The Holiday Season is Definitely Here!

The Breakfast Bunch is definitely in the middle of Christmas! We're still taking poinsettia orders, we have the the gorgeous "Jewels on the Rivers" afghans in stock for Christmas giving. (Or hey, treat yourself!) In addition, we're selling raffle tickets for our toy wagon again this year. A $2 ticket will buy you a chance to win a radio flyer wagon heaped full of toys. Talk about one-stop shopping! You can get raffle tickets at Cowlitz Credit Union on Friday, Dec 16, or anytime at Banda's Bouquets on Broadway in Longview.

November Happenings

November is always a fun month - all those holiday bazaars, thoughts of fall foods, and holiday planning. We can help you with two things - decorating and gifts! First of all, we've started taking orders for our florist-grade, lovely six-inch poinsettias. There are color choices available. They're a great buy at $13 each, fresh, and delivered directly to you - PLUS - you get the added benefit of knowing your money is going to support community programs. The local Emergency Support Shelter is one of our projects, and we were recently honored to participate in their Candlelight Ceremony to support victims of domestic violence.

On to gifts - we have the perfect gift for anyone on your list! Our lovely "Jewels on the Rivers" commemorative afghan is available for $55. It's a finely woven soft cotton tapestry with images of Southwest Washington points of interest and comes with a booklet explaining the history of each "jewel." You can see them at Banda's Bouquets, 1310 Broadway, Longview, or contact us at Altrusa-CowlitzCounty@hotmail.com to place an order.

October Program a Hit!

We were so lucky to have Carolyn Caines, local poet and author, as our speaker at the October program meeting! She talked a little about her childhood in Longview during the 1950's, and read some poems from her book called In the Noiseless Night. She answered questions about the ways to read and enjoy poetry, and told us about her soon to be released novel based on the life of her grandparents, Passage to Love: an Ellis Island Story. The grandparents were part of the community of immigrant Finns who made their homes here in Southwest Washington.

Fall Happenings

Fall has gotten off to a great start in our Altrusa Club! One of our ongoing projects is to put together "graduation" baskets for women completing courses at the Emergency Support Shelton. To help start them set up housekeeping, we put together a laundry basket full of essential supplies such as paper towels, cleanser, sponges, dish and laundry soap, toothpaste and so on. Since July of this year we have supplied 13 baskets - wow! This is one of the needed community projects our fundraising supports.

And speaking of fundraising, we will soon begin taking orders for gorgeous poinsettias which will be delivered right around Thanksgiving time. What better way to support our community than to order florist-grade poinsettias from us that you'd probably be buying somewhere anyway? This way, you know that funds are going to help people in our community, plus you get the added bonus of absolutely beautiful plants that are definitely suitable for gifts. More information on that project coming soon.

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Labor Day weekend always signals the "end of summer" as school starts and fall schedules start filling up. We're hoping for a continuation of this late summer weather here in our area, though. The Breakfast Bunch is busy finalizing budgets and brainstorming ideas for community service. (Not that there aren't lots of opportunities - just picking the ones with the most need.) Wednesday, September 7 begins our fall calendar with a business meeting at 7 a.m. followed by the program meeting on September 21 when we'll hear from one of our active community groups. Please join us - you're invited!

August Program Meeting

This past Wednesday at our month program meeting, Lisa Allen, owner of Banda's Bouquets in Longview and a member of "The Breakfast Bunch," was our speaker/demonstrator at the program entitled, "Flower Arrangements for Dummies." Wow! Lots of great hints and ideas for gifts and centerpiece arrangements from plants growing in our yards, how to use greens and berries to enhance just a few flowers, and how to liven up a grocery store bouquet. She created two styles of arrangements for us, and presented them to audience members. It's fun to find out what our members do for a living. Lucky Lisa works in a 'scented' office.

Summer Happenings

Even though summer finally started around here and lots of things are going on to pack our calendars, The Breakfast Bunch has been busy lining up this year's projects and priorities.

We held a successful Planning Retreat on June 12. Our new president Adele Gowdy talked about her priorities for the coming term and members discussed past projects and new ideas. We also held a Bunco party in June, which is always a great time. We also hosted Phillip Olson from Progress Center at our June program meeting, when he described the work his organization is doing in our area.

In July we participated in "Bark for Life," which is organized by one of our members, Brenda Courser. Our July program meeting centered around Altrusa, including history, organization of the international and local clubs, and present-day testimonials by members.

Since May we have provided supplies and goodies for a baby shower at the Emergency Support Shelter, plus delivered six baskets of suppplies for Shelter graduates who are moving on to their own homes. This month we're looking forward to a summer BBQ at Betty Trembly's house for members and their spouses.

There's always something cooking in our club!