Oct. 24 was a busy day for Bloomington Altrusa.
In honor of Altrusa International's Make a Difference Day, Bloomington Altrusans collected school supplies for Teachers Warehouse, a nonprofit that supplies materials to area teachers who often use their own money to supplement class projects. The club members brought supplies to the October meeting and set up a table in the lobby of Kroger South to collect a grocery cart full of supplies donated by shoppers.
On the same day, Altrusa volunteers handed out water to runners and walkers in the Jill Behrman Run/Walk. The members have been volunteering at Jill's House, a lodging facility for Midwest Proton Radiotherapy Institute patients and their families that is named in honor of Jill Behrman, an IU student who was murdered in 2000.
Delegates for the 2009 Altrusa International Convention in Indianapolis were Amal Altoma, Glenda Chestnut, Dawna Petersen and Margit Ruppe.
Altrusa of Bloomington recently held installation of officers for the coming year 2009-2010. They are President Glenda Chestnut; First Vice President Jo Ann Eberly; Secretary Barbara Edwards; and Treasurer Susie Voekel.
Members of the board of directors for 2009-2010 are Mary Ann Wampler, Norma Roper, Margit Ruppe, Dee Holtman, Evelyn Zolan and Amal Altoma.
The past year, Altrusans have volunteered at Jill's House, establishing and maintaining a computer library at the facility, which provides lodging for families of patients at the Midwest Proton Radiotherapy Institute.
The group also has been maintaining the garden at Jill's House, volunteering hours to provide a lovely view for visitors.
The Monroe County Public Library recently thanked Altrusa for its contributions to the VITAL program, which helps adult learners, and the MCPL Quiz Bowl, a fundraiser that supports VITAL.
During the past year, Altrusa welcomed new members Evelyn Zolan, Valerie Sommer and Helena Walsh. Barbara Clark joined as a returning member.
Altrusa of Bloomington members are supporting Jill's House with their time and donations.
Jill's House, adjacent to the Midwest Proton Radiotherapy Institute, provides lodging for patients treated at MPRI and their families.
Altrusans recently donated a computer for the Jill's House residents to use and they've been organizing and updating materials in the library. They also have hosted monthly teas to provide refreshments to the residents and their families.
Members Amal Altoma and Mary Ann Wampler were two of the first to take on the monthly visits to maintain the library space. They report that the computer is heavily used and they recommend donating printer paper.
Members interested in volunteering should contact Amal. Altrusa has committed to two members spending a few hours the second Tuesday of each month maintaining the Jill's House library.
Carrying on a long tradition, Altrusans organized the refreshments for participants of the April 21-24 Quiz Bowl, the Monroe County Public Library's annual fundraiser to support its VITAL program. VITAL helps new learners by supplying tutors and materials.
Altrusans served food during the last night of the four-night competition. Local groups organize teams to compete in the Jeopardy-style trivia contest, with only one winner remaining at the end of the elimination contest.
Altrusa president Glenda Chestnut and member Amal Altoma attended the District Six conference April 18-20 in Terre Haute. They returned with information and ideas to present to the general meeting in May.
Altrusans donated $1,000 towards Jill's House.
In support of local social service agencies, Altrusa of Bloomington donated $1,000 to support Jill's House and $1,000 to Middle Way House during the group's March 13 meeting.
Jill's House is designed to provide lodging for those undergoing treatment at the Midwest Proton Radiation Institute in Bloomington.
Bud and Peg Howard, fundraisers and administrators at Jill's House, attended the Altrusa March 13 meeting to talk about the project. They said they will use the money to provide computer access for patients and their families staying at the facility.
Altrusans also donated $1,000 to Middle Way House.
Jill's House is named in honor of the late Jill Behrman, an IU student who was murdered. The Howards lost their son, Steve, to cancer and have since supported families with children in crisis.
Middle Way House is a shelter for victims of domestic abuse to help them recover and get on their feet. Toby Strout and Susan Lyons of Middle Way House attended the meeting, with director Strout accepting the check.
Altrusa of Bloomington members once again are ringing bells during the holidays to raise funds for the Salvation Army. Pictured are Dawna Petersen and Glenda Chestnut during a recent volunteer time at College Mall.
The group also had its annual holiday party at the home of member Margit Ruppe, where attendees enjoyed fine food, camaraderie among members and guests, and a brief meeting to firm up plans for the next tea at Jill's House (see below).
The club resumes its regular schedule of meetings in January.
Altrusans gathered Oct. 21 to assemble fabric squares into a wall hanging.
Bloomington Altrusans celebrated Make a Difference Day Oct. 27 by assembling 44 cloth squares illustrated by inmates of the Monroe County Jail into a wall hanging. The seven members met Oct. 21 at Amal Altoma's home and contributed a total of 56 hours on this project, part of a national action held each October.
Altrusans continued their fall service projects with food donations to Monroe County United Ministries' food pantry. The club recently resolved to donate $50 per month to food pantries, alternating between MCUM and the Hoosier Hills Food Bank.
During the holiday season, members will ring bells for Salvation Army donations at College Mall. Club members also are collecting mittens and hats for the Salvation Army to distribute this winter.
At the November meeting, Altrusa welcomed Toni Ellis from the Lexington, Ky., Altrusa chapter. Members talked about various activities and compared notes with Ellis about ways Altrusans can serve their communities and maintain healthy membership.
At the October meeting, Shari Woodbury, president of the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County, Inc., told members about the organization's efforts to support and improve the area.
Altrusa members always are looking at ways to raise money to fund scholarships for high school students' higher education. They continue to sell Kroger and Marsh grocery cards, which generate five percent of total sales.
The group also initiated a new project. Each member will bring an auction item to the monthly meeting during her birthday month. The item will be auctioned off, with proceeds benefiting the general funds.
Bloomington High School North's Holly Greene Hoover won the Altrusa of Bloomington scholarship for high school students for 2007. The club presented the $500 award at the May 10 meeting.
Altrusa selects area high school senior who is pursuing further education and who has displayed a commitment to community service as well as academic and extracurricular performance.
During high school, Hoover was involved in fundraisers for Habitat for Humanity and Riley Children's Hospital as well as school activities. She also was on the varsity swim team, worked part time during high school and traveled around the world as a People to People Ambassador.
Hoover plans to attend Xavier University this fall and continue her volunteer interests. She is pictured with (from left) Altrusans Jane Kennedy, Amal Altoma and Joann Eberly.
Altrusa of Bloomington initiated new officers May 10 at the general membership meeting.
For 2007-2009, officers are: Glenda Chestnut, president; Joann Eberly, vice-president; Dawna Petersen, treasurer; and Barbara Edwards, secretary. New board members are Judy Hall and Norma Roper. Current board members are Mary Ann Wampler and Susie Voelkel.
These officers begin their terms in May and plan to continue to lead the local chapter in finding new ways to serve literacy needs in the community.
Pictured above are Mary Ann Wampler, Glenda Chestnut, Joann Eberly, Barbara Edwards, Dawna Peterson and outgoing secretary Jane Kennedy, who installed the new officers.
Pictured right are outgoing vice-president Amal Altoma, who has led the group in recent months, and new president Glenda Chestnut.
Altrusa of Bloomington visited the Bedford Altrusa club March 12, where members of both chapters welcomed District Six Governor Phyllis Syers.
"We were very impressed with the Bedford club," said Bloomington vice-president Amal Altoma. "Their Hoosier hospitality and enthusiasm and dedication to Altrusa aims is impressive."
This year, Altrusa Bloomington is offering a $1,000 scholarship to any area high school student. The deadline is April 1 and a winner will be notified by May 1.
Any high school senior residing in Monroe County is eligible for the award, which may be used to further formal education at two- or four-year colleges or vocational training at an established institution. Scholarship funds will be paid directly to the institution of choice on behalf of the winner.
Applicants must complete a form, compose an essay on the Value of Participating in Community Service and provide verification of service hours to a non-profit agency within Monroe County in the past year.
Area high school counselors have received forms application materials and will distribute to interested students.
For more information, contact Cindy Gray, (812)349-3050.
At the March 8 meeting, Altrusa Bloomington elected new officers for 2007-2009. They are: Glenda Chestnut, president; Joann Eberly, vice-president; Dawna Petersen, treasurer; and Barbara Edwards, secretary. New board members are Judy Hall and Norma Roper. Current board members are Mary Ann Wampler and Susie Voelkel.
These officers begin their terms in May and plan to continue to lead the local chapter in finding new ways to serve literacy needs in the community.
At the same meeting, members heard Leila Voyles of Middle Way House and The Rise discuss the needs of those organizations. The Rise, a part of Middle Way House, is an apartment facility for people fleeing domestic abuse. It provides living space for families as well as education or training to enable its clients to re-enter the workforce and become self sufficient.
Voyles said The Rise needs supplies such as furniture and toiletries as well as support for educational programs. For example, residents studying for their GEDs at The Rise have had to share just one GED Study Guide. Altrusa Bloomington already has donated several GED Study Guides and plans to monitor the literacy needs of The Rise to guide future donations and support.
The annual Fall Tea and Style Show Oct. 21 at St. Mark's Methodist Church in Bloomington was a big success, raising more than $1,700 for Altrusa's literacy programs.
All members participated, from catering to modeling to planning for this main fundraiser. Thanks to all of our members as well as to the over 115 people who attended and helped make this event a big success.
Pictured are president Cathy Rogers modeling a new fall outfit (right) and Altrusan Mary Ann Wampler greets her table of guests (below).
Altrusa of Bloomington was second runner up in the Leatha Brown Awards given at the Sixth District conference May 5-7 in Elgin, Ill. The club entered its 2005 project, Warmth and Wisdom, in the competition, which honors Altrusa chapters' literacy projects.
The Warmth and Wisdom project supplied families of newborns with blankets and books to encourage parents to start a reading habit with their children. Area Girl Scouts helped sew the blankets and Bloomington Hospital helped identify families who would most benefit from the packets.
Local Altrusans (from left) Cathy Rogers, Glenda Chestnut and Amal Altoma attended the conference and accepted the award on behalf of the Bloomington members.
Altrusa of Bloomington installed new officers and welcomed new members at the May 11 meeting at the Indiana Memorial Union.
New officers and board members are (pictured from left) Susie Voelkel, board member; Amal Altoma, vice-president; Cathy Rogers, president; Amal Altoma, vice-president; Glenda Chestnut, treasurer; Jane Kennedy, secretary; and Mary Ann Wampler, board member.
New members are Judy Hall and Cynthia Gray (pictured from left, with Cathy Rogers). Hall had been a former member of this chapter, while Gray is transferring her membership from a Texas club.
Altrusans helped with Quiz Bowl April 13 by preparing for the party at the end of the four-day trivia quiz competition. Quiz Bowl raised over $11,000 for the Volunteers In Tutoring Adult Learners literacy program at the Monroe County Public Library. Altrusa president Cathy Rogers is the director of VITAL.
VITAL also won the Civic Engagement Award at the O'Bannon Institute April 28. The award is given by Ivy Tech's Center for Civic Engagement for excellence in community involvement.
At the March general meeting, IU School of Medicine professor Tony Mescher discussed stem cell research to the members and several guests. Mescher teaches pre-med students and specializes in cellular biology. He talked about how stem cells could be used to treat diseases such as Parkinson's disease, the state of legislation affecting research using stem cells.
His discussion is an example of Altrusa members' continued efforts to invite area professionals to share their knowledge with us and to stay abreast of issues, both locally and globally.
Pictured are Mescher and his wife, Trina, speaking with Altrusan Margit Ruppe (right).
In December, Bloomington Altrusa donated books and blankets to Bloomington Hospital as part of the Warmth and Wisdom program to supply these items to newborns and their families. Altrusans feel this is a way to introduce children and their parents to good reading habits as well as offer a cozy blanket to celebrate these family additions.
Altrusa has organized this multigenerational service project for the last year. Area Girl Scouts helped make the blankets in a year-long project, coordinated by an Altrusan who also is a Girl Scout leader. Several Altrusans helped the girls work on the blankets. Altrusa of Bloomington purchased the books from funds raised on other projects during the year.
Pictured are (from left) hospital volunteer Bev Stark, Altrusans Amal Altoma and Betsy Whitehead, and Jim Myers, chief financial officer at Bloomington Hospital.
Altrusans volunteered for a whole day of bell ringing for the Salvation Army Dec. 3 at College Mall. From 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., members collected donations from shoppers in the area. Pictured are Dee Holtman (left) and Caroline Clay.
Monroe County Public Library director Cindy Gray talked to Altrusans at the regular meeting Nov. 10. After 10 months on the job, Gray has determined that outreach is one of the chief goals for the library. She said more Bookmobile routes, programming in neighborhoods and possibly a new branch on the south side of the county are on her "wish list."
Gray was a member of Altrusa in Texas, where she lived and worked in a library. Bloomington chapter president Cathy Rogers is working to convince Gray to transfer her membership to our local club.
Local members brought mittens and gloves to the December meeting. Warm winter gear was donated to Salvation Army, which also will receive our volunteer efforts at bell ringing Dec. 10 at College Mall. Member Jane Kennedy is overseeing both these projects.
WTIU, the local public television station, begins a membership drive in December, and Altrusans have volunteered to staff the phone banks during the call-in portion of the drive Dec. 7. Vice-president Amal Altoma is arranging volunteers for this effort.
By a simple click of a mouse, you can support literacy and help get books to readers all over the country. Click to participate. The site is sponsored by the same organization that brought you The Hunger Site.
Over 100 people attended the Bloomington Altrusa Tea and Fashion Show Sept. 24 at St. Mark's Methodist Church in Bloomington. Altrusans cooked, brewed, served, cleaned and even modeled to make the afternoon a successful fundraiser. It raised over $1,000.
In addition to all the attendees, Altrusans especially want to thank the store owners who supplied the fashions, Cathy McIntyre of Washington Avenue Collections in Bedford and Cheryl Nichoalds of Tivoli in Bloomington. We appreciate the church's hospitality as well. (from October, 2005)
Final figures aren't in yet, but Altrusa's yard sale Aug. 20 at Sherwood Green earned about $250 in funds toward literacy programs. Local Altrusans staffed the sale from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., when United Way volunteers collected all the leftover merchandise.
The sale, at the home of Barbara Light, was part of a Sherwood Green neighborhood-wide sale.
Several guests attended the Altrusa outing at Oliver Winery Aug. 31.
Food provided by Amal Altoma and Margit Ruppe, wine-tasting compliments of the winery staff, and a white elephant auction led by member Glenda Chestnut rounded out the evening.
Regular meetings resume Sept. 8. (From August, 2005)
Salih J. Altoma, professor emeritus, Indiana University, spoke about the "Faces of Iraq" at the June 9 meeting. Altoma, husband of Altrusan Amal Altoma, shared his personal experience growing up in Iraq as well as described Iraq's evolution through the ages.
Officers and board members were installed May 12 at the last meeting of the Altrusa year. Cathy Rogers is the new president.
The 2005 District Six Conference was in the Evansville, Ind., Altrusa Club April 15-17. Co-chairs were Bernice Bickel and Mary Alice Bertram. Check out the for details. (from June, 2005)
In April, Altrusans volunteered for various tasks during the Monroe County Public Library Quiz Bowl, which benefits the VITAL (Volunteers in Tutoring Adult Learners) program. Altrusa sponsored a team and members helped out with the party at the end of the week.
Amal Altoma (right) made use of her Altrusa apron as she organized the food and party for participants at the end of the four-day event. Altrusan Cathy Rogers is the director of the VITAL program, and literacy is one of Altrusa's chief concerns. (from May, 2005)
Young adults who "graduate" the foster care system often end up homeless, or without guidance on 
their tough paths to adulthood.
As social worker Sheri Benham (right) became aware of this fate of many older teens, she took action by creating Stepping Stones, a transitional housing program for this population. The program is just getting off the ground after securing grants, Benham told Altrusans during the regular meeting March 10, and several apartments will be available soon to shelter these young people.
Benham said the apartments will be fully stocked, with an adult living nearby to offer help and guidance, but the young residents will be expected to share responsibilities as they try to achieve independence.
Benham is looking for volunteer help on the board, to move people into the apartments and to donate household goods and furniture to outfit the apartments. For details, call her at (812) 336-7196. (from March, 2005)
The Altrusa International Foundation, Inc. is making a contribution of $45,000 to the disaster relief efforts in southeast Asia to assist the victims of the recent tsunami. This contribution is being made directly to the
The International Foundation will gladly accept any additional donations for these efforts. Any contributions received, earmarked for this specific fund, also will be forwarded to the Red Cross Response Fund.
You may read more about this on the (from February, 2005)
Sherry Dick, director of Monroe County Community School Corp. Adult Education, spoke to Bloomington club members at the Jan. 13 meeting about the challenges facing the program.
Currently funded through grants as a state program, Adult Education coaches those studying for the GED, supports a teen learning center and helps those for whom English is a new language attain basic literacy in their new country. It also offers other classes to help adults brush up on their skills or learn new ones, such as computing.
Sherry explained that MCCSC Adult Education program is the only organization of its type with a psychologist on hand to test adults in the program for learning disabilities. The programs also rely on volunteers, community and legislative support.
For more information, check out (from January, 2005)
Bloomington Altrusans partnered with Girl Scouts to stage a "quilting bee" in observance of Martin Luther King's birthday Jan. 17. "A Day On, Not a Day Off," has become the slogan for MLK Day, and Girl Scouts quilted and sewed blankets for their service badges and Altrusa's literacy project that presents new parents with quilts and books. Read more on the Projects page. (from January, 2005)