BRANCH NATIONAL SECTIONAL - National Association of ... · Member in prior communications....

April 2014 Volume 5, Issue 2

1 ALTITUDE

`

MESSAGE FROM THE SECTIONAL DIRECTOR

Inside This Issue:

Sectional Director Message 1-4

Bastrop News 5

Beaumont News 5-7

Beauregard/Vernon News 8-10

Eunice Branch News 11-13

Grambling 13

Houston Branch News 13-14

Lake Charles Branch News 14-19

Little Rock Metro News 20-23

Pine Bluff News 23-29

Rayne Branch News 30-32

St. Landry Branch News 33-34

Shreveport Branch News 35-39

Journalist Message 40

Betty Wilkerson

Sectional Director

BRANCH NATIONAL

SECTIONAL

Sectional Officers

Betty Wilkerson

South Central Sectional Director

Stephanie Spikes, Lay Member

Laura Levy, Corresponding

Secretary

Dr. Debra Yarbrough, Recording

Secretary

Yolanda Foster, Financial Secretary

Gloria Malbrough, Treasurer

Quintella Baskerville, Nominating Chairperson

The SCNAUW Airline has been very busy and excitement is in the air. I am

proud to welcome nineteen new crew members aboard from the Little Rock

Metro Area Branch. They were chartered in Little Rock Arkansas, on March 8,

2014, and are being led by President Valecia Fields. These lovely ladies are

eager to get to work with Purpose and Pride. South Central lets show our newest

sisters our support system!

Due to the decline in membership during Fall reporting I asked all branches to

conduct a second membership drive before March 1st. There were several

branches that went above and beyond, and as your Sectional Director, I really

appreciate it.

Bi-Parish and EBR Branches are still on course and they continue plan an

awesome 55th

Sectional Conference. It has been brought to our attention that the

hotel has been fully booked, however, we have negotiated a deal with the Hotel

Indigo directly across the street. The Sales Managers at the hotels have been able

to accommodate us by serving as the overflow location and offer the same rate.

Hello Team and Crew Members!


2 ALTITUDE

Director’s Message continued….

Sectional Committee Chairpersons please have all reports ready for submittal to Lay Member Stephanne

Spikes in order to ensure timely consolidated reporting. The deadline was relayed to you by the Lay

Member in prior communications. Sectional Officers, Presidents and Committee Chairs, please note in

the tentative schedule that the Executive Meeting will be 4:00p.m. on June 19th

instead of 5:00p.m. so

plan accordingly.

The National Convention will be in New Orleans, LA, on July 29th

- August 3rd

, 2014. Please secure your

rooms and send in your registration accordingly. Branch Presidents have been contacted directly and

advised of their responsibilities in preparation for the Convention. I have no doubt we will displays our

southern hospitality to help New Orleans produce a successful National Convention.

Branch Presidents, as our calendar year is nearing the end, be reminded of the Annual Report needed for

the conference. Please prepare to bring 31 copies for the Executive Meeting, and reports should be

secured with staples only. I look forward to reading about the various activities and events sponsored by

your branches this year.

The SCNAUW Airlines will continue to soar as we prepare to land in Baton Rouge in June. All

equipment aboard is in working order and it should be a great landing. Sit back and enjoy the ride!

Sisterly Yours,

Betty W. Wilkerson

South Central Director


3 ALTITUDE

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN

South Central Section

Presents

Little Rock Metro Area Branch

Charter March 8, 2014

Betty W. Wilkerson

South Central Section Director

NATIONAL THEME:

Women Moving Forward With Purpose and Pride


4 ALTITUDE

Goal #1 - To increase membership in

the South Central Section to 700+

members

55th

South Central Sectional Conference

Registration--$145.00 on or before April 15th

.

69th

National Convention Registration--$350.00 on or

before May 15th

.

Membership Growth --

CONGRATULATIONS

South Central Sectional Branches

YOU DID IT!!!

As of March 15th

Reporting

Our Membership is


5 ALTITUDE

Bastrop Branch News---Janie B Smith, reporter

New Teacher Breakfast

On August 2013 the Bastrop Branch served breakfast

to the new teachers of the Morehouse Parish School

System during the New Teacher orientation held at

the Morehouse Parish Resource Center 714 South

Washington Street, Bastrop, La. After breakfast,

Branch members gave motivational speeches to the

new teachers.

Every truth has four corners: as a teacher I

give you one corner, and it is for you to find

the other three." --Confucius

Calendar of Events

September –during regular monthly meeting the

members planned the 2013-2014 yearly calendars

October—members held a membership Tea at the

Greater Magnolia M.B. Church

November—members visited the Sterlington Rehab

Center and supplied patients with Lap Blankets and

Caps

December—members provided can goods and staple

items to needy families

January—members donated funds to a Martin Luther

King, Jr. Scholarship Fund, during the celebration

February—members visited their adopted school,

H.V. Adams and participate in the Reading Jubilee

Program

Members observed Founders’ Day at the Progressive

Baptist Church in Monroe, LA. The fourth Sunday,

February 23, 2014, members will have lunch at a local

restaurant following the church services.

Beaumont Branch News---Dr Debra

Williams, reporter

Connection

CONNECTION has been a fulfilling

experience for the Beaumont Branch.

Program chair Bobbie Granger assisted the

teacher at Mae Jones-Clark Elementary

School with students who need a little extra

care.

Founder’s Day

Camille Briggs was

selected to receive the

“Woman of the Year”

award from the

Beaumont branch at their

upcoming Founders’ Day

celebration on March

29th

.

HIV/AIDS

Beaumont ISD employees and churches were

emailed and given information on AIDS in the Black

community for “Go Red for Women”. NAUW

members emailed their lady sister friends and passed

out literature at their churches about heart disease

and women. Church members wore red on

designated Sundays to support the effort.

House of Prayer ladies


6 ALTITUDE

Beaumont Branch News continued….

Diabetes Month

The Beaumont Branch were active participants in

spreading the word about diabetes during the month

of November in collaboration with the House of

Prayer Missionary Baptist Church, NAUW and

Texas Medical Foundation. Dr. Debra Williams and

Sandra Henson continue their efforts to educate

diabetes ravaged Jefferson County by teaching free

classes and distributing materials to churches.

Participants at the Diabetes Education and

Empowerment Program classes

were treated to a cooking class where “Low-fat,

Low-carb Pasta”, Sugar-free chocolate dessert, and

sugar-free beverages were made.

Community health Workers at Ubi Caritas health

center participated in a Trainer of trainers 3 day

workshop on the DEEP curriculum. They are now

certified to teach diabetes self-management

education classes at their clinic for low-income

residents!

Muriel and Derrick Shynett prepare

a diabetes friendly side dish.

Loving Our Senior Citizens

The senior citizens on the Alzheimer’s Unit at The

Clairmont Nursing Home were treated to Christmas

and Velentine Parties and goodies.

2014 MLK Humanitarian Award

Each year, the Beaumont Branch of the National

Association of University Women honors an

outstanding man in the community who has shown

notable accomplishments in giving civic,

community, youth, and church service. This year’s

honoree, Reginald Jackson, is not just a hearer of

the word; he is a worker who has taken giants steps

for the good of mankind. He is founder of the Many

Experiences Needed-Tour (MEN-Tour), mentoring

male elementary students at Pietzsch McArthur

Elementary, by apprenticing them on various

trades, a Court Appointed Special Advocate

(CASA), and provides in home training for autistic

children.


7 ALTITUDE

Beaumont Branch news continued….

Stewart’s halfway house Christmas

party and fundraiser

Stewart's Halfway House is a monument in the

Beaumont community - a private nonprofit

organization providing a transitional and structured

living environment for mentally challenged adults.

It is owned by Rose Cole who has provided a

loving, compassionate, nurturing environment for

residents with donations and personal finds for 43

years. The Beaumont Branch has been a supporter

of Stewart’s for over 20 years.

Member and Welfare Program chair, Frankie

Randall, and Stewart Board member at the 2013

Christmas Party

President Williams with Stewart’s Board Member,

Dorothy Scott at fundraising banquet at which Dr.

Williams was keynote speaker.

Stewart residents receiving Christmas goodies

Member Patsy Kemp did a presentation on

Woman to Woman: Living Longer, Living

Smarter AT THE February meeting. She shared

ways women can ensure financial stability in their

later years.

KUDOS

Member Delores Darby retired after 35 years with

the Beaumont ISD School District. NAUW sisters

were elated to be able to share in the celebration

with her.


8 ALTITUDE

Beauregard/Vernon News---Ollie Johnson, reporter

Success Seminar

The National Association of University Women

Beauregard / Vernon Branch held its Annual Success

Seminar on March 15, 2014. Our Theme for this

year: Success: Nothing Less”. Our Success Seminar

Chairperson, Charlotte Cooper, presented a program

that would meet the needs of our students as they

prepare for State Testing. The Sessions were

organized by grade levels. Grades 3 – 5 attended their

first session of Test Taking Skills for English

Language Arts with NAUW Member Gloria Orgain,

Vernon Parish Teacher. Their second session

consisted of Test Taking Skills in Math. The

presenter for this session was Stephanne Spikes,

Branch President and Assistant Principal in

Beauregard Parish. Grades 6 – 8 Test Taking Skills

were delivered by Bonita Williams, Educational

Diagnostician, in Vernon Parish. Grades 9 – 12

attended sessions with Mr. Weathersby, Public

Relations Consultant in Vernon Parish. He presented

information on Scholarship and Financial Aid, along

with Preparing for College and Life. The Seminar

opened with a Motivational Speaker-Ice Breaker Rita

Harris, Thompson Home Health Marketer. She

challenged the students to BELIEVE in themselves.

There was nothing, they could not accomplish with

determination and perseverance.

Founders Day

Beauregard / Vernon Branch held its Annual

Founder’s Day Program on March 9, 2014 at the St.

Joseph’s Catholic Church in DeRidder. Founder’s

Day is that special time when we pause to show

honor and respect for our Founding members. As

we continue “to grow across this land”, we are

conscious of the fact that we stand on the shoulders

of great leaders that were Moving Forward with

Purpose and Pride. Following the Blessed service,

the members commemorated the program in a room

reserved for our Founder’s Day Ceremony.

Members pictured are: from left to right, Sherilyn

Bergan, Susie Davis, Stephanne Spikes, and

Sammie May.

Extravaganza---Youth Clinics

The Beauregard / Vernon Branch held its Youth

Clinics in preparation for our Annual Extravaganza.

The Extravaganza is held yearly as Beauties and

Beaus vie for King and Queen recognition. This is an

opportunity to showcase our youth and their talent

from the surrounding communities. The Youth Clinics

are open to all youth that would like to attend. Clinics

presented during the 2013-2014 program year were

Self Esteem, Etiquette classes, and Essay Writing.


9 ALTITUDE

Beauregard/Vernon news continued….

Membership Interest

Beauregard / Vernon Branch held two Membership

Interest Tea. Charlotte Cooper, 2nd

Vice President

was instrumental in organizing and planning our

Membership Drive. We accepted the challenge to

induct at least 10 new members. As of today, we

have inducted half of the ten. We will continue to

go out and promote our Beloved NAUW.

Reading Jubilee

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he

dies, said Jojen. The man who never reads

lives only one.”

― George R.R. Martin

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/346732.George_R_R_Martin


10 ALTITUDE

Beauregard/Vernon news continued…..

Health Awareness Workshop

During a regular monthly meeting, the

members were treated to a mini Health

Awareness Workshop. Sheryl Piper

presented information on Cancer, Diabetes,

and Heart Problems. Each member was

provided a folder with information to read

and share about their health. Many Health

Pamphlets were provided.

Black History

The Branch held its Annual Black History Program

in DeRidder at the War Memorial Civic Center. The

Program showcased our youth in Praise Dance,

Recitation, and Dialogue. The fourth grade students

from South Polk Elementary in Vernon Parish

presented a Skit Honoring Famous African

Americans. Cody Thomas recited the ‘I Have a

Dream” Speech with spirit and passion to stir the

soul to remembrance of the struggles and trials that

our ancestors had to overcome. The Norris

Memorial Angels of Praise presented the audience

with a praise dance. The evening ended with a skit

bestowed upon the guest as our members took center

stage and paid tribute to Famous African Americans.

NAUW member Ethel Stafford sat at the piano and

bellowed with spirit, “Soon I Will Be Done with the

Troubles of This World.” NAUW members Ollie

Johnson, Linda Thomas, and Charlotte Cooper

portrayed individual characters between each stanza.

The final performance was President Barack Obama,

presented by Pastor Murray C. Piper, of the Norris

Memorial Church of God in Christ.


11 ALTITUDE

Eunice Branch News---Ardessie Fancois, reporter

Senior Citizen Bash

December is the last year on the calendar, but it’s just

another month for fun activities for the Eunice

Branch members. This year we decided to share our

fun with not only our husbands and significant

others, but also to make it a joyful night for a Senior

Citizen of each of our choice. Each member invited

a senior citizen for our “Senior Citizen Bash”. We

brought him/her a gift and we shared a program,

played games, and ate our famous gumbo with them.

Also with us were State Representative and Mrs.

Mickey Guillory of Eunice, LA. NAUW Sisters

revealed who their year longed secret sisters had

been and also exchanged gifts with them and their

guests after singing the traditional Christmas songs.

Local Founder’s Day

January 2, 1984, the realization of the dream of

Maryland W. Graham for having a branch of the

National Association of University Women in

Eunice, LA, was no longer a dream, it was REAL!

In 2014 on January 11th

, the Branch set out to

celebrate our 30th

anniversary. President Denise W.

Antoine chose the theme “Be Devoted to One

Another in Love”, (Romans 12:10), for the day’s

activities. The day started with the induction of two

new members, Keristian Edwards and Michelle

Allison (a third new member – a returning one, Betty

Ventress Jordan, was inducted later that month but

not present that day because she was recuperating

from breaking her leg due to a fall two days prior to

our celebration day).

This year we honored those members who were

age 70 and above – Gladys L. Blount, Ardessie C.

Francois, Equilla W. Brannon, and Lelia B.

Adams. Each honoree was introduced by another

member of the Branch who was a relative of hers.

Mrs. Blount, a Chartered member, was introduced

by her niece Chiquita Thomas, Mrs. Francois ,

also a Chartered member, by her daughter Angela

F. Lee, Mrs. Brannon by her sister Maryland W.

Graham, Founder and a Chartered Member and

Mrs. Adams by her daughter Patricia Harris.

Members participated in the Founders’ Day

Ceremony and Rededication Ceremony which

were led by Sectional Director Betty Wilkerson

and Forever Emerald Ollie D. Johnson who were

there to help celebrate with us. Also present were

visitors from the East Baton Rouge Branch.

Saturday’s program ended with Maryland W.

Graham, founder of the Branch, and Denise W.

Antoine, local president, reminiscing over events

of the past 30 years and giving remarks. Joyce

Thomas Neville was the host for the day with her

husband Isaiah Neville, doing the catering.


12 ALTITUDE

Eunice Branch news continued….

Branch members didn’t stop celebrating on

Saturday. We carried it over to Sunday when we

traveled to Lake Charles, LA to worship at

Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church and then feasted at the Chinese Restaurant that

afternoon.

Dr. Martin L. King, Jr.

Branch members attended and participated in the

Prayer Breakfast held on that Saturday.

Participation in the parade and program of the Dr.

Martin L. King, Jr. on Sunday was again done by

our reigning Mr. and Miss NAUW, Clinton

Carrier and Jadyn Frank.

Dancing for Fun

Lights are low, music is mellow and the dance floor

is full of dancers as they took advantage of the

night – “Love is in the Air!”, the theme of the

annual Valentine Ball of the Eunice Branch.

NAUW Sisters Meriva Fontenot, Denise Antoine,

Henrietta Dupre’, Patricia Harrison and Carolyn

Baldwin were the committee persons who were

responsible for this year’s affair.

Reading

In keeping with the National Theme, Branch

members sponsored the Annual Reading Jubilee.

Members gathered to explain how important reading

is to parents and students. Many books were

donated so that students could select 4 to 6 books of

their choosing to take home for their personal

libraries. Helping students with their selections

were Ardessie C. Francois (Chair), Denise Antoine

(President), Meriva Fontenot, Parveen Kaur, and

Patricia Harrison.

Black History

Do you like to read comic books? When she was a

kid, Ardessie Francois did and so when she saw

Black History told in comic book form, she bought

and donated copies to the classes of her fellow

NAUW Sisters Parveen Kaur, Patricia D. Harrison

and Keristian Edwards. They used these workbooks

to teach stories about famous Black personalities,

then tested them after the twenty persons’ lives had

been taught. The Branch will award Certificates of

Participation to the students on their school’s

“Award Day”.

"I am where I am because of the

bridges that I crossed. Sojourner Truth

was a bridge. Harriet Tubman was a

bridge. Ida B. Wells was a bridge.

Madame C. J. Walker was a bridge.

Fannie Lou Hamer was a bridge." -

Oprah Winfrey


13 ALTITUDE

Eunice Branch News continued….

Area Founders’ Day

Seven Eunice Branch members attended the

Annual Area Founders’ Day Activities in

Lafayette sponsored by the Lafayette Branch.

Attending were President Denise Antoine,

Sectional Historian Meriva Fontenot, Lelia

Adams, Equilla W. Brannon, Ardessie Francois,

Maryland W. Graham, Betty Jordan, Angela Lee,

and Pamela Robinson.

Happy Birthday to:

Joyce Neville January 10

Get Well Wishes to and Prayers for:

Clinton Carrier, Eunice Branch Mr. NAUW, who has

recently undergone surgery

Mrs. Sandra Edwards, Mother of Keristian Edwards,

recuperating from hospitalization.

Condolences to and Prayers for the Families of:

LaJuana J. Ray on the death of her father, Mr.

Donald Jordan

Philomena P. Bernard on the death of her mother,

Mrs. Marguerite “Ella Mae” Pitre

Grambling Branch News---Dr Grace

Tatum, reporter

The Grambling Branch partnered with the Criminal

Jusctice Department in a T-shirt Clothing Drive for

the homeless. Over a hundred of T-shirts were

received and delivered.

Houston Branch News---Alicia E. Livings,

reporter

The Houston Branch Has Sprung Into

ACTION!!! It was a picture perfect winter day on Saturday,

March 8, 2014 when the Houston Branch of the

National Association of University Women hosted

their “Annual Founders Day” at the Doubletree

Hotel- Hobby Airport. The theme of this year’s event

was “Women Achieving Excellence Through

Character, Courage and Commitment”. The Mistress

of Ceremony was Ms. DeMonica Gladney, a

successful attorney, poet and bestselling author of

inspirational books.

The audience was entertained by “Keen B Music”, a

gospel selection by Ms. Denise Ward and

narration/spoken word which featured Ms. Melissa

Waddy-Thibodeaux. The guest received door prizes

and supported the organization’s scholarship fund by

participating in a silent auction. Everyone enjoyed a

delicious lunch before visiting the scene of joy and

happiness as they shopped with several vendors.


14 ALTITUDE

Houston Branch News continued….

On March 29, 2014, the National Association of

University Women - Houston Branch partnered with

the Port City Chapter of the Links, Inc. in their 9 th

Annual Health, Education, Science Fair and

Carnival. The Links hosted the fair and carnival to

celebrate South Central Sportz 13 th Annual

Baseball Opening Day. This wonderful event was

held at the Sunnyside Park (3502 Bellfort) in

Houston, TX from 10am to 1:30pm. NAUW

was asked to volunteer from 7:30am to 2pm.

Members present were Yolanda Foster-President,

Debra Barriere-Recording Secretary and Gwen

Reed-Health Committee Chairperson. These

courageous members manned the gift booth. The

gift booth housed all the gifts that were given to kids

and adults that showed proof that they had

visited the vendor booths. And, of course, the Links

had great gifts to distribute.

It was a wonderful and enlightening experience to

see all the schools present, the local and

school baseball teams, the companies that sponsored

the events through time, talents and money and the

great number of volunteers. There were more than

30 booth participants and everything onsite was free

to the kids, parents, chaperones and visitors. Some

of the free activities were the petting zoo, pony &

carnival rides, rock climbing wall, mobile

engineering museum, and hands on science

experiments, face painting, door prizes and other

games. Many people stayed after the carnival and

fair to watch the exciting baseball games.

The committee thanks Norma Cooper, Founder’s

Day Chair and everyone for their support in making

this luncheon another successful event as we prepare

to assist a few graduating seniors.

Health, Education, Science Fair

Lake Charles Branch news---Christine

Mandubourg, reporter

National/International Committee

NAUW Sisters assemble at Abraham’s Tent

NAUW Sisters assemble at Abraham’s

Tent

NAUW Sisters assemble at Abraham’s

Tent


15 ALTITUDE

Lake Charles Branch news continued……

On Saturday, January 18th, NAUW sisters served the needy at Abraham's tent. It was a great day and a blessed

day to “Give of Ourselves to Serve Others”.

Thank you Dr. Suan Jones and members of the National / International committee for scheduling Abraham's Tent.

The green NAUW aprons were provided by our sister Tanya Senegal. Many thanks to Tanya for her

thoughtfulness. Listed below are the names of 19 ladies who were present.

Connie Lubin Berdia Sherman Joan Augustus

Chris Mandubourg Tanya Senegal Mary Richard-Land

Andrea Olivier Lydia Aboagye Celeste Lewis

Dr. S. Jones Maudry Alfred Margie Trent

Lillie Wilson Deadea Bradley Phyllis Wilson

Hattie Ashton Dorenda Turner Shirley Baynes

Elaine Brown

NAUW Sisters gather on the line in preparation to

serve the patrons

“The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up

and do something. Don’t wait for good things

to happen to you. If you go out and make

some good things happen, you will fill the

world with hope, you will fill yourself with

hope.” Barack Obama

NAUW Outreach

“Love at Work” was when the NAUW Sisters

delivered hygiene items to the residents of Chateau

du lac (High Rise) downtown Lake Charles. Each

person present received a gift bag with a variety of

items donated by the members of NAUW.

Tanya Fobbs, Joyce Alexander, Mildred Gudiry,

Dorothy Jones


16 ALTITUDE

Lake Charles news continued….

“Giving of Ourselves to Serve Others”, was truly the spirit

when NAUW Sisters delivered to "Potter's House"

wrapped gifts of white socks and white undergarments for

adults and children. Rev. Leona Benoit, director of

Potter’s House, and ladies were very thankful for the items

received. Dr. Susan Jones and Phyllis Wilson -- National

/ International Committee chairs worked tirelessly to

complete this project. Members delivering the items were

Elaine Brown, Joyce Alexander, Dorothy Jones, and

Hattie White.

Kitchen, Bath, and Laundry Drive

The Kitchen, Bath and Laundry Drive was in March.

Members demonstrated "Giving of Ourselves to

Serve Others" by donating household cleaning

products to the residents of the Chateau De Lac

apartment complex. Each NAUW sister was asked

to bring the following items to the February or

March meeting. Sisters could have given monetary

donations to Tanya Senegal or Celeste Lewis at the

February or March meeting and they will purchase

the products. Dishwashing liquid soap (Dawn,

Palmolive), Laundry detergent (Tide, Gain), Fabric

softener dryer sheets (Snuggle, Downy), Paper

towels, Toilet tissue, Cleanser product (Comet,

SoftScrub).

There are 210 residents and we will provide items

for all residents. The Kitchen, Bath and Laundry

drive committee members bagged, labeled and

delivered the products to the residents on March 29.

Special thanks to Chairperson, Tanya Fobbs-

Senegal, Co-Chair, Celeste Lewis, Committee

members - Jasmine Mosely, Gisele Newbie, Sheila

Davis, Doris Mayne, Pasqualina Charles, Anita

Barker.

Single Parent Family Committee

The Single Parent Family Committee delivered to

the Mayo family (our single parent family of seven

children --ages 10 to 7 mos.) food items, toys, 9"

televison--donated by Dr. Jones. Items were bought

with the $108.00 members gave in the November

and December meeting. The kids were excited and

opened their gifts immediately. Coloring books,

crayons, books, and a special book donated by Dr.

Susan Jones were given to the children. Thank you

sisters of NAUW. Connie Lubin, Gisele Newble,

Elaine Brown – delivered items. Dorothy Jones,

Joyce Alexander, Elaine Brown, and Gisele Newble

- shopped for the items.

Elaine Brown and Amanda Fontenot Johnson

attended the MLK Breakfast at Trinity Baptist

Church on January 17. The theme was “The Dream,

The Future and Me”

BRANCH NATIONAL SECTIONAL - National Association of ... · Member in prior communications....

Documents

Transcript of BRANCH NATIONAL SECTIONAL - National Association of ... · Member in prior communications....