Altrusa's New Officers Ready for Next Journey

Altrusa International of Hermiston officially welcomed its new officers on Thursday.

President Edith Holt thanked her fellow outgoing officers prior to handing the presidency over to incoming President Karen Cooley.

“These people have led us through some awesome projects,” Holt said before turning her attention to the club members. “I am so proud of all of you. This has been an awesome job and it’s only because of your support.”

Past President Janet Cooley began the installation of officers with a bit of wisdom.

“The installation of officers is neither a beginning nor an ending, but a journey,” she said. Along with President Karen Cooley, the new Altrusa officers are:

• Dorothy Smith, first vice president
• Kathleen Krosting, second vice president
• Nancy Lauck, secretary
• Jackie Dunlap, treasurer
• Judy Packard, assistant treasurer
• LuAnn Davison, Susan Callahan, Brenda Davis and Rita Van Schoiack, directors

“I hope you are all ready to come along on this journey with Karen and her officers,” Janet Cooley told the club.

The journey theme was appropriate given that each incoming president gets to create their own personal logo for their year in office and Karen Cooley’s logo is a motorhome with the words On The Move underneath it. To reinforce the theme for the coming year, each incoming officer received a travel mug.

“Our coffee cups are loaded, our tires are aired, the gas tank is completely full and we’re ready to move,” the new president said.

The club will have some moving to do to match all it did in the past year. Its major project was remodeling the Lanham Room at the Hermiston Public Library. With financial support and hours and hours of volunteer time, the club replaced the ceiling tiles, tore out the old carpet, installed new floor tiling, painted the walls, replaced the window blinds and purchased new tables and chairs for the room.

As in past years, Altrusa joined forces with the Agape House for the Backpack Program to provide food for hungry children. Altrusa members meet each week to fill bags of nutritious and easy-to-prepare foods that are delivered to local schools. The backpacks are then given out to needy children to take home over the weekend.

The club hosts Girls Night In each spring to help eighth-grade girls prepare for high school.[/caption]Each spring the club hosts Girls Night In at Hermiston High School for all eighth-grade girls in Hermiston. The students spend the night at the school and are given a tour of HHS and rotate through a variety of instructive stations to better prepare them for high school the following fall.

Altrusa International of Hermiston also donates $1,000 each year to the Open Table program. The money helps five local churches each provide one meal a week for the community. The club also promoted literacy within the community with its support of the One Book, One Community program earlier this year.

The club’s generosity extends beyond home, as well. For the past two years, the Hermiston Altrusa club has made clothes for African children. Last year, the club made 165 dresses that were sent to young African girls. This year, the club made 145 pairs of shorts that were given to young African boys.

For more information on Altrusa International of Hermiston, visit the club’s Facebook page.