CFWC QuickBytes

December 6, 2021

FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT

December has arrived! I do hope that each of you has found a wonderful thing of note and remembrance for this past year of 2021. I can hardly believe it, but here we are an entire year spent wisely in the throes of a pandemic that is weaning itself into different forms as we start each day. My Great Aunt Rosie used to say, “You are never safe from surprise until you are gone from this Earth”. Boy is that true!

We have persevered and I want to let each of you know how important it is to keep your heads and hearts held high in these times of trial. Not a single person I know, including myself, ever thought that we would still be feeling the effects of covid some 22 months later. I am so proud of what we have accomplished in the face of this horrid virus and hope that you each realize the impact of your role in the battle.

This will be a different holiday season for all of us. Thanksgiving came and went with little pomp and circumstance; Hanukkah came early, and I hope that all of you celebrating enjoyed your time with family in the Festival of Lights and were comforted by loving embrace. Christmas is on its way and who knows what it will bring, but I am hoping for tidings of Comfort and Joy for All.

We have certainly earned comfort and joy in our lives and that is all I need for this Holiday, to know each of you is well and happy.

It has been a whirlwind year for me as your President, I had so many blessings both in the lockdown stages and the emergence stage we are in right now. My own Club is meeting again, as is my District. The State has met once in-person, as has GFWC with their International Convention in August. Our October Area Meetings were nothing short of fabulous, Sonya Matthies, Cindy Sanders, Patsy Wilson, Marcia Willett, and Wendy Curran all planned and executed fabulous meetings for their Area Memberships.

Still to come is Report Writing as we wind down 2021 under the auspices of Barbara Briley-Beard. With help from the CFWC Communications Team, we have added new ways to submit Reports from the District to the State and will continue our efforts to reach our CFWC paperless benchmark by 2028. Have fun and brag about your efforts during this year, not only is it a great way to become part of the process for Awards at Convention, but it is a great record for your club to remember what you did and when during covid.

I am thankful for all of you; each GFWC California Member, the CFWC Executive Board, and the CFWC Executive Committee. Each one of you has reached your potential for caring, sharing, and loving your community with outreach towards others. Let us continue our efforts in excellence.

Happy December 2021!

Luv, Pam

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The Hot topic this month is Women’s History.

Dori Kelsey

I can see eyes rolling already. But fear not. This will be something fun & interesting told by the use of two web sites that are not our own. First, we will talk about the National Women’s History Alliance

I would very much like all of you to check out this web site. Every year they pick the top 10 to 20 women in an area or topic or subject. You are not guaranteed to like all of these women. That is what makes it so special. All these women are trend setters in their field or have done something very special, but you may not agree with them or how they did it. What you should agree with is that they saw something that they considered wrong or that could be improved or that interested these special women and they did something to make this world better in their eyes.

Last year it was “women who refused to be silenced”

Military & Veterans Yolanda Petroski, Chair

Our nation’s longest veterans’ parade – Wreaths Across America’s annual trek to Arlington National Cemetery – kicks off on Saturday, December 11. Co-Grand Marshalls this year are Jo Ann Maitland, National President of American Gold Star Mothers, Inc. and Nancy Menagh, President Emeritus of Gold Star Wives of America, Inc. Traveling down the East Coast, the caravan will stop at schools, memorials and other locations, spreading the word of its mission to REMEMBER, HONOR and TEACH. With scheduled stops in Maine, Vermont, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland the parade will arrive in Washington, DC on National Wreaths Across America Day, December 18 – laying the final wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at noon. You can follow their itinerary at www.wreathsacrossamerica.org. Many of our California clubs participate in this event in their local communities. Keep up the good work, ladies!

ENVIRONMENT - Jane Thomey, Chair

This year your holiday gifts to friends and family can be gifts to the Environment also . Here are some suggestions:

You cannot go wrong with buying attractive reusable water bottles that will keep plastic out of the ocean. The same for ceramic cups to reduce discarded paper cups.

The honey bee hive you give on behalf of a special person to Heifer.org will help a poverty-stricken family survive. This is President Pam Ament’s Special Project.

For a $60 symbolic adoption to the World Wildlife Fund, you will receive plush honeybees or other endangered animals that make wonderful gifts. Wwfcatalog.org.

The National Wildlife Federation will send an adoption kit for endangered animals. A Certificate of Adoption, 11” x 14” poster and a plush animal are included in the $35 kit and for $55 a magnet is included. Shopnwf.org/adoption

A Penny Pines plantation makes a thoughtful gift that you don’t even have to wrap! Specify the name of the honoree to receive a certificate from USDA showing the recipient’s name, along with directions to the physical site.

If you like to give books, there have been several bestsellers with environmental themes. If it’s possible to get emotional about forests, Overstory is a story to read. Migrations follows the last known flock of terns as they traverse the fish depleted ocean. The Beekeeper of Aleppo is not so much about bees as about the cruelty of war. But the description of bees and apiaries is worth reading.

However you spend your holidays, I wish you and your families health and happiness and a blessed New Year.

And, as my gift to you, please view the video of the beautiful Filoli Gardens bedecked for the Holidays.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMaskJ0cu14

REMINDER FROM YOUR FINANCIAL SECRETARY

December 15th is the last day to send in dues.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS to all our members and their friends and families.

Jill Drescher, 1001 Poplar Avenue, Wasco, CA 93280

CFWC Health and Wellness Program, Myrna Binford, Chairman

Flu Shot Overdue

December Dates: Month - Universal Human Rights Month, Aids Awareness Month

The Holidays are upon us. While we are rushing around with shopping and parties and enjoying the excitement of the season, we tend to forget that for some, the season can be a sad and stressful time. It can be a dichotomy, sadness versus happiness. I think we were all feeling this last year. Remember those who are alone, just a call/card/visit can help brighten their day.

Right now, no one knows what the new COVID-19 variant will do. I have noticed a few more people with masks and slightly lower attendance at meetings and church. This may also be due to the flu season coming on us.

The senior centers, retirement homes, and adult day cares are on watch to see if they will be affected. This may affect any activities that we had planned for them. I had one facility tell me they may need more drivers to get the meals to the people like last year. They are on a “wait and see” watch. However, if you are making favors for any of these centers, go ahead and continue as they can be sent out to the people with their lunches.

Did you read it in GFWC News & Notes?

Registration Now Open for Remote GFWC Holiday Open House

Although registration closed yesterday to attend the in-person 2021 GFWC Holiday Open House on December 8, you still have an opportunity to celebrate the giving season and experience a bit of holiday magic at GFWC Headquarters in Washington, DC. Registration is now open to receive a link to a remote Holiday Open House experience that will launch at 5:00 p.m. ET on December 15. You can register through the GFWC Member Portal to view this remote event until 12:00 noon ET on December 31.

The theme of the 2021 GFWC Holiday Open House is Good Tidings of Comfort and Joy – a wonderful reminder of the happiness we receive from encouraging and supporting our friends, family, and neighbors.