July 2024 Volume 8, Issue 7

Please direct questions, corrections, suggestions, and compliments to

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



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.

Sylvia Baran, President-Elect

1st VP /Dean

Avi Rodriguez

Hi Everyone,

I want to introduce myself. I am Avi Rodriguez, your new First Vice President/Dean. As I prepare for this year, I am filled with joy and reminded of why I joined the Women’s Club of Indio. Our president Sylvia’s theme of a hummingbird is significant to me. Hummingbirds remind me of my grandma, who taught me to be selfless and find joy in serving others. I hope we continue our work with the same joyful spirit that hummingbirds represent. 

Now to business. I want to explore ways to add our hours to the reports needed for the federation. I am working with Sylvia to update forms and possibly start an incentive program for members who regularly submit their hours. Additionally, I would like to start collecting photographs of the wonderful work you ladies are doing in the community, so please keep an eye out for that. 

It is my honor to serve on this board, and I look forward to learning more about the club and its positions. 

Feel free to email, text, or call with any questions or concerns. dean@womansclubofindio.org, 760.587.8564

Avi Rodriguez, 1st VP/Dean

Dear Members, 

I hope this message finds you well! As we continue to serve our community, I request your assistance in reporting your volunteer hours. To ensure we accurately record and acknowledge your contributions, please email your volunteer hours and any monetary or in-kind donations to dean@womansclubofindio.org. 

Reporting hours and donations will help us maintain our records, fulfill reporting requirements for the Federation, and ensure we keep our non-profit status.

As we move forward, let's continue to spread joy and positively impact our community. Your future contributions are vital in this journey, and I am confident that we can achieve great things together.

Please submit now if you have any hours to report from June 2023 through May 2024.

With joy, 

Avi Rodriguez 

1st Vice President/Dean

GFWC Woman's Club of Indio

Cell 760.587.8564

dean@womansclubofindio.org

2nd VP/Membership

Shelley Diemer

Summer Social Membership Tea and Table Decorating Throw-down

Please mark your calendar for August 3, 2024, at 12 noon for our 2nd Summer Social of 2024. The tea will be held at Indian Palms Country Club in the Las Palmas Hall, 48630 Monroe Street, Indio, 92201. The cost per attendee is $35 and $180 for a table of six. We will provide sumptuous, traditional tea food, tea, and some fun games. All members and, hopefully, many guests are welcome! 

After frequent requests, we decided to repeat a 2019 event: We will be holding a table-decorating contest, with prizes being awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. The rules are below if you wish to enter the competition and decorate a table. 

Imagine the joy of reconnecting with your club friends, savoring delectable food, and engaging in a friendly, spirited competition. This event is not just about winning, it's about creating lasting memories and strengthening the bonds within our club.

We're truly excited to have you join us at the event! Your past participation and support have made our club events truly special. We can't wait to see you there and create more memorable experiences together!

Table Decorating Throw-down Contest Rules:

Each person 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 tableware for six place settings. There are no design guidelines; let your creativity soar. You may fill your six chairs with the guests of your choice, but if you don't have the full six, we will fill your table with other guests.

Shelley Diemer

2nd V.P./Membership 

248-227-3341

membership@womansclubofindio.org

For officer and chair contact information, click here.

Calendar of Events

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

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

Health and Wellness

Marcia Daniels

HAPPENING NOW: 

WCI BACKPACK/SCHOOL SUPPLIES DRIVE AND GIVEAWAY 

 FOR CVRM & GALILEE CENTER 

Our annual Backpack and School Supplies Drive for kids in the Coachella Valley began in May and continues until July 23rd. A BIG thank you to those who contributed already. Members are still welcome to donate items on the CVRM and Galilee Center wish list. The most needed items are new backpacks, safety scissors, #2 pencils, notebook paper, spiral notebooks, box of 24 crayons, glue sticks, rulers, colored pencils, pencil boxes, pink erasers, folders, 3” binders, highlighters, calculators, index cards, sharpeners, and composition books. 

Donations may be dropped off or sent to Marcia Daniels (39575 Calle Zavala, Indio 92203, 818 235-7625) from now until July 21st. Or you can bring your donations on July 23rd, 9:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., to one of two parking lot drop-off sites: Jefferson/50th parking area in front of Heirloom Kitchen or Jefferson/Fred Waring parking area in back of the drive-through Walgreens Pharmacy. 

If you prefer to let us do the shopping for you, monetary donations are appreciated (click here). Indicate that the donations are for school supplies/backpacks and we will take care of the rest.

Members can also help sort, pack, and distribute the filled backpacks during the last week of July and the first half of August at either CVRM or Galilee Center. No preregistration is required. The exact dates are in our July and August newsletters. 

Contact for school supplies questions:

health@womansclubofindio.org

Galilee Center

by Susan Everett, Project Champion

Thank You for Your Support!

Thank you, Indio Women's Club, for your generous monetary donation and Easter basket donation. Your support is very much appreciated and will make a difference in our community!

Martha Olvera, Asst. Director of Operations; Lupe Torres-Hilario, Director of Operations & Volunteers; Susan Everett, WCI Project Champion; and Catarino Lizarraga, Director of Facilities

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 that we support with contact information. for learning more about Volunteers are always needed and genuinely forever appreciated.

Domestic Violence

Barbara Fairbairn, Chair

Education and Libraries

Victoria Rutherford, Chair

2024 Read with Me Book Distribution 

Peggy Mathieson

The Read with Me Program serves several elementary schools in the Coachella Valley, providing volunteers, resources, and books. Volunteers receive training and commit one to two hours a week to visit an elementary school classroom to read with students. 

In 2024, a new event was added: Literacy Field Day. It occurred over two days in April when students were out on Spring Break. Volunteers read books with small groups of students and then led activities – games, puzzles, arts and crafts, etc. – based on the book they had just read. 

RWM purchases books for all students at each of the schools it serves. Each child in grades pre-K through 3rd receives two books, while each child in the upper grades receives one, as the books are bigger and more expensive. WCI’s yearly donation to the program helps to get books to the students of four schools in Indio: Andrew Jackson, Mountain Vista, Richard Oliphant, and Van Buren.  

For more information about Read with Me, check out their website at https://www.readwithmevolunteers.com/

ESO

Mickie Reed, Chair

ESO’s Next Exciting Book

First of Three Banned Books

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - A "stunning" YA novel about a teenager coming to terms with losing her sister and finding herself amid the pressures, expectations, and stereotypes of growing up in a Mexican American home.

"Alive and crackling--a gritty tale wrapped in a page-turner. "--The New York Times

Perfect Mexican daughters do not go away to college. And they do not move out of their parents' houses after high school graduation. Perfect Mexican daughters never abandon their families.

But Julia is not your typical Mexican daughter. She's the one who defies expectations or challenges norms. Perfect was Olga's role, not hers.

Then, a tragic accident on the busiest street in Chicago leaves Olga dead, and Julia is left behind to reassemble the shattered pieces of her family. And no one seems to acknowledge that Julia is broken, too. Instead, her mother seems to channel her grief into pointing out Julia's failures.

But it's not long before Julia discovers that Olga might not have been as perfect as everyone thought. With the help of her best friend Lorena and her first love, first everything boyfriend Connor, Julia is determined to find out. Was Olga really what she seemed? Or was there more to her sister's story? And either way, how can Julia even attempt to live up to a seemingly impossible ideal?

Mickie Reed

CFWC De Anza District President

GFWC Woman's Club of Indio - Past President (#75)

P.O. Box 3071, Indio, CA. 9202

(760) 668-7018

Recognition

Janice Bowman, Chair

Yard of the Month

Hello, everyone. I’m Janice Bowman, and I am excited to be the new chair of the WCI Yard of the Month Program. I am passionate about community beautification and fostering a sense of pride in our community.

I look forward to working with all of you to share the beauty of our local yards, gardens, and landscapes. If you have a friend, neighbor, or family member who you feel should be recognized, please feel free to reach out to me by phone at 760-989-0007 or email recognition@womansclubofindio.org.

Volunteer Spirit

Our club has gone dark, but that hasn’t discouraged our volunteers, and we have many members to acknowledge and thank this month.

Scholarship Committee Members: Peggy Mathieson, Chair, Marjorie Castro, Lorelei Ceja, Marcia Daniels, Margo Handelsman, Marcia Meakim, Margaret Nieto, Avi Rodriguez, Victoria Rutherford, Barbara Schadlow, and Linda Vogel

Memorial Day Wreath Ceremony Patriotic Members: Naomi Alvarado, Sylvia Baran, Lana Bathen, Janice Bowman, Christal Cansino, Dawn Gummer, Elaine Holmes, Sue Haney, Mickie Reed, Pat Ruth, Victoria Rutherford, Teresa Stafford, Claire Whitney, and Jane Williams

Rotary Math Field Day: Sylvia Baran, Marlon Carrier, Marjorie Castro, Dawn Gummer, Maria (Nan) Martinez, Deanna Robinson, Randy Robinson, Avi Rodriguez, Reiko Simmons, Claire Whitney, and Linda Vogel

CVRM Food Service: Marcia Daniels, Millie Luszczsak, and Pamela Smyth

Congratulations, everyone! We’re proud of you for volunteering your time in the service of others.

Birthdays & Anniversaries

Photo Gallery

Federation News

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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