St. Elmo News
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Thursday, September 6
• St. Elmo Business Association, noon, Mary Ann’s Restaurant.
• The Wheatland Unit of HCE, 1:30 p.m.,
• St. Elmo Women’s Civic Club, 7 p.m., St. Elmo Public Library.
Friday, September 7
• A benefit for 5-year-old Jack Nall, son of Rob and Laura Nall, will be held at Friendship Manor Nursing Home, which is seeking donations of baked goods and craft items to sell and/or cash donations for the Nall family.
Laura was a former employee of FM, but she had to quit to take care of her son, who is undergoing chemotherapy at St. Louis Children’s Hospital for a rare form of cancer. Rob was recently laid off from his job.
Also to help with the fundraiser, FM is inviting the public to join them for the sale day by signing up for limited parking size spaces, at $10 per space, to sell rummage, crafts, flee market items, etc., and the people will keep their profits.
Those wanting a space can go to FM or call 829-5581.
Monday, September 10
• The St. Elmo Lions Club, 6 p.m., Mary Ann’s Restaurant.
Tuesday, September 11
• The Avena Township Park Board, 6 p.m., St. Elmo Community Park Centennial Building.
• American Legion Post #420, 7 p.m., Legion Home.
• The Fayette County Board, 7 p.m., Fayette County Courthouse, Vandalia.
Wednesday, September 12
• At the First United Methodist Church, Council on Ministries at 6 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall and the choir practice will resume at 7 p.m. in the sanctuary. There also will be a Bible study at 10 a.m.
Thursday, September 13
• The Lunch Bunch, noon, Mary Ann’s Restaurant.
• The St. Elmo District Library Board, 7 p.m., St. Elmo Public Library.
• The Effingham Chapter #110 Order of the Eastern Star, 7:30 p.m., Effingham Masonic Temple.
Fayette County HCE Board
After the Aug. 27 meeting of the Fayette County Board of Home and Community Education held at the Vandalia Extension Office was opened with the pledge of allegiance, roll call was answered by the following: President Flo Allen, Panzi Blackwell, Shirley Klitzing, Phyllis Pryor and Debbie Swain, Sefton Unit; Dorothy Harpster, St. Peter Unit; Anna Jean Rhodes, St. Elmo Unit; Debbie Segrest and Anita Smith, Vandalia Day Unit; Mary Smith, Wright’s Corner Unit; and Karen Hyde, Wheatland Unit.
Each unit received the quarterly newsletters and also a copy of the revised membership report. To date, there are 119 members in the seven units in the county.
During the business meeting, officers reported on the workshops they attended at the IAHCE District 6 annual meeting held Aug. 23 at Mt. Vernon. Pryor’s birthday was the day of the meeting, and during the lunch hour the St. Elmo officers sang “Happy Birthday” to her.
Allen reported that at the president’s meeting, she found out that because many of the counties in the state kept the name of Homemaker’s Extension instead of changing the name to Home and Community Education when the state did in 1996, the counties have to pay a small fee to change the name to Home and Community Education.
The name of Homemaker’s Extension will not be considered a non-profit organization unless a fee of $800 is paid. Fayette County changed to Home and Community Education in 1996.
International Chairman Klitzing reported that final plans have been made for the county’s annual international night. It is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 16, at the Phillips Building in St. Elmo.
The St. Elmo Unit will handle registration, which starts at 5:30 p.m., with the potluck at 6 p.m. Wright’s Corner Unit will do the decorations, Wheatland Unit will be in charge of the beverages, St. Peter Unit will arrange the food on the tables and the Bingham/Ramsey, Sefton and Vandalia Day units will be in charge of cleanup.
The program on Indonesia will be given by Dona Strullmeyer of Altamont.
On Saturday, Oct. 6, the Rev. Dominic Garramone will give a program on homemade bread. It will be from 8-10:30 a.m. at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Effingham.
The cost of the tickets is $10 in advance or $13 at the door. There will be door prizes.
Blackwell again furnished pastries for everyone. The table centerpiece included school items and each member received a red delicious apple and a paper lunch bag that held a small notebook and a pencil.
She also had for each member a poem she had written: “School Days Past.”
After the meeting closed, Allen, Klitzing, Pryor, Swain, Harpster, Rhodes, Segrest and Anita Smith ate lunch at Old Capitol View Restaurant.
St. Elmo Lions Club
At the St. Elmo Lions Club meeting held Aug. 27 at Mary Ann’s Restaurant, final plans for the Sept. 3 Labor Day Parade were discussed at length.
To open the meeting President Dave Maxey led in the pledge of allegiance and Richard Lowe gave the meal blessing. Others present were Don Crawford, John Crawford, Lewis Crawford, Pee Wee Denton, Roger Fulk, Mark Lash, Bob Lowe, LeMar Marchman, Dee Newberry, Rex Reeder, Lloyd Stanley, Bob Wells and Randy Wolf.
Masonic Lodge
At the Aug. 28 meeting of the St. Elmo Masonic Lodge #769, enough members attended to keep the lodge open another year.
At the July meeting, only three members showed up.
The lodge meets the fourth Tuesday night each month and this month put out the announcement that if enough members didn’t show up for the meeting, the lodge would close after 128 years of community service.
Officers will be elected and installed at a later date.
Baby Bottle Campaign
A newsletter from the Lighthouse Pregnancy Center at Vandalia states, “It’s that time of the year again!”
Every year, the center offers families a fun and easy way to help women and children by being a part of the bottle campaign. Not only does the fundraiser make a huge difference at the center, it also provides a great opportunity for parents to teach their children about the unborn and about those who are less fortunate.
The 2012 baby bottle campaign started Sunday and will go through Sunday, Oct. 7.
The fundraising committee is making contact with individuals and churches to order their baby bottles. If any church hasn’t been a part of this fundraiser in the past, but would like to become a part of it, the center can be contacted at 1121 N. Sixth St. in Vandalia or call 283-8750.
The August newsletter states, “Your spare change can make a big impact! We truly appreciate your participation and continued support thorough this campaign.”
The idea of the baby bottle campaign is to pick up a bottle at a church, fill it with change, then take it back to the church, which will collect the filled bottles to give to the Lighthouse Pregnancy Center.