Communiqu ALTRUSA INTERNATIONAL OF DALLAS, TEXAS, INC.
DISTRICT NINE May 2015
How is it possible a year has passed? I really cannot
believe how quickly this year has gone by. I hope most
of you will be at our last meeting of the year on May 19th
but in case you have to miss it, I thought I would share
with you a brief recap of all the things we accomplished
in the 2014-2015 Club year.
This year I asked for our service projects to be more
hands on and not simple dona-
tions. I had also asked for each
project to offer the opportunity
for 100% participation. Our 96%
participation rate demonstrates
how well this goal was met. The
projects we worked on for ser-
vice were varied and extensive.
At Mosaic Family Services we
served dinner on their moving
day, crafted the goodnight sleep tight bags, created the
spice pantry, threw a baby shower for an expectant cli-
ent, won a grant and used it to build the Altrusa Re-
source Room, and finally made ESL BINGO and played it
at the shelter one evening.
We honored Make a Difference Day by making Hallow-
een Safety bags for the children at DCAC. We are also
buying and donating coloring books and crayons for their
waiting room this month.
We were able to work with Our Friends Place this year and filled bath caddies with requested items for new res-
idents. We purchased the items individually and filled
the caddies at a meeting. We also taught a life skills
class there teaching a simple to make meal and jewelry
making.
Last Club year we applied for and won a grant for the
Early Readers Club at Dr. Martin Luther King Learning Center. This literacy focused project brought us to the
school to bring books for each child as well as a tee-
shirt. We had a party celebrating reading and the chil-
dren were very excited.
For the tenth year we participated the Christmas tree
decorating at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children.
We also donated to the dyslexia unit again this year and
had an opportunity to work with the Smart Board we
helped them purchase.
This year there were seven schol-
arship participants receive schol-
arships memorializing Dr. Nina
Fay Calhoun, Leita Marsh, and
Edith DeBusk. We also continued
to collect pop-tops tabs to do-
nate to the Ronald McDonald
House of Dallas.
This is a truly amazing assort-
ment of work. I encourage you all
to take a moment and think of the impact we have made
on our community this year. Our small Club has touched
many lives in a positive way and each and every one of
you should feel proud of what we have accomplished.
You have given of your hearts and worked with your
hands. You have touched lives not just economically, but
personally as well. You have shown those with less that
you care. You have not only been good, you have been
good for something. Thank you for the pride of accom-
plishment you have brought to our Club this year!
Presidents Message
Deborah Hecht
2014-2015 President
Altrusa International
of Dallas, Texas, INC.
You have not only been good,
you have been good for
something.
THIS MONTH May 5 Club Meeting at Whole Foods
Altrusa You: Hosted by Finances Committee
May 19 Club Meeting at Whole Foods
Installation of Officers for Club Year 2015-
2016
Hosted by Planning Nominating Committee.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO
Phyllis Meyerson.............4
United Nations Observances
International Day of Families
May 15
The International Day of Families is ob-
served on the 15th of May every year. The
Day was proclaimed by the UN General
Assembly in 1993 and reflects the im-
portance the international community at-
taches to families. The International Day
provides an opportunity to promote aware-
ness of issues relating to families and to
increase knowledge of the social, economic
and demographic processes affecting fami-
lies.
International Day of UN Peacekeepers
May 29
The International Day of United Nations
Peacekeepers, which is commemorated
each year on the 29th of May, is an occa-
sion to salute the more than 111,000
peacekeepers serving in 16 missions in
some of the worlds most volatile and dan-gerous environments. This Day is also a
time to mourn fallen peacekeepers. During
its history, more than 3,200 Blue Helmets have died devoting their lives to peace, in-
cluding 106 men and women in 2013.
In the words of the Secretary-General: Let us all commit to following the selfless exam-
ple of our fallen heroes, as we work togeth-
er to help our blue helmets be a force for
peace, a force for change, and a force for
the future.
Conference Report
By Dee Parmer
Attendance
Altrusa Dallas Attendees included:
Sabra Klein, Karen Wise, Sue Powell, Frances Maloney,
Anne Reed, Sharron Vance, Dee Parmer, Jackie Robertson,
Guadalupe Carvajal, Ellen Heffner, Phyllis Meyerson, Jan Howell,
Susie Stephenson, Carolyn Rash, Beth Blair, Valeta Gentzler, and
Betty Lawson (17)
54 Certified Delegates; 36 Certified Alternates
8 District Officers
10 Past District Governors
Conference Attendees a grand total of 291
Conference Fundraiser
Money Raised for Altrusa International Foundation - $26,303
Awards Won by Dallas:
Linda Nichols Foundation Contribution Award -
Fourth Place in Total Club Contributions - $1,165.00
Fourth Place Average Contribution Per Member $47.57
Yearbook Award First Place
Keynote Address Dr. Patricia Sulak, M.D., Author and Altrusan
from Temple, TX
2015 2017 District Nine Board of Directors
Sylvia Zamora (San Antonio) Governor
Linda Moore (Temple) Governor-Elect
Antonio Buban (Downtown Dallas) First Vice Governor
Trina Taylor (Southwest Dallas County) Second Vice Governor
Laure Bruner (Anderson County) Treasurer
Mary Black Pearson (Temple) Director
Shirley Raymer (Garland) Director
COMMITTEE
NEWS Communications
The events of Sabra's year as Club President
have been added to the Club History on our
website, so check it out.
Please send your service hours for the year to
Carolyn no later than May 5 to be included in
Deborah's report.
Please visit our website at
www.altrusadallas.org for all up to date infor-
mation. And follow us on Twitter
@altrusadallas.
Service
Members visited Mosaic for ESL Bingo. See
page 4 of the newsletter for more information.
We will be buying books, coloring books, and
crayons with the remaining budget to bring to
the DCAC waiting room for the children.
Finances
Club dues for 2015-2016 are due. Please see
your emails for your invoice and remit your
dues to Phyllis before June 1st or to Jackie af-
ter June 1st.
Membership Development
Fun of the month event for April was the Dis-
trict Nine Conference held in San Antonio. Fun
was had by all District Nine Altrusans and
guests. Viva Altrusa! Viva Dallas!
District Nine Conference
Viva Altrusa!
35 Clubs Strong!
Friday Fun Night!
Awards Luncheon
Susie presents Governor
Beth with a Lamplighter
from The Dallas Club
1000 Strong!
Beth turns the gavel over
to Governor Sylvia! See you next year!
May Principle and Responsibility
Principle: Altrusa believes it is not enough to be good; Al-
trusans must be good for something. Each member must be
doing the piece of work that is hers in a way that puts her in
the front ranks of accomplishment.
Responsibility: Enjoy being a member and dont hesitate to
share a sense of humor. It makes membership a relaxing,
enjoyable activity.
Mosaic Bingo
Shuana Gantt our newest member organized a
very enjoyable Bingo event at Mosaic. On Thurs-
day April 16, four of us went to Mosaic, two Altrusa
members and two friends of Shaunas. This is a direct quote from
Shuana It was a real-ly fun evening! The
women really seemed
to enjoy having com-
pany and doing some-
thing different and
fun. The bingo game
was a little challeng-
ing as we had 'wh'
questions. So the la-
dies had to find which
remainder of the sen-
tence went with the
bingo caller's
word. So Phyllis
called, "when is..." And they had to find which
square would be the answer to that question.
Some of the kids even joined in, so that was great
for them to help their moms. My 2 friends from
work, Iffat and Joanne loved helping and look for-
ward to going to Mosaic again! We hope to go
back again some time with some other types of
bingo cards!
The Woodlands Club
May 9th is the first initiation for the Woodlands
Club in formation. All are invited!
July 17-21
Altrusa Accent
Make It Happen: Resolving Conflict
By Anne Reed
March 8th was International Womens Day and the 2015 theme was Make it Happen. I encourage each of you to make it happen for yourselves and other women by sup-porting and empowering each other as only you can do.
You have a chance every day to make a difference in peo-
ples lives just by resolving your personal conflict with one woman at a time, because her very being influences many
other people around her each day.
I am sharing with you the five pointers my sweet husband
wrote down for me one time when I was seriously ponder-
ing how to resolve a conflict with another person. I keep
Davids pointers on a small handwritten note in my purse
and this is what they say:
1) Define the conflict and clarify any misconceptions with
each other.
2) Face the problem, not each other. Take the stance
Its you and me against the problem. 3) Dont ask What happened? because each person
has their own frame of reference. Ask for facts like
What did you see? or What did you do? 4) List shared concerns as well as shared issues of the
conflict.
5) Work at whats do-able!
None of us has exactly the same background, professional
experiences, personal situations, or beliefs. We may differ
in many things but we are all grown women interested in
service to our local communities. We are all Altrusans!
Altrusa proves the very nature of the power of womanhood
as we work together to make it happen for ourselves and other women, and the many other beneficiaries of our
efforts in our nation and all over the world.
So lets all go for it and make it happen in your life and in another womans life by continued lifting up of each oth-er, and make every day International Womens Day! And should you find yourself some day in some random con-
flict, pull out your pointers!
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