Scholarship Winners!

We had such fun at our program meeting this month! Maranda Erhardt and Brittany McNally, our scholarship recipients, came to have breakfast with us and share a little about their nursing studies.

Here are Maranda and Brittany

Maranda shared that she entered the nursing program at LCC when she was laid off from her state job. She's in her second quarter now, is getting married this summer, works part-time at the college and volunteers at the hospital emergency room! Wow! She plans to graduate from in December 2014.

Brittany is in her 6th quarter of the nursing program and will graduate in June. She told us she married last summer so she could empathize with Maranda's crazy schedule! She isn't sure yet which area of nursing she will pursue upon graduation - she says she's looking at the job market.

Our member Sue Yarbrough is an instructor in the nursing program at LCC, so she added to the girls' comments since she has had them both as students.

It's so wonderful to be able to meet the people our scholarships benefits. They were both delightful, and were both very happy to have the scholarship help.

It's Coming ... Spell-ebration!

It's time to start thinking about Spell-ebration, The Breakfast Bunch's Annual Adult Spelling Bee. It's coming up on Friday, March 8 at the Kelso Theater Pub @ 7 p.m., and promises to be a lively evening for both contestants and audience members.

Team registration costs $75 for the entire team (1 to 3 members) and includes a slice of awesome Pub pizza! Team members must be 18 years or older. Bring your co-workers, friends and family members. Audience tickets are $10 for reserved seating or $8 general admission, which includes a slice of pizza. Yum!

Here's the entry form:

Registration forms can also be picked up at Banda's Bouquets - 1414 Commerce, Longview, or you can register by phone with Joyce Leitner - 360-673-1983 or by email - jleitner@kalama.com.

It's the Holiday Season!

The happy rush is on and Altrusans are doing their part, as usual. We have a few projects going that will help you - you can decorate with gorgeous poinsettias, you can cover your gift list with a quality afghan specific to our area, and you can become the Santa the kids in your life have always dreamed of by buying some raffle tickets and winning our Radio Flyer Wagon Full of Toys! How's that for covering the bases?

Here's a picture of the afghan, called Jewels on the Rivers. It's a large 51" x 71" tapesty picturing each of the rivers, towns, and their "jewels" in our area. Afghans cost $55, and they come with a booklet with historical information reflecting the images. Afghans are available at Banda's Bouquets in downtown Longview (check out Banda's new storefront at 1414 Commerce). They're also at the Cowlitz County Hisorical Museum and at the Merk Deli.

The Radio Flyer Wagon (donated by Bob's Sporting Goods) is heaped with toys suitable for school-age kids, a $375 value. You can purchase raffle tickets for $2 each at Cowlitz Credit Union on Nov 30, Dec 1, 7, 8, 14 and 15; at Bob's Sporting Goods on Dec 1, 7, 8, 14, 15; and at Banda's Bouquets, open Monday through Saturday. 

And of course, our GORGEOUS poinsettias are on sale - $13 each or 3/$35 for the 6 1/2-inch potted plants. Call Joyce Leitner at 360-673-1983 to place your order. Special colors and sizes are also available. Plus, you get the warm, fuzzy feeling that your money is being kept right in our community and will be used to help those in need.

October News

Along with fall weather, October is always the start of lots of Breakfast Bunch projects and activities. Make a Difference Day is coming up on October 27. It's a day of community service projects celebrated by our parent organization, Altrusa International, as well as many other service groups and citizens all over the US. Here's how we're participating this year:

Organized by our member Winona, we're planning a Scavenger Hunt! Club members are collecting several items with point values. On October 27th we'll get together and tally up our collections, determine winners, and best of all, we'll be redistributing these items to the places they're needed in our community. Here's the list of things we're collecting.

If you'd like to contribute, please contact one of our members or email us at Altrusa-CowlitzCounty@hotmail.com

The Help

The latest in our club's zany and fun adventures was the end of September when several members volunteered to be "The Help" at member Debbie's home for her son's wedding rehearsal dinner party. Since Debbie was expecting guests from out of town as well as the wedding party, she asked if any of our Breakfast Bunch members would be interested in helping out at the party so she could be free to enjoy the evening. Turned out there was a lot of interest, beginning with member Krista's great idea to craft some appropriate uniforms for The Help. Several members got together at Krista's and sewed up a storm.

Once properly attired, a group of six Altrusans put on their best manners and arrived at Debbie's to await their instructions.

They set up the buffet tables when the wedding party was out rehearing, they replenished food items as hungry guests appeared, they waited tables, cleared and cleaned up, too. Word has it they provided a bit of entertainment for the guests, although that part may not have been planned!

The end of the evening found them in the kitchen, tired but still smiling.

Thanks, gals, for working hard and doing a great job. Plus, Debbie made a donation to our club's treasury in thanks for their efforts. What a team!

September Garage Sale a Success!

The weatherman provided a beautiful, sunny fall day - perfect for shopping. Our club members, friends and neighbors provided a ton of great items to sell. Our co-chairmen, Darlene and Adele, worked really hard to get things organized, and several members of the club assisted with layout, pricing, sales and clean-up.

Here are Eleanor, Darlene, Winona and Adele taking a much-needed break from the action. The sale ended a little after 4 p.m. and members plus a couple husbands made quick work of clean-up. Leftover items were donated to various non-profits around town. Thank you, thank you, to everyone who helped - and of course shopped (!!).

September Happenings

September has gotten off to a great start with lots of activities in the offing. Plans are set for our next big Garage Sale on Saturday, September 22!

Members are busy collecting sale items from friends, family and their own households, and there are bound to be some great items (and deals) available. Word has it that there will be tools, household goods, a bedroom set, and much more. Plan to be there! The address is 4039 Rosewood, Longview, and we'll be manning those tables from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.

In October we'll be participating in "Make a Difference Day," a nationwide day of neighbors helping neighbors. Altrusa clubs all over the country plan projects for this particular day, which this year is October 27. Our club will be on a scavenger hunt that day, to find useful items that can be distributed through other service organizations in our area. More information to come on that!

One of the local groups we help support with our donations is Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue. Board member Maggi Mioliis, on left in the above photo, was our club's representative at the September 11 remembrance ceremony in Kelso. She presented our donation check at the ceremony.

Fall is full of opportunities for The Breakfast Bunch. In the weeks ahead, look for information on our annual poinsettia sale, our toy wagon raffle, and some Christmas giving ideas. See you soon!