Central Breeze June 2020 1
Central Breeze Altrusa International of Central CT, Inc.
Volume 20, Issue 6 June 2020
Presidential Prose
Dear Altrusa Sisters,
I hope you and your families are healthy and
safe. This year brings many new beginnings
and doing things differently, but does not
change our mission to serve our communities.
We had a wonderful “virtual” installation of officers that Pat
Jackowski planned and Linda Ring executed. Pat challenged us to
look at redefining our traditions. She gave each officer a special
word: flexibility, longevity, harmony, fortune, peace, luck, hope and
a word for our members, support. These words, I believe will carry
us through this year.
Thank you to our newest officers, Lynne Havlicek as Vice President
and Bonnie Laput as Director.
Our next business meeting is June 10th 2020
Stay well,
Jamie
Altrusa International of
Central CT, Inc.
P.O. Box 2532
Middletown, CT 06457
President
Jamie Santaniello 860--986-4911
Vice-President
Lynne Reilly Havlicek 860-306-5110
Secretary (Interim)
Kathleen Didato 860-836-7611
Treasurers
Edna Liberty (General) 860-614-3817
Cathy Boone (Foundation)
860-754-6972
Directors
Bonnie Laput 860-894-2122
Tiffany Shaffer 860-817-4899
Elsie Mathews 860-841-9375
Past President
Hilda Schmidt 203-592-4819
Newsletter Editor
Elsie Mathews 860-841-9375
Meetings
2nd and 4th Wed.
Wadsworth Glen
starting at 6:30 pm.
Central Breeze June 2020 2
.
;
Altrusa Reminders
June 10: Business Meeting at 6:30 pm
Virtual Meeting
June 24: Program Meeting at 6:30 pm
TBD
Save the date!
District One Workshop
Nashua, NH
November 7-8, 2020
International Convention
Quebec, Canada
July 21-24, 2021
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
MEMBER BREAKFAST MEETINGS
7:00 a.m. Networking 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.
Breakfast Program at Sheraton Hartford
South Hotel on 100 Capital Blvd in Rocky Hill,
CT
June 23– PGA Tour Professional- speaker to be
announced. To be held virtually (8:00-9:00am).
EVENTS
June 11—Governor Ned Lamont and
Commissioner David Lehman Virtual Luncheon
for an in-depth discussion on re-opening
Connecticut (noon -1:00pm)
Business After Work postponed Next one is
scheduled for July 20, 2020
www.middlesexchamber.com
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
Happy Birthday Wishes No club members have a June birthday
.
Altrusa Accent at Upcoming Meetings
Resuming in September
Central Breeze June 2020 3
Altrusa Club News
How I spent my quarantine … by our club members
How I Spent my Quarantine—We were in Florida in March when the world started to
fall apart and changed our plans to drive home a week early. Many adventures on
the way and on the night before we got back, found ourselves in a hotel with only
two other guests and only able to order a delivery pizza for dinner (but we still had a
cold bottle of wine in the cooler so it wasn’t all bad). When we got home our
daughter took over any shopping or errands that we needed for the first 2 months..
We’ve spent a lot of time gardening, Bob especially, and the garden is beautiful and
the vegetables are starting to come in. I went through an early face mask project,
making them for family members with what I had in the stash and am gearing up to
make lighter weight ones using materials that I bought from Linda R. Cooking has
become a near obsession and we’ve had many inventive meals with ingredients
from the pantry and the freezer and internet and the New York Times cooking
section. I Zoom a lot with my library work group, my book club, Altrusa and the
Gilead Board (which still takes up a lot of my time with committee meetings and
fundraising). Wish the house were cleaner, but somehow I never seem to get around
to that.
Cathy Boone
During the pandemic,
I have been doing
lots of walking with
my husband,
cleaning out 20 years
of files from my work
as a consultant, and
finding some family
treasures (pictures
and letters) in boxes
buried deep in
closets.
Jennifer Kensel
I have been mowing my yard front, sides, and back as
well as hoeing, weeding and planting. I also volunteer at
my church on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday at our food pantry.
I have celebrated two birthdays this week of my great
grandchildren. One turned twelve and the other ten. My
day is quite full. I wash two loads of clothes twice a week
and hang them outside on the line then I bring them in fold
them and place them in their respective places. I go to the
grocery store just about every other day just to get out of
the house. I take my husband for rides on the back roads just to see the sites. I watch my shows at night and then
go to bed at 11:30 extremely tired. Next day, I start all over
again. Whew!. Virginia Townes
During the pandemic, I have been very grateful to be able to work
from home which I am actually enjoying very much particularly now
that the weather is so nice! In addition to this, my activities have
mainly been focused on couple of things including house projects
like settling into my "new-ish" space and “Cheer Visits and service
projects”. A friend of mine posted a video on FB of her daughter's
teacher coming to their yard with a "Cheer Sign" to say hello and that
she missed her students. I loved the idea and decided to make my
own. I have done some socially distanced outdoor visits with the
sign and it always goes over well.
Michelle Fine
I participated in Church phone tree and car parades for
some of our members. I cleaned out cabinets and closets.
Plus, I Reconnected with friends I had not spoken to in
years. Hilda Schmidt
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Altrusa Club News
How I spent my quarantine … by our club members (continued)
I have continued to work throughout the pandemic,
providing mental healthcare to patients with mental
illness who have been negatively impacted by Covid-19.
My co-workers look a little different working from home. I
enjoyed participating in the cards for nursing home
residents, which allowed me to be creative!
Jamie Santaniello
In March I was angry and afraid of what the future
held. In April I was able to accept that the pandemic
had changed the life I had known. In May I
celebrated my first Mother's Day in forty years by not
having to go to work.
All that has happened has given me time. Time to
listen to the birds and water the plants. Time to walk
with my husband and time to think.
Retirement was forced on me by the COVID19
pandemic and it scared me. Now, these months
later, I find that I am better for it.
Lynne Lynne
Reilly Havlicek Reilly
Havlicek
What better way to spend a my 65th birthday, Mothers
Day, our 44th Anniversary, our Church Festival and our
weekly Family Sunday Dinners then by Social Distancing
and staying home since March 13th? All this because of
the Covid-19 Pandemic. Our Italian family celebrations are
much different, much smaller and we have been using
ZOOM. We get together with a weekly online meeting; we
catch up, laugh, cry, sing and dance. There is always a
way!
Patti Deegan
I have been working full time (from home) through many
daily videoconferences with colleagues around the globe
as we work aggressively toward a vaccine against COVID-
19. In the limited spare time, I have planted my flower
garden and done my grocery shopping on-line.
Elsie Mathews
"Pretty old!" Pretty o!d!" That's what they're telling
my husband and me Soooooo we're 'hunkering
down' here at home for an indefinite time celebrating
our 60 years of marriage. What am I (we) doing?
We're encouraging our "not so old" family and telling
them to stay away from us, except through glass
doors.
I yummily cook, play the piano, garden,
read/watch the media and try to catch cultural gems
being streamed! All the while I try to keep up with my
e-mails and push myself to exercise.. My husband, a
retired physician, feels bad that he can't be out there
helping by using his medical skills as he did in the
long past polio epidemic.
I was frustrated last evening because the opera
"Die Fledermaus" which I was instrumental in
bringing the Connecticut Lyric Opera here
to Middletown to perform had to be canceled
(postponed).
And then the Middletuners seniors chorus, which I
conduct...their Spring concert schedule for local
nursing homes and residences was canceled. I
lovingly prepared for both, but this is what I didn't
do!!
Barbara Arafeh
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Altrusa Club News
How I spent my quarantine … by our club members (continued)
My Covid-19 deal is I have been working
normal hours now in "Covid Free" Hospital
but not a Covid Free Hospital Campus. I
have no symptoms, so far all is good.
Tiffany Shaffer
Still working full time, but now,
from home. Charlaine Ogren
COVID-19 situation hasn't changed my life
too much... I am immune compromised,
and used to self-isolating. Ralph does our
grocery shopping, and God Bless USPS,
UPS and FedEx delivery people. They are
my link to the outside world!!! But
seriously, Ralph and I were in Mask
Production Mode for several weeks. We
made over 125 masks and donated all to
family, friends, neighbors and charity.
Next project is cleaning out closets!!!
Linda Ring
You guessed it!
Bobbie Tundermann
Time to Think
Eyes open wide, out the window I stare, wondering how long this
Covid-19 will fare.
Calling friends up to hear their fears, remembering gatherings in past
years.
Holding travel plans in the shredder, asking myself “When will times
be better”.
Praying for medical staff every day, and front line workers in the
month of May.
For families working at home with stress, teaching their children in
chaos and mess.
People with parents in convalescent places, not able to hug or kiss
their faces.
This is a time of great regression, when the value of life is our deepest
possession.
We are facing change far beyond measure, when a simple touch is a
past pleasure.
Graduates unable to mark completion, frozen in time for a future
season.
Working from home, or not at all, watching our economy take a steep
fall.
When will the window scene change outside to bring a halt to this
surreal ride. Ellen Paris
5/14/2020
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Altrusa Club News
Central CT Installation 2020 Pat Jackowski prepared a beautiful Installation ceremony for our last meeting by Zoom. Unfortunately, she was
called away, so she asked me to Install our new officers.
The Ceremony had us take a look at the way the world is changing.
We are faced with looking back on old traditions while moving forward forging new traditions and paths to service.
Tonight’s installation challenges us to redefine our tradition without losing its importance and honor those who
have been elected for their leadership.
The words of our Altrusa theme - “Leading to a Better Community” - are very powerful. They describe not only what
we do in our clubs and communities throughout Central CT, but they also describe what we do worldwide as an
International service organization. As our Altrusa leaders and members serve our communities, our actions lead to
better communities. Service is the key to our work in Altrusa and our leaders are our key adding vitality to “make it
happen” in our clubs.
Each of us is keenly aware of the effectiveness of words. For each of you tonight, I would like to not only remind
you of your commitment to service and recognize your leadership in our club, but I would also like to give you a
special word for the next year.
We thank Kathy Burns who has done an outstanding job as Director years 2018 -2020. Her word is Flexibility. As a
Director, you have been flexible to the needs and wants of the membership while adhering to the mission and
ideals of Altrusa.
For Immediate Past President, Hilda Schmidt: Your word is Longevity, because that is what your office, and that of
all past presidents, represents to our club - the longevity of Altrusa.
Directors for the years 2019-2021 Elsie Mathews and Tiffany Shaffer and new Director Bonnie Laput year 2020-
2022; as Directors, your special word is Harmony. Harmony also represents friendship and amity, which you will
give and receive on this board of directors.
Treasurers: Edna Liberty, Club Treasurer and Cathy Boone, Foundation Treasurer,
Your special word, of course, is Fortune, for not only are you the keeper of the monetary fortune ofour club, but your
leadership in our financial affairs will be a fortune to our club, just as our service is a fortune to our world.
Interim Secretary :Kathleen Didato: Your special word is Peace, for it is peace that we can feel as Atrusans in
knowing that our heritage is preserved through your diligent efforts.
President-elect Lynne Riley Havlicek: Your special word, as you make wonderful plans for our future, is Luck. We
not only wish you luck as you plan your journey as President, but we, as Atrusans, promise our support in your
planning efforts.
President: Jamie Santaniello: Your special word is Hope. Hope is the fuel that drives all of us in Altrusa - hope for a
better tomorrow for our communities in which we live.
Finally to the Members of Altrusa International, Inc. of Central CT, you are life of this Club. You make service
happen in our community. Your special word is Support. As Mamie L. Bass wrote and these words were adopted at
Altrusa” 4th Convention in 1921 and are still true today,
“Altrusa believes it is not enough to be good; Atrusans must be good for some thing. Each member must be
doing the piece of work that is hers in a way that puts her in the front ranks of accomplishment.”
CONGRATULATIONS to our 2020-2021 Board!! Linda Ring and Pat Jackowski
Central Breeze June 2020 7
Middlesex Community College
Scholarship 2020
On May 27, Hilda and I attended Middlesex
Community College Foundation virtual
scholarship awards ceremony. The
Foundation awarded 86 scholarshipstotaling
$82,000. The $500 Altrusa International of
Central Connecticut Scholarship was awarded
toQuiana Jones of Meriden. The scholarship is
awarded to a non-traditional student who
shows leadership in community service. We
have not yet received any information about
Quiana, but will request a brief bio andalso
hope to hear from her.
The Altrusa Foundation’s scholarship was the
first one listed in the presentation and is also
the first one listed on the website for the
Awards Ceremony. The MXCC Foundation
extended its thanks to all of the scholarship
donors and its congratulations to the students
who received awards.
Cathy Boone
Altrusa Club News
Virtual Poetry Recital Project
A small group of Altrusans met with the Russell Library staff to discuss a possible VIRTUAL Poetry Recitalng!
The librarians have experience using ZOOM to host a live feed to Facebook. We will be contacting this year’s
poets to assess their interest. The tentative date for the live-stream event is Saturday, July 25th at 2 pm.
Please plan to join us! Stay tuned for more information as details solidify.
Linda Ring
Small Kindnesses
by Danusha Lameris
I’ve been thinking about the way, when you walk down a
crowded aisle, people pull in their legs to let you by.
Or how strangers still say “bless you” when someone
sneezes, a leftover from the Bubonic plague. “Don’t die,” we
are saying. And sometimes, when you spill lemons from your
grocery bag, someone else will help you pick them up.
Mostly, we don’t want to harm each other. We want to be
handed our cup of coffee hot, and to say thank you to the
person handing it. To smile at them and for them to smile
back. For the waitress to call us honey when she sets down
the bowl of clam chowder, and for the driver in the red pick-
up truck to let us pass. We have so little of each other, now.
So far from tribe and fire. Only those brief moments of
exchange.
What if they are the true dwelling of the holy, these fleeting
temples we make together when we say, “Here, have my
seat,” “Go ahead-you first,” “I like your hat.”
Submitted by Cathy Boone
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Altrusa Club News
Spreading a Little Sunshine…
I put out a call for members to make cards to distribute through United Way to seniors to help United
Way spread some Cheer…
You got out your fancy papers, scissors, glue guns, etc…
And DELIVERED over 100 Greeting Cards to Gladeview Rehab Residents in Old Saybrook. That was a
quick project… only 4 weeks from proposal to request, execution and delivery!!!
Thank you for your support. You are ALL ALTRUSA AWESOME!
Linda Ring
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Altrusa Club News
I received a call from Charles G. inquiring if we had any information on Ozella Evans, a former Altrusan. I
learned that she was President of our club from 1981 to 1983. That was before my time in Altrusa, but we have
members who remembered her. I then learned that she co-sponsored Jennifer Kensel! Jennifer was kind
enough to reply to Charles with a lovely story for Ozella's video memorial. Jennifer also included a speech she
wrote for the 25th anniversary of our club. It is enclosed here with her permission. Even back in the early 80's
we were an awesome club!!! Take a look....
Linda Ring
Altrusa Club of Middletown, Inc.
25th Birthday Party - September 23, 1981
Do you know us? We're the Altrusa Club of Middletown, and we've been around for 25 years. It's hard to believe
you wouldn't know us.
After all, we've covered Middletown pretty well, having held our dinner meetings at Rico's Restaurant and the
Meadowbrook, from the Downey House to the Gelston House, and in between, the Monte Green and the
Brownstone. We've conducted our business in the hallowed halls of the Catholic Charities Building, First Federal
Savings Bank, Gahan Motors, Brownstone Travel, the Middletown Bulletin and Garvin Ceramics. Not to mention
the numerous Altrusans who opened their apartments, houses and cottages to us over the years - where we've
had everything from pot luck dinners to luaus.
And we haven't confined ourselves to Middletown. We've covered District One from Canada to Bermuda,
Burlington to Bangor, Worcester to Portsmouth, Laconia to Boston. We've traveled to International Conventions
throughout the United States and Canada -and even to England.
If you haven't run into us in any of those places, then surely you've seen us at your front door! After all, we've
sold calendars, Christmas ornaments, torte pans, antique Sears and Roebuck catalogues, Avon products, candy,
jewelry, cakes, breads, cookies, pies, cakes, cakes and more cakes - until we got smart and started having bake-
less cake sales
We're very social - always attending parties: Rubbermaid parties, Dutch Maid parties, Tupperware parties,
theater parties, card parties, wine tasting parties, and Christmas parties - each year's better than the one before.
Who said Altrusa was all work and no play?
Along the way we've assumed many different roles. We've been fashion models, auctioneers, truck drivers,
candy makers, rummage sellers, and flea marketers. And we put on the best dances and shows that Middletown
ever saw. Remember hundreds of balloons, selling and re-selling carnations, Gay Paree and the parade of
Presidents' wives?
We've raised thousands and thousands of dollars in the past 25 years. Dollars that can be seen in the rose
window in the chapel at Middlesex Memorial Hospital and tiles at the YMCA, in the books in the library at Long
Lane School and games at Connecticut Valley Hospital. Dollars that were heard from the carillon at Long Lane
School and the Middletown High School Band on its way to Vienna 72. Dollars that have enabled us to bring
smiles to the faces of Special Olympics participants, grants-in-aid students and Founders Fund Vocational Aid
awardees, American Field Service students, Girl Scouts, and the many students who have receive our
scholarship awards - now up to $1,000 per year. I guess all those long hours and late nights of hard work were
worth it.
(continued on next page)
Central Breeze June 2020 10
Altrusa Club News
25th Birthday Party (continued)
We've also learned that service doesn't need to cost anything. We've run the elevator at Middlesex Memorial
Hospital and set up their first Language Bank. We've played thousands of games of Bingo at Connecticut
Valley Hospital, the Monday Night Club, and convalescent homes. We've greeted and bid farewell to
hundreds of foreign visitors through Middletown as part of Project International. Our nimble fingers have
created ray favors for shut-ins and dressed dolls for the Salvation Army. We've collected everything from
magazines and cards to soup cans and coupons. We've walked for mankind and marched in parades.
We've adopted grandparents and played at the Children's Home. We've worked to support battered women
and senior citizens. We sponsored the first Mini White House Conference for the Aged, founded the
Middletown Council of Service Clubs, and started our very own ASTRA Club. We have maintained a unique
and supportive relationship with our sister service club in Middletown – the Soroptimists - by holding joint
meetings annually. We've perpetuated our ideals by giving the Marion Thayer Service Award to young people
active in our community. We like to think that in our service to the community we've always been ahead of
our time.
Our efforts have not gone unnoticed. We've received Altrusa awards for membership, service, and
attendance at District Conference, to name a few. Our Fog Lifter (which I'm told got its name from a powerful
drink!) won the newsletter competition for so many years at District Conference that we were awarded a
permanent first place. One of our shining accomplishments was hosting the silver anniversary conference of
District One Altrusa in Hartford last May. And there are not many clubs in Altrusa that have been honored by
having one of their own, such as our Loretta White, serve as a District Governor.
We've certainly had our ups and our downs. There are a few things we might not want to be reminded of,
such as: the career night we sponsored when not one student showed up, The year we almost put Easter
Seals out of business by reorganizing and "cleaning out" their card files, the x-rated chocolate candies that
we made to order, the time we cleaned out the library at Long Lane School - only to be told that you couldn't
throw out state property, all the chocolate cakes that melted in the sun at the flea markets at the Frank
Davis Resort, the year that nobody wanted to be corresponding secretary because the two previous ones
had taken maternity leaves while in office (they were part of our "babyboom" - five babies in one year), the
Christmas party that almost got Sybil Garvin evicted from her apartment because the singing was too loud,
Loretta White having all her visitors to Catholic Charities stuffing Altrusa envelopes to keep them out of
trouble, all the undelivered mail from Altrusa International to the three consecutive club presidents who
moved into new houses at the same time they took office, the suppers of mints and peanuts on card party
nights, and all those chocolate eclairs.
The Altrusa Club of Middletown has been all this and more during the past 25 years. What we've done has
been with the help of our dear Altrousers, our families, our friends, all the people in the community, and
Altrusans everywhere.
Jennifer Kensel
In Memory of Ozella Evans
Central Breeze June 2020 11
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Altrusa International of Central CT, Inc.
P.O. Box 2532
Middletown, CT 06457
ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED
Altrusa Community News