville

Willie Mae Kuykendall

Lodge 84, Dallas

Cheryl Petr

Lodge 87, Temple

Carolyn Greene

Lodge 88, Houston

Sarah Itz

Lodge 91, San Jacinto

Vonda Smesny

Lodge 92, Fort Worth

Mary Ann Krivanek

Lodge 97, Placedo

Judith Bellanger

Lodge 107, Floresville

Wendy Pruski

Lodge 117, Robstown

Dianne Raska

Lodge 133, San Antonio

Kathy Uribe

Lodge 139, Danbury

Lorenda Baldwin

Lodge 141, Sealy

Bernice Stolarski

Lodge 142, Houston

Elizabeth Hermis

Lodge 151, Wharton

Janie Bucek

Lodge 154, Fort Worth

Mary Steinman

Lodge 155, Austin

Ginny Prasatik

Terry Stevenson

Lodge 185, New Braunfels

Theresa Haag

Lodge 187, Round Rock

Deborah Rohlack

Lodge 189

Bryan-College Station

John Skrabanek

Lodge 191, Lufkin

Myrtle Welch

Lodge 196, Houston-West

Cadance Wager

Lodge 201

Bleiblerville-Nelsonville

Jennell Zettel

Lodge 202, Jourdanton

Valerie Barta

Lodge 207, Iowa Park

Joyce Kotulek

Lodge 215, South Plains

Pam Lehmann

Lodge 219, El Paso

Aracely Quiz (President)

Lodge 229, Abilene

Tammy Copeland

Lodge 230, Midland

Jessi Montez

Lodge 246, Morgan’s Point

David Nauert

Lodge 258, Seguin

Carrie Origas

From the Desk of Delisle L. Doherty SPJST Vice President of Sales and Marketing

It’s Your Life

Don’t Assume

A dysfunctional family was going on vacation to Disney World. They got off at the exit and saw a sign that said Disney Left so they turned around and went home. We live in a society of assumptions. We assume that everyone understands what we are saying. That is when trouble starts.

When you buy a policy, it is important that you review everything with the agent before you sign anything. When you give them money and sign the application, the agent assumes you fully understand what you purchased. Before the agent leaves, review the entire application along with reason for the payment, when you are going to be billed or be bank drafted, and what to expect next. You can eliminate many issues if you do this simple review before the agent leaves.

Let the agent know once the policy is issued to sit with you one more time. Review what you purchased, how much it is worth, what the terms are, and where to find the certificate number – in case you have questions or need to make changes later. You have a 10-day free look period on life insurance and a 20-day free look period on annuities. If you realize you need something different or change your mind, you can get your money back.

This is especially important with annuities. So many companies are marketing annuities in such a way they look like a

great deal until you get that certificate and realize all the disclosures. When you transfer money because you are being offered a higher interest, it doesn’t mean you are getting apples to apples. Many companies may offer a higher rate the first year then a much lower rate every year after. They may have a longer surrender period, or higher surrender fees. They may have administration fees, management fees, trade fees, transfer fees, etc. Don’t assume it’s the same. No one can predict the future or what is going to happen to the economy. What you can do is understand what you are getting into now. Too many times, we make decisions based on the interest and we don’t see all the other nuances.

Ask questions. Know what you are getting into before you sign anything. Once you receive the certificate, make sure you review it one more time. Don’t let anyone leave until you fully understand what you have. Don’t assume.

“To be sure I must, and therefore, I may assume that your silence gives consent.”

—Plato

My door is always open; figuratively and literally. Stay blessed,

Delisle L. Doherty

Vice President of Sales and Marketing

832-232-2049

—SPJST—

Member Engagement News

State Fraternal Director shares June adults, youth activity updates

June is just around the corner, which reminds me of the poem June by Lottie Brown Allen. Here’s the stanza: Oh, what is more sweet than the month of June — When our senses thrill and our hearts keep tune — To the song of the birds and the rose in bloom?

I have always enjoyed working in my yard, designing flower beds and watching the plants grow and bloom. This spring, I planted eight rose bushes in my backyard among my flowering plants. The names of the roses are Nacogdoches, Mother of Perl, Savannah Sunbelt, Soul Sister, Veilchenblau rambler, and Grandbaby shrub roses. These roses and flowers bring in bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other birds to our backyard. My wife, Connie, and I think of it as our sanctuary — a relaxing place to sit and enjoy nature sometimes with a glass of vino or pivo after a day of work.

Connie’s Crops Update

An update on Connie’s hobby . . . all of the plants she started from seed are thriving with all the rain we have had in May. Her cucumbers and green beans are climbing an arch that we constructed in April. The squash and tomatoes are beginning to bear fruit. Her bell and jalapeño pepper plants are starting to grow, and we hope to have those start bearing fruit soon.

State Camp June 21 to 25

SPJST State Camp registration for 2023 has ended. Thank you to the parents that signed up their children for camp.

All camp registration fees must be paid by June 1. Fees (except non-refundable registration fees) are refundable until June 6. Youth who attended meetings or participated in SPJST service projects will receive their credits by June 1.

If you have any questions about camp, please contact me at 254-7731575, ext. 177 or Tammy at 254-7731575, ext. 164.

Special thanks to our adult members who signed up to chaperone our youth at camp. We received many inquiries from adults who wanted to help this year. An email invitation has been sent to the selected chaperones to complete registration and the chaperone contract.

SPJST Camp Gift Card

Leaders and parents, there is still time to set up a gift card for your camper through the camp registration platform for your campers. Campers and chaperones will be able to purchase camp merchandise at Camp Kubena Outpost (camp store). With the gift card, campers and chaperones will not have to keep up with cash or a debit card while at camp.

Visit spjst.org/camp. Then sign into your Amilia (camp registration) account. Under the SPJST logo, click on the tab labeled “Gift Cards.” To the right of the page, you will see Description and five fill boxes. After you have completed adding your information in the fill boxes, click on add to cart. You will then select checkout, and the next page will come up. Select checkout again. Then select Continue my purchase, and on the next screen, you will be able to pay with a credit card.

State Youth Showcase

July 28 and 29

We are looking forward to presenting the 2023 SPJST State Youth Showcase on Friday, July 28 and Saturday, July 29 at the Frank W. Mayborn Civic and

Convention Center in Temple. The State Youth Showcase Guidebook and registration is open at spjst.org/showcase

The guidebook is full of information on how to enter, general rules, and all the contests. Registration ends on Friday, June 30 at 11:59 p.m. Don’t delay . . . register today!

2023 Youth Group Incentives

SPJST is also offering a new incentive program to engage our young members in community work and volunteerism. Through this process, youth will help fund their youth clubs by participating in Group Community Service, Social Engagement Activities, and Matching Funds. You can read more about the program by visiting spjst.org/gives. If you have any questions, please contact me for more details.

Tyler Rose Festival VIP Tour

We are excited to share a new member benefit — group tours. Please save the date – October 19 to 21, 2023 – and make plans to attend the 90th Annual Texas Rose Festival in Tyler, Texas. This will be a fun trip for rose enthusiasts and those just wanting to get away and experience this historical festival. Members can choose to drive or ride the passenger bus starting at the Home Office in Temple. You will find more information at spjst.org/tours. This trip looks like a fun time for all! Please consider joining your fellow SPJST members for a fun time!

Czech Republic Holiday Tour

If you’ve ever wanted to experience the Czech Republic and all of its beauty – especially during the holiday season, this is your opportunity! Make plans for November 29 to December 11, 2023. The tour is 10 exciting days, visiting 14 cities during Christmas time in the Czech Republic. You will enjoy Christmas markets, museums, vineyards, Prague Castle, and so much more. Visit spjst.org/tours to find all the information you need to plan your trip, including an important FAQ page.

Lodge Incentives

A big thank you to the lodge officers who have submitted their incentive reporting forms on the spjst.org/gives webpage for the first and second quarters of 2023. This is a new system, and it will take some time to get comfortable with the process. If you are feeling overwhelmed, have unanswered

questions, or just need to talk, please reach out to me, Tammy, Brooke, Katherine, or Melanie in the Member Engagement/Communications Department. We are all ready and willing to assist.

Now Due . . .

• Annual Financial Reports

• IRS Form 990 and 990-T

We are asking lodges that missed the Monday, May 15 deadline to please submit the Lodge Annual Financial Report and the 2022 IRS Form 990 and 990-T paperwork soon. The IRS forms are for those lodges that file their own taxes. A report will be shared in the next Vestnik with a list of compliant and non-compliant lodges. Submit those reports by June 1 to be on the compliant list!

The lodge incentive program is available at spjst.org/gives. What counts as fraternal hours and community service hours as set by American Fraternal Alliance is outlined in the pages. The process is very similar to previous years. We have prepared two videos on the incentive program. They are “Introducing the New SPJST Lodge Incentive Program” and “How to Submit a Community Service Event.” Both can be viewed at spjst.org/gives

If you were unable to attend the online training sessions on May 15, May 18, or May 23, a recording will soon be available. You may also contact me, and I will set up a time to review the process of entering the information.

Night at the Museum

The May 11 event drew a large number of SPJST members, community residents, and friends to the Czech Heritage Museum in Temple. This was the second of five “Night at the Museum’ events. Carol White, owner of Kolache Kitchen, gave a presentation about making kolaches. Food and drinks were also served. The Museum store was open with items such as Czech glass, food, postcards, gifts, jewelry, and so much more. The next event is Thursday, June 8 at the Czech Heritage Museum in Temple from 5 to 7:30 p.m. We look forward to seeing more friends attend.

Save the Date!

Cars & Guitars - November 4

Cars & Guitars is Saturday, November 4 at Camp Kubena. Planned activities include classic cars, music, food, arts/crafts vendors, kids’ activities, and a lot of family fun. Camp Kubena is lo-

cated at 2001 Waldeck Road in Ledbetter. We are currently seeking vendors and sponsors for the event. Please contact Rob at Camp Kubena or Melanie for details.

2023 State Charity ProjectPaws for a Cause

Our second quarter state charity project is Paws for a Cause and goes through June 30. Lodges and youth clubs are asked to identify a local animal shelter or pet rescue organization. Contact them to determine the needs. Then collect items or offer assistance, according to the specific needs. Take photos of your lodge’s or youth club’s project. Submit online at spjst.org/gives. Be sure to also share on social media using #spjstgives.

The July through September state charity project is Back to School Supply Drive to collect school supplies. We will end the 2023 year with Socks for Sen-

iors — an October through December drive to collect socks, gloves, etc. for our elderly friends and neighbors.

June Monthly Caring Challenge: Color A Smile

SPJST youth clubs, lodges, and members are invited to color to bring smiles to those in need. Visit colorasmile.org to print and color pages of your choice. Mail your completed coloring pages to the SPJST Home Office, PO Box 100, Temple, Texas 76503. Earn one volunteer hour by sub- mitting six coloring pages, two hours for 12 pages, etc. Your drawings will be sent to senior citizens, our troops, and anyone in need of a smile! Submit now through December 31, 2023.

Fraternally, Frank Horak State Fraternal Director

COLOR A SMILE

Who?

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

What?

Visit colorasmile.org to print and color pages of your choice. Mail your completed coloring pages to the SPJST Home Office at PO Box 100, Temple, Texas 76503. Earn one volunteer hour by submitting six coloring pages, two hours for 12 pages, etc. Your drawings will be sent to senior citizens, our troops and anyone in need of a smile!

When?

Submit now through December 31, 2023.

District News

District Six reports on annual meeting and social

The District Six Annual Meeting and Social was held on Sunday, April 16, 2023, at Our Lady of Victory Cathedral Center, St. Gabriel Hall, in Victoria, Texas. Lodge 32, Victoria and Lodge 97, Placedo co-hosted the event with District Six. A total of 72 members and guests were present.

Registration and social began at 11 a.m. with a raffle and silent auction. At noon, SPJST President/CEO Brian Vanicek led us in a meal blessing, and a delicious catered roast meal was served with delicious desserts brought by the members.

At 12:42 p.m., President Joe Siptak (4) welcomed all attendees and hoped everyone enjoyed the meal. He said it was wonderful to see so many members and guests together.

Special reports were then presented.

Philip Vahalik (4) representing the Czech Heritage Museum informed the membership that after the death of Museum Administrator Susan Chandler last fall, the Museum board had dissolved and management of the Museum had been transferred to the SPJST Foundation. The Czech Heritage Museum Advisory Committee, which is a special committee of the Executive Committee, will work together with the community to promote the museum. Czech Heritage Museum Curator Kenny Lange continues to operate the museum, and many events are planned. Philip (4) thanked the district for the opportunity to serve and said he would continue to help further the goals of the museum with his wife who serves on the Foundation Board.

Lisa Bubela (30) reported that the Camp Kubena committee has also been dissolved. She will continue to support Camp Kubena with all of its exciting plans and activities. She reported that for 2023, there will be one state SPJST Camp for all youth to have time together. The dates are June 21 to 25.

Joe Siptak (4) representing the SPJST Senior Living Centers expressed that the living centers are experiencing success. They have a new administrator in Taylor. SPJST is in process of purchasing a

32-unit facility, Village of Bee Cave.

Johnny Hoffman (184) represented the District Six Cemetery Association. Velehrad Cemetery is the only remaining SPJST Cemetery in District Six. The other cemeteries have been successfully transferred to their adjoining Catholic cemeteries in Moravia and Shiner. Velehrad Cemetery has placed the marker for Ferdinand Breska with thanks to donations from Yvonne Marcaurele (30) and District Six funds.

District Six President Joe Siptak (4) called the meeting to order. Lodge 30, Taiton Youth Club led the Pledge of Allegiance. President Joe (4) thanked Lodges 32, Victoria and 97, Placedo for co-hosting today’s social. He thanked the officers for being present and introduced the audit and nominating committees for today. President Joe (4) recognized all who had made this their first district meeting.

Mark Lester (32), president of Lodge 32, Victoria, welcomed all friends - old and new - citing that this was his first time at this beautiful hall. Lodge 97, Placedo President Gay Revel (97) thanked District Six Director Annie Vahalik (4) for making the arrangements for today and for asking them to co-host the meeting. She then introduced her lodge and officers present.

Yvonne Marcaurele( 30) had a memorial table tribute to the deceased members of District Six. While a moment of silence was being held, she read a poem, “I Am With You Always.”

Second Vice President Crystal Bacak (30) introduced the special guests: President/Chief Executive Officer Brian Vanicek (24); State Fraternal Director Frank Horak (80); District Six Director Annie Vahalik (4) and husband Philip (4); Governance Committee Member/District Six Youth Counselor Lisa Bubela (30); Kathy Ahlstrom (32), wife of the late Honorary Past Director Mike Ahlstrom (32); Karen Kaspar (30), Honorary District Six Director; 20222023 SPJST State Queen Brooke Bacak (30) and her parents; and 2022-2023 SPJST State Duchess Vanessa Riha (30) and her parents. Crystal also recognized all SPJST sales agents present and thanked Lodges 32 and 97 for their help in co-hosting today’s meeting with the district.

Secretary Elizabeth Holub (23) called roll. All officers were present, 11 lodges were represented, and District Six Governance Committee representative Lisa Bubela (30) was also in attendance.

President/CEO Brian Vanicek (24) introduced the SPJST Czech Holiday Tour and handed out flyers for this travel opportunity in the fall. He made special note of the Saturday, May 6 Advisory Council online webinar for all delegates. The next SPJST Convention will be in Temple on Friday, June 7 to Sunday, June 9, 2024. If there are any by-law recommendations, they can be submitted. He then assisted Director Anni (4) with show-and-tell of a few items from the Czech Heritage Museum in Temple.

Carolina Covarrubia (151), former Regional General Agent, informed everyone that all agents work for all lodges. SPJST has a variety of products and is showing growth. Annuities at this time are showing good rates – check your Vestnik or call an agent. She stated that since Karen Kaspar (30) welcomed her as an agent, she has enjoyed her time representing SPJST. We no longer have Regional General Agents, but we now have Territory Managers. District Six is represented by East Territory Manager Kerry Herrington (142) who was not able to attend.

District Six Youth Counselor Lisa Bubela (30) informed attendees that there will only be a State Youth Showcase (formerly known as SPJST State Youth Achievement Day) on July 28 and 29 in Temple. State Fraternal Director Frank Horak (80) met with youth and parents earlier to cover changes and answer questions. Complete information is online and in the Vestnik. The youth are excited to go to Camp Kubena this summer. Camp Kubena is promoting Round Top Meadows after the camping season for family outings, reunions, weddings, or for businesses to have employment enrichment days.

Under new business, Carolina Covarrubia (151) with the nominating committee thanked all the officers for their hard work. Carolina (151) was honored to be a part of the nominating committee with Debbie Krpec (30) and Johnny Hoffman (184). Nominations were requested from the floor. No nominations were presented. Carolina Covarrubia then (151) read the slate of present officers: President Joe Siptak (4), Vice President Yvonne Marcaurele (30), Secretary Elizabeth Holub (23), Treasurer

Marjorie Treumer (30), Second Vice President/FAC Crystal Bacak (30), and District Youth Counselor Lisa Bubela (30). Megan Riha (30) moved to re-elect the officers by acclamation. The motion was seconded by Ardis Bacak (40). The officers were re-elected.

Karen Kaspar (30) represented the Audit Committee with members Janie and David Bucek (151). Books were shown to all be in order with new forms being completed and presented to President Vanicek (24) to be taken to the Home Office.

SPJST President/CEO Vanicek (24) mentioned that artifacts are still being accepted for the Czech Heritage Museum. New forms are being used for donations, and donations can also be made to the museum store.

Discussion for a fall fun day site was presented – options being Czech Fest in La Grange in October, Victoria Czech Fest in September, and any other ideas to be presented to officers to determine a possible gathering place. The district officers will get together and let everyone know when and where.

DYC Lisa Bubela (30) introduced State Queen Brooke Bacak (30) who presented her winning speech. The District Six youth also had a cute program on sunshine and flowers. DYC Lisa (30) thanked everyone for attending and enjoying the activities. Decorated rocks were brought by the youth and will be taken to camp this summer.

Treasurer Marjorie Treumer (30) presented her financial report with approval from the Audit Committee. Ardis Bacak (40) made a motion to accept the report with a second by Cathy Garcia (40). The report was accepted.

DYC Lisa Bubela (30) reported that State Queen Brooke Bacak is from Lodge 30, Taiton. District Youth Counselors have met with the State Fraternal Director in regards to changes in the youth program. State Youth Showcase will be July 28 and 29 in Temple. Changes made from District to state only due to youth being very involved in other activities with school and sports.

Director Annie (4) took the floor and welcomed and thanked everyone for attending. She was so glad to see this wonderful crowd and representation of all the active lodges in the district. She stated she is still recovering from her fall and broken arm and appreciated all the thoughts and concerns that were sent her way. She especially thanked her hus-

band and the hosting lodges and district officers for being there to assist her since it was her right arm that was broken. She gave a big thank you to SPJST President/CEO Brian Vanicek (24) and State Fraternal Director Frank Horak (80) for coming today to visit with everyone and share information. Director Annie Vahalik (4) was so pleased with the lodges embracing the first quarter projects and supporting their local food banks. We need to continue with the projects upcoming and become more visible and active in our communities. Director Annie (4) appreciates all the work of the members and all the donations for raffle, silent auction, door prizes, and desserts. Director Annie (4) shared that Lodge 8, Weimar member Henrietta Veselka missed being in attendance.

District Six has had a good year, and SPJST celebrates 126 years in 2023. Success of SPJST is due to agents and members. All agents work for the state. SPJST is also welcoming new agents. If you know someone who may be interested, let the Home Office know or have them contact SPJST Vice President of Sales and Marketing Delisle Doherty. Director Annie also welcomed lodges that had not attended in a while. The next quarter project is Paws for a Cause, an animal shelter drive.

Director Annie (4) finished by thanking everyone for attending and supporting her. She is enjoying her position as District Six Director and looks forward to seeing members at their lodge meetings and socials. She is available to assist when needed.

President/CEO Vanicek (24) then presented lodge representatives with the new SPJST Lodge Operations Manual that had been approved at the previous Executive Committee meeting in January. Other topics presented were: as Director Annie (4) stated always looking for new agents; January 1 - new direction with the museum since it’s now under the Foundation - the first event was “Night at the Museum” to reestablish property as a community property. Director Annie (4) is a member of the Advisory Committee for the Museum. In February, the Home Office was working on reassigning inactive lodges. In District Six, Lodge 223, Palacios members and Lodge 240, Bay City members were reassigned.

President/CEO Brian Vanicek (24) continued stating the SPJST system is strong financially. This is based on our financial standing as far as reserves, in-

vestments, premiums, income, and planned expenses.

President Joe (4) welcomed Kathy Ahlstrom (32). She said she was pleased to see many familiar faces from her time with her husband as district director. Kathy (32) stated her grandson who is a United States Marine will be participating in the Boston Marathon on the following day. We all wished him well. She congratulated Joe Siptak (4) on his retirement from HEB after 50 years of service.

State Fraternal Director Frank Horak (80) reviewed the lodge incentive program. Packets were handed out with forms and information. FACs will need to make sure they go to spjst.org/gives to report lodge or community activity involvement. When entering information, it was suggested to host a social engagement activity with a meeting. Also, when reporting information, lodges must include a photo of the event and the sign-in sheet. If there are questions or assistance needed, please contact him. Reports will now be due on a quarterly basis.

Following Frank’s presentation, Johnny Hoffman (184) made a motion to adjourn the meeting which was seconded by Karen Kaspar (30). Motion passed. Meeting adjourned by President Joe Siptak (4) at 2:48 p.m. After adjournment, raffle prizes, door prizes, and silent auction items were presented. Fraternally, Elizabeth Holub (23) District Six Secretary —SPJST—

SPJST LODGE SECTION

The deadline for Věstník items is 5 p.m. on the first and third Mondays of each month.

Send your news and photos to:

SPJST Věstník Editor Melanie Zavodny

P.O. Box 100 Temple, Texas 76503

Email: vestnik@spjst.org

Online: spjst.org/news/submitarticle-photo

Questions? Call 800-727-7578

Lodge 4, Hallettsville plans June 11 social with lunch and games

Dear Members, Lodge 4, Hallettsville will meet Sunday, June 11, 2023, at Hallettsville Chamber Meeting Room at 3 p.m.

Members are asked to participate in and bring animal supplies for the Paws for a Cause animal shelter drive.

Games will be played and lunch served as usual.

Hope to see you there!^

Fraternally,

Patsy Zabransky, Reporter —SPJST—

Lodge 6, Cottonwood sets 125th annual picnic for July 16

President Don Urbanovsky opened the Sunday, May 7, 2023, meeting with 26 people in attendance – 18 adult members, five youth, and three guests. All officers were present. Youth members Aubrianna Dobecka and Quinlan Dobecka led the group with the Pledge of Allegiance and the SPJST pledge. Brother Don recognized the guests by name and welcomed them to Lodge 6.

Minutes of the last meeting were read by Sister Barbara Hykel, and Sister Peggy Dobecka provided the treasurer’s report. Both reports were approved by the members present.

FAC report was given by Sister Jeanette Beseda. Paws for a Cause is this quarter’s focus for donations to be given to a local animal shelter. Sister Jeanette

provided handouts of suggested supply items needed by shelters. Another lodge project discussed was appreciation letters written to Veterans for their service, with a projected July mailout. More SPJST activities were discussed. Keep checking your Vestnik for updates on fraternal activities.

Hall Manager Sister Peggy provided information on the lodge bookings for May and June. See page 38 of this Vestnik to review the upcoming events.

Youth Leader Sister Peggy provided an update on youth activities, Camp Kubena registration, and an upcoming summer trip to the coast for Lodge 6 youth members. The District Three Annual Meeting was hosted by Lodge 6 with 50 SPJST members from across the district attending. Thank you to Sister Irene Peterson and Sister Kim Seith for preparing a lovely lunch, and thank you to all members who donated desserts. During the district meeting, a rock painting contest was held, and two of our youth were awarded first and second place in two different age groups. Congrats to our youth - Quinlan and Aubrianna! Adult rock painting, judged the same day, had two Lodge 6 members awarded first and third places, Sister Barbara and Sister Patti, respectively.

Sister Barbara provided a report of correspondence mailed on behalf of the lodge. Sympathy cards were mailed to Beverly Williams, Steve Soukup, Mary Neckar, Eddie Ray Hrabal, and Irene Barber.

Annual Picnic—July 16

Prior to the lodge meeting, a trustee meeting was held to discuss our big fundraising event coming in July. Lodge 6 will hold its 125th annual lodge picnic on Sunday, July 16. Brother Don reported on the discussion about the picnic, raffle ticket donations, meal items

to prepare, and the cost of the meal. Volunteers for the preparations and managing the activities of the picnic are a very important part of the fundraising success. Please contact one of the lodge members noted above to see how you can help. Also, members of Lodge 6 will have raffle tickets for sale. Thanks, in advance, for supporting Lodge 6, Cottonwood.

Birthdays for May were Sister Jeanette and Sister Lou Blahuta. Sister Lou celebrated her milestone birthday, turning 95 years young on May 6. Wishing her many more years of good health and happiness. “Happy Birthday” was sung to these young ladies.

For the progressive door prize, the name of Kelly Reynolds was drawn, and she was not present. Attendance door prizes were awarded to Sister Irene, Sister Lou, and Sister Barbara.

Next Meeting—June 4

Brother Don announced that the next lodge meeting will be Sunday, June 4. A noon lunch will be served in honor of Father’s Day, followed by the 2 p.m. meeting. Come hear all about the plans for the lodge picnic!

Patti Rosales, Reporter

Happy May Birthdays, Lou and Jeanette of Lodge 6, Cottonwood!

Lodge 9, Snook to honor Milestone Members at June 4 reception

The May 3, 2023, meeting of SPJST Lodge 9, Snook was called to order by Vice President Marie Shelfer at 7:24 p.m. Caleb See and William See led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. A moment of silence was held for departed members Clifton Junek and Martha Royder. Roll of officers was called. Minutes from the April meeting were approved. Hall manager, communications, youth club, treasurer, and statewide reports were given. Motion was passed to accept new member Shanna McQuinn. We congratulated our scholarship recipients Caleb See and William See.

We will have a reception to honor our 50- and 75-year pin recipients on Sunday, June 4 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. – refreshments will be served.

Motion was passed to donate back the hall rental for Snook 4-H and the Masons.

The youth club will have a cemetery cleanup at 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 4 at Snook City Cemetery.

Meeting adjourned at 8:18 p.m.

Next Meeting—June 4

The next meeting will be at 1 p.m. on Sunday, June 4.

Fraternally, Hannah Kovar, Reporter —SPJST—

Lodge 24, Cyclone reports on May meeting

Lodge 24, Cyclone met on Monday, May 8, 2023, amid corn fields that are tasseling and wheat fields turning amber. We are taking in nature every day.

SPJST Leaders Attend American Fraternal Alliance Spring Symposium

Lodge 6, Cottonwood members celebrated May birthdays. Lou Blahuta, left, had a milestone birthday, turning 95 years young on May 6. Jeanette Beseda’s birthday was on May 21. Happy birthday, ladies!

—Patti Rosales, Reporter

President Brenda Maddux called the meeting to order with the Pledge of Allegiance and a silent prayer for our deceased members. Cathy Bruggman read the minutes from the last meeting, and they were approved. Brenda gave the finance report as the Wildes were on a cruise. The fraternal report was presented by Cathy Bruggman. She reported on many items including a trip to the State Fair of Texas and the Tyler Rose Festival on October 19 to 21. She also mentioned a trip to the Czech Re-

Pictured, left to right, SPJST Vice President of Sales and Marketing Delisle Doherty, State Fraternal Director Frank Horak, Controller Roy Vajdak, and Vice President of Communications Melanie Zavodny attended the 2023 American Fraternal Alliance Spring Symposium in Oak Brook, Illinois, on May 8 to 10. The event, attended by more than 150 fraternal representatives from throughout the United States and Canada, featured fraternal, marketing, and operations workshops and networking opportunities. Controller Vajdak was a presented at one of the workshops, “Operations Overhaul - Workflow and Other Process Enhancements.”

public from November 29 to December 11 for $3,615 per person, based on double occupancy. July 28 and 29 is the State Youth Showcase.

Old business was the roof, hall cleaning, water issues, basket raffles at the Vrazel tribute, and AED.

New business was kitchen help at the tribute as our members Cathy Bruggman and Kim Campbell will handle it. Toilets are to be installed. We are now accepting credit cards, and we set the charge for using them. Compliance reporting to TABC through AIMS.

The sick list includes Debbie Vrazel. Birthdays are Kim Campbell, Joseph Hoelscher, and Jennifer Hoelscher. Shirley and Jason Hoelscher have been married 17 years.

For the lodge, Bobby Hoelscher, Reporter —SPJST—

Lodge 25, Ennis invites all to enjoy Czech bands, dances, food on May 27 at hall

Dear Readers, SPJST Lodge 25, Ennis met Thursday, May 11, 2023. We honored Preston Sullivan and his parents, Bill and Lisa Sullivan. Preston is graduating from Ennis High School and will be attending Culinary Arts School in San Antonio. He received the Edward Marek scholarship from the SPJST Home Office in the amount of $1,000 and a $500 local SPJST Lodge 25 scholarship. Preston treated the members with a presentation of pictures pertaining to his involvement with the youth club. In keeping the tradition with mother Lisa, sister Paige, and brother Pierce, who all grew up in the youth program, Preston has been an active youth member his entire life. We are so proud of him and his accomplishments and have invited him to come back anytime to give us samples of foods he will be making and also to help out Betty!

In celebration of Cinco de Mayo, Betty prepared a meal for all of us con-

sisting of beef enchiladas, beans, and rice, and everyone enjoyed her homemade banana cake. Thank you to Betty!

The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Margaret. Prayers for those on the sick list including Adolph Novy and Freddie Livar. New member announced was Benjamin Slovak. All reports were accepted as given.

We discussed the upcoming National Polka Festival and the need for volunteers. If anyone can help, please give Arlene a call at 972-489-8274. Sponsored by SPJST Home Office is the King and Queen Dance Contest which will be held at KJT Hall on Friday, May 26 at 9 p.m. The dance contest was started in 1987 by Polka DJ Johnnie I. Krajca, and the Krajca family continues the tradition by facilitating the event that everyone looks forward to every year. Music will be provided by The Czechaholics.

SPJST Lodge 25’s doors will open Saturday, May 27 after the parade with Stribrnanka from Czechia playing from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Praha Brothers are playing from 1 to 3 p.m. From 4 to 7:30 p.m., you will hear Fritz Hodde and the Fabulous Six. Ending the day will be Ennis Czech Boys from 8:30 p.m. to 12 midnight.

Lodge 6 Cottonwood welcomes new member

Lodge 6, Cottonwood welcomes new member Miller Jade Morrison. She is the daughter of Traci and Michael Morrison. Her grandparents are Bobby and Peggy Dobecka.

—SPJST—

SPJST Lodge 25 members look forward to welcoming you on Saturday, May 27 to our hall to also enjoy delicious Czech barbecue prepared by Frankie Svehlak and homemade, fresh kolache and strudel made by our famous baker - Betty Macalik!

Next Meeting—June 8

The next meeting will be Thursday, June 8.

Fraternally yours, Margaret Krajca, Reporter —SPJST—

Lodge Karel Jonas, No. 28, East Bernard reports on March meeting

The next quarterly meeting of Lodge Karel Jonas, No. 28, East Bernard will be Sunday, June 4 at 12 noon at Riverside Hall in East Bernard. Attendees are asked to please bring animal food to be donated to the animal shelter for the Paws for a Cause community service project.^

Fraternally, Helen Kelner

Secretary/Reporter

—SPJST—

Lodge 29, Taylor partners with community on projects

Lodge 29, Taylor met on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, with President Ronnie Rieger leading the Pledge of Allegiance and having a moment of silence for our departed. All lodge officers were present. The April minutes were read and approved. Tammy Cannon gave the treasurer’s report.

We received a request from Friends of the Moody Museum for a donation to become a Friend of the Moody Museum. Adolph Grieger made a motion to donate $150, and Mikey Girod seconded. The motion passed. The state charity project for the second quarter is Paws for a Cause. We will donate to the Taylor Animal Shelter. Tammy Cannon made a motion to donate $200 to the shelter, and Scott Kaderka seconded. The motion passed. If members want to

Lodge 8, Weimar Members

Enjoy Social Luncheon

bring their own donations for the shelter, they would be welcome. Cars & Guitars is scheduled for Saturday, November 4 at Camp Kubena. Activities include classic cars, music, food, arts/crafts vendors, kids’ activities, and lots of family fun.

Jesse Pospisil reported the SPJST sign has been installed in front of the building. Jesse and Adolph have volunteered to clean fish at the SPJST Senior Living Center on Friday, May 19 for their annual fish fry for the residents. The open house at the Night at the Museum on Thursday, May 11 will feature the origin and evolution of the kolache. This event is from 5 to 7:30 p.m.

Members of Lodge 29 discussed changing our monthly meetings to bimonthly. Frankie Pustejovsky made a motion to submit a request to the SPJST Executive Committee to be considered to begin meeting bi-monthly, and Tammy Cannon seconded. Ronnie called for a show of hands in favor of making the change, and the majority ruled. We will send a letter to the Executive Committee for this request to be placed on the agenda and discussed in their July meeting. If approved, Lodge 29 will meet on even numbered months.

Cristy Girod, Lyn Rieger, and Adolph Grieger made up the Audit Committee. They met and audited the books, and everything looked fine.

Members celebrating May birthdays are Kathryn Adamek, Angie Malicoat, Tammy Miller, Bradyn Teat, and Brady and Sarah Pasemann. Wedding anniver-

saries are celebrated by Ronnie and Lyn Rieger (16 years on May 19) and Frankie and Mary Jane Pustejovsky (53 years on May 9).

Scott Kaderka brought door prizes. Cristy Girod volunteered to bring door prizes next month.

The meeting then adjourned.

Next Meeting—June 14

The next meeting will be Wednesday, June 14 at 6:30 p.m.

Fraternally submitted, Linda Pospisil Secretary/Reporter/FAC

—SPJST—

Lodge 39, Bryan invites members to attend special called meeting on Wednesday, May 24

Dear Members, Greetings!

On behalf of the officers of Lodge 39, Bryan, I invite you to attend a meeting at which lodge members will be voting to sell the lodge building and enabling the lodge to capitalize on the equity that exists in the property.

In accordance with SPJST operating procedures, a special called meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 24, 2023, at 1 p.m. to discuss, consider, and vote on the proposed sale. The meeting

Miller Jade Morrison

Members of Lodge 8, Weimar attend a social luncheon on Wednesday, May 3, 2023. Those present are, front, Melvin and Carolyn Tobola and, in back, Henrietta Veselka, left, and Becky Jares. Lunch and fellowship were enjoyed at Tulum Restaurant in Schulenburg. —Becky Jares

will take place at Carter’s Burger, located at 3105 South Texas Avenue 700 in Bryan. All adult members are encouraged to attend and to weigh in on the discussion.

SPJST District One Director Donnie Victorick and SPJST President/CEO Brian Vanicek will be in attendance.

In the event that members decide to sell, this will be a good opportunity for us to discuss our future going forward as a lodge. If you are unable to attend the meeting, you are invited to share your thoughts with us through email at binnieroesler@gmail.com; however, please note, in order to vote on the proposed transaction, it will be necessary for you to be in attendance at the meeting on May 24.

Thank you for your attention.^

Fraternally, Omer Everett, President —SPJST—

Lodge 39, Bryan encourages members to attend May 24 meeting

Dear Readers, Reminder: Lodge 39, Bryan will be holding a special meeting regarding the sale of its property on Wednesday, May 24, 2023, at Carter’s Burger, located at 3105 South Texas Avenue 700 in Bryan. The meeting will start at 1 p.m. Please note: You will need to pay for your own food and drink. Hope to see you there.^

Sincerely,

Binnie Matejka Roesler Reporter —SPJST—

Lodge 25, Ennis honors 2023 graduate Preston Sullivan

On Thursday, May 11, 2023, Lodge 25, Ennis honored Preston Sullivan and his parents, Bill and Lisa Sullivan. Preston is graduating from Ennis High School and will attend Culinary Arts School in San Antonio. He received the Edward L. Marek scholarship from SPJST in the amount of $1,000 as well as the $500 local SPJST Lodge 25 scholarship. Preston gave a presentation pertaining to his involvement with the youth club. In keeping the traditionwith mother Lisa, sister Paige, and brother Pierce who all grew up in the youth programPreston has been an active youth club member his entire life. We are so proud of him and his accomplishments and have invited him to come back anytime to give us samples of foods he will be making and to help out Betty!

—Margaret Krajca, Reporter

Lodge 49, Rowena hosts May 26-27 open house, membership drive

SPJST Lodge 49, Rowena will host an open house and membership drive with a free insurance review weekend on Friday, May 26 and Saturday, May 27, 2023, at the lodge hall, located at 609 South FM 2133 in Rowena.

Family, friends, and the public are all invited, too. The event is Friday, May 26 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday, May 27 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

We will be available to review your coverage, update your beneficiaries, and ensure your life insurance certificate information is still correct. Lost your policy? We can help!

Check out our annuities and credited rates:

1-Year Annuity 4.80%

2-Year Annuity 4.00%

3-Year Annuity 4.25%

5-Year Annuity 4.25%

Traditional and Roth IRAs 4.25%

Enjoy cookies, coffee, and other refreshments!

For more information, contact District Four Director Bobby Davis at 325-4503748 (call/text).^

—SPJST—

Lodge 47, Seaton invites all to June 4 picnic; seeks bake sale items

nated items. Thank you in advance for your donation. All proceeds will benefit the financial functions of the hall.

Come enjoy the polka jam beginning at 12 noon to 3 p.m. under the pavilion. The live auction follows.

We hope to see everyone at the picnic for a day of fun, food, and fellowship with friends!

Fraternally, Joyce Skrabanek —SPJST—

Lodge 25, Ennis welcomes new member

Lodge 25, Ennis and Sales Agent Margaret Krajca welcome new member Benjamin Allen Slovak.

Benjamin was born September 5, 2022, to proud parents Jason and Lauren (Zhanel) Slovak. Happy to welcome Benjamin to the family is his big brother, Arlie Joe.

All from Ennis are his maternal grandparents, Eddie and Debbie Zhanel, and his grandpa David E. Slovak who sponsored little Benjamin as a member.

High school graduate and youth club member Preston Sullivan receives recognition from Youth Leader Rita Holland.

The annual Lodge 47, Seaton Star Hall Picnic will be Sunday, June 4, 2023. Fried chicken and sausage with all the trimmings will be served for $12 per plate. Serving of plates will begin at 11 a.m. and will be available for dine-in or drive-thru until sold out.

The bake sale booth is seeking donations from members and friends of the hall. Donations like kolaches, cheese braids, strudels, cinnamon rolls, cobblers, homemade breads, pies, cakes, cookies, candies, and home canned pickles and jellies, etc. will be greatly appreciated. On the day of the picnic, beginning at 9 a.m., someone will be at the bake sale booth inside the hall to accept your do-

Welcome to SPJST Lodge 25, Benjamin! —SPJST—

Benjamin Allen Slovak

Members gather and listen to Preston’s presentation as his proud mother, Lisa Sullivan, looks on.

Lodge 25, Ennis welcomes new member

Lodge 25, Ennis welcomes new member William Ray Walker, son of Raychel and Austin Walker. William was born April 12, 2022, weighing in at 8 pounds, 4 ounces and was 21 inches long. He recently celebrated his first birthday and is getting so big! You can find him always trying to keep up with his big brother, Henry!

Maternal grandparents are Nana Marlene (Krajca) and the late Stephen Clark; maternal greatgrandparents are Margaret and the late Johnnie I. Krajca; paternal grandparents are Pat and Sandy Walker; and great-grandparents are Peter and Judith Slot and John H. Walker and the late Mary Jo Walker.

William comes from a long line of SPJST heritage. His great-greatgreat-grandmother, Francis Holub, was a charter member of SPJST. His great-great-grandparents Annie and Joe Martinek were faithful and active members of Lodge 25. His greatpopo Krajca was an SPJST sales agent for many years. William’s mother Raychel (Clark) reigned as 2006-2007 SPJST State Queen and is looking forward to William’s participation in SPJST activities. —SPJST—

Lodge 47, Seaton honors Milestone Members

The May 2023 meeting of SPJST Lodge 47, Seaton was held on Sunday, the 7th at 2:06 p.m., beginning with the presentation of the flags. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. Officers and board members answered roll call. There were two officers and three board members not present with four visitors present. The previous board minutes were read and approved.

President Brandon Bartek informed members that the tarok tournament was a success. He also talked about how there were 85 people attending the Czechaholics dance.

Vice President Danny Stepan mentioned that 40 people registered and played in the tarok tournament, and everyone had a great time. He personally thanked the lodge for letting us host it.

Brandon Bartek then gave the treasurer’s report.

Rick Beck recognized all of the mothers present, and door prizes would be drawn for these special women. He informed the lodge that the state youth camp registration has ended and that the Czech holiday tour is coming up. He mentioned to read the Vestnik for more details. He also talked about Night at the Museum on Thursday, May 11 at the Czech Museum in Temple. He informed the Lodge that Cars & Guitars is coming back to Camp Kubena in November. Lastly, Rick asked the members to please help with attending all meetings because we need help and support.

Amber Bartek reminded the lodge that Paws for the Cause is still happening with food and supplies being collected for the animal shelter. She reported that 10 youth members made dog toys out of old t-shirts at the youth meeting in order to donate. She also made the lodge aware that the youth club is slowly dying, and if you know anyone interested in joining, please let us know. For anyone who has not been attending activities, we would all love to have them return.

The bar report was briefed. A birthday, Rogers Prom, Wild Turkey event, tarok tournament, and dance totaled up to a profit of $1,685.

Picnic Help Needed

Under old business, picnic raffle tickets are still available to take and sale. Flyers are also available if anyone can help hang them around town. Chicken

Lodge 38, Kovar Supports Smithville FFA/4-H Stock Show participant

SPJST Lodge 38, Kovar was delighted to donate $300 towards the buyer group of fourth grader Bentley Swinney. Bentley showed rabbits on April 15, 2023, at Riverbend Park Show Barn in Smithville. In attendance were Lodge 38 officers Vice President Edwin Zimmerhanzel and Treasurer Donna Zimmerhanzel. The lodge received a very appreciative thank you from Miss Swinney: “Dear SPJST, Thank you so much for your generous donation towards my rabbits in this year’s stock show. Your donation will help me save for college and next year’s project. Thank you again for supporting me in the livestock auction.”

—Dana Bunte

will be cooked that Sunday morning, and volunteers are needed. Sausage making will be at 8 a.m. on Saturday, June 3 with James Skrabanek. Coleslaw making will be Sunday, May 28 at 1 p.m.

Under new business, Milestone Members (50- and 75-year) will be recognized after the meeting. SPJST President/CEO Brian Vanicek shared about the Night at the Museum event. It will be hosted every second Thursday of the month from 5 to 7:30 p.m. May’s night will be the Origin and Evolution of the Kolache. Czech Republic trip will be 12 days and 11 nights in Czech Republic. It is also during the Christmas Market days.

Under other business, May birthdays and anniversaries were recognized.

Door prizes were donated by SPJST President/CEO Brian Vanicek and District Two Director Jesse Pospisil and handed out to all ladies present. Congratulations to our winners!

The flags were retired, and the meeting adjourned at 2:40 p.m.

Next Meeting—June 5

The next meeting will be Monday, June 5 at Seaton Star Hall at 6:30 p.m. Fraternally,

Christopher Michael Ordogne Reporter

Lodge 54, West welcomes new members

The meeting of SPJST Lodge 54, West was held at St. Joseph Hall on Friday, March 3, 2023. The meeting was called to order at 7 p.m. by President Freddie Kaluza. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Freddie followed by a moment of silence in memory of departed members Naomi Ruth Scott, Jerry Kadlubar, Albina Matusek, Frankie Marek, and Johnnie Soukup who had passed away since our last meeting. All officers and sales agents were present for this meeting except sales agent Jean Martin. In attendance were 12 members and two guests. We welcomed guests SPJST District Three Director John Engelke and wife Diana.

Minutes of the last meeting were read by Janice Kaluza. Mary Lou Mynar made a motion to accept the minutes, and Marcela Vaculik seconded the motion. Motion passed. The FAC report was given by Linda Kaluza. She said it was National Good Samaritan Day on Monday, March 13 and some of the ideas were to call your mom, pick up the tab for a stranger, make cookies for someone, offer to pay for someone’s meal in a drive-through at a fast food place, etc. The District Three Annual Meeting is Sunday, April 23 at Lodge 6,

William Ray Walker

Cottonwood. The 100 Pennies Scholarship Fund Drive will continue through March 31, and there is a March Caring Challenge with making a design using 100 pennies or a dollar bill to be donating to the SPJST Scholarship Fund. You can submit your photo online of your creative design. Registration is now open for Camp Kubena in Ledbetter with the session from Wednesday, June 21 to Sunday, June 25. The cost is $335 which includes a non-refundable registration fee. If you need any further information, call SPJST Home Office for details. Janice Kaluza made a motion to accept the FAC Report, and Marvin Cepak seconded the motion. Motion passed.

Mary Lou Mynar gave the treasurer’s report. Wilburn Willis made a motion to accept the treasurer’s report, and Linda Kaluza seconded the motion. Motion passed.

We welcomed new members Zachary Thomas Kaluza, Pierson Lynn Vrana, and Beckham Zahirniak, sold by agent Janice Kaluza, and Steve Burt, sold by agent Jean Nicole Martin. We also had Bernard and Lucy Pustejovsky transfer from Lodge 66 to Lodge 54. Their new product purchase was sold by agent Freddie Kaluza. Mary Lou Mynar made a motion to accept our new members, and Herman Matus seconded the motion. Motion passed.

In old business, President Freddie Kaluza reported we had a good turnout for the 2022 Christmas party with a meal count of 273 plates. He said it was a great success, and the Junior Historian dancers did a great job. A plaque was presented to the family of Jan Vaculik for his 50 years of dedicated service to the lodge as Czech reporter. Marcela Vaculik thanked everyone for this great honor and gave a report on the health of her husband. She would like for all to keep him in prayers.

Milestone Members

In new business, we will be honoring Lodge 54’s Age 96 members — Raymond Matus and Marguerite Kasik. We will also honor our 75-year and 50-year members with a meal prepared by Still Smokin BBQ and a pin presentation at our next meeting on Friday, June 2 for all who have faithfully remained a member throughout the years. President Freddie Kaluza also reported he had sent out 17 letters to students eligible to apply for a scholarship which will be awarded in May. Secretary Janice Kaluza read a letter of thanks from the Jun-

Marguerite (Haisler) Kasik of Lodge 54, West attains Grand Age of 96

SPJST congratulates Sister Marguerite (Haisler) Kasik who celebrated her 96th birthday on March 14, 2023.

Sister Kasik now receives all SPJST benefits with no further dues or assessments.

Marguerite was born in Burleson County, Texas, on March 14, 1927, to William and Rosalie (Zalmanek) Haisler. Her siblings include Norman Haisler, Nelson Haisler, and William Haisler (all deceased). Her sister-inlaw is Rosemary Haisler.

Marguerite married John Kasik, Sr. in Caldwell Brethren Church on December 26, 1948. The couple was blessed with children Sylvia (Kasik) Niemeyer (Nina); John Kasik, Jr. (Mona); Cynthia (Kasik) Cochburn; and Teresa (Kasik) Orr; 14 grandchildren; 22 great-grandchildren; and 10 great-great-grandchildren.

Marguerite is a retired seamstress and farmer’s wife. She still wears many hats - mom, grandmother, greatgrandmother, and great-great-grandmother!

She enjoys quilting, polkatime, television game shows, word searches, and watching Perry Mason

ior Historians and a letter from SPJST Controller Roy Vajdak in reference to the Lodge Enhanced Premium Refund for 2022.

Mary Lou Mynar reported Ronnie Kaluza and Marcela Vaculik audited the books, and all was in order. Wilburn Willis made a motion to accept the audit report, seconded by Janice Kaluza. Motion passed.

Terry Sefcik made a motion to adjourn the meeting, seconded by JoAnn Matus. The prayer was led by Janice Kaluza in English and Marcela Vaculik in Czech. A cake was brought for the birthdays since the last meeting which were Freddie Kaluza, Mary Lou Mynar, Herman Matus, Marvin Cepak, John Engelke, and Wilburn Willis. Door prizes of $20 each were awarded to Marcela Vaculik and JayDean Willis. We all enjoyed food and fellowship together before the meeting.

Marguerite has been a part of donating more than 2,000 quilts to Waco hospitals, Brookhaven Boys Ranch, Homeless CPS, and making patriotic quilts for veterans and volunteer fire departments in the area.

Again, we congratulate Sister Marguerite Kasik on attaining the Grand Age of 96. Thank you, Sister Kasik, for your longtime membership in SPJST. Heartfelt wishes for good health and happiness.

—SPJST—

Next Meeting—June 2

The next meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 2 at St. Joseph Hall.

Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. —1 John 4:16

Fraternally, Janice Kaluza, Reporter —SPJST—

Lodge 67, Schulenburg members gathering for meeting, meal

Members of Lodge 67, Schulenburg held their quarterly meeting on Thursday, May 4, 2023, at Pete’s Café in Schulenburg. A tasty meal was enjoyed by all, followed by a business meeting. Members attending were Officers Ernest and Mary Ann Kutac and Adrienne Kobza, guests Arline and Elmer Ulrich and Vanessa Kutac.

Adrienne Kobza Vice President/Treasurer —SPJST—

Lodge 80, Holland honors 75-year member

Dear Members and Friends, Lodge 80, Holland held its bimonthly meeting on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, at The Hall on 2268 honoring the ladies for Mother’s Day with a chicken fried steak and trimmings dinner catered by Oscar Store.

President Rita Spinn called the meeting to order and led the Pledge of the Allegiance and prayer. Afterward, everyone enjoyed the delicious meal before the meeting continued.

Secretary Linda Hill’s and Treasurer Joyce Martinets’ printed minutes and treasury report were approved by the membership after a motion by Connie Horak, seconded by Shirley Liles, to accept both reports.

Thanks were received from the Leonard Janke family for the donation to St. John Lutheran Church; SPJST Home Office for donations from the lodge to the 100 Pennies Scholarship Fund Drive in remembrance of members Remke and Vanicek; and Holland ISD for a scholarship donation.

New members David Patterson and Riley May Voight were accepted by the membership on a motion by Michelle Taylor, seconded by Lewis “Buddy” Wald.

District Two Director Jesse Pospisil and wife Linda joined us with Jesse giving an update on upcoming events.

Joe Liles made a motion, seconded by Connie Horak, to help sponsor a function by St. Stephen Catholic Church of Salado from the bingo account.

Monica McDougall moved to purchase a new bingo machine with two installment payments. The motion, seconded by Victoria Zajicek, passed.

Michelle Taylor moved to sponsor a Mother’s Day dance at The Hall on 2268 with all ladies in attendance receiving free admission; seconded by Lewis “Buddy” Wald. Motion passed.

President Spinn recognized Jewel Wolf as the senior mother in attendance with a special gift. It was wonderful to see Jewel at the meeting.

Our 75-year member Eugene Pavlat and wife Charlene were in attendance with Eugene speaking about things he helped his dad with in his young days at the lodge. It was great to see you both at the meeting.

The lodge held Cinco de Mayo bingo the first Thursday night of May and will have Mother’s Day bingo this week with special gifts to all in attendance.

Those in attendance celebrating birthdays were Jewel Wolf, Janie Luna, Delvin Tschoerner, Silveria Tschoerner, Joyce Martinets, and Bethany Zajicek.

Anniversary celebrants were Jim and Monica McDougall, Scott and Michelle Taylor, and Delvin and Silveria Tschoerner.

Door prizes were donated by Monica McDougall, Joyce Martinets, Joe Liles, Silveria Tschoerner, Rita Spinn, and Jesse and Linda Pospisil. Thomas and Bethany Zajicek drew out all the

Lodge 80, Holland members support KC event in Salado

Lodge 81, Needville presents summertime Family Trivia Nights

Tease your brain, have good family fun, and win cash prizes this summer at SPJST Lodge 81, Needville Hall! Lodge 81 presents Family Trivia Nights on Wednesday, May 24; Wednesday, June 28; and Wednesday, July 27.

Grab dinner at the food truck. Eat inside while you play or watch. Drinks and snacks will be on sale inside the hall. Cost is $25 per team - six players max - school-age children count (preK and under are free of charge).

Come on out for a fun, family time! Fraternally, Kristen Jones —SPJST—

winners.

Motion by Connie Horak, seconded by Janie Luna, for adjournment passed.

Next Meeting—July 11

The next meeting is Tuesday, July 11. Fraternally, Frank Pajestka, Jr. Vice President/FAC —SPJST—

Lodge 81, Needville to join hands with groups to prepare lunch for seniors

Lodge 81, Needville will join hands with Catholic Life Insurance, Woodmen of the World, KJZT, KJZT Juniors, St. Michael’s Altar Society, Girl Scouts, and Knights of Columbus on Friday,

Scenes from Lodge 54, West Meeting and Social

Friday, March 3, 2023

St. Joseph Hall in West

Submitted by Janice Kaluza, Secretary

LEFT PHOTO: March birthday celebrants are, left to right, John Engelke, Herman Matus, Wilburn Willis, Mary Lou Mynar, Freddie Kaluza, and Marvin Cepak.

RIGHT PHOTO: Lodge 54 President Freddie Kaluza leads the meeting.

LEFT PHOTO: District Three Director John Engelke and wife Diana.

PHOTO 2: From left are John Vaculik, Terry Sefcik, and Marcela Vaculik.

PHOTO 3: Enjoying dinner and a nice visit are, left to right, Freddie Ka-

luza, Herman and JoAnn Matus, and Janice Kaluza. RIGHT PHOTO: Mary Lou Mynar, Linda Kaluza, Marvin Cepak, and Wilburn Willis chat and enjoy the delicious meal.

SPJST Lodge 80, Holland members support the Knights of Columbus of St. Stephen Catholic Church in Salado by joining in the fun at their Cinco de Mayo celebration on Friday, May 5, 2023. A delicious meal was served, and joyful musical entertainment was presented. Lodge members attending were Nancy and Gil Raemsch, pictured in front, Joe and Shirley Liles, center, and Frank and Risa Pajestka.

Monday, May 22, 2023

June 30, 2023, to prepare and serve a hamburger lunch to seniors at Senior Site at Immanuel Church in Needville, Texas. All seniors are invited to attend. Come early to play dominoes and bingo.

—SPJST—

Lodge 88, Houston dances off to successful start in 2023

Dances are off to a successful start at SPJST Lodge 88, Houston in 2023. So far, more than 2,000 people have visited Lodge 88 from near and far to hear live music and gather with friends. Our most recent dance was attended by 600 guests and featured country/western music from the Telstars. We are grateful for the support we have received thus far, and hope to see y’all at future dances. Check out lodge88.org for our 2023 schedule, and make plans to join us at these upcoming dances:

Sunday, June 4

Czechaholics and Mark Halata and Texavia

1 to 6 p.m.

Saturday, June 24 Yelba’s Variety Band

7:30 to 11 p.m.

Friday, July 14 Fab 5

8 to 11:30 p.m.

Sunday, August 27 Chris Rybak

2 to 6 p.m.

Fraternally, Mary Hoffman Entertainment Chair —SPJST—

Lodge 88, Houston Homecoming/Splashday set for June 4

Come home to Lodge 88! It’s Homecoming/Splashday on Sunday, June 4, 2023, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The day’s schedule is:

11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Czech Orchestra performance

11 to 11:45 a.m.

Free dance lesson

12 to 2 p.m.

Lunch

1 to 6 p.m.

Battle Dance inside with the Czechaholics and Mark Halata and Texavia

Pool will be open to members. Preorder kolaches from Bubbie’s Kolache Kitchen and Bakery.

Visit our website www.lodge88.org to purchase tickets for all events and to pre-order kolaches.

Fraternally, Mary Hoffman Entertainment Chair —SPJST—

Lodge 91, San Jacinto meets

June 9

Lodge 91, San Jacinto will hold its second quarterly meeting at Chick-fil-A in Crosby, Texas, on Friday, June 9, 2023, at 2 p.m.

We hope to see you there!

Vonda Smesny Secretary —SPJST— Lodge

142, Houston meets

June 11

Dear Readers,

Hoping everyone had a wonderful Mother’s Day. Just a friendly reminder that the next lodge meeting will be on the second Sunday, June 11, 2023.

Have a great day!

Fraternally yours, Elizabeth Hermis Secretary

—SPJST—

Lodge 80, Holland hosts Bingo with Cinco de Mayo theme

SPJST Lodge 80, Holland recognized Cinco de Mayo a day early on Thursday, May 4, 2023, at bingo. To commemorate the day, Lodge 80 donated and distributed packages of Doritos to all the bingo patrons.

Lodge 80 President Rita Spinn and member Michelle Taylor pictured here hand out the Doritos. The bingo players seemed delighted with their treats.

Fraternal Activities Coordinator Frank Pajestka stated that May 4 was the National Day of Prayer; he asked member Buddy Wald to lead lodge members and all in attendance at bingo in a prayer for the occasion. After the prayer, everyone recited the Pledge of Allegiance.

One particular group of bingo players was quite moved by the prayer, pledge, and packs of treats during the evening. Their charming Bingo Squad shirts and pleasant conversation led us to tell them about SPJST, our fraternal activities, insurance, etc. RIGHT PHOTO: They are. left to right, Sandy Bronte, Spring Wallace, Brent Malaer, and Jeanette Malaer. Incidentally, some of the Squad won bingos that night, too!

Lodge 80, Holland Celebrates Mothers at Bingo

On Thursday, May 11, 2023, Lodge 80, Holland hosted Mother’s Day Bingo. All the patrons were given a new bingo dabber and a pack of cookies to honor the occasion. Everyone is a mom, has/had a mom, or took care of someone like a mom. Happy Mother’s Day to all! Pictured are some of our

LEFT PHOTO: President Rita Spinn hands out bags of Doritos in celebration of Cinco de Mayo. PHOTO 2: Michelle Taylor also passes out Doritos. PHOTO 3: Buddy Wald leads everyone in prayer. RIGHT PHOTO: Bingo players joining in prayer.

TOP RIGHT PHOTO: Angie Hernandez and Silveria Tschoerner prepare the treats for distribution. LEFT PHOTO: Silveria Tschoerner hands out treats. CENTER PHOTO: Rita Spinn helps distribute treats. RIGHT PHOTO: Michelle Taylor helps with the treats. Everyone seemed very pleased with their treats!

dedicated bingo workers distributing the treats. —Risa Pajestka

Lodge 151, Wharton meets June 12

SPJST Lodge 151, Wharton will hold its quarterly meeting and social on Monday, June 12, 2023, at Wharton Depot Museum, located at 100 Sunset Street in Wharton.

A light meal will be served at 6:30 p.m. Please RSVP by Thursday, June 8 to Carolyn Bucek at 979-532-1910 or Janie Bucek at 979-532-5884 if you plan to attend.

SPJST’s second quarter challenge is Paws for a Cause, which is an animal shelter drive. Friends of Wharton, Texas, Animal Control (FOWAC) is always in need of dry dog and cat food. Members are encouraged to bring dry dog and cat food to the meeting that will be donated to FOWAC. Any help you can give this organization will be greatly appreciated. In addition, Tria Svatek will give a talk on “Medicaid Eligibility for Nursing Homes.” Tria is the admissions di-

Jack Pittinger receives Larry W. Pflughaupt SPJST Scholarship

rector for Southbrooke Manor and Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Edna and the Port Lavaca Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Port Lavaca. She is also a member of Lodge 151. Members with birthdays in April, May, and June will be honored. We hope you can attend.^

Fraternally, Janie Bucek Secretary/FAC —SPJST—

Lodge 172, Pasadena meets June 14

Members of Lodge 172, Pasadena are invited to the quarterly meeting on Wednesday, June 14, 2023, at 6 p.m. at Peppers Steak and Seafood, located at 3604 Fairmont Parkway in Pasadena. Make plans to attend our dinner meeting by contacting Jerry Dressler at 512551-9009.

Fraternally, Jerry Dressler, President —SPJST—

Lodge 177, Academy hosts Jerry Haisler dance on June 24

Lodge 177, Academy invites all to a dance on Saturday, June 24, 2023, with Jerry Haisler and The Melody 5. Doors open at 5 p.m., and the band plays from 7 to 11 p.m. Admission is $10 per person. Kids ages 12 and under will be admitted free of charge.

Academy SPJST 177 is located at 711 East Rio Poco in Academy, Texas. Come on out for a fun evening of dancing and music!

Penny Rowe, FAC/Reporter

—SPJST—

Lodge 80,

Holland Members Enjoy Catered Meal with May Meeting

On Tuesday, May 9, 2023, Lodge 80, Holland hosted its bi-monthly meeting at The Hall on 2268. A delicious meal, catered by Oscar Store, was served in honor of Mother’s Day. Pictured here are the contented members listening to the meeting, enjoying a great meal of chicken fried steak with all the sides, and waiting for the door prizes to be announced.

It was a pleasure to have District Two Director Jesse Pospisil and his lovely wife, Linda, attend as seen in the pictures and 75year member Eugene Pavlat and his lovely wife, Charlene.

Jewell Wolf received a special prize for being the oldest mother attending.

—Risa Pajestka

It was an amazing honor and privilege to attend Lodge 88, Houston member Jack Pittenger’s award night on Thursday, May 11, 2023. I was able to personally present the SPJST Larry W. Pflughaupt scholarship to Jack for his outstanding academic achievements. This evening was so special as Jack is Larry’s great-nephew. Congratulations, Jack. Looking forward to seeing you meet your life goals.

—Dorothy Pflughaupt

LEFT: Victoria Zajicek and Sara Zajicek enjoy the evening. Joyce Martinets chooses a door prize. Rita Spinn chooses a prize. Delvin Tschoerner has chosen his prize. RIGHT: Frank Pajestka helps members Thomas Zajicek and Bethany Zajicek with the door prize tickets.

LEFT: Top left, Mary Davis and Pete Coker enter as Linda Hill and Rita Spinn look on. Lorianne Bland and her assistant from Oscar Store prepare the meal. Bottom, members chat while waiting for more to arrive. RIGHT: Top, members enjoy fellowship. Monica McDougall, Michelle Taylor, and Faith Clay enjoy fellowship at the meeting. Bottom, Jesse and Linda Pospisil get their meals as the line progresses.

Left to right, District Two Director Jesse Pospisil, Charlene Pavlat, 75-year member Eugene Pavlat, and Lodge 80 President Rita Spinn.

Lodge 183, Arlington meeting to address sale of property

Dear Members of Lodge 183, Arlington, Please make plans to attend a special called meeting of SPJST Lodge 183, Arlington on Monday, June 5, 2023, at 6 p.m. at the lodge building, located at 3100 Pleasant Valley Lane in Arlington. The purpose of this meeting will be to communicate the April 17 decision of the SPJST Board of Directors to sell the lodge building on the basis of financial concerns associated with the property. All adult members are encouraged to attend. This will also be an opportune time to discuss ideas for the post-sale future of Lodge 183, Arlington.

If you are unable to attend the meeting, you are invited to share your thoughts with us through email at info@spjst.org. Thank you for your kind attention and for your input.^

Fraternally, Brian Vanicek SPJST President/CEO —SPJST—

Lodge 92, Fort Worth Ladies Circle presents May meeting scenes

Lodge 187, Round Rock collects items for children’s home

We discussed landscaping since lots of the trees were damaged earlier this year. It looks like most are coming back very vibrant.

We all would like to give a big yay! to Connie Hoelscher of Round Rock for reaching 50 years of SPJST membership.

Thank you all for the wonderful potluck.

Super sorry that I forgot to send out the April birthdays. Happy April belated birthdays to Lori Sexton, Jena Pachicano, Jordan Pachicano, Luke McCarthy, Greg McCarthy, Linda Lindholm, Jennifer Lilley, Pamela Leschber, Derek Klaus, Gregory Kasper, Raymond Jones, Madelynn Johnson, Thomas

Holan, Eugene Henderson, Ryan Gola, Peggy Deck, Adam Crawford, Cristi Calcote, Jennifer Bowman, Jason Bowman, Colton Barron, Travis Ries, and Talon Bartz.

Happy May birthdays to Dana Alexander, Stephanie Wielder, Julie Vinton, Lance Rohlack, Wilma Peterson, Lance Thornton, Marty McLaughlin, Joy Leschber, Patricia Leonhard, Chris Lamb, Michael Krueger, Roy Krienke, Kimberly Krienke, Christopher Johnson, Matthew Kiley, Blaine Kanak, Jose Gonzalez, Ross Giesenschlag, Marla Gainer, Roland Ramsey, Genevieve Bujnoch, Karen Leschber, and Stephanie Leschber.

The lodge youth joined hands with Star Ranch Community and delivered some needed items to Helping Hands Children’s Home. We collected items for babies and toddlers along with some new teddy bears.

Lodge 142, Houston Members enjoy district five spring social

Next Gathering—June 11

The next gathering will be Sunday, June 11. Hope to see you all! Blessings and well wishes to all, Jennifer McCarthy Youth Coordinator/Reporter/ Financial Secretary

—SPJST—

Lodge 191, Lufkin meets June 5

Lodge 191, Lufkin will meet Monday, June 5, 2023, at 1:30 p.m. at Catfish King in Lufkin.

—SPJST—

Lodge 202, Jourdanton to meet, eat June 4

Lodge 202, Jourdanton will meet Sunday, June 4, 2023, at 1 p.m. for its quarterly meeting. The meeting will be held at Jourdanton Community Center, located at 1101 Campbell Avenue in Jourdanton. Agenda will include regular business items and reports. There will be sandwiches, chips, dips, and cookies furnished by the lodge. There will be a drawing for door prizes.

Hope to see you there.

Fraternally, Valerie Barta, Secretary

—SPJST—

Lodge 142, Houston members attended and participated in the District Five Spring Social (annual meeting) held Sunday, April 30, 2023, at Lodge 88, Houston. LEFT PHOTO: Pictured are, from left, Jack Manchack, Elizabeth Hermis, Pat Schleider, District Five Director Bradley Stavinoha, Dennis Hermis,

Catherine Manchack, and Keith Keischnick. PHOTO 2: Pat and Bob Schleider. PHOTO 3: Brent and Braelyn Muzny win first place in the kite contest. RIGHT

PHOTO: SPJST Territory Manager Kerry Herrington holds grandson Wyatt Muzny.

—Pat Schleider, FAC

LEFT PHOTO: May hostesses, left to right, Delores Rooney, Jeanne O’Connor, Glenda Irby, and Patti Williams. PHOTO 2: Shirley Martin won the raffle for the Mother’s Day basket. PHOTO 3: Members celebrating

birthdays in May are Jeanne O’Connor and JuDawn Potter. RIGHT PHOTO: James Farek, longtime member of SPJST Lodge 92, Fort Worth, celebrated his 85th birthday. —Lisa Ellsworth

Lodge 258, Seguin next meeting Sunday, June 11

Lodge 258, Seguin will hold its next meeting on Sunday, June 11 at 1 p.m. at Rocket Wings, 380 North Highway 123 Bypass, in Seguin. Mark this information on your calendar and please make plans to join us.^

★ Reunions ★ ★

Reunion notices are published at no charge and as a benefit to SPJST members. First-run announcements may be edited to fit the space. Thereafter, until the week prior to the reunion date - as space permits - notices will be run in an abbreviated form. Please include your SPJST lodge number/lodge name, and your contact phone number. Thank you.

June 3

Kelner family - Descendants of Anton and Alouise Jancak Kelner—at American Legion Hall in East Bernard. Reunion contacts: President William Kelner 979-533-1950; Vice President Donnie Kelner 979-310-3245; Secretary Helen Kelner 830-490-0664; Treasurer Joey Pitman 281-236-7652. Submitted by Helen Kelner, Lodge 28, East Bernard.

June 12

Vajdak family—at SPJST Lodge 9, Snook. For information, call Carla 979-229-3630. Submitted by Carla Welch, Lodge 9, Snook. —SPJST—

“Freedom . . . guard it with your life, America,” often warned well-known Texas Gulf Coast fraternalist and late SPJST Lodge 40, El Campo-Hillje member Karel Matejka, Sr. of El Campo, Texas.

Karel was only 16 years old when the Vimperk, Sumava, Czechoslovakian Freedom Fighter was imprisoned by the Nazis following Germany’s occupation of the Sudentenland at the beginning of World War II.

He spent almost eight years of his youth as a forced laborer in Hitler’s infamous concentration camps.

He was freed in 1946 by General George S. Patton’s United States Army and returned to his Czechoslovakian homeland where he opened a bakery and grocery store.

Karel became outspokenly critical of Post War Russian-imposed Communism that was being forced on the freedom-loving Czechs. Czechoslovakia’s pre-World War II democratic government had been patterned after the United States of America.

After learning in 1948 that his business was to be nationalized by the Communists and the impending threat of imprisonment again “as an enemy of the State,” Karel and his wife, Gizela, escaped overnight to western Germany.

Bishop John L. Morkovsky learned of their plight as displaced European refugees and arranged for the Matejkas to come to Houston in 1950 under the National Catholic Refugees Program.

Karel and his wife were warmly welcomed into the greater Houston American-Czech community including the old SPJST Lodge 88, Houston on Studewood Drive. He was active in the Houston Sokol movement and other benevolent Slavic organizations such as Western Fraternal Life.

The gifted singer and musician had a vast repertoire of authentic Czech folk songs. The accomplished accor-

dionist and drummer also loved to polka dance. He formed a Houston band which played at many special celebrations including a downtown El Campo street dance and “All Nations Festival” in 1962 when the city became “Capital of Texas for 24 hours” as designated by “Governor-for-a-Day” Culp Krueger, President Pro Tempore of the Texas Senate at that time and owner of KULP Radio and the El Campo Leader-News-Svoboda.

A member of the SPJST Lodge 88 Choral Group and Drama Club, he was cast in major roles of many Czech language divadlos — theatrical presentations including operettas such as Kmoch’s “Muziky, Muziky” and other entertaining Czechoslovakian dramas and comedies staged at Lodge 88 and in other Texas communities.

Karel was honored in 1999 as one of the founders of the Saints Cyril and Methodius Slavic Heritage Festival, which is one of Houston’s oldest ethnic festivals.

He often expressed his worry that many Americans are apathetic about the precious liberty he and his wife finally enjoyed in Texas.

“We must pay attention or one day, we may lose our freedom here,” cautioned Karel on July 4, 2003, when he single-handedly staged an Independence Day event in El Campo after learning no local public observance was scheduled.

One of his happiest days was on November 12, 1958, when he became a naturalized United States citizen. His Czech citizenship had been revoked by the Communists, but President Vaclav Havel re-instated it in 2000 so Karel held dual citizenship during his final years.

Karel passed away on Friday, June 2, 2006, on his 83rd birthday.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally submitted by Chuck and Joanna Schwartzkopf of Lodge 40, El CampoHillje. “Karel was a very dear person who went through a lot for his freedom,” says Lodge 88, Houston member Mary Krippner who asks that the article be rerun around Independence Day. “We often don’t value freedom as much as we should. I love America, and I treasure Brother Karel’s values.”

“Pay attention . . . or we may lose our freedom.”

Karel Matejka

Explore

Are all flamingos pink?

Flamingos that live in the wild have at least a little pink. That color comes from pigments in the foods that flamingos eat. If a flamingo is kept away from its natural foods, it will slowly lose the pigments. Then it will be white. In zoos, flamingos eat a special diet that contains pigments to give them their famous color.

How do fish gills work?

Gills do the same job for fish that lungs do for many other kinds of animals, including humans. Animals need to take in oxygen gas for the chemical reaction that powers their bodies. They also need to throw out carbon-dioxide gas, which is a waste product of that reaction. Lungs take oxygen from the air and send carbon dioxide out through the air. Gills take oxygen out of the water and let water carry away carbon dioxide. Fish force water

through their gills, where it flows past lots of tiny blood vessels. Oxygen seeps through the walls of those vessels into the blood, and carbon dioxide seeps out.

Why do heights make us dizzy?

Many scientists who study this sensation of “height vertigo” think that it’s about balance.

Three systems in the body work to balance us: the eyes, sensors in the feet and legs, and sensors in the inner ear. When the signals the brain gets from these systems “agree,” we feel balanced.

But sometimes the signals conflict. As we stand up high, our eyes can’t report the ground’s position accurately. When the brain can’t match up signals from the different systems, it has trouble knowing which information to trust. As a result, we may feel dizzy and disoriented.

https://kidsactivityzone.com/kool-aid-oobleck/ —SPJST—

Flag Day Fun Facts

Flag Day is not an official federal holiday, but it is celebrated every year on June 14 in parades and festivals to honor the American Flag. President Woodrow Wilson set June 14 as Flag Day in 1916, but it has never been passed as a holiday by Congress.

★ Flag Day occurs on June 14 every year, but it is not an official federal holiday.

★ Even though it is not a federal holiday, many cities and towns hold festivals and parades to honor the American Flag.

★ Flag Day was originally the celebration of the adoption of United States Flag.

★ The first flag was adopted on December 3, 1775. It was the only flag in U.S. history to have no stars. (It had 13 stripes and a field of crossed bars where the stars are now.) ● The flag once had 15 stripes. (The star-spangled banner that flew over Fort McHenry and inspired the national anthem was a 15stripe flag).

★ In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson is recorded as officially setting June 14, as Flag Day. Even with Wilson’s act, on a federal level the holiday was not passed by Congress.

★ The design of the American flag was not made official until 1912. At that time, a governmental order adopted the current design.

★ The nickname for the American flag is the Stars and Stripes.

★ The 13 stripes on the flag represent the 13 original colonies. The colors of

2023 SPJST HOLIDAY TOUR CZECH REPUBLIC

LEAVING TEXAS NOVEMBER 29 - RETURNING TO TEXAS DECEMBER 11

PACKAGE INCLUDES: ROUNDTRIP AIRFARE*

11 NIGHTS HOTEL

PRIVATE BUS FOR DURATION OF TOUR CZECH-SPEAKING GUIDE

BREAKFAST DAILY AT HOTEL

11 ADDITIONAL MEALS INCLUDED TOUR AND ENTRANCE FEES

Per Person in a Double Room: $3615

Per Person in a Single Room: $4046

NON-MEMBERS, PLEASE ADD $100 PER PERSON.

LIMITED AVAILABILITY! TO RESERVE YOUR SPACE, GO TO SPJST.ORG AND FOLLOW THE SPJST HOLIDAY TOUR LINK!

Accompany your SPJST friends and family for an amazing and spirited holiday experience in the Czech Republic! Itinerary includes the following locales: LIDICE: Monument and Museum

• KUTNA HORA: Sedlec Ossuary, Cathedral of Saint Barbara and King’s Palace

• KARLOVY VARY: Becherovka Museum, Natural Springs, Museum of Glass Moser • PILSEN: Great Synagogue, Saint Bartholomew’s Cathedral, Pilsner Urquell Brewery • CESKY KRUMLOV: Christmas Market and City Tour, Holasovice Baroque Farming Village • ZNOJMO Vineyards and Wine Tasting, Underground Labyrinth, HRUSKY (Tentatively Scheduled City Welcome), VELEHRAD: Basilica Tour • VIZOVICE: Jelinek Distillery Tour • ROZNOV: Wallachian Open Air Museum • Radhost Mountains

• TROJANOVICE • FRENSTAT: Muzeum Frenstat • HOSTYN: Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady • PRAGUE: Prague Castle, St. Vitus Cathedral, Old Town Square, Christmas Market, Performance at the Estates Theater (Tentatively Scheduled).

*PACKAGE INCLUDES ROUNDTRIP AIRFARE FROM GEORGE BUSH INTERCONTINENTAL AIRPORT IN HOUSTON. Price without air is the package price less $700. If anyone chooses to do their own flight, they should plan to arrive and depart at the same time as the group in order to get on the transportation. If they are unable to arrive at the same time, it will be up to the individuals to catch up with the tour at the hotel.

the stripes - red and white - stand for the courage and purity of our nation. The stars stand for the 50 separate, but united States of our nation.

★ Over the past years the flag has changed 27 times. The last change was on July 4, 1960 to include the 50th state - Hawaii.

https://kidskonnect.com/holidays-seasons/flag-day/ —SPJST—

In Memoriam

In Memory of Leona Turner

Leona Alois Turner took her first breath in Heaven on Saturday, April 1, 2023, at the age of 95.

Visitation was at 10 a.m., Thursday, April 6 at Grimes Funeral Chapels of Kerrville; services followed at 11 a.m. Burial followed at Garden of Memories.

Leona was born in Buckholts, Texas, on January 6, 1928, to Frank and Lucy Zajicek. On January 13, 1948, she married Leo Turner, and the two devoted their life together as members of the Church of Christ.

Until the age of 90, Leona enjoyed working and serving the city of Kerrville. Some of her employers included First National Bank, TSO, Sears, Time Warner Cable, Cactus Patch, and Izzy Bear Clothing Store.

She was a member of SPJST Lodge 15, Buckholts. She was also a member of American Business Women’s Association and Red Hat Club, and she looked forward to Bunco every month with her friends.

Without a doubt, her life on earth was about taking care of her family.

Leona was preceded in death by her husband; parents; brothers Raymond, Albert, Edwin, Rudolph, Ben, and Frank; sisters Sedonia and Lydia; and precious great-granddaughter Sterling.

Leona is survived by son Robert Riddle (Joyce) of Kerrville; daughter Robin Ritchey (Mike) of Big Spring; grandchildren - who she cheered for and took care of - Shannon Salamone (Matt) of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, Shawn Riddle (Tiffany) of Miles, Shane Riddle (Abbi) of Clovis, California, Raegan Bayless (Nate) of Decatur, and Matt Ritchey (Laci) of Midland; great-grandchildren Lexie, Hannah, Alli, Faith, Kinsley, Keagan, Kendyl, Rylie, Turner, Teagan, Truett, and Maverick; brother Woodrow Zajicek; sister Carol Jean Baggerly (Wayne); sister-in-law Connie Zajicek; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

God blessed Leona with many gifts that will be cherished by her loved ones until they are reunited with her again. Until then, her legacy of hard work and service to others will continue. As Proverbs 31 says, she is worth far more than rubies . . . lacks nothing of value . . . brings good, not harm . . . works with eager hands . . . provides food for her family . . . clothed in strength and dignity . . . can laugh at the days to come . . . and speaks with wisdom. She will be honored for all that her hands have done, and inspire those who love her to do those things with a joyful heart.

Memorials may be gifted to the Dietert Center of Kerrville https://www.dietertcenter.org/donate-now.html; Peterson Hospice Kerrville https://www.petersonhealth.com/aboutpeterson/foundation/; or one’s favorite charity.

—SPJST—

Leona Turner

MORGAN SCOTT

Morgan is a member of Lodge 4, Hallettsville and a graduate of Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing. She is the daughter of Phelan and Robin Scott, and the granddaughter of Diane Hadley and Billy and Karen Berger

Morgan’s honors include Summa Cum Laude Honor Graduate and Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.

Morgan will work in the emergency department of Baylor St. Luke’s in the Medical Center in Houston as a registered nurse.

2023 GraduateS!

CAITLYN PETETT

Caitlyn is a member of Lodge 107, Floresville and a graduate of Poth High School. She is the daughter of Jason and Amy Petett, and the granddaughter o f Willie and Linda Manak Lyssy.

Caitlyn’s honors include SPJST youth club president; band - percussion; and Sunnyside 4-H Member.

Caitlyn’s future plan is to pursue a career as a veterinary technician. She is current owner of Kuddles and Kisses Pet Sitting.

PARKER MIKULAS

Parker is a member of Lodge 47, Seaton and a graduate of Marcus High School. He is the son of Wade and Michelle Mikulas, and the grandson of Jerry and Betty Mikulas and Joe and Shirley Cantrell.

Parker’s honors/activities include National Honor Society; Heart of a Marauder - Attitude Award; Magnificent Marauder; YoungLife (Christian Youth Ministry Group); and Academic All-State. His grandfather is the late Jerry Mikulas, Jr., former SPJST Financial Secretary.

Parker will study business management at the University of Arkansas and join a fraternity that incorporates good leadership and community involvement.

Peyton is a member of Lodge 47, Seaton and a graduate of Temple High School. He is the son of Kenneth and Terry Malina, the great-grandson of Nita Smith, the grandson of Lynn and Ianne Shuler, and the great-nephew of Rick and Linda Smith.

Peyton’s honors/activities include class rank #7; international baccalaureate (IB) diploma; National Honor Society; FBLA; golf team; jazz (guitar); and orchestra (string bass).

Peyton has been accepted into the Honors Program at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, where he will study business administration.

“Peyton, you have been our ‘pride and joy’ since the day you were born. We thank God for giving us the honor of being your parents. We are excited for your future and wish you continued success at UMHB and beyond. Love you mostest more!”

~ Mom and Dad

PEYTON MALINA

LINDSAY NORMAN

Lindsay is a member of Lodge 81, Needville and a graduate of Sam Houston State University in Huntsville with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in marketing and a minor in management. She graduated with honors from the Elliott T. Bowers Honors College at Sam Houston State University.

She is the daughter of Sheryl and Todd Norman and the granddaughter of Delores Macha and the late Adolph Macha (who was past president of Lodge 81, Needville for many years) and Richard and Peggy Norman.

“Lindsay - We are so extremely proud of you. You have accomplished so much, and we are excited to see what your future holds.

God’s blessings to you today and always.”

~ Love, Mom and Dad

ADRYANNA MANZANO

Adryanna is a member of Lodge 40, El Campo-Hillje and a graduate of El Campo High School. She is the daughter of Felix T. Garcia and Cathy Garcia.

Adryanna plans to pursue a career as an aesthetician.

“Thank God you graduated. Praying for your success in the future. Your whole family loves you! And Lodge 40 is here to support you!”

KELLY HOUSE

Kelly is a member of Lodge 202, Jourdanton and a graduate of Texas Tech University with a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural and applied economics. She is the daughter of James and Regina House and the granddaughter of Johnny and Georgia Marek (deceased) and Jimmy and Dorothy House (deceased).

Kelly’s honors include 2018-2019 SPJST State Queen. Kelly has been hired as a title coordinator at Impact Title Company in Lubbock.

“Congratulations, Kelly!

We are so proud of you and all you have achieved! Good luck in your new career! We can’t wait to see what the future holds for you!”

TANNER WOOD

Tanner is a member of Lodge 49, Rowena and a graduate of Miles High School. He is the son of Butch and Becky Wood, and the grandson of Maynard and Nancy Schwertner and Wanda Binder.

Tanner’s activities include football and track.

Tanner plans to join the workforce and specialize in home security.

“Welcome to the real world!”

TAYLOR MANRRIQUEZ

Taylor is a member of Lodge 40, El Campo-Hillje and a graduate of El Campo High School. He is the son of Mario “Mo” and Kate Manrriquez.

“Lodge 40 supports you as you go to your next step in life.”

CARSON PARKER

Carson is a member of Lodge 17, New Tabor and a graduate of Caldwell High School. He is the son of Jennifer Parker and the late James “Jimmy’ Parker and the grandson of Lucio and Cynthia Lopez and Karen Taylor and the late David Taylor.

Carson’s honors/activities include SPJST member and active youth club member since age six; football - 4 years; baseball - 4 years; FFA member; Bass Club member; 4-H member - showed in Burleson County Fair since second grade; and grand champion in 2020/Market Fair rabbits.

Carson plans to attend Blinn Rellis and pursue an associate’s degree in HVAC.

“We are all so proud of your accomplishments at CHS the last four years! We are wishing you the best of luck in college and in the future. We love you so much!”

~ Momma and Jaycee

TREVOR WUENSCHE

Trevor is a member of Lodge 48, Beyersville and a graduate of Taylor High School. He is the son of John Wuensche and Linda Contreras and the grandson of Bobby and Ruth Ann Wuensche.

Trevor’s honors/activities include first in district tennis; 4 years varsity football; active SPJST youth club member where he held various offices; SPJST District Two Duke; and District Two Flag Bearer.

Trevor plans to attend Temple College.

“Congrats and best of luck!” ~ Dad

“I am so proud of all of your accomplishments! Best of luck in the future!” ~ Mom

“We enjoyed watching you play football and tennis. We know you will do well in whatever your dream may be!”

~ Love, Gpa and Gma

CATHERINE CASEY

“Congratulations, Catherine! We are proud of you!”

RACHEL MANAK

Rachel is a member of Lodge 84, Dallas and a graduate of Southern Methodist University. She is the granddaughter of Jerry Manak, also of Lodge 84, Dallas.

Congratulations and best wishes!

Jack is a member of Lodge 88, Houston and a graduate of The Woodlands College Park High School. He is the son of Cathy Pittenger and David Pittenger and the grandson of the Pflughaupts.

Jack will enroll in the Turing Scholars program at the University of Texas in Austin, where he will study computer science.

JACK PITTENGER

Catherine Casey is a member of Lodge 88, Houston and a graduate of Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing. She is pictured with family members who are all Fightin’ Texas Aggies. Left to right are father Keith Casey, sister Clair Casey Roca, Catherine, mother Donna Jahns Casey, great-uncle David Victorick, brother-in-law Edward Roca, and great-uncle and SPJST District One Director Donnie Victorick.

SPJST YOUTH SECTION

The deadline for Věstník items is 5 p.m. on the first and third Mondays of each month.

Send your news and photos to:

SPJST Věstník Editor Melanie Zavodny

P.O. Box 100 Temple, Texas 76503

Email: vestnik@spjst.org

Online: spjst.org/news/submitarticle-photo

Questions? Call 800-727-7578

District Five youth paint rocks, make and fly kites at annual spring fling

Dear Readers,

District Five youth had an amazing turn out for the Spring Fling (District Five Annual Meeting) held outside and in the back area of Lodge 88, Houston on Sunday, April 30, 2023. We had 11 youth members and several guests present. The day started with the youth getting the opportunity to participate in the April Caring Challenge by decorating rocks for Camp Kubena.

When finished, they started their work on the first ever STEM challenge. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. STEM is a common type of project that happens in schools to use the engineering process to create a product (built by the child or group of children). STEM puts learning into the process of creating toward a goal. The STEM challenge presented this year was a kite building contest.

Since District Five has so many younger youth, we decided to make this a family event. The families learned about the forces that will act on their kite, the different types of kites they could build, and the steps to fly a kite. The design was totally up to the family. The district provided the supplies, news-

paper, plastic bags, sticks for the frame, and scissors. The only stipulations placed on the groups were that they all received the same amount of string to fly their kite. The youth continued to work while the parents attended the annual meeting.

The kites were flown after the meeting and timed by the youth leaders and their assistants that were available. The families had a great time flying their kites and seeing their hard work pay off.

The Munzy family of Lodge 142, Houston placed first; the Pflughaupt family of Lodge 88, Houston placed second; and the Lepicousky family (guests of Lodge 88) placed third. I look forward to presenting a new STEM challenge in the fall.

Kristen Jones District Five Youth Counselor —SPJST—

Lodge 30, Taiton youth enjoys day and activities at annual meeting

Dear Vestnik Readers,

On Sunday April 16, 2023, I attended the District Six Annual Meeting held in Victoria. We brought a decorated rock for Camp Kubena. We had a catered meal and enjoyed food, friends, and fellowship! Our youth club did a short story about spring flowers. Overall, it was a great day to see my fellow SPJST members.

Sincerely,

Bethany Baker, age 16 —SPJST—

Lodge 47, Seaton youth to celebrate 8th birthday

Dear Vestnik Readers,

It is finally May! Yay! This month is my birthday! It is also map testing. I will have to take three tests. But I already took one. But . . . it is the last month of school! I went on a field trip to the Dr. Pepper Museum. I made a soda and got Dr. Pepper there. I got to go on the field trip with my friend. It is also Mother’s Day this month. I will give my mom a gift for Mother’s Day.

I get to go to a baseball game this weekend! Hopefully, the team I’m cheering for wins! I am going to wear my baseball hat. Also, hopefully it doesn’t rain. The weather does not look good.

Okay . . . back to my birthday. I am going to be 8! I hope I get a basketball goal for my birthday. Next year, I will be in third grade. I am excited about the third grade.

Well, goodbye guys!

Andrew Ordogne, age 7 —SPJST—

Lodge 47, Seaton youth ready for summertime fun

Dear Vestnik Readers,

It is almost the end of the year. I have already taken my last STAAR test. I am so glad it is over. Yesterday, the gifted and talented group went on a field trip to the Dr. Pepper Museum. We got to tour the museum and make a soda. I enjoyed it. I have another field trip next week for my class. We are going to Ralph Wilson Youth Club. It will be fun.

Summer will be fun. I don’t have to go to school anymore, and I get to go swimming in the pool. I can’t wait!

Last week, I had my orchestra concert. It was fun, and I really enjoyed the

May meeting Scenes

from lodge 30, Taiton Youth Club

Sunday, May 7, 2023

Submitted by Kirby Lange, Assistant Youth Leader

music I played.

On Friday, we get to see the Round Rock Express play a game. I can’t wait, and I think I will really enjoy it.

See you again in the summertime.

Fraternally, Travis Ordogne, age 11 —SPJST—

Lodge 81, Needville presents summertime Family Trivia Nights

Tease your brain, have good family fun, and win cash prizes this summer at SPJST Lodge 81, Needville Hall! Lodge 81 presents Family Trivia Nights on Wednesday, May 24; Wednesday, June 28; and Wednesday, July 26.

Grab dinner at the food truck. Eat inside while you play or watch. Drinks and snacks will be on sale inside the hall. Cost is $25 per team - six players max - school-age children count (preK and under are free of charge).

Come on out for a fun, family time!

Fraternally, Kristen Jones —SPJST—

Lodge 202, Jourdanton Youth Club invites all to lend a helping hand at Atascosa animal shelter

SPJST Lodge 202, Jourdanton Youth Club is inviting all members, young and old, to join the youth at Atascosa Animal Control Shelter, located at 292 TX-162 Spur in Jourdanton, Texas, for an afternoon of fun helping at the shelter on Tuesday, May 30, 2023, at 2 p.m. We will be walking and playing with the dogs and cats as well as other shelter duties.

If you are unable to join us at the shelter, but would like to donate items, please call Regina House at 830-5702046 to arrange a time to pick up items. Requested items for the shelter include Adams flea spray (can be purchased at Walmart), liquid laundry detergent, bleach, Dawn dish soap, cleaning supplies in general, and towels. We’re looking forward to helping our animals at the shelter!

Regina House, Youth Leader —SPJST—

Lodge 30, Taiton Youth Club celebrates St. John’s Catholic Church Senior Graduates

Lodge 30, Taiton Youth Club

Lodge 30, Taiton Youth Club members collected and donated various pet care items for the Paws for a Cause charity project. They are pictured presenting their donations to Heather Bacak to be used for various animal rescue missions in the community.

—Kirby Lange, Assistant Youth Leader

Lodge 202, Jourdanton Youth Club visit argent court assisted living

Lodge 202, Jourdanton Youth Club members enjoyed an afternoon at Argent Court Assisted Living Facility in Jourdanton on Friday, March 17, 2023, playing bingo with the residents!

~ Regina House Youth Leader

Lodge 30, Taiton Youth Club members are pictured with St. John’s Catholic Church senior graduates celebrating their accomplishments.

—Kirby Lange, Assistant Youth Leader

Lodge 185, New Braunfels Youth visits Texas A&M

Lodge 202, Jourdanton Youth Club Enjoys Pleasanton Park outing

Lodge 202, Jourdanton Youth Club gathered at Pleasanton Park on Thursday, April 20, 2023, for the monthly meeting, rock painting, and after school snacks.

~ Regina House, Youth Leader

Dear Vestnik Readers, I had a great time during a college visit to Texas A&M in College Station, Texas. The experience was even more memorable and fun when I saw my mom’s dorm when she attended

A&M, and when I got to watch my cousin pitch for the Texas A&M Baseball team.

Sincerely, Megan Ohnheiser, age 16 —SPJST—

Tentative SPJST Youth Showcase Schedule

open

Creative arts showcase - open all day

9 a.m. Opening ceremony

Beseda

Talent competitions

12 p.m. Country store

Royalty competitions

Recognition of past royalty Awards ceremony

Hotels in Temple for SPJST Youth Showcase

1 Best Western Inn and Suites

602 N General Bruce Dr • Temple, TX 76504 • 254-742-1122

15 Double Queen Rooms Reserved until July 14 $99.99 + tax

Check-in: 3 p.m.

Reservations may be canceled no later than 4 p.m. of the arrival date.

2 Holiday Inn Temple-Belton

5247 S General Bruce Dr • Temple, TX 76502 • 254-778-5511

15 Double Queen Rooms Reserved until July 14

$124.00 + tax + service fee ($4.99)

Group Code: WAD

Midway Bar & Grill onsite open for dinner 5 - 9 p.m. and breakfast from 7 - 10 a.m. (kids 11 and under eat free for both)

Reservations may be canceled no later than 6 p.m. the day before arrival to avoid a penalty of night room and tax.

3 Hampton Inn Temple

3816 S General Bruce Dr • Temple, TX 76502 • 254-770-5400

20 Double Queen Rooms Reserved until July 14 $89.00 + tax

Free hot breakfast daily. Free high-speed wireless internet. Reservations may be canceled no later than 6 p.m. 24 hours in advance of arrival date to avoid a fee of one night’s room and tax.

4 Residence Inn/Marriott

4301 S General Bruce Dr • Temple, TX 76502 • 254-773-8400

20 Double Queen Rooms Reserved until July 7

$109.00 + tax + parking fee ($2.31 daily)

Check out – July 30

Check-in: 3 p.m. or later

Reservations may be canceled up to 48 hours prior to arrival without penalty.

Czech Cu l tural Calendar

Hours of Operation

Czech Heritage Museum and Genealogy Center (CHMGC), 119 West French Avenue, Temple. Hours: Open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $4 for adults, $3 for those 60 or older, and $2 for kids, 12 and under. Every First and Third Tuesday Evenings: Tarok Parties—All ages and anyone interested are welcome. No admission or fee. Awardwinning tournament champions Jimmie and Carolyn Coufal not only teach beginners, but also help experienced players increase their skill. For Museum information: tours, happenings, and activities, call: CHMGC 254-899-2935 (can leave a message); email czechheritagemuseum@gmail.com; find them on Facebook; or visit the Center’s website https://czechheritagemuseum.org

Monday through Saturday

Czech Center Museum Houston, 4920 San Jacinto Street in Houston, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Exhibits. Experience the culture, art, music, and stories of many Czechs, Slovaks, and people of all cultures who left their country to seek liberty and democracy in America. Beginner Czech Lessons: Monday evenings, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Conversational Czech hour - Saturdays, 1 to 2 p.m. Bring a friend or neighbor and come practice your Czech! Not a member? Join today for early access to concerts, movie nights, lectures, and events at CCMH as well as free Czech language lessons and monthly membership socials. Monthly Movie Night: CCMH has reinstated monthly movie nights. CCMH, 4920 San Jacinto Street in Houston. For information, call 713-528-2060; or visit czechcenter.org

June 8

Night at the Museum—at Czech Heritage Museum, 119 West French Avenue, Temple, 5 to 7:30 p.m.: Part of a spring / summer series to establish the museum as a community meeting / networking place with regularly scheduled activities including performances, outdoor activities. Admission free. Public is invited. For information, contact organizer Brian Vanicek at vanicek@spjst.com.

June 10

32nd Czech Kolache Klobase Festival—at Riverside Hall in East Bernard, Texas, 45 miles southwest of Houston on Highway 90-A. A celebration of ethnic heritage / cul-

ture with good music & food. Wear your kroji! Entertainers 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.; arts / crafts booths; silent auction; cake walk; prize drawing; plate lunch - sausage, barbecue chicken, sauerkraut, and trimmings, serving begins at 11 a.m.; drivethru plates-to-go available 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; kolaches; hamburgers / sausage sandwiches; kolache eating contest 2 p.m.; flag tribute 3 p.m.; recognition of armed services veterans in attedance; grand march featuring Czech / festive costumes. Massive water fans at pavilion. Festival admission $10/person; children 12 and under free. Admission fee covers all entertainment / music provided by bands and entertainers in the hall / outdoor pavilion. Free parking. Arts / crafts booth information 979-531-9747 or email srdujka@gmail.com. General information / band schedules 979-533-1902; or 979232-0265. Visit festival website www.kkfest.com. See advertisement on page 37. Festival sponsor KJT Society No. 40, is a non-profit organization. Submitted by Martha Viktorin, Lodge 28, East Bernard.

July 13

Night at the Museum—at Czech Heritage Museum, 119 West French Avenue, Temple, 5 to 7:30 p.m.: Part of a spring / summer series to establish the museum as a community meeting / networking place with regularly scheduled activities including performances, outdoor activities. Admission free. Public is invited. For information, contact organizer Brian Vanicek at vanicek@spjst.com.

July 30

Save the Date! Vrazels’ Tribute Band—at SPJST Lodge 24, Cyclone - Flag Hall, 411 FM 964, Burlington, Texas 76519. Take a trip down memory lane. Doors / kitchen open at noon. Dance 2 to 6 p.m. For advance tickets and reservations, call 254-985-2258 or 254231-5348.

August 10

Night at the Museum—at Czech Heritage Museum, 119 West French Avenue, Temple, 5 to 7:30 p.m.: Part of a spring / summer series to establish the museum as a community meeting / networking place with regularly scheduled activities including performances, outdoor activities. Admission free. Public is invited. For information, contact organizer Brian Vanicek at vanicek@spjst.com.

Podpora ★ Lidskost ★ Bratrstvi´

Texas Czech Genealogical Society: Blessed Beyond Measure

When Texas Czech Genealogical Society envisioned the idea of paying a special tribute to our Czech heroes who paid the Ultimate Sacrifice while serving our great nation in uniform, our thought was to have a special recording via an internet link lasting an hour. Because of our Czechs in Uniform Volumes I, II, and III books, and additions we have received since publishing them, we were in possession of many names and photos.

Wanting to pay tribute to as many as possible, we asked for additional submissions. Because of the response, all we can say is “Thank you. We have been blessed beyond measure.”

It is estimated that in order to pay tribute to all our heroes we currently know, it would take nearly seven hours of watching the recording. For this reason, we are saddened to say we will not be able to proceed with the project for this upcoming 2023 Memorial Day week as planned. However, plans are already in the works for a special Tribute to Czech Veterans, especially those who gave their lives for our freedom, in 2024.

Charlene Hurta TCGS Vice President —SPJST—

Czech Center Museum Houston welcomes Stribrnanka for May 23 concert

Dear Friends,

Don’t miss this special opportunity! Join us in welcoming the Moravian band Stříbrňanka back to Houston on Tuesday, May 23, 2023. Touring from the Czech Republic, the band will play only four engagements in Texas. Enjoy an evening program featuring Czech classics, folk, waltz, and polka music.

The performance is Tuesday, May 23 at 7:15 p.m. at Czech Center Museum Houston. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with complimentary light refreshments and a Jelinek tasting. Beverages will be available for purchase featuring Moravian wine, Czech beer, and freshly canned beer from Pivovar in Waco, Texas.

Post-performance meet-and-greet to follow. Complimentary valet parking will be available. Tickets may be purchased on our website at czechcenter.org

Czech Center Museum Houston is located at 4920 San Jacinto Street in Houston. General admission tickets are $25 and $15 for students (valid ID required upon entry). We hope to have you join us!

The tour is organized by Czech Educational Foundation of Texas and the University of North Texas College.

—SPJST—

Uředni orgán SPJST ★ Založené roku 1897

Slovanská Podporující Jednota Státu Texas

the origin and evolution of the kolache

Czech Heritage Museum

119 West French Avenue

Temple, Texas

Thursday, May 11, 2023

5 to 7:30 p.m.

LEFT PHOTO: Vicky and Willie Kotrla. PHOTO 2: Congratulations to Hazel Horak - winner of the flower arrangement donated by Woods Flowers.

PHOTO 3: From left, Georgie Pavlica, Carolyn Fischer, and Martha Schiller.

PHOTO 4: Left to right, SPJST Vice President of Marketing and Sales Delisle Doherty, Dan Kacir, and Teresa Fraga. PHOTO 5: Ricky Brenek and daughter Hollee. RIGHT PHOTO: Left to right, Michael, Eugene, and Andrew Brenek.

LEFT PHOTO: Steven Beseda, CEO of Pivovar in Waco, Texas, displays a can of Pivovar beer. PHOTO 2: Frank Hajda and Rebecca Price. PHOTO 3: Brenda and Brian Hoelscher. PHOTO 4: Debbie Dohnalik, left, and Judy

Vaculin. PHOTO 5: Alfred and Bernice Vrazel. PHOTO 6: CHM Curator Kenny Lange and Johnny Walker. RIGHT PHOTO: Sabrina Young and Garland Krueger.

A roomful of attendees learn about kolaches from SPJST President/CEO Brian Vanicek, left photo, and Kolache Kitchen owner Carol White.

LEFT PHOTO: Billy Popelka and Chris Ballard. PHOTO 2: From left, Dorothy and Eugene Haisler and Bell County Judge John and Dawna Mischtian. PHOTO 3:

Left to right, Brook Fowler, Cindy Fowler, and Natasha Tolleson. RIGHT PHOTO: Allan and Barbara Rubino, left, with Kenneth and Jeanette Driska.

LEFT PHOTO: Carol White, owner of Kolache Kitchen in Temple, serves kolaches with husband Jeff. PHOTO 2: Beautiful music by Bethel Independent Methodist Church

Gospel Choir. RIGHT PHOTO: Serving drinks are, left to right, District Two Director Jesse Pospisil and wife Linda, and District Three Director John Engelke and wife Diana.

Rudolfina Schefcak Nevolova: Queen at Rad Cislo No. 29, Praha Taylor 5-Year Jubilee

Dear Vestnik Readers, I am looking for any information (letters, photos, or stories) on Rudolfina Schefcak Nevolova. A story from my youth has always stuck with me and made me wonder what happened to her. We would go to my grandparents’ (Roland Hugo Sefcak and Bertha Rozacky Sefcak) home for Sunday svačinas. During one visit, we were told Papaw (Roland) had a relative named Rudolfina who came to Texas to visit from Czechoslovakia. She went back to Czechoslovakia, and no one ever heard from her again. They thought she was killed in a concentration camp. My grandparents’ scant information on her included one Vestnik article Rudolfina had written that someone had translated from Czech and the back pages of someone’s will, listing Rudolfina and her son as beneficiaries. My journey began.

The information in this letter is what I’ve gathered trying to translate articles printed in the Vestnik in the late 1930s and early 1940s from Czech to English, finding information from the internet, and listening to family stories. I could be incorrect in some of it, but it might jog someone else’s memories about her.

Rudolfina went by Ruby and sometimes Ruth and was born around 1882. Her husband was Jan Nevola. They had a son born in 1906 in Hostalkova, Czechoslovakia, named John Nevola. Her parents were Jan and Franciska Schefcak. She came to the United States twice, in 1900 and 1937, from Hostalkova to visit. While she was in Texas, she visited with many friends she had made and her many relatives in the Taylor area -

Leshikar, Svedlenak, Holly, and Glover, to name a few, and the Joseph Holick family, her cousin, of College Station. She stayed with her brother and sister-inlaw, Hugo Schefcak and Mary Svedlenak Schefcak, in Dallas at 221 Starr Street. Her first trip was recorded on the passenger list of the Borkum dated July 1900. She was 18 and arrived with her father and brother Albert. She stayed for about three years. During that time, she was the queen of the 5-Year Jubilee of the founding of SPJST Lodge 29, Taylor, Texas. The second time she came to the United States was in 1937 on the Normandie, arriving in New York. While she was here, she wrote a lot for the Vestnik between 1938 and 1939 about the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia. She was receiving letters from friends and family from back home describing how the Nazis made things look better to the outside world than they were, food shortages (my grandmother, Bertha Rozacky Sefcak, remembers an aunt from Texas making a roux of flour and lard and putting it in a jar to mail back to relatives in Czechoslovakia that didn’t have much to cook with), and the rough life of the civilians. Ruby’s articles asked for donations of gold items to send back to Czechoslovakia to help defend it from the Nazis. The donation project was mentioned as Golden Treasure.

Ruby had to leave the States on July 20, 1939, and return to Czechoslovakia, to the dismay of her friends and relatives. It sounded as if her visa was about to expire as she had entertained the idea of staying in Canada or Mexico for a while and then coming back, but she didn’t know anyone there. She had her home and family in Czechoslovakia to get back to. The last letter she wrote on United States soil was printed in the July 26, 1939, issue of the Vestnik. She writes about wishing she could take the letters from Czechoslovakia she had received while in Texas back with her, but that it would have been dangerous for her to

have them in her possession and for the letter writers if the Nazis found them. I’m wondering about those letters. Did she destroy them before she left or leave them in Texas with someone?

I can only find one letter of Ruby’s that made it out of Czechoslovakia when she got back there. It was printed in the July 24, 1940, issue of the Vestnik and had been written on May 1, 1940.

The Dallas Morning News printed an article on March 21, 1953, about Rudolfina’s halfbrother, Emil Schefcak, and his family escaping communism in Czechoslovakia by coming to the United States to stay with his half-brother, Hugo Schefcak, with whom Rudolfina had stayed during her time here. Emil mentioned in the article he had a sister and a brother killed by the Nazis. There is a book called Vsetin: Its Fight for Freedom by Richard Pavlik. It is a compilation of the stories gathered by John Koluch soon after World War II ended from the residents of Vsetin County about the Nazi persecution they endured during the Nazi occupation in their area. In the back of the book is a list honoring the fallen heroes fighting for freedom who had died at the hands of the Nazis. Rudolfa Nevolová and Otto Sefcak, Rudolfina’s brother, both of Hostalkova, are listed among the deceased from Vsetin county in the book.

The letters submitted to the Vestnik in the late 1930s and early 1940s have been fascinating to read. There is a lot of interesting history about Czechoslovakia during World War II. Translation of the letters is daunting, but what you find and learn is a reward.

If you have any information on Rudolfina, please email or call me. It would be much appreciated to know more about Rudolfina.

Best regards,

Stephanie Kunze Patschke TCGS member Hutto, Texas Lpgroundrk@aol.com 512-826-7453

Dallas Sokol welcomes Czech band Stribrnanka on May 28

Dallas Sokol, located at 7448 Greenville Avenue in Dallas, Texas, will host Stribrnanka on Sunday, May 28, 2023. Stribrnanka, a band from the Czech Republic, will conclude their Texas tour at Sokol hall. A roast dinner will be served from 4 to 7 p.m. Music and dancing is from 5 to 8 p.m. Admission is free of charge. Dinner is $15 for adults and $8 for children.

Czech Kolache Klobase Festival

June 10 in East Bernard

This is the 32nd year for the Czech Kolache Klobase Festival scheduled for Sat., June 10, 2023, at Riverside Hall in East Bernard, Texas, located about 45 miles southwest of Houston on Highway 90-A. This event brings people together to enjoy good music, good food, and to celebrate ethnic heritage and culture.

Entertainers

Beginning at 10:30 a.m. and continuing nonstop until 8 p.m., this year’s festival again features a first-rate lineup of entertainers – Ennis Czech Boys, Czech and Then Some, Dujka Brothers, Red Ravens, and Al Sulak’s Country Sounds. The three-band concert at 4:30 p.m. inside the hall will feature Czech and Then Some, Dujka Brothers, and Red Ravens.

Kolache Eating Contest

A kolache eating contest sponsored by the KJT State Office is scheduled for 2 p.m. in the pavilion.

Festival Details

Festival admission is $10 per person - children 12 and under are admitted free of charge. The admission fee covers all entertainment and music provided by bands and entertainers in the hall and outdoor pavilion. Parking is free of charge, and there are plenty of handicapped parking spaces. Massive water fans will cool the pavilion to provide a

Anne Scott Cowan, Reporter Lodge 84, Dallas —SPJST—

Rudolfina (Schefcak) and husband Jan Nevola.

Rudolfina (Schefcak) NevolovaVestnik issue, June 29, 1938.

Rudolfina (Schefcak) Nevolova, right, and friend.

Jan Schefcakfather of Rudolfina (Schefcak) Nevolova.

more comfortable setting for dancers and spectators. Arts and crafts booths will be located both inside and outside the hall. Crafts and goods of every kind will be available for sale, and there will be a silent auction. This is a good opportunity to shop for all types of handcrafted items, jewelry, and clothing. Win something sweet in the cake walk, buy raffle tickets to win great prizes including beautiful handmade quilts.

Food Available

A plate lunch will be available for purchase featuring sausage, barbecue chicken, sauerkraut, and other trimmings. The sausage and chicken will be prepared on site the morning of the festival by society members assuring a fresh-cooked meal. Serving begins at 11 a.m. Drive-thru plates-to-go will be available from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Of course, there will be hundreds of kolaches for sale throughout the day. Hamburgers and sausage sandwiches will be available for purchase in the afternoon.

Kroj Encouraged

The Festival Committee welcomes and encourages the wearing of Czech costumes to add a festive atmosphere and to further promote the preservation and celebration of ethnic heritage. The Po.L.K. of A. are also urged to attend in their “red and whites” and to join in the spirit of fun and appreciation of the

happy sounds of polka and waltz music. A moving flag tribute is scheduled at 3 p.m. and will recognize attending armed services veterans. This will be followed by a grand march featuring the Czech and festive costumes on parade.

For information about game or arts and crafts booths, call 979-531-9747 or email srdujka@gmail.com. For general information or band schedules, call 979533-1902 or 979-232-0265. Visit the festival website at www.kkfest.com for further information.

KJT Society No. 40, the festival sponsor, is a non-profit organization and has been in existence in East Bernard since 1905. The society participates in a program of charitable works including scholarships, social welfare, and civic support. KJT Society No. 40 would like to extend a special invitation to everyone to come out and enjoy the festival.

Martha Viktorin

SPJST Lodge 28, East Bernard —SPJST—

Travis-Williamson Counties CHS meets June 13

The Travis-Williamson Counties Czech Heritage Society will meet Tuesday June 13, 2023, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at Springhill Catfish Restaurant,

32nd Annual Czech Kolache Klobase Festival

Saturday, June 10, 2023 • 10:30AM - 8PM

Riverside Hall • East Bernard, Texas

2505 West Pecan Street in Pflugerville, Texas. The restaurant has a buffet from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., or order from the menu. Eating is optional.

TWCCHS will be presenting the $500 TWCCHS scholarship to Jenna Danek. Jenna is a Jarrell High School graduate and is the daughter of Jacqueline and John Danek.

Texas Czech Genealogical Society

Website: txczgs.org

Promoting the study of the genealogy of the particular group of people known as “Texas Czechs.”

For membership: Marie Dulak 979-324-7871

Please consider joining our society to help preserve Czech heritage and try to attend the meetings. For additional information, contact President Dotty Davis at dottydavis9@gmail.com or call 512-663-6592.

Janie Zbranek TWCCHS Reporter —SPJST—

INSIDE AIR CONDITIONED HALL, WOOD DANCE FLOOR: ENNIS

BOYS

-1PM CZECH & THEN SOME 1- 2PM, 5 - 6PM

DUJKA BROS. 2 - 3PM, 6 -7PM RED RAVENS 3:30 - 4:30PM, 7- 8PM

FLAG/VET TRIBUTE AND GRAND MARCH 3-3:30PM

THREE BAND CONCERT 4:30-5 PM

UNDER PAVILION IN WATER-FAN COOLED COMFORT:

AL SULAK’S COUNTRY SOUNDS 12-2PM, 2:30-4PM

KOLACHE EATING CONTEST 2-2:30PM

Sausage/Barbecue Chicken Plate Lunch - 11AM

Drive-Thru Plates - 11AM -1PM

Sausage Sandwiches and Hamburgers Available in the Afternoon

Cake Walk • Arts/Crafts • Raffle • Silent Auction • Lotsa Kolaches!

Booth info: 979-531-9747 or email srdujka@gmail.com

General info: 979-533-1902 or kkfest.com

SPJST Fraternal Activities and Entertainment

Post your lodge’s upcoming SPJST fraternal activities, entertainment dates, and information here. These listings are free. The deadline for submitting information for the Fraternal Activities and Entertainment Guide is the first and third Mondays of each month at 5 p.m., unless otherwise posted. Send updates to: VĚSTNÍK, c/o Editor Melanie Zavodny, P.O. Box 100, Temple, Texas 76503. Email to: vestnik@spjst.org. Advertising rates are $2 per column inch for lodge ads; $4 per column inch for non-profit organization ads; and $6 per column inch for commercial ads. For advertising information, please call the Editor at 800-727-7578 or email vestnik@spjst.org.

LODGE 1, FAYETTEVILLE (1)

Lodge Hall: 507 East Main Street, Fayetteville. Hall

Rental Information: 979-966-3795. Lodge Meetings: Held quarterly on the first Monday of March, June, September, and December at 6 p.m. at the hall. For information, call 979-966-3515.

LODGE 4, HALLETTSVILLE (6)

Lodge Meetings: Held quarterly on the second Sunday — June 11, August 13, and November 12 at 3 p.m. at Hallettsville Chamber of Commerce, 1614 North Texana Street, Hallettsville. For information/updates, call President Joe Siptak 979-479-0056.

LODGE 6, COTTONWOOD (3)

Lodge Hall: 700 South Czech Hall Road, West. Hall

Rental Information: Peggy Dobecka 254-717-0383 or Jeanette Beseda 254-717-7840. Lodge Meetings: First Sunday of each month at the lodge hall at 2 p.m. For information, call 254-227-8759. Youth Club Meetings: First Sunday of each month at the hall at 1:30 p.m. For information, contact Youth Leader Peggy Dobecka 254-717-0383; or dataped@sbcglobal.net.

Sunday, May 28—Lander reunion

Sunday, June 4—Lodge meeting, 2 p.m.

Sunday, June 11—RVOS Lodge 46 Family Day

Saturday, June 17—Soukup reunion

Friday, June 23—Farmers Coop Malone

Saturday, June 24—Girard reunion

Sunday, June 25—Beseda reunion

Sunday, July 2—Lodge meeting, 2 p.m.

LODGE 8, WEIMAR (6)

Lodge Meetings: Held quarterly on the fourth Monday of February, May, August, and November at 12 p.m. at Oakridge Smokehouse Restaurant, Schulenburg. For information, call 979-247-4168.

LODGE 9, SNOOK (1)

Lodge Hall: 457 CR 269, Snook. Hall Rentals/Information: 979-272-3732. Lodge Meetings: First Wednesday of each month, 7 p.m. at the hall. For information, call 979-272-3732. Youth Club Meetings: First Wednesday of each month, 6:30 p.m. at the hall. For information, call Youth Leader Loree Lewis 979-220-4733.

LODGE 13, DIME BOX (1)

Lodge Meetings: Held the first Tuesday of January, March, May, July, September, and November at Diamond I Venue (former SPJST Lodge 13 Hall), 1081 County Road 425, Dime Box at 7 p.m. For information, contact Ricky Ford 979-884-1451.

LODGE 15, BUCKHOLTS (2)

Lodge Hall: 600 State Hwy 190/Hwy 36, Buckholts (historic hexagon-shaped building with a stone entrance.) Hall Rental Information: 254-217-2863. Lodge Meetings: For information, call 254-217-2863.

LODGE 17, NEW TABOR (1)

Lodge Hall: 2674 CR 225, Caldwell. Hall Rental Information: 979-272-3440. Lodge Meetings: First Sunday of each month at the hall at 2 p.m. For information, call 979-272-3440. Youth Club Meetings: First Sunday of each month, 3 p.m. at the hall. For information, call Youth Leader Holly Narro 979-218-4931.

Friday, May 26—Old Friends Band (Temple area)

Friday, June 2—Robert Lawhorn & Triple Threat

Friday, June 9—(New Band) Michael Petty and Outlaw Revival Band

Wednesday, June 14—SPJST Lodge 29, Taylor will hold its monthly meeting at 6:30 p.m. Covered dish meal will follow.

Friday, June 16—The Other Band

Friday, June 23—Gabriel River Band

Friday, June 30—Glen Collins Band

LODGE 30, TAITON (6)

Lodge Meetings: First Sunday of each month, 1:30 p.m. at Taiton Community Center, 14221 FM 961, El Campo. For information, call President Yvonne Marcaurele 979-543-8146. Youth Club Meetings: First Sunday of each month, 2:30 p.m. at Taiton Community Center, 14221 FM 961, El Campo. For youth club information, call Youth Leader Lisa Bubela 979-5437120.

LODGE 32, VICTORIA (6)

LODGE 18, ELGIN (2)

Lodge Hall: 702 Hwy 95 North, Elgin. Lodge 18 is a non-smoking facility. Polka and country band bookings: FL Meyer 512-940-7970. Hall phone: 512-285-3100. Dances: 3 to 7 p.m.; cover $10 per person - unless otherwise noted Lodge Meetings: Call FL Meyer 512-940-7970 for meeting dates/times. Follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/elginSPJSTlodge18 and on Twitter - @SPJSTelgin18

Saturday, June 24—Western Days’ Dance: Glen Collins

Sunday, July 16—Glen Collins

Sunday, August 13—Mark Halata

Sunday, September 17—Glen Collins

Sunday, November 5—Glen Collins

Sunday, December 10—Christmas Dance: Red Ravens, 3 to 6:30 p.m.

Sunday, December 31—New Year’s Eve: Glen Collins

LODGE 20, GRANGER (2)

Lodge Hall: 114 West Davilla, Granger. Hall Rental Information: Brenna Bohac 512-859-2584. Lodge Meetings: Second Monday of each month at the hall at 6:30 p.m. A light meal is served before each meeting. All members are invited. Youth Club Meetings: Second Sunday of each month, 1:30 p.m. at the hall. Call Youth Leader Brita Goodman for information 254-541-5344.

LODGE 23, MORAVIA (6)

Lodge Hall: FM 957 North, Schulenburg (located 12 miles south of Schulenburg, in Moravia). Lodge Meetings: Held quarterly on Tuesday in March, June, September, and December at the hall at 6:30 p.m. For information, call 979-562-2124.

LODGE 24, CYCLONE - FLAG HALL (2)

Lodge Hall: 411 FM 964, Cyclone. Hall Rental Information: Mark Maddux 254-721-1774 or Brenda Maddux 254-721-1682. Lodge Meetings: Second Monday of each month at the hall at 7 p.m. For information, call 254-721-1682.

LODGE 25, ENNIS (3)

Lodge Hall: 1901 East Hwy 34, Ennis. Hall Rental Information: 972-875-8381. Mail: PO Box 129, Ennis, Texas 75120. Email: SPJSTennis@yahoo.com. Game Room: Open every Wednesday, 5:30 p.m. Lodge Meetings: Second Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. in the lodge dining room with supper at 6:30 p.m. followed by a complimentary social in the game room. For information, call 214-837-9490. Youth Club Meetings: For date, time, place, and more information, call Youth Leader Rita Holland 469-337-2284.

LODGE 28, EAST BERNARD (6)

Lodge Meetings: Held quarterly on the second Sunday of March, June, September, and December at 12 noon at Wharton County Library - East Bernard Branch, 746 Clubside Drive in East Bernard. Call 832-595-4231 for information.

LODGE 29, TAYLOR (2)

• All Friday night dances 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. Free admission • Hamburgers served at 6 p.m.

Lodge Hall: 5025 FM 619, Taylor. Hall Rental Information/Hall Phone: 512-352-9139. Regular business hours: Hall is open Wednesday through Sunday, 3 to 10 p.m. Lodge Meetings: Second Wednesday of each month at the hall at 6:30 p.m. For information, call 512415-7225.

Lodge Meetings: Held bi-monthly on the second Thursday in January, March, May, July, September, and November at 6:30 p.m. at Grapevine Cafe, 110 Medical Drive, Suite 102, Victoria. For information, call 361676-7561.

LODGE 35, ELK - ELK HALL (3)

Lodge Hall: 9508 Elk Road, Axtell. Hall Rental Information: Gene Pavelka 254-749-3326. Hall Phone: 254-863-9320. Lodge Meetings: Second Wednesday of each month, 7 p.m. at the hall. For information, call 254-722-1454. Sales Agent: James (Dude) Mann 254715-0275; mrdudemann@yahoo.com.

LODGE 38, KOVAR (1)

Lodge Hall: 278 Zimmerhanzel Road, Flatonia. Hall Rental Information: 512-237-9099/Donna; or 512-5812672/Dana. Lodge Meetings: Second Monday of each month, 6:30 p.m. at the hall. For information, call 512332-6758/Alfred.

LODGE 39, BRYAN (1)

Lodge Hall: Cherry Bend Circle, Lot 12, Bryan. For information, call President Omer Everett, Jr. 979-6935287; or FAC Ronnie Roesler 979-406-0158.

LODGE 40, EL CAMPO-HILLJE (6)

Lodge Hall: 30420 Loop 524 US Hwy 59, Hillje. Hall Rental Information: Cathy Garcia 979-332-1614; Hall Phone: 979-648-2317. Lodge Meetings: Held quarterly on the third Sunday of March, June, September, and December at 12 p.m. at the hall. For information, call 979-332-1614. Youth Club Meetings: For meeting date, time, location, call Youth Leader Cathy Garcia 979-332-1614.

LODGE 41, PORT LAVACA (6)

Lodge Meetings: Held quarterly on the third Tuesday of February, May, August, and November at 6:30 p.m. at Six Mile Volunteer Fire Department Meeting Room, Royal Road, Port Lavaca. For information, call 361649-4736; or email danmarysitka@yahoo.com.

LODGE 47, SEATON - STAR HALL (2)

Lodge Hall: 10842 State Hwy 53, Temple. Star Hall is a non-smoking facility. Hall Rental Information: Amber Bartek 254-931-0295; Hall Phone: 254-985-2548. Visit www.seatonstarhall.com. Lodge Meetings: First Sunday of each month at 2 p.m. at the hall. For information, call 254-624-4119. Youth Club Meetings: First Sunday of each month, 1 p.m. at the hall. Call Youth Leader Amber Bartek for information 254-931-0295.

LODGE 48, BEYERSVILLE (2)

Lodge Hall: 10450 FM 619, Taylor. Hall Bookings/Rentals: Call Lisa Jonse 512-739-9324 or email SPJST48@gmail.com. Lodge Meetings: Held the second Monday of each month at 6 p.m. at the hall. For information, call 512-635-3021. Youth Club Meetings: Held at Taylor Animal Shelter on Saturday morning. For date/time and information, contact Youth Leader Michelle Newsom 512-913-0226; mrn81978@gmail.com.

LODGE 49, ROWENA (4)

Lodge Hall: 706 FM 2133, Rowena. Hall Rental Information: 325-442-4841 - Beverly Teplicek. Lodge Meetings: Held quarterly - first Wednesday of February, May, August, and November at 6 p.m. at the hall. Call Laura Pospichal for information 325-365-6485. Youth Club Meetings: First Sunday of each month at 1 p.m. at the hall. Call Youth Leader Becky Wood for information 325-656-0029.

LODGE 54, WEST (3)

Lodge Meetings: First Friday in March, June, and November, and the second Friday in September at St. Joseph Hall, 303 South Harrison Street in West, 7 p.m. For information, call Freddie Kaluza 254-709-2303.

LODGE 63, SWEET HOME (6)

Lodge Meetings: Third Thursday of February, May, August, and November at 7 p.m. For meeting location and information, call Ann Moseley 361-781-2644.

LODGE 66, WACO (3)

Lodge Meetings: The fourth Monday of each month at 5:30 p.m. at St. Paul’s Church, 1301 Hogan Lane in Bellmead. For information, call 254-717-7534.

LODGE 67, SCHULENBURG (1)

Lodge Meetings: Held quarterly in March, June, September, and December at Kountry Bakery, Hwy 77 in Schulenburg at 2 p.m. For information, call 979-7430310.

LODGE 79, CORPUS CHRISTI (7)

Lodge Meetings: Third Sunday of each month at 2 p.m. at the Sokol Hall, 5502 Kostoryz Road, Corpus Christi. Meal served; meeting follows. Visitors welcome. For info, call 361-816-2328. Youth Club Meetings: Third Sunday of each month, 2 p.m. at Sokol Hall, 5502 Kostoryz Road, Corpus Christi. Call Youth Leader Marcia Rew for information 361-563-6779.

LODGE 80, HOLLAND (2)

Lodge Meetings: Held bi-monthly on the second Tuesday in January, March, May, July, September, and November at “The Hall on 2268” (formerly SPJST Lodge 80 Hall), 12141 East FM 2268 in Holland at 6:30 p.m. For information, call 254-760-6427. Watch the Věstník for changes in dates or times. For information, call 254760-6427. Bingo has returned!

LODGE 81, NEEDVILLE (5)

Lodge Hall: 13609 Violet Street in Needville. Hall Manager/Bookings/Rentals: Marion Morales 281-650-4466. Lodge Meetings: Third Sunday of each month at the hall at 1 p.m.; meal at 12 noon. For information, call 281-781-3156. Youth Club Meetings: Third Sunday of each month at 1 p.m. at the hall. For information, email Youth Leader Kristen Jones joneskb06@hotmail.com.

LODGE 84, DALLAS (3)

Lodge Meetings: Third Sunday of each month, 2 p.m. Meeting location will be posted in the Věstník. Youth Club Meetings: Third Sunday of each month, 2 p.m.unless otherwise announced in the Věstník. Contact Youth Leader Lynda Novak 972-948-4456.

LODGE 87, TEMPLE (2)

Lodge Hall: 320 North 50th Street in Temple. Lodge Meetings: Held quarterly on the third Sunday of January, April, July and October at 2 p.m. For information, contact Dan Kacir 254-899-2332.

LODGE 88, HOUSTON (5)

Standing Events:

● Bingo every Thursday evening

● Beer Garden every Friday

● Ladies Night - first Thursday of each month

● Guys Night - third Thursday of each month

Visit www.lodge88.org/special-event for updates

Lodge Hall: 1435 Beall Street at West 15th, Houston (the Heights). Hall Phone/Rental Information: Call 713869-5767; or visit www.lodge88.org. Dances are held 8 to 11:30 p.m. - unless otherwise noted. For information, call 713-869-5767, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Beer, set-ups, soda, and ice sold at bar. Please do not bring from outside. *Dress Code dances: evening attire for ladies and gentlemen. *Introductory pricing. Bingo: Every Thursday evening; games start at 7 p.m. License No. 17407503501. Lodge Meetings: Held the first Sunday, 2 p.m. at the hall; lunch served at 1 p.m. For information, call 713-869-5767. Youth Club Meetings: Held second Sunday of each month at the hall at 1 p.m. (one hour prior to adult lodge meeting). For youth club information, contact Youth Leader Sarah Itz 713-303-8845.

Sunday, June 4—Homecoming with Mark Halata and Texavia, and Czechaholics

Saturday, June 24—Yelba’s Variety Band, 7:30 to 11 p.m.

Friday, July 14—Fab 5, 8 to 11:30 p.m.

Sunday, August 27—Chris Rybak, 2 to 6 p.m.

Saturday, September 30—Nitebeat, 7:30 to 11 p.m.

Saturday, November 11—Red Ravens, 7 to 11 p.m.

Friday, December 1—Fab 5, 8 to 11:30 p.m.

Sunday, December 31—New Year’s Eve: Mark Halata and Texavia, 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.

LODGE 91, SAN JACINTO (5)

Lodge Meetings: Held quarterly on the second Saturday of March, June, September, and December at 12 p.m. at a local restaurant. For information, call 832694-8762

LODGE 92, FORT WORTH - NATIONAL HALL (3)

Lodge Hall: 3316 Roberts Cut Off Road, Fort Worth 76114. Hall Event/Rental Information: Call National Hall Events Manager Jon Durham 817-624-1361. Visit Lodge 92 website www.nationalhallfwtx.com. Ladies

Circle: Meets the second Tuesday of each month. Randy and the 92nd Road House Band plays every first Sunday. Dressy casual. Lodge Meetings: Second Sunday of each month, 2 p.m. at the hall - unless otherwise noted. For information, call 817-688-9958.

LODGE 97, PLACEDO (6)

Lodge Meetings: Held quarterly on the following second Mondays: March 13; June 12; and September 11 at 5:30 p.m. at Grapevine Cafe, 110 Medical Drive, Suite 102, Victoria 77904. For information, call Secretary Judy Bellanger 361-576-2935.

LODGE 107, FLORESVILLE (7)

Lodge Hall: 1156 FM 1303, Floresville. Hall Rental Information: 830-393-2600/Roxy. Lodge Meetings: Second Sunday of each month at 3 p.m. at the hall. For information, call 210-535-4916. Youth Club Meetings: For meeting date/time/location, contact Youth Leader Lian Lynn 830-480-2737.

LODGE 117, ROBSTOWN (7)

Lodge Meetings: Held quarterly on the first Saturday of March, June, September, and December at 1:30 p.m. at Hilltop Community Center, 11425 Leopard in Corpus Christi. For information, call 361-695-8280.

LODGE 133, SAN ANTONIO (7)

Lodge Meetings: Held quarterly in March, June, September, and December at 1 p.m. For meeting location/date/information, call 210-861-4958.

LODGE 139, DANBURY (5)

Lodge Meetings: Held quarterly on the second Sunday of March, June, September, and December at 12 noon at Main Street Steakhouse, 1802 Main Street in Danbury. Meeting; luncheon follows. For information, call Lonnie 979-922-1553.

LODGE 141, SEALY (1)

Lodge Meetings: Held bi-monthly on the second Tuesday of February, April, June, August, October, and December at 6 p.m. at Gordon Memorial Library, 917 North Circle Drive, Sealy. December meeting is held at Tony’s Restaurant; complimentary meal for members. For information, call 979-885-4900.

LODGE 142, HOUSTON (5)

Lodge Meetings: Third Sunday of each month except in December, meeting is on the second Sunday at 2 p.m. - unless otherwise noted; lunch served at 1 p.m. Meetings are held at SPJST Lodge 88, Houston, 1435 Beall Street at West 15th (the Heights) in Houston in the annex building - unless otherwise noted. For information, contact Lodge142 President Dennis Hermis 713-826-2981; or Secretary Elizabeth Hermis 281787-8717. Youth Club Meetings: Held at the same date, time, and location as the adult lodge meetingsunless otherwise noted. For information, call Youth Leader Amanda Muzny 713-560-5377.

LODGE 151, WHARTON (6)

Lodge Meetings: Second Monday of March, June, September, and December at 6:30 p.m. at Wharton Depot Museum, 100 South Sunset Street in Wharton. For information, call 979-532-5884 or email jbucek2001@yahoo.com.

LODGE 154, FORT WORTH (3)

Lodge Hall: 6500 Boat Club Road, Fort Worth. Hall Phone: 817-237-5181. Lodge Meetings: Held quarterly on the third Sunday of February, May, August, and November at the hall at 3 p.m. For information, call 817731-2580. Youth Club Meetings: Third Sunday of each month, 5 p.m. For meeting location, contact Youth Leaders CarrieAnn Jones 817-371-1727, carrieannjones@att.net or Appa Burcie 817-614-2967, abburcie2015@gmail.com for information.

LODGE 155, AUSTIN (2)

Lodge Meetings: Held quarterly in March, June, September, and December. For dates/time/location, call 512-472-1721.

LODGE 157, LUBBOCK (4)

Lodge Meetings: Held quarterly on the last Sunday of March, June, September, and December at 2 p.m. at 2512 Mesa Road in Lubbock. For information, contact Secretary Cynthia Kristinek 806-763-7245; cyndynjerome@gmail.com.

LODGE 160, SAN ANGELO (4)

Lodge Meetings: Third Thursday of February, May, and August; the November meeting is held the third Sunday. Watch the Věstník for meeting time/location. For information, contact Sandra Jansa 325-651-8045; or sandra.jansa@hotmail.com. Youth Club Meetings: For date, time, location, call Youth Leader Ryan Jansa 325234-5879.

LODGE 172, PASADENA (5)

Lodge Meetings: Quarterly meetings to be announced in the Vestnik. For information or questions, call Jerry Dressler 512-551-9009.

LODGE 177, ACADEMY (2)

Lodge Hall: 711 East Rio Poco, Little River-Academy. Hall Phone: 254-982-4434. Please leave a message with questions. Board of Trustees/Lodge Meetings: Second Wednesday of January, March, May, July, September, and November - Board Meeting, 6:15 p.m. Regular lodge meeting, 6:30 p.m. Bingo: Every Tuesday and Friday at 7 p.m. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Kitchen is open.

LODGE 179, WARRENTON (1)

Lodge Meetings: The lodge meets quarterly. Date and location will be announced in the Věstník prior to the meeting each month. For information, contact Ricky Weyand 979-966-7138.

LODGE 180, BURLESON (3)

Lodge Meetings: First Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. Please call for meeting location 817-905-2097 or 972-268-0022.

LODGE 183, ARLINGTON (3)

Lodge Hall: 3100 Pleasant Valley Lane, Arlington. Hall Rental Information/Hall Phone: 682-800-3485. Lodge Meetings: Held quarterly - the third Sunday of February, May, August, and November at 2 p.m. at the hall. For information, call 817-896-5277.

LODGE 184, MOULTON (6)

Lodge Meetings: Second Tuesday of February, May, August, and November, 7 p.m. at Moulton VFD meeting room. For information, contact Secretary Terry Stevenson 361-772-0046; terrywstevenson@gmail.com.

LODGE 185, NEW BRAUNFELS (7)

Lodge Meetings: Bi-monthly in the months of February, April, June, August, October, and December on the fourth Sunday (except for June and December). For meeting information, contact Theresa Haag 830-8323664; theresa.haag686@gmail.com. Youth Club Meetings: Fourth Sunday of each month. For meeting time/location, contact Youth Leader Jessica McCoy 979-777-8215; jmccoy@pta.com.

LODGE 186, CALDWELL (1)

UPDATE: SPJST Lodge 186, Caldwell has secured Caldwell Civic Center, 103 W Highway 21 in Caldwell as its meeting location in 2023. Meetings will be held the second Tuesday at 6 p.m. Bring your favorite dish as we will enjoy a potluck prior to the meeting. Make plans to join us. For information, please contact Lodge 186 President Victor Mendez 512-743-8297 or vmendez@kmc.net.

LODGE 187, ROUND ROCK (2)

Lodge Hall: 920 Luther Peterson Place in Round Rock. Hall Rental Information: Call Rubie Volek 512-7714948. Lodge Meetings: Second Sunday of each month, beginning at 2 p.m. at the hall, followed by entertainment and potluck meal. Youth Club Meetings: Second Sunday of each month at 2 p.m. at the hall followed by entertainment and potluck meal. For information, call Jennifer McCarthy 512-565-9156.

LODGE 189, BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION (1)

Lodge Meetings: Held quarterly on the second Sunday of March, June, September, and December at 2 p.m. at C and J Barbecue, 1010 South Texas Avenue in Bryan - unless otherwise noted. For information call 979-777-1426.

LODGE 191, LUFKIN (5)

Lodge Meetings: Held quarterly on the Monday before the second Friday at Catfish King Restaurant. Watch for meeting announcement in the Vestnik. For information, call George Scogin 936-875-2867.

LODGE 196, HOUSTON-WEST (5)

Lodge Hall: 17810 Huffmeister Road in Cypress. Lodge Meetings: First Sunday of each month. Lunch at 1 p.m.; meeting at 2 p.m. For information, contact Cadance Wager 715-515-2835.

LODGE 202, JOURDANTON (7)

Adult Lodge Meetings: Held quarterly - the 3rd Sunday of March, June, September, and December at 1 p.m. at Jourdanton Community Center, 1101 Campbell Avenue, Jourdanton. A meal will be served at each meeting. For information, call 830-570-7750. Youth Club Meetings: Youth attend quarterly adult lodge meetings and interim monthly meetings held the second Sunday of the month. Time and location TBD monthly. For information, contact Youth Leader Regina House 830570-2046.

LODGE 207, IOWA PARK (4)

Lodge Meetings: Held quarterly on the third Thursday of February, May, August, and November at 6 p.m. at 2302 FM 369 South in Iowa Park. For information, call Secretary Joyce Kotulek 940-855-0882.

LODGE 215, SOUTH PLAINS (4)

Lodge Meetings: First Saturday of each month at John Witt Butane Gas Company., LLC, 631 Lockwood Street in Tahoka at 6 p.m. For information, call 806535-8356

LODGE 219, EL PASO (4)

Lodge Meetings: Second Thursday of each month, at 12 noon, at Corner Bakery Cafe, 655 Sunland Park Drive in El Paso. For questions, call President Aracely Quiz 915-999-2062.

LODGE 229, ABILENE (4)

Lodge Meetings: Held quarterly in January, April, June, and September at Rosa Cafe, 1026 North Judge Ely Boulevard. For information, call 325-669-7904.

Monday, June 5—Lodge meeting, 6 p.m. Monday, September 11—Lodge meeting, 6 p.m.

LODGE 246, MORGAN’S POINT (2)

Lodge Meetings: Held bi-monthly - the second Monday in January, March, May, July, September, and November at 11:15 a.m. For meeting location, call President Ingrid Petrik 254-760-1831.

LODGE 258, SEGUIN (7)

Lodge Meetings: Held quarterly, normally the third month of each quarter. Date, time and location varies and is voted on by members at each meeting. For meeting date, location, and time, contact Chester Jenke 210-413-3053; Colleen Jenke 210-215-9494; or Carrie Origas -210-415-8744.

Sunday, June 11—Lodge meeting at 1 p.m. at Rocket Wings, 380 North Highway 123 Bypass, in Seguin. Mark this information on your calendar and please make plans to join us. —SPJST—