The Beat of Austin
April 1, 2015
Volume 2, Issue 4
A Message From Our President
Inside this
issue
Austin Partners In
Education (APIE) Project
....................................... 2
Austin Altrusans are compassionate. Over the last few months, there’s
been an outpouring of love and support for our families, friends, and
Altrusans. We have: welcomed a new baby, celebrated a birthday and
a wedding, cared for an elderly parent, nursed a sick family member,
devoted quality time with our children growing up too fast, and
provided comfort when a family member passed. When we met, we
danced with our sister Altrusans, mentored our newest Altrusans, and
worked together in service. Leadership and service in our community
may be our No.1 priority, but you are truly Altrusa of Austin’s most
valuable asset.
Smart Meals Project. ... 3
Your ideas and commitment to service projects, fundraising, and
membership ensures continued success for Altrusa of Austin. As we
work, we have more organizations contacting us with volunteer
opportunities. As we work, we form lasting friendships. As we work,
we learn what it means to be an Altrusan; and we share the love of
Altrusa.
Meet our Newest
Altrusan ...................... 5
I look forward to our time together this month at the ASH 5K Bunny
Run, Altrusa of Austin 92nd birthday party celebration and retreat, and
District Nine conference in San Antonio. We’ll end the month with
service at Williams Community School 5K run on April 25. Thanks to
each of you for planning these projects. Don’t forget to visit our
website calendar and our new “Get Involved” webpage for future
events. Invite a friend, and I’ll see you there.
Viva Altrusa!
Cindy Jolly
Mc Bee Elementary
School Project .............. 2
Learning Together
Equestrians Project ..... 3
Recycled Reads Service
Project ........................... 4
Altrusa of Austin Donate
Handbags to Help
Victims of Violence ..... 4
59th District Conference
”Viva Altrusa”……….5
Altrusa International of
Austin, Texas Board of
Directors:
June 2015-May2016 …6
Altrusa International
Foundation of Austin,
Texas Board of Directors:
June 2015-May 2016….6
Upcoming Dates……..6
Austin Partners In Education by Jessica Lester
This year, the ladies of Altrusa have
re-doubled their efforts to support
Austin Partners in Education (APIE)
both in-kind and through service.
Each year, APIE has a series of needs
that require service such as
preparing math or reading activities
for APIE students. Altrusa
volunteers set aside three Saturdays
in August to prepare these materials
so they would be ready for the first
day of class in October. Beverly
Archer and Tanya Goldsmith opened
their individual workplaces for these
projects to be completed.
trained to be substitute
volunteers for the 2nd Grade
Reading Program. APIE
volunteer opportunities occur
weekly for 24 weeks during the
school year and often volunteers are
unable to attend each
consecutive week consistently. To
fill the need left by these absences,
these nine members agreed to be
substitutes where there is need at
any of the 11 elementary schools
that APIE services.
Also, APIE rolled out a new
initiative for Altrusans to
spearhead. Nine members were
Mc Bee Elementary Service Project
by Jessica Lester
Last June saw the culmination of a major Altrusa project for McBee
Elementary School, one of Austin’s many Title 1 schools which have the
fewest resources and the lowest income families in the district.
With the help of Dawn Lewis at APIE, Altrusa was able to survey almost all of
the teachers and ask them what they would wish for most in terms of
supplies to support their students. Altrusa took this information and
instituted a major school supply drive. In the end, every teacher who
requested an item, be it big or small, received it to their great surprise and
delight!
Jessica Lester
Service Committee Co-Chair
of Altrusa International of
Austin, Texas
2
Altrusa Austin
The teachers and staff at McBee Elementary will not soon forget the powerful
service initiative that Altrusans embody.
Smart Meals by Tanya Goldsmith
Dateline: March 26, 2015
Altrusa Austin breaks new ground with the Smart Meals project. Back in
November 2014 the Service Committee proposed a new type of Service project
for the Austin Club. We envisioned creating a cookbook for low income
families that would educate both adults and children to the benefits and
availability of a healthy lifestyle. As we began researching and assembling the
content, we learned a great deal about time and budget.
So, we crafted a select group of recipes that are not only healthy, but budget
friendly and could be prepared in 30 minutes. Throughout the book are “Smart
Tips” about how to shop smart, cook smart and add healthy habits to a family’s
daily life.
Now that the book is a reality, we are sharing it with the Goodwill Excel school
students with a Recipe Sampling event, March 26, 2015. We will have:
sampling stations; a short presentation from Certified Nutritionist, Karen
Flanagan; drawings for door prizes and a meal bag giveaway along with a copy
of the new Smart Meals cookbook.
Tanya Goldmsith
Service Committee Co- Chair of
Altrusa International of
Austin, Texas
Smart Meals will also become part of an Austin Partners in Education (APIE)
project in May as a part of a take-home Summer Garden Project for elementary
students.
Learning Together Equestrians by Jessica Lester
Penni Bozadzis is the managing director and lead therapist at Learning Together
Equestrians, a local non-profit whose mission is to provide therapeutic
horseback riding to children with developmental or physical disabilities. Penni
spoke at an Altrusa Business Meeting in January 2014 about her work and
offered an opportunity for Altrusans to come and volunteer at her ranch in South
Austin.
The following June 2014, 7 members served more than 40 hours over 2
weekends pulling weeds, painting wagons, and helping beautify her staging area.
Altrusa returned in March 2015 to do more service with Learning Together
Equestrians.
In the future, Altrusa hopes to support Penni and her programs more directly,
but that will require some training.
Altrusa Austiin
3
Recycled Reads by Jessica Lester
Recycled Reads is a unique kind of
bookstore in that all the books they sell
were once Austin Public Library books.
Most books are $1.00 each and
children’s books are $0.50 each!
Recycled Reads has better ideas,
however! Many books are recycled as
works of art that require volunteers, like
our Altrusans, to come and fold pages in a
pattern like these following pictures:
Recycled Reads has a very small staff and
relies mostly on volunteers to come and
sort books, re-shelve books and discard
damaged or unusable plastic audio
materials.
Although many of the books are newer
and great reading material, some books
are so out of date that they would need to
be thrown out.
Altrusa International of
Austin, Texas members from
left to right:
Cheryl Taylor, Ann Whitt and
Carlene Sanders volunteer at
Recycled Reads.
Altrusa of Austin Donates Handbags to Help Victims
of Violence by Cindy Jolly
Austin Altrusans donated new and gently used handbags to contribute to the
Texas Advocacy “Handbags of Hope” project. The donated handbags will be
distributed to children in shelters across Texas to give to their mother on
Mother’s Day. Each handbag will have the Texas advocacy project’s legal line
discreetly stitched into the lining of each bag. Pamphlets will also be placed in
the purses to provide information on additional resources for women who are
victims of domestic violence, and their children. Austin Altrusan , Ann Whitt,
collected and delivered the bags to the Travis County Sheriff’s Department for
distribution.
4
Altrusa Austin
Meet Our Newest Altrusan by Carlene Sanders
Our newest member is Kristina Mitchell. Following the “man of her dreams,”
Kristina moved from Chicago, Illinois to Austin in September of 2013 and
found a job at The Gift Solution, one she loves.
In fact, we first met Kristina when she, representing The Gift Solution, was
working as a vendor at the Altrusa Conference here in Austin in April of 2014.
She remembers meeting many wonderful women… “like no others.”
Two of those were our own Erin Miles and Cindy Jolly. Very soon after
Kristina visited her first monthly business meeting, she followed up by signing
up for the Service Committee.
One of the things that Kristina loves about her job is the creative aspect, a
theme which is repeated in other interests such as the fine art of cooking and
painting with acrylics.
Kristina says she was impressed with everything she saw at the Altrusa
Conference and especially loved all of the amazing and welcoming women.
She wanted to be part of that! Once again, she will attend the Altrusa
Conference this April as a vendor for the Gift Solution, but this time she will
also be a full-fledged, pin-wearing member of Altrusa of Austin! We
welcome you Kristina, and we are so lucky to have you in our midst!
Kristina Mitchell
Newest member of Altrusa
International of Austin, Texas
59th District Nine Conference by Jodi Picardat
On April 17-19, 2015 Altrusans from all over Texas will be attending the 59th
District Conference, titled, “Viva Altrusa,” in San Antonio, Texas.
District Nine is excited to welcome our International Representative,
International President, IIona Kerby to our conference. She will be bringing us
news and updates of all that is happening with Altrusa International.
The keynote speaker for the Saturday luncheon is Temple Altrusan, Dr. Patricia
Sulak. Dr. Sulak speaks all over the country on adult wellness issues and
promotes scientifically proven healthy lifestyles to prevent disability and death.
She will also be leading a workshop Saturday on stress management.
A L T
RU S A
The Conference Service Project for The Center for Health Care Services: Clubs
are asked to bring donations of items that the children can use during their stay
at the Crisis Center such as: Bed-in-a-bag sets; age-appropriate books;
toiletries; new or gently used stuffed toys; and new pajamas/underclothing.
On the evening of the 17th, everyone is to wear their “Fiesta” hats and garb
and enjoy an evening of fun dancing and festivities! On the 18th, is the
business session, luncheon, workshops, and Governor’s Banquet. On the 19th,
There will be a Devotional for the Altrusans who have passed as well as the
closing session.
So, come FIESTA at the 59th District Nine Conference!
Altrusa Austin
5
Altrusa International of
Austin
Board of Directors:
President: Cindy Jolly
Secretary: Jenna Wade
Treasurer: Nicole Trubee
Director 2014-2015:
Linda Nichols
Director 2014-2015:
Debbie Mabry
Director 2014-2016:
Ann Whitt
Altrusa International of Austin, Texas
Board of Directors: June 2015-2016
President: Cindy Jolly
President-Elect: Joy Riley
Secretary: Kelly Netherton
Treasurer: Nicole Trubee
Treasurer-Elect: Jenna Wade
Directors: Erin Miles-Field, 2015-2017
Newsletter Editor: Jodi Picardat
Linda Nichols, 2015-2017
Ann Whitt, 2014-2016
Upcoming Dates
April:
4– ASH Dash 5K Bunny
Run (Fundraiser for
Austin State Hospital)
Service Project.
11-Austin Altrusa’s 92nd
Birthday Celebration
and Retreat at Carlene
Sanders home:
10:30am-2:00pm.
25-Williams Community
School 5K Run Service
Project at 8:00-9:00am.
(Austin Altrusans are
running and helping
with check-in and the
water station.)
May:
2-Activities Meeting.
19-Business Meeting.
June:
6-Activities Meeting.
7-Altrusa of Austin
Fundraiser Golf
Tournament @
Morris Williams
16-Business Meeting.
Immediate Past President: Erin Miles-Field
Altrusa International Foundation of Austin, Texas
Board of Directors: June 2015-2017
President: Robyn Riley
Vice President: Donna Jones
Secretary: Cheryl Taylor
Treasurer: Brenda Reeves
Club Meetings:
3rd Tuesday of each month April-June at 6:30 pm at Café Express,
2418 N. Lamar
Contact Us:
[email protected]
“Get Involved”- www.austin.altrusa.org