November, 2017

It is very difficult to stay upbeat in these days of dreadful events happening almost weekly.  Writing this blog seems unimportant when my thoughts keep turning to those devastated families in Texas who have lost their loved ones to a madman with a high powered assault weapon while they were attending church.  This is just the latest atrocious act against innocent people going about their lives with no idea that those lives would be to be abruptly changed or ended.  Can we all stand up and say, "Stop it!  Make some gun laws to control the sale of assault weapons or lose the next election.  We are coming for you and no gun lobby can change our votes!"  Let's get busy calling and emailing. The Congress must fix this!

Although there weren't as many costumes at our Halloween party this year, our members made up for the loss in numbers with exceptional creativity.

Cute witches.

Sue, the jelly fish

Phantom of the Opera,

Royal garden party hat

Red Hot Mama

Dr. Pumpkin

Red Riding Hood meets Wolf

 

 

Once again, Sandra Stephenson entertained us with Halloween Bingo, and the prizes were astounding.  Best of all, the MCREA Scholarship Fund benefitted from your donations of quarters.

 

Phyllis Omilak, President, reported on the District FREA meeting which was held in Sarasota on Oct. 10th.  MCREA won several awards again this year:  Mac Aldrich is the FREA 2017 Unit Volunteer; our unit received the FREA 2017 Volunteer Services Activity Award; we also received the FREA 2017 Unit Membership Award.

 

Elaine Waldron, Chair of Membership and the Handbook expects to hand out our new handbooks at the Nov. meeting.  Come and pick yours up fresh off the press.  You can't tell the players without a program. (Yes, I have attended at lot of baseball games.)

 

At our Nov.15th meeting, Michael Kovacs will speak to us about Medicare and RMD at age 70 and a half.  Please note that the date has been changed to Wednesday, Nov. 15th due to a previous event at Renaissance. 

 

Because Feeding Empty Little Tummies (FELT) has taken on so many more tummies, they aren't able to store and distribute our books this year.  So, the board has decided to continue distributing books ourselves.  The first group of 50 were taken out to Samoset Elementary by Sue Roe.  She taught and substituted there so she knew the school and its faculty which helped get the books to the kids who would most benefit from them.  As soon as we have another bunch of books, we will see that they get distributed to another school.  If you have a school in mind where you are known and you would like to take some books there, please tell me or any other board member, and we will set you up with books. Now, of course, everything depends on members still donating new or lightly used books.  The central library has them on sale  in their book store.  In addition to the Goodwill Book Store at Tara, there is a new one open on Manatee Ave. W. in the old Goodwill location.  Some of you are still sentimental about those books you loved from your teaching days, but perhaps this is the time to send them on to kids who would love them too.

 

If you do not hear from your caller for some reason, please call Mary Ann Jensen, 756-7603 or Phyllis Omilak, 723-1360.

 

See you on Wednesday, Nov. 15th,

Ellen