The SeaShell Marco Island Shell Club Newsletter April 22, 2015 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Hello Shell Club Members Extraordinaire! Thank you, and let’s congratulate ourselves on a successful season and sale. Our club is just an amazing group of ladies and gentlemen. I would be remiss if I did not thank the Board of Directors. Without their time, dedication, commitment and wisdom, my tenure as president would not be as productive nor positive. Table chairs and committee leaders, a big thank you. Every member, THANK YOU! The Board of Directors says good-bye to Marge Tunnell, vice president and Mary Ann Coke as membership chair. As membership chair, Mary Ann brought organization and innovation to the club. Marge, as VP, was always by my side to offer assistance, support and reminders. The seminars for which she arranged speakers were well attended and quite interesting and informative. Thank you ladies for jobs well done. Welcome to our new officers. Kathy Benedik is President-Elect. She will “shadow” me for the year and then become the next president. My enduring memory of Kathy is not that she was a great recording secretary, but when I was a new member to the club, she not only invited me to join the jewelry table, but made me feel truly welcome. My only hope is that I can mentor her as well as she did me. Joan Robbins is our Vice-President. To list all of her contributions to the club would take all of my article space. So, she has done it all. However, her greatest contribution to me has been her calm ability to advise me when I stray off course. She is the by- laws “guru” and ensures that the Board of Directors stays true to course. Christine Hewitt is our recording secretary. I have no anecdotes to tell about Chris because we are still becoming acquainted. What I do know is that she is a computer wiz, and that she did a super job at her initial secretary task. Her minutes were accurate and she was an active participant at her first Directors’ meeting. Pat Wood is our new excursion chair. She, too, had much to offer at her first Board of Director’s meeting and will organize some great trips for our club. The SeaShell W WW.MARCOSHELLCLUB.COM Page 1 Marco Island Shell Club Newsletter April 22, 2015 I have many fond memories of our 35th Shell Show. However, I smiled most at our young alphabet cone contest winners. Their joy was just contagious. I also witnessed a member’s grandson make a purchase from the critter table. He strode to the cashier table, paid for it while telling our cashier, Ruth, the amount of change he was owed (it was correct) and then he wished all the ladies at the table a good day. Maybe he will become a future treasurer in the club. It is truly inspiring to see parents encourage their children/ grandchildren to learn about shells and the environment. The Sailor’s Valentine workshop was a tremendous success. Seven ladies met for three sessions, under the tutelage and expertise of Connie Marshall Miller. We completed our valentines and you have never witnessed such joy and pride from a group. Personally, I never thought I would complete the task as well as being amazed at the result. Connie made me do it! Thank you. As President, I had the privilege to announce that the Board of Directors’ approved three Honorary Members. They were Phyllis Marco, Shirley Prushko and Dorothy Skender. All were past Presidents, but more importantly, they were, for many years, tremendous contributors to our club. Congratulations on a welldeserved honor. Phyllis Marco Shirley Prushko Dorothy Skender . There is a current vacancy for membership chair. An anticipated vacancy will be for Scholarship and Grants Committee Chair. If anyone is interested in either position or if you want to ask questions, please feel free to email or telephone me. Finally, rest, relax, enjoy and come back prepared for season 36. Marsha Prunetti - President The SeaShell W WW.MARCOSHELLCLUB.COM Page 2 Marco Island Shell Club Newsletter April 22, 2015 2015 SHELL SHOW CHAIR REPORT Thank You! Marco Island Shell Club Volunteers With your dedication and hard work, once again, our show - this year surpassed all of our expectations! You, ALL, are some of the best examples of what volunteering is all about and that is why our club remains: “one of the strongest in the state!” Thank You! Marco Island & Surrounding Collier County Communities Iberia Bank, CJs on the Bay, Friends of Rookery Bay, and Florida Gulf Coast University were among community sponsors of our show this year. Their generosity was greatly appreciated! Prizes for our very first “Hunt for An Anomaly” contest also came from right here in our Marco Island community - Golden Gate Jewelers, Marco Island Center for the Arts, and Rookery Bay Kayaks. We appreciate your support! Happy anomaly Mark Your Calendars winner 2016 Marco Island Shell Show March 10 - 12 +++++++++++ Happ y ano maly win ner For the complete list of award winners, check out our website! www.marcoshellclub.com Check out our Shell Show Picture Gallery on our website - COMING SOON you will be able to relive the entire 2015 Shell Show in pictures! Watch for an email blast! Have a fabulous relaxing summer! Jae Kellogg - 2015 Shell Show Chair The SeaShell W WW.MARCOSHELLCLUB.COM Page 3 Marco Island Shell Club Newsletter April 22, 2015 WORKSHOP, WORKSHOP, WORKSHOP The Gift Shop at the 2015 Marco Island Shell Show was absolutely awesome. It showcased the incredible talent and dedication to a cause by the MISC Workshop Members. Collectively we raised a great amount of funds to be used for our scholarship and grants program -- our ever-present goal. The Workshop season is a blur to me in review! Each Tuesday the room was buzzing with excitement, exclamations of wonder, pride in achievement, camaraderie, and friendship. There were hugs, a few tears, shouting on occasion, missing power strips, lost table covers, and general cooperativeness as we completed our tasks. The Table Leaders outdid themselves this year as witnessed by the photos that are included with this message. There were so many wonderful projects completed -- some new, and some old favorites revisited. The flood of buyers entering the Gift Shop on Thursday morning was surreal and they continued to arrive until the close of the Show on Saturday. They were so anxious to see what we had to offer and we did not disappoint. The displays were so well organized and showcased our projects beautifully. As I looked around the room, I watched buyers selecting items from each table area. Now and then I saw workshop members showing up with extra merchandise they were producing as the Show was going on. Thanks for that! Everyone's willingness to help is what makes this CLUB a great experience. The SeaShell W WW.MARCOSHELLCLUB.COM Page 4 Marco Island Shell Club Newsletter April 22, 2015 In retrospect, we had a great Workshop Season. There were so many positives in both the shell art we created and the friendships we established or cemented. I am looking forward to my time at home in Iowa to reacquaint myself with my plants, my birds and bunnies who visit, and my daily bike ride through my neighborhood. Soon, however, I will be ready to get back to Marco, the geckos trying to get inside, my daily beach walk, and the thrill of starting yet another Workshop Season with the Marco Island Shell Club. See you all soon...................... Becky Miller – Workshop Chair The SeaShell W WW.MARCOSHELLCLUB.COM Page 5 Marco Island Shell Club Newsletter April 22, 2015 SCHOLARSHIPS AND GRANTS Thank you to everyone who worked so faithfully to make this year another rousing success! At the Thank You Dinner on March 25, attendees heard presentations from the two Florida Gulf Coast University graduate students who each received $2,000 to support their graduate research projects. Matt Gamel showed us how he is working in the field of intensive seafood management to minimize the negative effects of fish waste. Working at the Vester Center, he is experimenting with various algae, the goal being to identify algae that consume most of the waste at a rapid rate so that it is not a pollution problem for industrial fish farming. A smaller version of this is being demonstrated at ECHO in North Fort Myers in order to help underdeveloped countries provide food at the village level, but Matt’s work is attempting to address the issue on a larger more intensive scale. Katie Kaack is working with hydrodynamics or fluid dynamics to determine how the rate of water flow over seagrass beds impacts their sustainability. She is attempting to quantify dissipation, deposition and resuspension of particles in order to develop a mathematical model useful in comparing natural occurrences against a controlled sample. She uses measurements taken in Estero Bay and compares them to measurements she takes from controlled water flow in the flume at the Vester Center. Her goal is to develop a model that will allow better management of naturally occurring seagrass beds. Looking forward to 2015-16, the committee received approval from the membership and the board of directors to award Elizabeth Salewski, the doctoral student whose research we support at the University of South Florida, another $5,000 research scholarship. Her work is progressing well. She officially passed her examinations so that she is now a “doctoral candidate.” In addition to her research studies, she’s also a teaching assistant and supervises graduate students. Expecting that her research and subsequent studies will go smoothly, she anticipates receiving her Ph.D. in the spring of 2016. We expect to hear more from her during the coming season, as she periodically updates us. Next season, the club will also support educational efforts at Rookery Bay with two grants. One will significantly underwrite transportation costs for National Estuaries Day in late September. This event is well attended by local families, whose children are always intrigued by what they see and learn. After visiting the education center, families are bussed to the boat dock on Shell Island Road where they board pontoon boats in order to closely examine life in Rookery Bay. The SeaShell W WW.MARCOSHELLCLUB.COM Page 6 Marco Island Shell Club Newsletter April 22, 2015 The other grant will allow purchase of additional microscopes and a camera with projecting capabilities for basic education on site. Each year school students visit Rookery Bay as part of their science curriculum. To date, the instructor has had very limited means of showing students what microscopic life is actually in the bay waters. The microscopes and projecting camera will enable everyone to look at the same creatures at the same time, thus making the visit and its accompanying instruction much more meaningful for everyone. The total value of these grants is $4,000, money well spent to support basic education in the marine sciences for the general public as well as school children. A generous gift from the Ciaramello family, combined with money from the club, will enable continuation of a $2,000 competitive research scholarship for a graduate student at FGCU. We will be hearing the outcome of that work at the March, 2016, thank you dinner. Stay tuned for initial details of the recipient and his/her work in forthcoming newsletters. I am sorry to say that Martha Bennett has resigned from the committee, as she contributed fresh and innovative ideas for us to explore. We will miss her insights and thoughtfulness. Please feel free to share your ideas, questions, or concerns with committee members - - - Paulette and Bruce Carrabelli, Joan Robbins, and Carolyn Ginther, Chairperson Carolyn Ginther – Scholarship Chair EXCURSIONS As your new Excursion Chair I have been able to schedule the following for the 2015 – 2016 season: -‐ Florida Gulf Coast University -‐ Marco Island Shell Club Tour of academic building 7 which includes the Marine Science Labs, lunch on campus, and then a tour of the Vester Marine & Environmental Science Research Field Station will be on Thursday January 21, 2016 -‐ Fossil Dig with Gary Schmelz , Saturday January 23, 2016 Please send any requests to sign up or suggestions for possible excursions to me at [email protected] I am looking forward to serving you this season. Pat Wood– Education/Excursion Chair The SeaShell W WW.MARCOSHELLCLUB.COM Page 7 Marco Island Shell Club Newsletter April 22, 2015 SEMINARS - WEBSITE SEMINARS TO COME The following speakers are confirmed for the 2015-2016 season: • • • • Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015: Our first seminar of the season will feature Elizabeth Salewski, the doctoral candidate at University of South Florida whose research the club is continuing to support, who will update us on her findings. Thursday, January 7, 2016: Linda Shockley, full-time Marco Island resident and naturalist, will present More of Marco’s Marvelous Mollusks, including her stunning photography of local shells. Linda’s exhibits at our Shell Show have won numerous awards. Thursday, February 4, 2016: Jim Cordy’s topic will be Shells of Eleuthera Island. Jim, who resides in Merritt Island, Florida, specializes in self-collected shells of the Caribbean, and has exhibited often at our Shell Show. Thursday, March 3, 2016: TBA Seminars will be held at the United Church of Marco and will begin at 6:00 p.m. (Note time change)…. ON THE WEBSITE The club website now has a new, more modern design which improves its responsiveness to a variety of viewing platforms. Updated software has been added which expands its capabilities. For example, next season, members will be able to sign up for excursions online. Check out the “work in progress” at www.marcoshellclub.com , especially to view the preliminary 2015 Shell Show picture gallery. I will be working with our website designer over the summer to have everything completed for our 2015-2016 season Editor’s note: This new view now works very well on mobile devices Joan Robbins– Vice President/Seminar Chair/Website Chair The SeaShell W WW.MARCOSHELLCLUB.COM Page 8 Marco Island Shell Club Newsletter April 22, 2015 MEMBERSHIP FINAL MEMBERSHIP THOUGHTS for 2015 • Excited to announce that we had a back-‐to-‐back increase in enrollment which exceeded last year’s count with a high of 180 members! • Tuesdays’ Workshop participants’ attendance was also at a high of 100 artists designing and creating everything imaginable out of shells. No one can do it better than…the Marco Shell Club! • Great support has come from our NEW MEMBERS with a new high of 45 this year! Check out the FULL list below! The new Workshop Photo Directory board has helped all to learn more faces with connecting names. It also showed a visual concept of the organization’s depth in creative expression. Saying Goodbye for Now… TEAM 2015 NEW MEMBERS A n t i c i p a t e y o u r r e t u r n i n 2 0 1 6 ! Ackermann, Karen-‐-‐Massachusetts Apy, Kathy—Florida Arnold, Judy—Ohio Bengston, Melda—Delaware Blonna, Heidi—Florida Braun, Raakel—Florida Calce, Suzanne—Florida Crossland, Chrystine—Spain Dallner, Diane—Iowa Giordano, Janet—Florida Goril, Jim—Illinois Graev, Nancy—Florida Griffith, Judy—Delaware Added after Feb. 24 Bellio, Barbara—Colorado Benner, Lois-‐-‐Pennsylvania Griffith, Paul—Delaware Hall, Fran—Massachusetts Heximer, Sally—Ohio Hicks, Pam—Florida Holmes, Meg—Michigan James, Emily—Florida Lenard, Nancy—Florida Markel, Joyce—Maryland McNeilly, Cathy—Florida Mefford, Diane—Florida Nathanson, Lynn—New York Nathanson, Marvin—New York Pitso, Fran—Illinois Added after Feb. 24 Hellerman, Doris-‐-‐Pennsylvania Marcho, Richard-‐-‐ Pennsylvania Powell, Linda—Indiana Runey, Christine—Massachusetts Russ, Marilynn—Iowa Schultz, Jean—Michigan Sternberg, Susan—Wisconsin Tomalski, Carole—Connecticut Togow, Marilyn—Florida Tyler, Andrew—Massachusetts Watson, Jan—Canada Whittwer, Judy—Florida Wise, Cindy—Florida Wood, John—Massachusetts Added after Feb. 24 Ruble, Rachelle-‐-‐Ohio Wilson, Donna—New Jersey Wilson, Julia—New Jersey MEMBERSHIP NOTICE— Think of me when you have a CHANGE OF PERSONAL DATA. Send me a quick email at [email protected] if you MOVE, CHANGE your E-‐MAIL address. This will keep you in the “know” with current Club news! Saying Goodbye for Now… Enjoy the approaching spring in your home state and a relaxing summer doing what you love. Mary Ann Coke – Membership Chair The SeaShell W WW.MARCOSHELLCLUB.COM Page 9 Marco Island Shell Club Newsletter April 22, 2015 THANK YOU DINNER & ANNUAL MEETING Wednesday, March 25, 2015 It’s!a!way!of!thanking!the!Shell!Club!members!who!contributed!their!time!and!talents!to!the!success!of! another! season! of! the! Annual! Shell! Show.! ! As! the! night’s! final! affair,! friends! and! new! acquaintances! chatted! over! a! causal! meal! with! the! elegance! of! bluePribbon! dining! and! a! repeat! performance! of! the! infamous!homemade!coconut!cake!provided!by!the!Jewelry!Workshop!Table!!!A!great!thanks!to!Kimberly& Porter’s!Dinner&Team,!for!providing!a!memorable!dinner!for!95!persons!!!! in n The*D er*Te am** ! Welcoming*Committee* Mary&Archbold&&&Jae&Kellogg& lmes.! ev& Ho nell,& B ,& ld &Tun Gera & Fitz2 mm,& Marge rgow! o ,& Lisa o n &T lk a n il y m il r &W r & Acke tt,& Patricia insella,&Ma n e r a nne ra&K d:! K Seate g:! Marti& Be rter,&Barba o in Stand ultz,&Kim&P ch Jean&S ! * ng*& oki ites!* o C * d et Goo y*App p p ! a H Recognitions*at*Annual*Meeting* Left.!New!Honorary!Member,!Dorothy&Skender,&Past!Club!Pres!!! Right.!2016!New!Club!Officers—Kathy&Benedik,!Pres!Elect;!Joan& ts * p ie n *Reci ack& p i h s l ar a&K n inther! *Scho atrin FGCU amel&&&K ir!Carolyn&G a ip!Ch Matt&G with!S Robbins,!V!Pres;!Christine&Hewitt,!Recording!Secretary! r sh chola !! The SeaShell W WW.MARCOSHELLCLUB.COM Page 10 Marco Island Shell Club Newsletter Read All About It… shells turned in for basketball…! April 22, 2015 Ma rco S hell Club fea tured in pre -game & pos t ga me ac tivi ti es ...at Florida G ulf Coa st Uni versity…Wom en ’s Fin al Home Bas ketb all G ame o n Sa t, Feb ruary 28 th Pre-Game Warm-Ups…! High Fives…Good Luck Ladies Eagles!! Front. Member Nella Neary, a FGCU fan, arranged the event with free admission, FGCU shirts & group photo. The Lady Eagles performed with power & strong victory over Jacksonville. What a GREAT night to cheer on our sponsored university! ! The SeaShell W WW.MARCOSHELLCLUB.COM Page 11 Marco Island Shell Club Newsletter April 22, 2015 PUBLICITY Again our active season has come to an end. I think this newsletter is a celebration of all the happened in the 2014 – 2015 season. By all measurement, it was a great season. I want to add my thanks to all of the newsletter contributors for doing such a great job. And especialy to Mary Ann who submitted the Thank-you-Dinner page and the FGCU basketball page. Have a great summer. I encourage you to occasionally check our new website to see the good work that Joan will be doing and to watch for news that our committee chairs and officers may post. I look forward to putting out our next newsletter in October, highlighting the start of our new season. John Tunnell– Publicity Chair 2015-2016 OFFICERS AND CHAIRS Officers Chairs President......................... Marsha Prunetti President Elect……….…. Kathy Benedik Vice President................. Joan Robbins Recording Secretary........ Christine Hewitt Corresponding Sec.......... Carole Stavenas Treasurer......................... Lisa Fitz-Gerald Shell Show..................... Jae Kellogg Membership.................... Contact........................... Carole Stavenas Scholarship..................... Carolyn Ginther Education/Excursions..... Pat Wood Publicity.......................... John Tunnell Website …………………. Joan Robbins Seminar........................... Joan Robbins Workshop............ Becky Miller/Debbie Towey Address all correspondence to : Marco Island Shell Club, Inc. P. O. Box 633 Marco island, FL 34146 www.marcoshellclub.com The SeaShell W WW.MARCOSHELLCLUB.COM Page 12 Marco Shell Club 2015 -‐ 2016 Calendar DATE DAY TIME ACTIVITY LOCATION Nov. 3 Tues. 9:00 AM workshop U-Church Nov. 3 Tues. 12:00 PM BOD mtg U-Church Nov. 5 Thurs. 6:00 PM Seminar U-Church Nov. 10 Tues. 9:00 AM workshop U-Church Nov. 17 Tues. 9:00 AM workshop U-Church Nov. 24 Tues. 9:00 AM workshop U-Church Dec. 1 Tues. 9:00 AM workshop/holiday pot luck U-Church Dec. 5 Sat. 9:00 AM Holiday Sale Winn Dixie Dec. 8 Tues. 9:00 AM workshop U-Church Dec. 8 Tues. 12:00 PM BOD mtg U-Church Dec. 15 Tues. 9:00 AM workshop U-Church Jan. 5 Tues. 9:00 AM workshop U-Church Jan. 7 Thurs. 6:00 PM Seminar U-Church Jan. 12 Tues. 9:00 AM workshop U-Church Jan. 12 Tues. 12:00 PM BOD mtg U-Church Jan. 19 Tues. 9:00 AM workshop U-Church Jan. 21 Thurs. 9:00 AM Excursion - FGCU Campus FGCU Jan. 23 Sat. Excursion - Fossil Dig Fossil Dig Jan. 26 Tues. 9:00 AM workshop U-Church Feb. 2 Tues. 9:00 AM workshop U-Church Feb. 4 Thurs. 6:00 PM Seminar U-Church Feb. 9 Tues. 9:00 AM workshop U-Church Feb. 9 Tues. 12:00 PM BOD mtg U-Church Feb. 16 Tues. 9:00 AM workshop U-Church Feb. 16 Tues. 12:00 PM SS mtg U-Church Feb. 18 Thurs. 7:30 AM shell hunt/picnic Sarazen Park Feb. 23 Tues. 9:00 AM workshop U-Church Mar. 1 Tues. 9:00 AM workshop U-Church Mar. 1 Tues. 12:00 PM BOD mtg U-Church Mar. 3 Thurs. 6:00 PM Seminar U- church Mar. 8 Tues. Show set-up U- church Mar. 9 Wed. 9:00am to 12:00 pm Exhibitors set-up U-Church Mar. 9 Wed. 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm Judging U- Church Mar. 9 Wed. 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm Reception U-Church Mar. 10-12 Thurs to Sat. 10:00 am to 4:00 pm Shell Show U-Church Mar. 15 Tues. 9:00 AM Team Leaders Mtg U-Church Mar. 23 Wed. 5:30 PM Thank you Dinner/Annual Mtg U-Church Mar. 25 Fri. 10:00 AM BOD mtg U-Church TBA
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