Elves at the North Pole

Four members of our club volunteered as Santa's Elves to support the Believe in Books Literacy Foundation fundraising effort with the Journey to the North Pole.  We had lots of fun sharing some of the magic at Santa's Workshop with all the children and families who came on the Polar Express.  We laughed, we sang, we shouted and clapped and ended the evening truly believing in the magic of Christmas.

Cathy, Thelma, Kathy, and Cindy as jolly Elves.

County Altrusa - Cohost DCYF - Foster Family Christmas Party - December 12th

One of the first community service projects that Carroll County Altrusa participated in was the Christmas party for the Foster Families in Carroll County. We have moved from the Tri-Cap building, to Runnells Hall and now to the Madison Elementary school. The party grows and is an event that members and the families look forward to. This year, Santa arrived quietly and the excitement on the children's face told the whole story. The smiles were big and the hugs even bigger. We respect the privacy of all of our families and children, so there aren't any photos.

One of our members made balloon animals, other friends did face painting, there was cookie decorating, and a craft table. A big box of lego's was set out and many of the youngsters gravitated to that table. There was a buffet with appetizers and wonderful desserts. A good time was had by all.

Santa was happy to pose with the members attending. Santa has joined us every year and is so special to the children.

The set up crew....

  
Visiting with Santa before we left

Cindy creates a crown for Kathy M

Face painting wasn't just for the children.

Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays and Fabulous New Year to all.

Stockings for Soldiers

On Sunday afternoon, November 22nd, this great group of Altrusans joined other volunteers at the White Mountain Hotel to fill Christmas stockings for soldiers.  All the stockings will be shipped to those servicemen and women stationed overseas during the Christmas season. 

Donation to North Country Cares

Judy, Dorothy and Kathy met with Emily Smith-Mossman of North Country Cares at noontime today at North Country Fair Jewelers to give her our Altrusa donation for the backpacks for the Bags of Love Program.  "Bags of Love" is an emergency bag of essentials for kids placed into the foster care system.  The clothing and needs supplied to DCYF come to the children as an anonymous donation.    We can promote both Altrusa and North Country Cares.  Thanks everyone for helping with this!

The "Wrap it Up!" Crew

Although our "Wrap it Up" fundraiser got off to a slow start, the crew had a lot of fun chatting, eating snacks and enjoying each others company.  We had time to sit with Santa at the Kiwanis fundraiser and have our photo taken.  Dorothy was our promoter extraordinaire strolling around Settlers Green telling all about our gift wrapping project.

Wrap it Up!!

Shopping this weekend for just the right gift?  Searching for that perfect sweater for someone special?  Bring a friend and shop at Settlers Green this weekend and enjoy special discounts and coupons.  And once you have your gift, get it wrapped!  All done!  Gift wrapping will be available at Settlers Green provided by Altrusa of Carroll County as a fundraiser for our scholarship and literacy programs. 

Make a Difference Day Service Project

   

 This year, our October 24th Make A Difference Day service project was to assist the Laura Foundation with their fundraising project, Halloween Town.  Halloween Town is located near King Pine Ski Area at Camp Tohkumeupog for Boys in East Madison.  Halloween Town provided a fun Trick or Treat Trail for children and families as children could walk from one camp cabin (each specially decorated) to another. WMUR even had a story about the event.  A large tent providing games and rides was also available to children.  A team of us from Altrusa staffed the drink booth and we busily poured coffee, hot cocoa and hot cider for families.  Of course, we dressed in costume and enjoyed seeing the variety of costumes on the children and adults, especially the little ones... so cute!  All money earned at Halloween Town went to the Laura Foundation which seeks to provide funding to develop and support therapeutic recreation and educational programs that enrich the lives of individuals with autism and/or seizure disorders.

Flatbreads Fundraiser

Barb Kennett displays her jewelry for sale while Cathy Baybutt promotes our "Wrap it Up" fundraiser.

Our newest members, Linda Armstrong and Nina Monaco, came to enjoy the pizza.

On Thursday, Oct. 22nd about a dozen of our members, along with friends and family, gathered at Flatbread Company in North Conway to enjoy their delicious pizza.  Flatbreads will share 10% of all pizzas sold with Altrusa of Carroll County to support our literacy programs.  What a delicious way to raise money!  In addition, Barb Kennett displayed her beautiful jewelry for sale, also donating a percentage of sales to Altrusa.  We have hidden talents among our members!

Making Strides: Walking to help the Fight

     It was a chilly morning on October 18th, but our members were up early ready to join the Making Strides Walk to End Breast Cancer.  Some Atrusans stopped in at the Masonic Lodge to enjoy a delicious breakfast with all funds going to our local Jen's Friends, which provides support for local families fighting cancer.  Then our group gathered at Whitaker Woods where some sisters worked the registration tent, helped with directions, passed out t-shirts and joined the group walking the 5K route.  This year's event raised almost $64,000 for research to fight breast cancer.  Way to go Ladies!!

Summer Fun at Wells Beach

Nancy was kind enough to host a group of Altrusans at her "Vacation Villa" at Wells Beach, Maine. We walked The Marginal Way in Ogunquit, lingered over lunch and shopped, as it was too blustery to walk the beach.  Lots of laughter as well.

Be Kind Festival June 6th

On Saturday, June 6th, we had a booth at the Be Kind Festival in North Conway village at Schouler Park.  We provided all kinds of baked goods, and had a fun day sharing information about Altrusa, chatting with visitors and accepting donations to our scholarship fund for the purchase of our goodies.  Many visitors were generous and we made $189.00 for the day, with 25% going to support the Visiting Nurses of Carroll County and 75% to our Scholarship Fun.  So many of our members worked at the booth and baked wonderful treats -thank you to everyone who supported this effort.  A special thanks to Camden, Thelma's granddaughter who came to help and who was an extraordinary salesperson.

Diane, Lisa,Thelma, Marsha and Camden at the Be Kind Festival

Kathy, Diane, Lisa, Thelma, Marsha and Camden

Plant Sale Success

Today the sun was bright and hot and people hovered around the tables set up on the street outside the Cook Memorial Library.  "Are these bearded iris?" "Do these need full sun?" "Look at all the hosta!" These questions and comments were heard all morning.  Today we held our Annual Plant Sale fundraiser and Raffle, teaming with the Cook Memorial Library to raise funds for our Altrusa service projects and for the Friends of the Cook Library.  Diane Robinson did a wonderful job organizing the day, gathering donated perennials, setting up tents, and putting out signs with the help of many of our club members.  Many thanks to those club members who donated the beautiful items for the calendar raffle.  Business was brisk and many calendar raffle tickets were sold so the day was a great success.  Now I just have to get my new plants in the ground!

Lorraine, Pat, Marsha, Lisa and Judy

Finally gathering the rest of the team, Lorraine, Pat, Kathy, Marsha, Diane, Lisa and Judy.

Habitat for Humanity Women's Build May 9th

On Saturday, May 9th we had two teams of members assisting the MWV Habitat for Humanity by providing breakfast and lunch to the 50 volunteers building the newest home in Madison.  Our breakfast crew was there by 7:15 am to set up and provide coffee and breakfast items, provided by The Community Market in Madison.  35 women arrived to work on the home and by 9:00 am everyone was at work cutting studs, nailing headers, cutting holes for wiring and framing the first walls.  All was accomplished under the able direction of 11 Habitat builders.  One of our members stayed for the day, using the chop saw and framing;  maybe next year we can get more members to bring their hammers!  At the lunch time break, our Club provided delicious pizzas, sandwiches and salads, all from The Community Market, to rave reviews from the workers.  We had an opportunity to tell all about our Altrusa Club and Kathy Miller left with the names of several women interested in learning more.  She's a great saleslady!

Serving Volunteers at the Gibson Senior Center

On Tuesday May 5th 4 members of Carroll County Altrusa helped to thank all the Meals on Wheels and other Gibson Senior Center volunteers by serving at the annual Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon.  The team of Dorothy, Kathy, Lisa and Cheryl served 87 meals to all the volunteers who give hundreds of hours of service to our senior citizen residents.  George Cleveland and Attorney Deborah Fauver were the speakers and they thanked Altrusa for all our help.  We were able to share information about our Club and hopefully have piqued the interest of several women attending.  It was also an opportunity for our Club to help other service organizations.

A Wonderful Conference in Quebec City

The 8 members of Altrusa of Carroll County enjoyed a wonderful Spring Conference in Quebec City.  Our hostesses attended to every detail - the hotel was elegant, the food was fabulous, the camaraderie was great and we were re-energized as we discussed favorite and new service projects.  We learned about Maison Zoe Blais, a woman's shelter in Quebec which provides a safe haven as well as education for women in need and their children.  The Quebec Club has donated much time and many resources to supporting this shelter.  Ideas, club projects and problems were discussed and we all left looking forward to new projects at home.  We shared a lot of fun - dancing, touring Old Quebec, exploring the Farmer's Market, the Chateau Frontinac and admiring the old architecture.

A little wine, a little music...

Friday night dinner

Saturday night Banquet

Creme Brulee dessert on Saturday night

Awards received in Quebec City!

Eight members of Carroll County Altrusa made the trip to Quebec City, Canada for the District One Spring Conference.  We had a wonderful time!  The Hotel Chateau Laurier was elegant, the food was fabulous, the meetings were productive and the camaraderie was great.  We received a number of awards:

• 1st Place Award for our Newsletter
• 3rd Place Award for our Publicity submissions
• 2nd most members attending from a club with 8 attending  (Bermuda came in 1st with 9 members attending)
• 1st Place for new memberships with 4 new members this year
• 3rd Place for membership "net gain"

Thank you to all our members who helped us earn these awards and recognition!

Celebrating our 5-year Members

At Monday evening's meeting we had an opportunity to recognize three members who have belonged to Carroll County Altrusa for five years.  Judy, Barb and Thelma received their pins to a round of applause.

End 68 Hours of Hunger

At our meeting on Monday night we learned a lot about the program End 68 Hours of Hunger organized by 3 local teachers.   This organization strives to meet the needs of those local school children who confront approximately 68 hours of hunger between the free lunch they receive in school on Friday afternoon, and the free breakfast they receive in school on Monday morning.  There are many ways to help, including:

1. Contribute directly to the organization with 100% of the funds going to meet the children's needs.
2. Host fund raisers or collect food items.
3. Donate non-perishable food items
4. Sponsor a child with a donation of $40 per month

Several of our Altrusa members have already signed up to help pack the bags of food and our club made a donation of $100 to purchase food items.

Tri-Club Birthday Party

Save the Date:  April 14, 2015

On April 14th, the Altrusa Clubs of Carroll County, Laconia and Meredith will gather to jointly celebrate our Club Birthdays.
Where: Taylor Community Woodside Building
             Birch Room
             435 Union Ave.
             Laconia, NH
Hosted by Altrusa Club of Laconia
Time: Social 5:30 PM BYOB
Dinner 6:00 PM
Program: 7:00 PM
Cost: $18.00 per person
Menu: Caesar Salad, Chicken Cordon Bleu, Herb Roasted Potatoes, Green Beans, Dessert
RSVP: Adrienne Stevens @ a.stevens4@myfairpoint.net by April 8th.

Altrusa supports 68 Hours of Hunger Project

The Altrusa Club of Carroll County has recently become involved in the 68 Hours of Hunger Project that is currently supporting children and families in the towns of Conway and Tamworth, NH.

68 Hours of Hunger is a private, not-for-profit effort to confront the approximately 68 hours of hunger that some school children experience between the free lunch they receive in school on Friday afternoon and the free breakfast they receive in school on Monday morning.  This program, established in New Hampshire in 2011, puts nourishing food in the hands of elementary school children to carry them through the weekend.  Volunteers purchase the food, pack the bags and deliver them to the offices of the selected elementary school.  From there, a school emmployee delivers the food to the classrooms of the individual participating students.  The students take the food home on Friday afternoon.  The cycle starts again, every week.

Each bag of food costs $10 each week per child and provides two breakfasts, two lunches and three dinners for a child, with some left over to share.  Each Thursday, Altrusa members are assisting with the packaging of bags and then the delivery of bags to the elementary school in Tamworth.  Members have also committed to donating food items and the club has voted to make a monetary donation toward this worthy cause.

Valentine Delivery to local nursing homes

Members of Carroll County Altrusa used doilies, glitter, paper and ink to make original Valentine cards to be delivered to the residents of local nursing homes along with delicious sugar cookies.  Due to the many snowstorms, delivery was a bit delayed but on February 18th cookies and cards were brought to Mineral Springs Nursing Home in North Conway and to Mountain View Nursing Home in Ossipee.  The staff and residents greatly appreciated the cards and cookies and extended many thanks to the ladies of Altrusa.

New members Installed

On February 16th we welcomed Cindy Reiffen and Cheryl Keator into our Club with a heart-felt installation ceremony directed by Nancy Spaulding. The members are delighted to have Cheryl and Cindy assist with our service and literacy projects in the communities in Carroll County.  Welcome!