GFWC/NFWC State President

“NEw Creations Volunteering”

Karen Crandall GFWC/NFWC State President

May 2017 Lily of the Valley – May’s Flower

I hope all of you are rested from the S I know we are women; we returned to our homes and started another project. I want to thank each of you for being there and participating in the convention. Mary Ellen Brock, GFWC President enjoyed herself at the convention. A special thank you to Jan Jones for picking Mary Ellen up at the airport, taking her to dinner, making sure she got to and from the convention and returning her to the airport to return home. She certainly was in good hands.

Happy May Day! In some parts of the United States, May baskets are made. These are small baskets usually filled with flowers or treats and left at someone's doorstep. The giver rings the doorbell and runs away. May your day be filled with treats and sweet surprises.

GFWC NEBRASKA

Sophomore Pilgrimage held on April 5th was a huge success. There were 47 students and 25 sponsors. I want to thank Vicki Beilke for all her hard work in making this a great time for all the Sophomores and sponsors that attended.

Junior Fun Night was great. The Quiz Bowl Team that I was on, lost in the Championship round. We never made it to that round by any questions I answered, as I didn’t answer one question! I do believe however my buzzer didn’t work properly. HA! We ended the night with a sing-a-long! Thanks GFWC Seward Juniors Woman’s Club for the fantastic wine tasting event, all the good snacks and cake you provided. The table decorations with all the Nebraska memorabilia were amazing. The Pinwheels were a wonderful sight when you pulled up to the Seward Civic Center. You Juniors grow a wonderful garden in such a short period of time.

State Convention was led by our chairman, Jean Kolterman. Her right hand assist was GFWC Seward Club President, Kim Fisher. The ladies of the GFWC Seward Woman’s Club done an outstanding job hosting the State Convention. The meals that were catered in were amazing and the Saturday lunch was very good. The reception for Mary Ellen Brock, GFWC President Elect, was very nice. The cake was provided by the Seward County Visitor’s Center and we thank them for it. The tables that were set up for the displays in the back of the room, the auction tables and the registration table were all in perfect order.

My Working Monarchs helped set up table decorations, take them off, set different ones on and then there were all the favors that you set at each place setting. Several stayed after the convention and helped clean up and load my car; the things that wouldn’t fit, you put in your car. You all live my the Collect, “And oh Lord God, let us forget not to be kind.” And you were. I have said many times members of the GFWC Nebraska Federation are amazing.

First Time Attendees at a State Convention were nine!!! They were Lynne Nelson Dixon from GFWC Heritage League, Vicki Beilke and Jacqueline Uhri from GFWC Stella Research, District I; Marlene Brandt “NEw Creations Volunteering” from GFWC Papillion Junior Woman’s Club, District II; Debra Motes and Janet Fritzinger from GFWC Howells Woman’s Club, District III; Susan Clement from GFWC Wilber Woman’s Club, District IV; Patricia Candy from GFWC Kearney’s Woman’s Club, Becky Otto from GFWC Caring Women, District V VI. This is really fantastic. Thank you for taking time from your busy schedule to attend your very first state convention and hope to see all of you next year. Thank You Renee Black for being such a great and accurate Convention registrar.

Fundraising was amazing!! The Free Convention raised $530, this was raised by March 15th; Split the Pot $960 this is the total amount before and at the state convention; the fundraising items such as: Sticky notes, Notebooks, Hot pads, Spatulas $921 this is the total amount before and at the convention. Purse Auction for $1,333. Thank you to my fundraising chairman, Joyce Stranglen and her great helpers, Donna Marcoux and Jackie Fowler. Total of $3,744.

Split the Pot winners were Jan Jones from GFWC Papillion Junior Woman’s Club and Sue Wiley from GFWC Bennington Woman’s Club. They each won $320! Congratulations ladies. This is a fundraiser that we will certainly do again year. Thank you to everyone who helped support this fundraiser.

Thank You to a few of people who went beyond the call of duty. One being Jan Jones and her husband. Denny who went to Seward Monday morning to get the pop taps and delivered them to Ronald McDonald House. Thank you Jan and Denny! Cheryl Strickler who helped me Monday morning sort the items donated to the YRTC and boxed the things by category. As soon as we finished sorting, we loaded the many boxes and delivered them to the Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center in Geneva. Thank you Cheryl!

Federation Day was April 24; if your club did something fantastic be sure to send a picture and a short write up about the event into headquarters. It may make their monthly newsletters. I would also love to hear about the creative thing your club came up with.

GFWC NEWS

International Convention will be held June 23-26 at the JW Marriott in Palm Desert, California. The them for the 2017 Convention is “Our Time to Shine”. GFWC Clubwoman have shine throughout the year; this certainly includes all members of the Nebraska Federation. Consider going to the convention to celebrate those accomplishments, learn about new initiatives and participate in the advancement of the organization.

NATIONAL EVENTS

Mother’s Day this year will be May 14. The modern holiday of Mother's Day was first celebrated in 1908, when Anna Jarvis held a memorial for her mother. In 1914, Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation designating Mother's Day, to be held on the second Sunday in May, as a national holiday to honor mothers.

Women’s Health is held in May; you need to do things to take care of yourself. Since it is Women’s Health Month her are some tips for you: Do Your Daily Exercise Eat Your Fruits and Vegetables Take Time to Smell the Roses Talk to or Listen to Your Friends Sleep More Avoid Unhealthy Behaviors Visit Your Doctor

“NEw Creations Volunteering” National Nurses Week is celebrated on May 6 - 12 to raise awareness of the important role nurses play in society. National Nurses Week ends on May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale. She helped revolutionize the world of nursing and set the standards for the profession as it is known today. Born into an affluent British family, Nightingale was just a youth when she began caring for the sick villagers living near her family's home.

National Skin Cancer Awareness Month is in May. It was designated by the American Academy of Dermatology to raise awareness about skin cancer, increasing the chances of early detection so treatments can be given early. It's vital that skin cancers such as melanoma, a rarer and often deadly form of skin cancer, is treated early as later stage treatments are not normally effective. There is no reliable cure for melanoma. In most cases, all the surgeon can do is cut cancerous tissue from the body by removing malignant moles, the skin surrounding the malignant mole and removing nearby lymph nodes if the cancer has spread.

National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month is celebrated in May. It's a peak season for asthma and allergy sufferers, and a perfect time to educate your patients, family, friends, co-workers and others about these diseases. There is no cure for asthma and allergies, and many deaths are preventable with proper treatment and care. Ten people a day die from asthma. Asthma affects more than 24.5 million Americans. More than 6 million children under the age of 18 suffer from asthma. More than 50 million Americans have all types of allergies – pollen, skin, latex and more. The rate of allergies is climbing.

National Start Seeing Monarchs Days is observed annually starting on the first Saturday in May. This has been established to keep the Monarch butterfly from being added to the endangered species list. The Monarch butterfly is a milkweed butterfly. It may be the most familiar North American butterfly because its wings feature an easily recognizable orange and black pattern. In the fall, they migrate south to warmer climates. In the spring, they return further north.

Memorial Day is May 29, 2017. Memorial Day is observed on the last Monday of May. It was formerly known as Decoration Day and commemorates all men and women who have died in military service for the United States. Many people visit cemeteries and memorials on Memorial Day not only to remember the loved ones that served in the Military but to remember all our loved ones Memorial Day is traditionally seen as the start of the summer season.

May Highlights in US Women’s History

May 1, 1950 Gwendolyn Brooks becomes the first African-American woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry May 5, 1938 Dr. Dorothy H. Andersen presents results of her medical research identifying the disease cystic fibrosis at a meeting of the American Pediatric Association May 8, 1914 President Woodrow Wilson signs a Proclamation designating the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day May 10, 1872 Victoria Woodhull is nominated as the first woman candidate for U.S. president for the Equal Rights Party May 12, 1968 A 12-block Mother’s Day march of “welfare mothers” is held in Washington, D.C., “NEw Creations Volunteering” led by Coretta Scott King accompanied by Ethel Kennedy May 21, 1932 Amelia Earhart Putnam becomes the first woman to complete a solo-transatlantic flight by flying 2,026 miles from Newfoundland to Ireland in just under 15 hours May 21, 1973 Lynn Genesko, a swimmer, receives the first athletic scholarship awarded to a woman (University of Miami) May 29, 1977 Janet Guthrie becomes the first woman to qualify for and complete the Indy 500 car race May 29, 1943 “Rosie the Riveter” by Norman Rockwell appears on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post

Calendar

May 1, 2017 May Day May 14, 2017 Mother’s Day June 23-26, 2017 International Convention in Palm Desert, California July 15, 2017 Absolute Deadline for Articles Due to Kim Fisher for Club Woman July 8, 2017 Board of Directors Meeting at 10:00 AM Aug 24 – 27, 2017 GFWC Board of Directors Meeting Sept 21 -24, 2017 Mississippi Valley Region Conference, Iowa

One butterfly spoke to the other butterflies, “Our Life is a performance for which we were never given a chance to rehearse, so do your best and be a blessing to others.”