August 2024 Volume 8, Issue 8

CFWC AND GFWC

The California Federation of Women’s Clubs is a statewide non-profit service organization, and the General Federation of Women’s Clubs is a non-profit international organization. Both are dedicated to community improvement by enhancing the lives of others through volunteer service. We are fortunate to be members of these organizations.

Please direct questions, corrections, suggestions, and compliments to

our editor, Peg Boortz, at editor@womansclubofindio.org.

Sylvia Baran, President

SAVE THE DATE!

2024 National Day of Service is September 28^th 

Last year, 900 GFWC women’s clubs participated in the National Day of Service, fighting to end food insecurity and hunger. Our club is registered and ready to do our part! In addition to raising awareness, we’ll also work to raise funds and volunteer at the FIND Food Bank to support our community. 

What is food insecurity, and how common is it? Food insecurity occurs when families don’t know when or where their next meal will come from. In an October 2023 NPR article by Maria Godoy, she reports that the USDA “found that 44.2 million people lived in households that had difficulty getting enough food to feed everyone in 2022…. Those families include more than 13 million children…, a jump of nearly 45 percent from 2021.” 

Anne Frank is famously quoted as saying,

"Hunger is not a problem. It is an obscenity. How wonderful it is that nobody

needs to wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." 

What can we do? We can volunteer, get family and friends to participate, and donate funds. When you donate, note that it is for the National Day of Service, and share this link with your friends. We will work in the next few days to solidify the actual date of our volunteer efforts at the FIND food bank, and information will be published shortly. 

Let’s do this; together, we will end food insecurity and hunger!

2nd VP/Membership

Shelley Diemer

Tea Party and Table Decorating Summer Social

Join us for our Second Annual Tea Party and Table Decorating Throw Down! You don’t need to decorate a table to attend. If you wish to participate in table decorating, here are the Table Decorating Throw-Down Contest Rules:

Everyone who wishes to decorate a table will receive a round banquet table, a white tablecloth, and six chairs. Each contestant will provide decorations, napkins, teacups, and silverware for six-place settings. There are no design guidelines; let your creativity soar!

You may fill your six chairs with guests of your choice, but if you don’t have the full six, we will fill your table with other guests.

Date: August 3, 2024

Time: 12:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.

Cost: $35

Place: Indian Palms Country Club in the Las Palmas Hall

48630 Monroe Street, Indio

The deadline to register is July 29th. Just click here to register!

Shelley Diemer

2nd V.P./Membership 

248-227-3341

membership@womansclubofindio.org

For officer and chair contact information, click here.

3rd VP/Programs

by Dawn Gummer

Let's Raise Funds!

I'm very excited to be your new 3rd Vice President and working with you to create a memorable and fruitful fundraiser in 2025. If you're interested in being part of our Annual Fundraiser Committee to plan, organize, and present our 2025 fundraiser, please let me know. We will be scheduling our first committee meeting for the week of September 9th, and we will use that meeting to solidify our event theme, make committee assignments, and lay out our tentative committee schedule.

Working on this committee is rewarding because our efforts directly impact our budget and funding for the next fiscal year. No one is ever asked to take on more work than they prefer, and there is a task suitable (and fun!) for everyone. Please email me to let me know you are interested in participating and also let me know what area of planning interests you. These are the categories:

• Registration
• Decorations
• Raffle and silent auction donations
• Advertisers
• Sponsorships
• Marketing
• Program/printing
• Entertainment/lighting
• Luncheon event bidding/video

• Event-themed contest
• Ushers
• Vendors
• Wine Surprise
• Volunteers (day of the event: before, during, and after)
• Raffle ticket sales (day of)
• Event set-up (day before)
• Event break-down (day of)

Anyone who has participated in planning a fundraiser knows it takes a small village to make it turn out right. Come join our fun, and let's make plans. Let's do this! 

With joy,

Dawn Gummer

Programs@womansclubofindio.org 

Calendar of Events

(For more details, click here to visit our website calendar.)

Please remember to submit your hours each month to Dean@womansclubofindio.org.

Health and Wellness

Galilee Center

by Susan Everett, Project Champion

WCI member Susan Everett with SunLine Transit volunteers Shawn and Clorisa



Members of the Woman’s Club of Indio and the SunLine Transit Agency braved the heat and humidity on July 18th at the 10th annual “Pack The Bus” event for the Galilee Center in Mecca.

Over 750 backpacks and lots of school supplies were collected at the Palm Desert Walmart. These school supplies will be distributed in August to school-aged children living in the Eastern Coachella Valley.

Thank you to all who volunteered and donated to this school supply drive.

VOLUNTEERING AT GALILEE CENTER

We have one volunteer date in August for Galilee: August 7th, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., when we’ll assemble backpacks. If you’d like to help, please contact Susan Everett at susanLeverett56@gmail.com or 510-333-1497. Remember to include your travel time to and from the Galilee Center in your hours-spent report.

Civic Engagement

Interested in Volunteering?

You've come to the right place! WCI is dedicated to serving our community and we like to say that our business is volunteering. We have a list of nonprofit organizations we support with contact information for learning more about them. Volunteers are always needed and genuinely forever appreciated.

ESO

Join us for an entertaining and interesting conversation about the first book in a new category:

Banned Books!

You do not need to have read I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter. Come for the insightful book review, food, and laughs. Tuesday, August 20th, 6:00 p.m., at Sloan's.

Membership

Meet Our New Member!



Vicki Vince-Olsen

I was born in Iowa. When I was three, my mom decided to leave the Midwest and travel across the country with me, my two older brothers, and a cat to land in SoCal. She was a single mother, working at the Thunderbird Country Club.

I started grammar school in Palm Desert, but we moved to Indio after my mom married a farmer in the Coachella Valley. I graduated from Indio High School in 1983 and immediately moved to Orange County to attend court reporting school. (Side note: I planned and put together our IHS 40th class reunion at the Cantina Restaurant at the Polo Fields last October. It was a great success, with over 110 attendees!)  

In 1986, at 21, I became a certified shorthand reporter and started working with an agency in Orange County. I've been reporting for almost 40 years now. 

I got married on July 4, 1992. In 1996, I had a son, Sam, now 28; in 1997, I had a daughter, Sarah, now 27. Sam is an Esports production assistant, and Sarah is a data analyst. She received her Bachelor's in Economics, with a minor in dance, and her Master's from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Those kids are my life and whole heart!

In 2018, I had a massive flood in my home in Orange County, so I decided to move back to the desert and be closer to my now-widowed mother. I have other family here in the valley as well. She still lives in my childhood home in the old Westward Ho (now Indian Springs) golf course area. As it were, I purchased the house next door to my mom and started my "officialship" as a reporter at Larson Justice Center. I have worked for the Superior Courts now for five years. 

I have a dog named Scarlet. She was given to me after her elderly mamma died. Scarlet is eight and a Malti-pooh who looks and acts like a snobby Bichon Frise.

I work full-time at Larson Justice Center in the juvenile delinquency courtroom with Judge Emily Benjamini. When I first started for the Superior Courts, I worked quite a bit at the Palm Springs Courthouse, where I met Commissioner Mickie Reed. Hence, my reason for joining the Woman's Club. 

My mom is now 86 and still living in her home. I care for all her needs and medical appointments, so it's nice to be so close now.

Since returning to the desert, I have wanted to participate in the community. I joined the Woman's Club, hoping this may help me find my niche. I don't have much spare time, working full-time, caring for mom, etc., but I want to give what I can.

My hobbies are broad. I enjoy photographing everything under the sun. I'm an avid live music lover and have attended probably 200-300 live shows and festivals. I'm surprised I can still do my job listening and reporting after all the live concerts and loud music I've experienced! I love traveling and trying new restaurants. I also love watching any sporting event—going to SC games, Angels baseball games, Kings and Firebird games, etc. 

I'm a very social and chatty person. My birthday is in March, and I'm the true definition of a Pisces. 

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023 (while planning that reunion) and have gone through surgery (a month before the reunion), radiation, etc., and remain happy and healthy.

That's a lot of information about me. I'm sure it's too much. I can't wait to get involved with you all!

Recognition

By Janice Bowman

Can You Have Curb Appeal and Conserve Water?

Designing a water-efficient desert landscape can be both beautiful and environmentally friendly. Here are some hints for water conversation in desert landscaping:

• Use native plants: Choose plants native to the desert environment as they are adapted to thrive in low-water conditions.
• Group plants with similar water needs: Create irrigation zones based on water requirements to avoid overwatering certain plants.
• Opt for drip irrigation: Drip irrigation delivers water directly to the base of plants, minimizing water waste.
• Minimize turf areas: Reduce the amount of grass in your landscape, as grass requires more water than desert-adapted plants.
• Utilize hardscaping: Incorporate hardscaping elements like gravel, rocks, and pavers to reduce the need for watering.

Implementing these water conservation hints can create a sustainable, beautiful desert landscape that minimizes water usage.

Volunteer Spirit

While researching our activities for the WCI Photo Yearbook, it was rewarding to see that 56 members volunteered once or many times in the past fiscal year. Several names were repeatedly mentioned for volunteering at CVRM, Galilee Center, FIND, workshops, and district meetings, to name a few of the volunteer opportunities we have as members of WCI.

Congratulations to those who volunteered the most times: Marcia Daniels, Marlon Carrier, Claire Whitney, Peggy Mathieson, and Marcia Meakim. Keep up the good work!

Three brave members recently helped Pack the Bus with school supplies for Galilee Center in the heat and humidity. Susan Everett, Jane Williams, and Karen Acker are hardy souls who didn’t let the summer weather keep them from lifting, carrying, and loading the bus with items that will help children prepare for school. We who decided to stay in our air-conditioned homes salute you!

2023-2024 WCI Photograph Yearbook

The yearbook is finished and ready to be ordered. Recently, Shutterfly offered a 50% off sale, and since we can’t determine when that sale will be offered again, order your book now to take advantage of the next sale. An 8” x 11” soft-cover yearbook costs $30 plus tax without a good sale. If I remember correctly, last year’s book on sale cost about $18 (book including tax). 

The 2023-2024 yearbook features 252 photos of volunteers working at CVRM, Galilee Center, and FIND, the Pet Parade, Summer Socials, Federation meetings and conventions, Dia de los Muertos, the holiday boutique, bingo, the Memorial Day Wreath Ceremony, Donation Day, Yards of the Month, and, of course, the fabulous Mardi Gras Fundraiser.

The Calendar of Events for each month, club statistics, donations, collection drives, workshops, behind-the-scenes information, all of our members’ names, and members who won awards are listed.

Each year, a yearbook is placed in the Coachella Valley History Museum’s archives to document our service, goals, and activities - our history - for years to come. The yearbook is also a great keepsake for members.

Contact Peg Boortz at editor@womansclubofindio.org to order your WCI 2023–2024 yearbook now.

Birthdays & Anniversaries

Photo Gallery

Federation News

DE ANZA DISTRICT CLUB PARTICIPATION PROJECT

The District Club Participation Project is a fun club competition designed to connect the dots between clubs and Federation.

1. Club with highest Growth Percentage - 20 pts. each

a. June 1st to August 30, 2024

b. September 1st to October 31st 

c. November 1st to December 31st

2. Send a Candidate to LEADS – 20 pts.

3. Club with highest percentage of members attending District Conferences - 20 pts. each

a. September

b. November

c. January

d. March

4. Greatest percentage of members to attend District Convention: 20 pts.

5. Greatest percentage of members attending Area D Conference: 20 pts.

6. Members receive Stars or Circles for GFWC’s Star Program - 5 pts. per star and circle.

If a member belongs to more than one club, the points go to the club with the member the

star/circle represents.

7. Narrative Reports Submitted: 1 pt. per report

8. Club gets newspaper coverage (June 1st to March 31st) – 5 pts. per occurrence 

9. Club has ESO members who achieve Membership level, or additional letters 

(5 pts. per member, per level)   

10. Club with members (who are not members of another club) who attend other clubs' events:

(5 pts. per event; excludes board members and speakers)

The Winning Club will receive a custom retractable banner and a custom table cover.

We Thank and Support Our Sponsors

 Brought to you by the talented WCI Editorial Staff:

Peg Boortz & Dona LaFrance

www.WCIndio.org

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