2016—17 Governing Body:

Joan Cotton, President, National

Representative

Margie Jones, Vice President,

National Representative

Suzane Sadofsky, Immediate

Past President

Fran Beers, Secretary

Linda Howard, Treasurer

Becky Donhost, Editor

Lola Chase, Constitution Chair

Jeanetta Arenott, Dist. 517 Chair

Laurel McFarland, Dist. 519 Chair

Donna Weiler, Dist. 627 Co-Chair

Donna Stevens, Dist. 627 Co-Chair

Sue Robinson, Dist. 696 Chair

Miriam Fisher, Dist. 767 Chair

Foundation Bd. Of Trustees:

Yolanda Gonzalez, Chairman

Christine Becker, Vice Chairman

Linda Hall, Secretary/

Investments

Connie Abram, Financial Officer

Sunshine:

Lola Chase, ggccre@aol.com

Jody Griffing,

jodyg1@embargmail.com

In the Wheel

Touch a Heart

Oluyemisi Alatise, IIW 2016/2017President

Joan Cotton, IWUSA 2016/2017 President

Inner Wheel U. S. A.

Inner Wheel U. S. A. Foundation

Volume 30 Issue 1

Fall, 2016

Becky Donhost, Editor

Wishing all of you a wonderful fall season with all the reds, oranges, browns, yellows and greens blending together

to give us beauty everywhere. How beautiful the leaves are as they turn old and how full of light and color are their

last days. Our International theme this year resounds the personality and love of our beautiful President, Elizabeth

"Betty" Tucker. "Touch a Heart” - how she did just that! I ask all of you to remember John Tucker, her wonderful

husband and their children and grandchildren as they face the holidays ahead without lovely Betty at their side.

Just a few weeks ago our IW Governing Body and the IW Foundation Trustees met in San Antonio for our Fall get

together to discuss how the District and Clubs are doing and what can we all do to strengthen our Clubs and to bring

in new members. Most clubs are strong in their areas and continue to provide a great deal of service and support to

their communities. One of the toughest issues is officers. Everyone loves being in our wonderful organization but

they find it easier to sit back and let others take the lead. With this attitude, the others are getting tired and having

trouble thinking of activities, projects and ventures to bring energy to their meetings. It is important for everyone to

help those dedicated ladies who are your club leaders. February is election month. How about stepping forward to

take an office in the coming year? Share with others your talents and leadership ability. Every member is important

to the club and every member has many talents. As I put the IWUSA Directory together this year, I was amazed as

to how many members have served over and over and over again in the same office. Change is important and

change brings new ideas and most important energizes all of us. So once more, I ask all of you to consider serving in

your club. You will meet so many wonderful members in the other clubs and through the districts. We are here to

serve!

Our Foundation Trustees are doing a marvelous job. So many children are being served. We are so blessed to be

partnering with Hanger. While in San Antonio, Steve Mandacina told us we have served over 70 children in the

United States. And it appears we are gathering a waiting list of children in need of myo-electric limbs.

IMPORTANT: This year some of our clubs were a little slow in remitting dues, membership lists, and their Year-End

Financial Statement to our National Treasurer. Dues are due by July 1, along with the list of members. The financial

statement is due no later than July 31. It is extremely important all officers pay attention to the Yearly Calendar.

Items due and their due dates are listed by month. The Calendar can be downloaded from the website, if you do not

have a current hard copy available to you. Inner Wheel U.S.A. must make a filing to IRS each year notifying them of

each clubs' annual income and expenses. Failure to make this filing will result in the loss of our 501c3 charitable

certification.

The IWUSA Website has been updated. The IWUSA Handbook with approved changes to the Bylaws and Standing

Rules, District/Club information, forms, printable logos, etc. are on the updated website. We are still in the process

of updating pictures and telling the "rest of the story" in a couple of the individual areas. Please look at the website

and share with me your ideas and suggestions to continually upgrade the site. The Handbook is your guide to IW.

Be proud of all you do for Inner Wheel. Wear your IW pin and stand tall recognizing all you do for our community,

our children, and the friends we share around the world. Enjoy the holidays with your family and friends. If you have

any ideas or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact me. We are all one working together through Inner

Wheel to serve our world.

Joan Cotton—Acting Inner Wheel U. S. A. President

Page 2

Margie Jones, Inner Wheel U. S. A. Vice President

A BIG thank you to Joan Cotton for taking on the role of Acting President of IWUSA this year! With the loss of our dear Betty, it is so won-

derful of Joan to step in and support Inner Wheel with her expertise. I am looking forward to working closely with Joan as I explore how to

best serve Inner Wheel USA in 2017-18. Thanks also to Joan for doing a fantastic job of publishing the IWUSA directory—it takes much

time, dedication and work to get this all completed and published!

As we move into the year 2016-17, I look forward to finding out more about what topics need to be addressed at IWUSA. For the year

2017-18, my plan is to adopt an IWUSA project which will bring our USA clubs together and will find of value to address our aim of com-

munity service. It is also hoped that clubs continue to look closely at friends, neighbors and family members to enrich the membership and

friendships that we in Inner Wheel hold so close. Please feel free to contact me with any suggestions for projects for 2017-18 and any

other ideas you may have.

In the Wheel

The Year of Achievement Award is presented to those clubs who complete at least five of the six objectives outlined below. These objec-

tives focus on the OBJECTS of Inner Wheel and thus help to strengthen and grow our Organization. The Program is entirely voluntary and

open to Districted and Non-Districted clubs and covers the Inner Wheel year beginning July 1, and ending June 30.

Applications from both Districted and Non-Districted clubs should be sent to the District Chairman for the District in which the club resides

by April15. The District Chairman will certify eligibility of the application, forward the application to the IWUSA National Secretary by May

1who will issue the certificate

and forward completed certificate to the IWUSA President for signature and return the signed Year of Achievement Award to the District

Chairman for presentation to the Club by the District's last meeting of the year.

1. Membership: Induct at least one new member.

2. Foundation: Achieve a 10% increase in Foundation donations over the previous year OR make a donation of at least $1,000. Dona-

tions may come from a club donation or from individual member donations.

3. National Club Relation: Initiate a correspondence with at least three USA clubs. Correspondence is defined as letters, emails, greet-

ing cards or representative appearance before a club.

4. International Club Relations: Initiate a correspondence with at least three clubs outside the USA. Correspondence is defined as let-

ters, emails, greeting cards or representative appearance before a club.

5. Community Communications: Promote your Club within the community through any two of the following media: Newspaper/

Magazine/Periodical articles; Radio and/or television appearances; Social Media; A club representative appearing before another or-

ganization outside of Inner Wheel.

6. Personal Service and Leadership: Recognize a member(s) within your club who has demonstrated the OBJECTS of Inner Wheel in a

particularly instrumental way and or involve a new member with less than one year of service in a leadership role in your club, e.g.,

chairmanship of a special project, describing the outcome of their leadership role.

Year of Achievement Award

IWUSA Executive Board Members

Left to right: Sue Robinson, Donna Weiler, Lola

Chase, Fran Beers, Jeanetta Arenotte, Joan Cotton,

Becky Donhost, Miriam Fisher, Laurel McFarland,

Margie Jones, Suzanne Sadofsky, & Linda Howard

Page 3 Volume 30 Issue 1

Yolanda Gonzalez—IWUSA Foundation Chair

It has been just over six months since our friendSHIP Confer-

ence Cruise. Thank you again for the privilege and honor to

serve as Chairman of the IWUSA Foundation.

The Foundation and Governing Body had three busy days in

San Antonio. On September 29, Joan Cotton, Acting IWUSA

President recognized and swore in Governing Body Officers and

Trustees for the year 2016-2017. Each officer and trustee was

presented a heart for our International President’s logo, “Touch

a Heart.” That afternoon, we had Steve Mandacina, National

Director of Hanger Clinics, do a presentation/demonstration of

prosthetic devices that are used with our limb recipients. What

a fantastic presentation! Afterwards, we toured one of the

Hanger Clinics in San Antonio. Staff members Justin Pfaff, Pat-

rick Mcgahey, and Mona Pateland did an outstanding tour for all

25 of us! We saw what our wonderful National Project “Give a

Child a Hand” is all about. Everyone was quite impressed with

the tour and Steve’s presentation. It was a very educational

and rewarding experience.

On September 30, an update on five year old Mario from Fort

Myers, Florida was given from Ellen Erickson, past District 696

Chairman. Ellen, Autumn Hays from Hanger Clinic, and I have

been working with getting Mario a prosthetic arm; this process

has been ongoing since April. Just two days before our meet-

ings, he had a fitting done and has another appointment com-

ing up where he will be getting his “new arm.”

On our final day, I reported to the Governing Body that two

trustees were ending their terms as trustees. Connie Abram,

Financial Officer had indicated in her report that Hanger Clinic

will be receiving an allocation of about $50,400.00 from the

Foundation. Also, the subject of our Spring Meetings and the

Luncheon in Atlanta, Georgia came up. It will be wonderful hav-

ing Carrie Davis from Hanger be our guest speaker. I believe

that all of our members truly hold the best interest of Inner

Wheel and the Foundation at heart!

My sincerest thanks to all of the Foundation Officers and Trus-

tees for their help and cooperation during these few months, it

has been a busy six months! Thank you for “Touching a Heart”

in all that we do for the Foundation. Together we can accom-

plish many possibilities. “Alone, we can do so little; together,

we can do so much!”

Inner Wheel USA Communication Links:

Inner Wheel U. S. A. Website:

www.innerwheelusa.com

Contact IWUSA Chairman

jecotton2014@gmail.com

WUSA/Foundation Website

http://innerwheelusa.com/iwusa-foundation-inc/

Contributions to Foundation can be sent to:

Ms. Connie Abram, 356 Snapdragon Lane, Lincoln, CA 95648

Or

IWUSA Foundation, Inc., PO Box 3414, Haines City, FL 33845

Contact the Foundation Chairman

yolanda_gonzalez@q.com

IW on Facebook

www.facebook.com/InternationalInnerWheel

Upcoming Dates to Note

District Officer Nomination Form due to Election Convener

November 15, 2016

Districts Nominate Officers for IIW January 15, 2017

Clubs order IIW Directories January 30, 2017

District and Club Officers due to Nat ’ l Secretary February 1, 2017

Nat ’ l Secretary remits Officer Information to IIW March 15, 2017

Page 4 In the Wheel

Editor ~ Becky Donhost

Communication is a 4 way process:

“Sender-message-receiver-feedback ”

I am happy to report that I am getting the hang of this

process as this edition of In the Wheel goes to print (so to

speak). It is not a task to be taken lightly. The very kind

remarks and compliments have been much appreciated. I

hope you will enjoy reading the Inner Wheel stories con-

tained in this newsletter. I am blessed to be a small part of

this wonderful organization that is truly international and

global in touching hearts around the world.

I have enjoyed receiving your newsletters and have been

able to extract stories from them. It is unfortunate that

while I can scan reports, the photos don ’ t scan that are

within the newsletters. I have discovered several clubs who

have Face Book pages and was able to get news and photos

from that resource. Unfortunately, the news was minimal.

Staying connected is so very important and when I am in-

formed of Directory errors/corrections, you will be informed.

Please note the following for your records (from the Na-

tional Directory):

Page 11 & 30: Melba Rilott, 700 Mease Plaza, Apt.

802, Dunedin, FL 34698; Tel (c) 828-226-8550

Page 24: Orangevale, CA club Secretary Tel: 916-212

-4278

Page 26: Walnut Creek Co-President: Christine Benoit

Zip 94598

Page 31: Slidell President: Sharron

Page 33: Stamford-Hobart President - Pricilla Marigli-

ano, 22439 State Hwy 23, Harpersfield, NY 13786; Tel:

607-652-0988

Please contact me with any changes in your information so

we can stay connected.

Treasurer’s Report ~ Linda Howard

IWUSA FINAL BUDGET 2016-2017

INCOME

850@ $12.75 $ 11,432.50 IWUSA

IIW Cap. Fees 850@ $8.80 $7,480.00

Liability Insurance 850@ $3.45 $3,187.50

IIW Directories 48@ $15.00 $ 720.00

IW Foundation (1/2 of D & ) Ins. D & O Ins.) $ 831.50

TOTAL INCOME $ 23,651.50

EXPENSES

International IW Cap. Fees (850 x 6.9037 GBP) $4,963.83

Insurance :

Liability $3,003.00

D & O Ins. $1,663.00

President's Expense $3,000.00

Immediate Past President $ 50.00

Secretary Expense $ 300.00

Vice President's Expense $ 50.00

Treasurer's Expense $ 90.00

Postage & Shipping $ 250.00

Printing (Printer Ink) $ 85.00

Board Meetings

Travel $5,500.00

Hotel Meeting Expense

IIW Luncheon $ 500.00

Accounting (Year End Audit) $ 550.00

Int'l Directory & Postage $ 250.00

Newsletters, Including Postage & Labels $1,200.00

USA Directory & Postage $ 900.00

Donation to Foundation (Pres. Honor) $ 100.00

Florida State Fee $ 75.00

California State Filing Fee $ 40.00

Bank Charges (wire fees) $ 75.00

Website $ 500.00

Regalia $ 300.00

Brochures

Handbook Update

IWUSA Banners $ 206.67

TOTAL EXPENSES $ 23,651.50

Page 5 Volume 30 Issue 1

Payment must be submitted with the reservation

form and must include complete information for each

attendee.

Ticket requests will be processed in the order in

which they are received until the seating reaches

capacity.

Upon receipt of payment e-tickets will be sent to the

email address you provide at the bottom of this form.

Payment in US dollars only and must be paid by

credit card or a personal check drawn on a US bank.

Last date for purchasing tickets is June 2, 2017 pro-

vided seating is still available.

You may cancel your ticket reservation up to May

12, 2017. Cancelled reservations are subject to a

20% cancellation fee.

Cancellations received after June 2, 2017 are nonre-

fundable.

Ticket orders will be refunded in full if the 2017 Ro-

tary International Convention is cancelled.

An opportunity for banner exchange will immediately

follow the luncheon.

Please print/type in block letters

(please use additional forms for more reservations)

Payment: $58.00 USD p/p - Check □ VISA □ Master Card □ AMEX □

Credit Card Number: __________________________________________________Expiration Date: _____________________CVV *_____________

Cardholder Name: _____________________________________________ Signature: __________________________________________________

Send e-tickets to this email address: __________________________________________________________________________________________

*The CVV Number ("Card Verification Value") on the credit or debit card is a 3-digit number on VISA® and MasterCard® that appears on the back of the card. On the American

Express® branded credit or debit card it is a 4-digit numeric code on the front of the card.

Send completed form to: Joan Cotton, 2040 Linden Grove Way, Carmichael, CA 95608-5614, USA;

or email to: jecotton2014@gmail.com

Last Name: ______________________________

Inner Wheel Club of: _______________________

Last Name: ______________________________

Inner Wheel Club of: _______________________

First Name: ______________________________

Country: ________________________________

First Name: ______________________________

Country: _________ _______________________

Check for

vegetarian

meal

Check for

vegetarian

meal

Page 6 In the Wheel

District 517 Chairman’s Report—Jeanetta

Arenott

District 517 held its first 2016-2017 meeting on September

12. Meeting dates were selected for the remainder of the

year. Also, March 5, 2017 was chosen for the Founder's Day

Brunch, our District ’ s fundraiser for the IWUSA Founda-

tion. Clubs reported getting underway with their meetings,

projects and social events. The Livermore club will be par-

ticipating in a "dream date" by touring an area of San Fran-

cisco. The Niles-Fremont club spent an afternoon watching

old silent movies at the S&A Studios. San Leandro Club de-

livered supplies to Children's Hospital in Oakland, California.

Cupertino Club reported the passing of member Doris Hei-

jmans, age 101, on September 1, 2016.

On October 22, 2016, District 517 will join with District 519

for the annual Friendship Luncheon in Vallejo, California.

Note that District 517 Presidents agreed to mail copy of

IWUSA Newsletter to non-email members, saving postage

costs for national.

IW Club of Alameda

The Alameda Club supports Young Musicians Choral & Orchestra, a

youth development program. This program accepts low income tal-

ented children, ages 8-18, from the Bay Area. The children must per-

form well academically and be able to sing. They are coached in choral

and taught a musical instrument. Upon graduating from high school,

they are guaranteed admission to college. These students attend top

universities and go on to good careers. Inner Wheel Club of Alameda

has established an email communication system, managed a box to

accept donations, held raffles, and encouraged public attendance at

performances. The next performance will be Saturday, December 17,

2016, at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Looking forward to the holidays, Inner Wheel Club of Livermore is pre-

paring their second fine dining event at the home of June Bedford. Mem-

bers volunteer to design and set tables for eight, using their own fine

china and beautiful accessories. A wonderful catered dinner is served.

IW Club of Livermore

On May 20, Co-President Kay Lohmiller led a short meeting before

lunch at The Blue Door restaurant. It was voted to donate $2000 to the

Foothill/DeAnza scholarship fund. Usually our recipients are the first

members of their family to go to college. Also, we agreed to support

five students for a holiday shopping spree at $150 per student. This

event will take place on December 8 at the Target store in Cupertino.

The club was dark for the summer except for our volunteer commit-

ment to serve at “Our Daily Bread ” food program on the third Monday

of the month. Several members have enjoyed the activity so much that

they serve every Monday of the month! Co-President Kay Lohmiller

purchased bright blue aprons and had them monogrammed with

“Cupertino Inner Wheel ” . Our fall meeting will be held at the home of

Kay Lohmiller on Tuesday evening, October 4. We look forward to plan-

ning activities for the coming year. On a sad note Doris Hijmans, one of

our charter members, passed away on Thursday, September 1. She

was 101 and was active to the very end. She was a gracious “Brit ”

who lived a happy, full life.

IW Club of Cupert ino

In Perfect

Partnership

Inner Wheel

&

Rotary

Page 7 Volume 30 Issue 1

In August, we had a board meeting which we decided to purchase

$500.00 in Target gift cards. These cards will be given to ABODE Ser-

vices and One Child. They will each receive $250.00 in gift cards to help

children to prepare for school. We are having an outing on September

11th to enjoy old movies at the Essays Studios in Niles. We will go to

Bill and Karen Bradley's home for pizza. In September, we will be hav-

ing a potluck at Marlene's house. We have invited several ladies to join

us and see what Inner Wheel is all about.

IW Club of Niles-Fremont

Our biggest projects were the Rape Care Kits for BAWAR as well as

Children's Hospital. Our chairman Linda Mahadeven coordinated the

purchase & assembly of the kits with member volunteers. Davis Street

was kind enough to give us a room to store and assemble the kits.

Misc. items were taken to Children's Hospital in June by our chairman

and president. They were very appreciative for items go home with the

patients and can't be used again by others. We will be assembling them

again this term.

We've been blessed again to receive 2 certificates for 2 from the

lxtapan Spa in Ixtapan De La Sal in Mexico. The certificates are given to

San Leandro Inner Wheel in Diane Martin's honor-for Alzheimer. We sell

the raffle tickets for $25 and have the drawing at our Holiday Party.

Last year we earned over $4,000 for Alzheimer ’ s and had 16 that

went to the spa in March of 2016. Two of which were winners of the

raffle. In addition to the Alzheimer & Rape Care Kits we were able to

give $1000 to the San Leandro Warm Shelter, $2,000 to the Boys and

Girls club, $1000 to Building Futures and $1000 to Camp Okizu.

We are looking forward to doing some hands on projects such as Meals

on Wheels again this term. We also look forward to our Chili/Gin tour-

nament in March or April.

IW Club of San Leandro

Acting President IWUSA Joan Cotton entertains guest Kal Jr. from

Australia and Cali Bear from East Sacramento

Joan Cotton, Norma Trillia, and Chris Becker had the opportunity

to try living with a prosthetic limb while at the Fall IWUSA Confer-

ence in San Antonio, Texas. (above)

Norma decided to get a little creative with her limb. (below)

IWUSA Foundation Board Members

Left to right: Claudia Laborde, Jan LeFevre, Connie Abram, Yolanda Gonzalez, Chris Becker,

Linda Hall, Miriam Fisher, Patricia Picard, & Margie Jones.

Page 8 In the Wheel

Our district has 181 paid members. This is down from 199 last year. Like other districts, we are suffering from an aging membership

which inevitably affects our numbers. Efforts are under way to increase membership by bringing awareness of Inner Wheel to our com-

munities. The Year of Achievement Award is a helpful means to this end, and proudly, last year, seven of our clubs received this distinc-

tion. At our September District 519 meeting, I urged our members to embrace their "inner flamingo," to hatch new chicks and make

sure everyone takes notice of Inner Wheel.

In expanding on this year's international theme of "Touch a Heart," I am urging our members to take care of themselves physically,

mentally, and spiritually, by reminding them that they "cannot pour from an empty cup." We will be hearing from speakers who will talk

about ways to take care of ourselves and rejuvenate our spirit. Our first speaker of the year is a local chef and author of two cookbooks

to encourage healthy eating by using seasonal ingredients.

In keeping with the theme, I am highlighting efforts of our district by putting an individual club in the spotlight at each meeting, giving

them time to tell us in depth about a service project they are doing. At our September meeting, the Nevada City club told us of making

simple little dresses for girls in third world countries for a project called "Dress a Girl Around the World," which is under the umbrella of

a group called Hope for Women. I am hoping these stories will inspire more community service throughout our district.

Plans are under way for our district fund raiser. In November, we will host a raffle of new and nearly new purses at a luncheon. This will

be our third fund raiser of this kind, and we hope it will continue to be as popular and profitable as it has in the past. Our Citrus Heights

IW Club will also be raffling a beautiful quilt made by their members at the event. Proceeds will benefit the IWUSA Foundation and

other endeavors including our District Literacy Project.

Inner Wheel District 519 has proudly nominated members Margie Jones for IWUSA President and Becky Donhost for her third year as

IWUSA Editor.

Our district ISO, Norma Trillia, has written to several clubs in France, Turkey, and Germany offering our condolences in the wake of

terrorist attacks. Clubs in Louisiana were also contacted following severe flooding.

We are looking forward to joining District 517 on October 22, at our annual Friendship Luncheon. The speaker will be from Paws for

Purple Hearts to help veterans with service dogs.

District 519 Chairman’s Report ~ Laurel McFarland

Just Lunch! at The Manda-

rin with Millie Stone,

Tamara Dawn and Dist.

519 Chair Laurel

McFarland (left).

Kal Jr. and his new buddy,

Glory enjoyed the snuggle

blankets made by Fair

Oaks member Vicki Foote

for their future trips home

and beyond! (right)

Page 9 Volume 30 Issue 1

The April meeting was a tasty luncheon at Black Angus. We dis-

cussed our Year of Achievement Award application which is

nearly complete. We are making a quilt as a club fundraiser.

Rhonda Slusser brought some fabric with flower panels that will

be used for our quilt. We will coordinate a sewing party with club

members and get a quote to have the finished quilt machine

quilted. Joan Buntin offered to have the installation at her home.

In May, we met at the Old Spaghetti Factory. As we were unable

to find a location for our bingo fundraiser, we tabled that until

next year. We will meet at Rhonda Slusser ’ s home in July to

start assembling the quilt squares for our quilt fundraiser. The

quilt will be raffled off at the Pick-a-Purse fund-raiser held by the

District later this year.

Installation of officers was in June at Joan Buntin ’ s house:

Kathy Henricks was installed as President (3rd time around) so

our theme was “Adventures with Kathy ” in her yellow jeep.

Dinner was a potluck, and there was plenty of food, so we ate,

drank and visited. This is always a great opportunity to mingle

since all members were present, including guests.

In August some of our members gathered for a good old fash-

ioned quilting bee – led by Rhonda Slusser. The finished product

is the beautiful quilt to be raffled at the Pick-a-Purse social, No-

vember 12, 2016. Contact any member of IWCH for tickets.

For our first club meeting of the year, we met at La Rosa Mexi-

can Restaurant in Folsom and enjoyed a nice Mexican luncheon.

We held our regular business meeting which included a review of

our club calendar and discussion of possible options for events/

socials for upcoming year – we are going to be busy!!

IW Club of Citrus Heights

We met at the home of Joan Cotton in June. It was a potluck with a

lot of delicious food and a lot of friendship.

President Cynthia Zeller held her August Board meeting at her home

with a delicious dinner. The calendar of events for the coming year

and the club membership roster were done. It will be a very fun and

busy year.

Our September meeting included a delicious potluck dinner held at

the home of Karen Clifford. We had the Installation of our new offi-

cers conducted by Joan Cotton using the theme of candles and their

light. We reviewed the calendar for the coming year and discussed

some new ideas for fundraisers and projects. Our club received Kal

Jr. from Australia. Cali Bear was introduced to our club in his own

sleeping bag with Passport and Journal done by Becky Donhost. We

will keep Cali with us this year and he will travel with Kal Jr. Several

of our members attended the District Meeting in Grass Valley and it

was a great meeting.

IW Club of East Sacramento

Elk Grove member

Terri Ruff along with

Maryl Lee Bab-cock

and Optimist Club

assisted Elk Grove

students with a suc-

cessful back to school

shopping trip. (top

left)

Norma and Nirmalee

from Sri Lanka at

Walnut Creek IW

meeting (left)

Mona Patel, Cindi

Scott, & Sheila Ad-

diego work on knitted

Teddy Bear Project

(below)

Nevada City share

their dresses for their

Girls Around the World

project.

Page 10 In the Wheel

In June, El Cerrito Inner Wheel Club met at the home of Norma

Trillia. They attached labels to 30 Teddy Bears knitted by mem-

bers: “Made Specially for you by the Ladies of El Cerrito Inner

Wheel Club.

August meeting was at Mona Patel ’ s home in Oakland to discuss

the year ’ s activities and programs coming up.

In September, Norma Trillia was invited by the Walnut Creek club

to meet Sri Lanka member Nirmalie who was visiting Adrian Men-

des. Norma has met Nirmalie at countless IIW Conventions, in-

cluding up in the mountains of Malaysia while touring a Botanical

Garden

In September, the club donated paper goods, toiletries, and laun-

dry soap to Family House by Children ’ s Hospital in Oakland, a

tour the facility was facilitated, and lunch at Holly Madarin Res-

taurant was enjoyed. Also in September, the club will meet with

the Walnut Creek Club for lunch honoring Past National President

Rose Marie Hansen

On December 17, they will have their annual Christmas Brunch at

Richmond Country Club at which time they will honor District

Chairman Laurel McFarland.

IW Club of El Cerrito

In July, Maryl Lee and Terri represented Elk Grove Inner Wheel at

a shopping spree for disadvantaged students sponsored by the

Elk Grove Optimist Club and Kohl ’ s. Volunteers were paiedr up

with 100 disadvantaged students from the Elk Grove Unified

School District to spend $100 on back to school clothes, and

shoes. Haircuts, bike helmets, and backpacks were also provided.

Elk Grove Inner Wheel enjoyed our first planning meeting of the

year in August at our President Maryl Lee ’ s home. We shared

our lunch and ideas as we planned our monthly meetings for the

rest of the year. We also had the pleasure of discussing what

organizations we would like to give to financially since we had

extra funds to give away. The members decided to give to the

Inner Wheel USA Foundation, the Elk Grove Historical Society,

Chicks in Crisis of Elk Grove, the Elk Grove Strauss Festival, and

the Elk Grove Food Bank.

IW Club of Elk Grove

East Sacramento President

Cynthia Zeller introduces

guest Kal Jr. from Kalgoorlie-

Boulder IW Club in Western

Australia to our newest mem-

ber, Cali Bear. Some may

recognize Kal Jr. as being a

guest of Fair Oaks Club last

year. Each critter will enjoy

sharing time with members

as they travel throughout the

year.

Kal Jr. toured the Almond/

Pistachio processing plant in

Chowchilla, Ca where hair

nets were required!

Citrus Heights Club

made a quilt to be

auctioned at the

District fundraiser. It

really reflects “Touch

a Heart”!

The team included

Rhonda Slusser, Joan

Buntin, Judy Marietti,

Linda Daniel, Maggie

Jordan, and Sue

Kasper.

Volume 30 Issue 1 Page 11

IW Club of Sacramento

February was a repeat of a meeting we held last year and thoroughly enjoyed. Rotary member, Bruce Hester gave an interesting talk.

He does a great deal of research and study on many different topics and then makes a presentation. He is on our yearly rotating activity

plan. In March, joined by our husbands, we attended a play at the B Street Theater. They always do a good job and we all enjoyed a

box lunch in the lobby. We are now planning our officer installation in May at the Del Paso Country Club which is always a lovely venue.

Our Club had a fun and busy summer starting with the club installation dinner at the DPCC in May. The membership also worked hard

to make Laurel ’ s installation as District Chairman an event of which she would be proud. The dinner in May was so successful the

committee decided to hold our summer soiree at the DPCC again in July. As it was a happily anticipated evening, the turnout was sub-

stantial. We had the added pleasure of a talk by one of our members and her husband concerning their amazing trip to Iran.

In lieu of a formal meeting, members of our group met at the High Hand Nursery and Restaurant in Loomis for what ’ s become an

annual tradition for our club. Our June meeting was held at the home of Janet McWilliams and was co-hosted by Betsy Alberts. This was

our final meeting of the year and included the installation of our 2016/2017 officers. Our special guest from Australia also attended this

meeting. It was the final time we all would see Kal Jr. before he returned to his home in Australia. Kal will not be traveling alone, his

new friend Glory will be with him. Neither will have to worry about being chilled on their flight home, our member Vicki Walter made

them their own Linus Blankets to keep them warm.

Our first meeting of 2016/17 was held in August at the home of Vicki Foote. A special thanks to Vicki for her “Thought for the Day ” –

we have three choices in life – Give up, Give in, or Give it all you ’ ve got! Members present discussed the Founder ’ s Monument being

erected in the Village of Fair Oaks. Community partners wishing to have a plaque included on the monument are asked to donate $500

towards the cost. It was felt that our club ’ s treasury could not absorb this cost, so it was decided to have a Special Bunco fundraiser

after the September meeting, with all proceeds going towards Inner Wheel being represented on this monument. Thank you, Rosemary

Lamb for offering your home for the meeting and afternoon of BUNKO FUN. In September, Janet McWilliams, Pat Vogel, Naona Monroe,

Terri O ’ Donnell and Trude Vasquez attended the District 519 meeting in Grass Valley where they were presented with their 4th Year of

Achievement Award.

IW Club of Fair Oaks

In May, Maxine Simmons one of our long time Yuba City Inner Wheel members passed away. She attended many functions over the

years. She always enjoyed and looked forward to attending the District Meetings & Founders Day. In recent years her health & eye site

were making it harder & harder travel too far. Her good friend & traveling companion on various trips was Virginia Leavitt from the Cit-

rus Heights IW Club. Our Club made Virginia an Honorary Member because she enjoyed coming to Yuba City to spend time with Maxine

when she wasn ’ t able to travel to Sacramento for District Functions.

We weren ’ t able to have a meeting in May due to so many members either out of town, ill or caring for a loved one having health

problems. June found us back at one of our favorite restaurants in town. We had a delicious luncheon & meeting at the Sopa Thai Res-

taurant in Yuba City.

I attended the District Meeting on September 13 at Sierra Country Club in Grass Valley. I always look forward to a change of scenery

when the Nevada City IW Club hosts our meetings. It was great visiting and catching up with so many we haven ’ t seen for awhile.

Laurel ’ s first meeting of the year got off to a good start. Look forward to a fantastic Flamingo year in Inner Wheel.

We are saddened to report that Charter Member Lois Cockerill passed away in September. Lois was another member that always en-

joyed going to Sacramento for the District Meetings. She was a Delegate for a very long time, and went to many Founder ’ s Day

Luncheons.

IW Club of Yuba City

Page 12 In the Wheel

This year ’ s membership has 32 members in District 627. Racine with 6, Menomonee Falls with 7, and Kenosha with 19. The deaths of

members and resignation have been the reason for the decrease from 36 members last year. New member from Menomonee Falls was

an addition to their club.

Nomination for officers needed to be submitted at this fall district meeting. We need nominations for Chairman, Vice Chairman Treas-

urer Secretary and Extension. The Foundation, Editor and ISO are the officers have served in the past years. For 2017-2018 the officers

will serve for a year. Nominations were encouraged from every club member to participate in the district leadership. At this time we

have not had nominations for these offices.

In past years at the Rotary Conference we would have a display in the Friendship Room. This year Rotary District Governor Julie Craig

has different plans for Rotary. This opportunity is not available for Inner Wheel Extension. Doris and Carol were able to present informa-

tion to Rotary of West Bend as well as Menomonee Falls Rotary. Carol followed the visit with participation in YOUTH FUTURES which

provides healthy activities to help prevent drug and alcohol abuse for middle school. The Menomonee Falls high school program called

REALITY CHECK had Carol as a volunteer.

The District Newsletter has been an essential communication tool for our district. The excellent communication that Carol Winget has

shared with each member of the district has kept all informed. Continued communication with clubs worldwide by two of ISO has been

constant. The ISO of Racine is still in communication with The Inner Wheel after the Typhoon Haiyan in 2013. The Philippines was

grateful for the generosity of the European Inner Wheel. Menomonee Falls club and District ISO were in contact with Inner Wheel of

Egypt and Iceland clubs. The outreach also included Ireland with communication from a club that was shared with members. Doris Stolz

shared her experience in Africa as she had traveled to that country on an exciting trip.

Foundation has been successful with funds from every club in our district. We also participated in the Sun Set Walk on the cruise as

members sponsored walker Jean Muth walking in Kenosha for Inner Wheel. The time walked was a successful way to raise money for

the Foundation on and off the cruise.

Kenosha Inner Wheel project was collecting mittens, hats and scarves for one school that has an 86% poverty rate. This year ’ s project

is collection of house hold items for women and children leaving the women ’ s shelter for battered and homeless families. Personal

items, bath items and laundry needs are placed in a laundry basket. These are items they need for their new housing arrangements.

Monthly board meetings help plan the luncheons with their service project and collections. Racine is involved in the Cops N Kids pro-

gram with continuing to provide needed supplies to the center. They meet monthly at a restaurant that is handicapped accessible. The

senior living apartments of a member have had meeting space to conduct district projects.

Social fun and gatherings include an installation luncheon and a trip to the Kenosha History museum. Automobile Industry with antique

cars was featured. Some were older than us! The antique toys display had some toys that had been contributed by members. Mem-

ber ’ s ancestors were the original owners of the barbershop and apothecary. The history of Kenosha includes the service of many peo-

ple as well as Inner Wheel. Menomonee Falls Inner Wheel had the project for last year and the blankets were donated to the Women ’ s

Center of Waukesha. Care packages for the military were their service project. These again will be sent for Christmas. Foundation dona-

tions not only in February but all year are the action of the club.

A memorial gift was sent to IWUSA Foundation from our district in IWUSA President ’ s memory. Betty Tucker ’ s death on July 6 was a

loss for all of Inner Wheel. She is greatly missed. Her contribution to her club, district and IWUSA made a difference for all of us.

The international Inner Wheel’ s Theme for 2016-2017 is TOUCH A HEART. The IIW President Oluyemisi Alatise is working for women

and children. Yemisi was interested in all that we do here in the United States for women, children and families when we talked on the

cruise. The programs for Women and Children are supported by all of our Inner Wheel Clubs in their communities. We can touch a

heart and give a hand as we work for our communities, through friendship and service, we foster understanding everywhere.

District 627 Chairman’s Report ~ Donna Weiler

Volume 30 Issue 1 Page 13

Six of our members attended the District meeting held at the home of Doris Stolz. It was great to see our many friends in the district

and enjoy the opportunity to meet with Acting USA President Joan Cotton. President Joan led a discussion on the declining membership

in Inner Wheel Clubs and the difficulty in finding members to serve on the District 627 Board. No volunteers were found to carry on the

District. I WANT EVERYONE TO UNDERSTAND THAT OUR CLUB WILL CONTINUE TO BE A VITAL SOURCE OF COMMUNITY SERVICE

AND MAINTAIN STANDING IN INNER WHEEL USA AS A NON-DISTRICTED CLUB. So in Kenosha, we will carry on as usual.

Dee Schneider offered a hand knit afghan for raffle. We raised $55.00 for the Foundation. The group added another $19.00 in proud

money for the same cause. On Thursday October 27th we will celebrate Halloween when we gather at the Fireside Restaurant. Arrive at

6:00 p.m. for fun and cocktails. Dinner will be at 6:30 p.m. You can come dressed in costume for Halloween or dress in fall colors.

IW Club of Kenosha

The weather man tells us that summer has come to a close but

the temperature tells us something different. I hope you all had

a good restful summer. Menomonee Falls Inner Wheel Club will

be hosting the Fall District Meeting. It will be held at the home of

Doris Stolz. We will gather for coffee before the meeting. We will

have the opportunity to meet and visit with IWUSA Acting Presi-

dent Joan Cotton who will be our guest for the day. We will also

have the opportunity to catch up with the lives of our friends in

the district.

IW Club of Menomonee Falls

In October, the Racine Inner Wheel Club will host the District ser-

vice project at The Parkview II Senior Community. I can't tell you

what we will be making or what we will be doing because it's a

surprise. I don't .know about you, but I love surprises so I'm look-

ing forward to the day. Drop a pair of scissors into your purse just

in case we need them.

IW Club of Racine

Bike the Barn Quilt Event not only raised funds for Shawano Pathways, but also generated revenue for our local Boys and Girls Club,

Sam 25 Homeless Shelter and Big Brothers and Big Sisters Program. IWC of Shawano is proud to support all of these worthwhile pro-

grams in our community by hosting a food/water station with Joni Shebuski organizing our group.

Thank you to Sue Krueger for organizing our July meeting at Timeline Saloon. A great time was had by all. Thank you to Joni Shebuski

for having Nancy Schultz, Boys and Girls Club Board Member, Shawano County UW-Extension agent join us and share her passion for

this organization getting off the ground. There was a kickoff with plans to start the program in January 2017. Our membership decided

to donate $200 to this initiative.

As we are in the middle of our beautiful Wisconsin Fall, I hope everyone had an opportunity to get out and enjoy the fresh, crisp air and

are preparing for the upcoming fall holidays! Thank you to Elsie for arranging our dinner at the Spinning Wheel in September. A great

membership turnout welcomed Joan Cotton, IWUSA President. Gerry and Donna Rae joined us at the Monday Rotary Lunch where Joan

was introduced and she shared examples of myoelectric limbs with a brief explanation of our IWUSA Foundation. Sunday evening, our

newest member Peg Gallagher, joined Joan at my home for a post Packer game Chili and Soup Supper. Peg was able to learn and ask

more questions about IWC directly from our “leader ” .

IW Club of Shawano

In the Wheel Page 14

IW Club of Avon Park

In July we donated $500 in school supplies to the Boys and Girls

club in Sebring to be distributed to local children getting ready

for the school year, including 25 backpacks, crayons, pencils,

folders, and notebook paper. Gary told me their goal was to

have enough for 300 children. Inner Wheel Avon Park is commit-

ted to helping our community first! Our club member, Marva

Turner, was featured in this month's Heartland publication.

Marva's family business, Turner Furniture, is celebrating 65

years of business in Avon Park, Florida. Pick up your free copy of

Heartland Magazine and read all about it. Congratulations to

Marva and the Turner Family.

District 696 Chairman’s Report ~ Sur Robinson

As District Chairman, I made the decision that all Club Presidents

(Districted and Non Districted) would be invited to all meetings of

the District Officers and they will be included in my correspondence

throughout the year. A welcome letter was sent out in July thanking

the District leaders for taking on leadership roles, announcing the

appointment of Joan Cotton as Acting President, paying tribute to

the loss of President Betty Tucker, suggesting that we honor Betty

by presenting the IWUSA Foundation with a $1,000 check from the

District Treasury, announcing the 2016-2017 IIW Theme “Touch A

Heart", reminding them to review material of interest and share

copies of the newsletters at Club Meetings from Becky Donhost,

IWUSA Editor and Linda Rusciano, District Editor, announcing the

date for the planning meeting and setting up three District Meetings

with dates and the Host Clubs. I also extended an invitation for

members to attend the Governing Body and Foundation Board Meet-

ings in September 28 - October 1, 2016 and June 9- 12, 2017 and

to reserve June 12, 2017 for the IWUSA Friendship Luncheon in

Atlanta, GA (details TBA), emphasizing that it is a great opportunity

to learn and participate in the meetings, enjoy the extended friend-

ship from all over the world and meet IIW President Oluyemisi Ala-

tise. (Whenever the RI Conventions are held in the USA, IWUSA

meetings are planned so that members can attend both sessions. It

is also customary for IWUSA to host an event for IIW members in

attendance.) On August 27th, we had a Zoom Meeting Video Confer-

ence Planning Meeting which was dynamic. A heartfelt Thank You

goes out to Claudia Laborde who was the Meeting Manager and rec-

ommended this format. The time commitment was minimal and the

travel had zero cost! Acting President Joan Cotton was able to join

us along with the Officers and Club Presidents. The preliminary plans

were formulated for the "International Friendship Luncheon" and will

be discussed as a set line item on the Agenda.

Touch A Heart

District 696 Meeting with hats and outfits that demon-

strate how our district touches hearts in our local ar-

eas with District Chairman Sue Robinson.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disap-pointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails.

Explore, Dream, Discover.”

~ Mark Twain

Page 15 Volume 30 Issue 1

PROMOTE

TRUE

FRIENDSHIP

FOSTER

INTERNATIONAL

UNDERSTANDING

PROMOTE THE

IDEALS OF

PERSONAL

SERVICE

IW Club of St . Thomas

The members of the Inner Wheel Club of St Thomas, through fundraising efforts, purchased a much needed equipment for their local

hospital in St. Thomas, USVI. A few members of the club, along with a few staff members of the Roy Lester Schneider Hospital, visited

the Neonatal Unit to see first-hand the new Radiant Baby Warmer. Special thanks to Mrs. Chantel Woods-Boschulte of the RLSH for

coordinating this effort.

IW Club of Fort Myer

Thanks to the principals at River Hall Elementary and Buckingham Exceptional Center for giving wonderful tours of their schools to our

German Inner Wheel friend Kerstin and her friend Uta who works with disabled children in Germany. It was a great example of interna-

tional friendship and understanding. Educators "Touch A Heart" every day.

Below, the Inner Wheel Club of St Thomas Suzanne

Robinson - District Chair, Paula Edwards, Carole

Nelthropp, and Graciela Millin presented the Baby

Warmer to the local hospital NICU.

Above, Fort Myers members toured a

special needs school.

Inner Wheel District 767 has six clubs with a total of 90 members. The four North Carolina clubs have 51 members. The two New York

clubs have 39 members and are the largest clubs in our District. The IWC of Stamford-Hobart installed a new member this year and the

IWC of Matthews-Mint Hill has two new members.

Because of distance and finances, the District will have the Fall District meeting at two venues, one in NY and one in NC. If possible this

meeting will be held on the same day, October 29 and will be Skyped. District Vice Chairman Suzane Sadofsky will chair the NY meeting

and District Chairman Miriam Fisher will chair the NC meeting. The agenda will be prepared by the two chairs. The minutes will be con-

solidated and sent to all the clubs.

Although the summer months are usually "dark", we were busy this year. In July the IWC of Stamford-Hobart had two fundraisers

(selling Brownie Sundaes and a raffle for a handmade quilt) and raised $794.25. They made contributions to local charities and to

IWUSA Foundation in memory of President Betty Tucker. The IW Clubs of Stamford-Hobart and Westchester had a joint celebration

meeting and lovely luncheon on August 26 in Rheinbeck, NY at the historic Beekman Arms. We had two major District events in North

Carolina. For her two years of service to our District and her three years as the President of the IW Club of Matthews-Mint Hill, we hon-

ored Past District Chairman Anna Moore at a special luncheon meeting since she was unable to attend the Spring District meeting. It

was a surprise to her when District Treasurer Linda Howard presented her with her Rose Council pin, the funds for which came from the

CD the District turned in since it was earning so little. Linda also installed the new officers for IWC Matthews-Mint Hill.

Inner Wheel member Sivakami Kandasamy from India visited the Charlotte area in August and was our guest at a luncheon attended by

members from the four Clubs in NC. Banners were exchanged and many pictures were taken. At this event, Ellen Burton was honored

with a Rose Council by the IWC of Matthews-Mint Hill for her many years of service as Club Treasurer. This summer the IWC of West-

chester also had a visit from India when they welcomed Sarla Thacker from the IWC of Rajkot, District 306, for a delightful time of fel-

lowship and sharing.

At their September meeting the IWC of Statesville discussed their service projects for the coming year, encouraged participation in the

IWUSA Foundation as contributors and Benefactors, and approved a generous donation to the Foundation from their Club. For their

September meeting the IWC of Matthews-Mint Hill entertained 49 friends at Blessed Assurance Day Care for disabled adults with Bingo

and prizes for all. The next day, Inner Wheel, with special emphasis on IWUSA Foundation, was highlighted at the Matthews Chamber

of Commerce meeting. This Club is a member of the Matthews Human Services Council and is on the Matthews City website. The Club

continues to make pillows for breast cancer having donated around 2,000 to four clinics.

On September 20 and 22, the IW Clubs of Statesville and Matthews-Mint Hill were honored to have Acting President Joan Cotton as

their guest when she came to North Carolina on IW USA website business. Our Clubs are active and do great service in their communi-

ties and support our IWUSA Foundation. There is a problem, however, in getting members to fill officer positions on both the local and

District levels - especially the offices of President and Chairman. Our District is fortunate to be in a location where we are accessible to

International travelers. We welcome with open arms our Inner Wheel Sisters around the world and look forward to future opportunities

to share in the objects of our wonderful organization.

District 767 District Chairman’s Report ~ Miriam Fisher

Page 16 In the Wheel

Left, Miriam and District Editor Mary Wall ex-

changed banners with Siva Kandasamy. Right,

Past President Anna Moore and Matthews-Mint Hill

Treasurer Ellen Burton were recognized for their

service with a Rose Council Pin. Ellen Matthews

Treasurer accepts Rose Council award. Linda

Howard, District Treasurer, presents the Rose

Council Pin to Past President Anna Moore.

Page 17 Volume 30 Issue 1

Our club continues to "hold on" and meet as often as possible.

Unfortunately, as our members age so do their aches and pains,

which means they cannot be as active as they would like. We only

have eight members. We are trying to recruit some new members

but so far have not been successful.

We focus on the needs of children and our IWUSA Foundation. Our

raffle was a big success this year. The best ever! We raffled a bas-

ket at the Charlotte North Rotary Club, the Lake Norman Rotary

Club and the Downtown Rotary Club and made $1730.

We gave $1500 to the Foundation and $100 to Camp Care, an

organization that provides a camp for children with cancer. We

gave $100 to Florence Crittenton Services, an organization that

helps young unwed mothers and their children by giving them the

environment, tools and support they need to succeed. We gave

$200 to Thompson children's Home.

During February we encourage each member of our club to make a

donation to the IWUSA Foundation. For each member that makes

a contribution, the club sends a $25 donation to the Foundation in

their honor. This is our way of emphasizing our Foundation and

honoring our members.

We will be working with the Charlotte North Rotary Club in May at

their fund raiser. It will be a silent auction and a wine tasting

party.

Several of our members are Rose Council members and our club

has a Diamond pin.

Yes, we are small in number but our fellowship with each other is

big and beautiful. Several of our members are Rose Council mem-

bers and our club has a Diamond pin.

IW Club of Charlotte

The 20 members of our club have no major fund raisers but we

have always supported the Inner Wheel USA Foundation. Our

members are Jeweled Rose Council and one member has 3

Emeralds. The Club contributes to Shelter Box, a Rotary spon-

sored charity. This year we contributed to the fund for Napal

after their devastating earthquake, the Fistula Foundation a

women's hospital in Ethiopia & several charities that help

women & children locally.

We try to get together socially with the Stamford-Hobart Club.

This year we helped the Peekskill Rotary Club at their annual

Horse Show. We volunteered in the Kountry Kitchen where

backed goods were sold along with other goodies. The Rotary

Club has welcomed the IWC to raffle off a gift basket during

their Holiday Party with the proceeds going to IWUSA Founda-

tion.

Suzane represented IWC Westchester at the IWUSA Conference

on the Friendship Cruise in April.

For a small Club we are honored and proud of Heidi Case, Past

Foundation Chairman (2011-2013) and Suzane Sadofsky, past

Foundation Chairman (2007- 2009) and IWUSA President/UN

Representative(2013-2015).

IW Club of Westchester

IWC Westchester &

IWC Stamford-Hobart met for

a meeting & lunch in Rhein-

beck, NY at the historical

Beekman Arms with PDC

Sharla Thacker from District

306 Rajkof Club, India.

Page 18 In the Wheel

The members of Inner Wheel Club of Matthews Mint Hill are committed to friendship and serving the community. Through our fundraiser

we were able to raise over $925. We supplied three lovely baskets with goodies and sold raffle tickets on three occasions at local Rotary

clubs. This enabled us to provide monetary gifts to IWUSA Foundation, Bright Blessings (an organization that helps homeless children

and mothers with young babies), Freedom School scholarships, Christ Our Shepherd Preschool scholarships, *McPie (to assist with

needs of children in poverty), and purchase curriculum to teach local high school students about sex trafficking. We will also be pur-

chasing items to be included in bags to be given out to homeless people we come across during out travels around our city. We intend

to illicit the help of the youth of a local church to help with the distribution.

This year, we decided to concentrate on two projects whichare the ones closest to our hearts:

1. Breast cancer pillows: Our members are making pillows for the women with breast cancer. The pillow is worn between the breast

and the arm to relieve pressure and to lessen the pressure of a seat belt. Last year, we delivered over 1,000 pillows to be given to

these patients. The Rotary Club of Matthews has been a great advocate of this project. This is the second year this club has assisted us

with this project. The Rotary Club's major fund raiser will be the end of April. Depending on the money they bring in, our club stands

to receive up to $1,500 for our Foundation and our pillow project.

2. Blessed Assurance—a day care center for seniors and veterans. We visited Blessed Assurance several times to play Bingo with the resi-

dents. At Christmas, Santa paid a visit to the center to deliver the gifts provided for the seniors by our club and the Matthews Rotary

Club. We always have many members present to help the residents play and to distribute prizes for each person playing. It has been

an honor to work with this group. Each woman has a heart for service to our community. We will continue to work with each other to

answer the needs of other. Above all, I am pleased to call each one my friend.

IW Club of Matthews Mint Hil l

Last Spring we gained 2 new members, and unfortunately this past fall we lost 2 members due to their schedules. So though we have-

n't grown, our numbers have stayed even.

In January after our business meeting we made two Valentine baskets of goodies (large wicker laundry baskets - filled to the brim and

beyond) that were then raffled off to members of the two closest Rotary Clubs: Catawba Valley and Newton-Conover. They are always

happy to have us, and eager to win the goodies.

In February, our club president presented a program to the Rotary Club of Catawba Valley, and mentioned the up-coming project. They

stated they would like to assist us. Present that day from the Newton Conover Rotary Club, was the CEO of Sipes Orchard Home, who

was delighted to hear of our plans.

In March and April, we gathered a selection of items to take to Sipes Orchard Home for the Houston Transitional Living Program. We

were assisted in this with members from the Rotary One E-Club, Rotary Club of Catawba Valley, Discovery HS Interact Club and Bunker

Hill HS Interact Club. When all was gathered and loaded into a mini-van it filled the back of it nicely. The young man who helped to

unload the van kept saying:"Thank you" with each trip. This will likely be an ongoing project, and we hope to have Dr. Jason Guyer

present a program this fall about the Houston Transitional Living Project. Additionally we have done continuing projects this past

Spring: books for the waiting room at the Department of Social Services, donation to IWUSA Foundation, and supporting our local Ro-

tary clubs in any way possible, to name a few.

IW Club of Newton Conover

Page 19 Volume 30 Issue 1

We went to Ironwood Estate Orchids in Hickory, NC. We took a tour of the greenhouse and were amazed at the different varieties of

orchids. We were given an orchid, the potting mulch and an instruction manual for taking care of our orchid. We picked out our pots

and our instructor then proceeded to help us pot our orchid. We had lunch brought in from Jason ’ s Deli and enjoyed our fellowship

together. I am glad to say, that as of today, my orchid is still alive!!

At the end of June, we made a donation to the IWUSA Foundation of $250, which brings our contributions to $5,450. We learned at the

time, that JoAnne Ellis ’ daughter passed away, so we made our donation in memory of Linda Reese. JoAnne is a member of the IW of

Charlotte and our District 767 Foundation Coordinator. We also were able to make donations to the Boys and Girls Club of Statesville,

the Pregnancy Resource Center, and through IWUSA, to the Nepal Relief Fund.

In July, “Hope ’ s Wing ” was holding a fundraiser to raise funds for their Scholarship Fund which is designed to support young adults

who were affected by cancer through the diagnosis of a parent or through their own cancer battle. The Scholarship is available to Sen-

ior ’ s at Iredell County Schools who meet qualifications. The event was called, “Teal Magnolias ” , a take on the movie “Steele Magno-

lias ” and was held in the Historic Sharpe House in downtown. Sherry Harris and I attended, as this was the agency that we were trying

to connect with last year. We lined up a speaker for our October meeting. Hope ’ s Wing stands for “Healing Outreach Programs, Efforts

and Support ” . Their Outreach Programs include, Care bags delivered to chemo patients, a small meals on wheels program, coupon

cards for discounts at local business ’ , a survivor network and a caregiver network. We will be discussing at our November club meet-

ing, which area of this organization we would like to be involved in.

Earlier this month, we held another refreshment social at the Gordon Hospice House for family members, friends, and staff. We held it

on a Sunday afternoon as that is when many friends and family are able to visit. We served a variety of “nibbles ” , many homemade

and raspberry lemonade. There were approx. 50 people that came in and out, during our 2 hour visit.

In September, we began our fundraising with 2 different Rotary Clubs in October with several decorated “Fall Baskets” . Our yearly

custom is to adopt a family at the women ’ s shelter, My Sisters House. We delivered gifts for “wants ” and “needs ” . This particular

tradition is paid for personally by our members. At Christmas time we stock the pantry at the “Plaza Apartments ” , housing for people

on fixed incomes. Members pick up some extra groceries during the month and then we sent our member, Sherry Harris and her hus-

band, Dan, to take IW Club Funds to buy the bulk of the items requested and needed. The manager of the apartments mentioned that

many of the residents were having sessions of Adult Coloring and some could not afford the supplies. So we also purchased colored

pencils, crayons, markers ,and adult coloring books.

After the Holidays, we held a raffle at Statesville ’ s third Rotary Club on February 11th and this helped fund our next event. We each

volunteered to purchase different items for bags for Hope ’ s Wing cancer patients. We assembled 20 bags, with blankets, teas, hard

candy, puzzle books, pens, and many other items and delivered them to Joanne Massey, Board Chairman for Hope ’ s Wing, she was

very appreciative. JoAnne stated that they were recording a new DVD for cancer patients and we offered to burn numerous copies to

put in patient ’ s bags.

IW Club of Statesvil le

District 767 members enjoy

a moment of fellowship at a

recent meeting

Page 20 In the Wheel

From the IIW President

Dear Inner Wheel Friends,

This year ’ s Theme is taken from our second objective “to encourage the ideals of personal service ”

Touch a Heart, gives birth to kindness, being generous with your time, money, resources and willingness to help. Your true wealth is

the good you do in the world. Be kind to earth, honour the idea of a global community, that we are each other ’ s keepers, ensuring

safety, security, comfort, wellness, beauty and peace. Be kind to yourself, take care of your body by eating well, it goes through to the

heart. Be kind with your words. Words spoken are like a broken egg, you cannot park them back. Be careful your word do not hurt

your heart and the heart of others around you.

Touch a Heart, applies to our relationship with other people, animal, plants, and the Earth. It may be offering of helping hand, patiently

waiting your turn, returning a phone call or favour, or even cheerfully responding with a smile. You can touch a heart by listening, not

necessarily giving advice, just listening to someone pouring emotions out, with patience. Giving someone a part on the back, a warm

hug, when there is no one to acknowledge, can give the courage to move a mountain. A wink of an eye that means you can do it.

Touch a Heart through the way you treat your environment, the trees are our lungs, the rivers our bloodstream, they are all inter con-

nected and what you do to environment ultimately you do to yourself. Kindness in the way we handle our environment, the oxygen we

breathe works through our lungs and fuel our blood through our heart.

We can give compassion through “Touch a Heart ” , an essential part of our life. The smile expressed by the recipient of your kindness

is an experience more powerful than words. To become acquitted with touching a heart, one must be prepared to learn new things,

and feel new feelings.

Touch a Heart is more than a philosophy of mind, it is a philosophy of the Spirit.

Oluyemisi Alatise

IIW President

2016/2017