MEDINA COUNTY WOMEN OF THE MILITARY

P. O. Box 1812

Medina, OH 44258-1812

October 2006

Membership Meeting – The membership met for lunch at the Golden Corral in Medina on September 16^th. Fourteen members attended including one new member, Julia Jewells. Welcome!

The Ohio Women’s Veterans Conference - Registration for the conference is now closed due to the conference being fully booked. If you want to be notified of future conferences, you can log on to: http://veteransaffairs.ohio.gov/WomenVetsRoster.htm. If you do not have a computer, just ask someone that does to log your information in for you.

Ohio Veteran’s Hall of Fame – On November 2, twenty veterans will be inducted into the Ohio Veteran’s Hall of Fame. Last year one woman, Dorothy Budacki, was inducted. This year another woman, Josephine Trotter, will be inducted. Both women served in the Navy during WWII and were co-founders of WAVES National. The ceremony will be held at the Franklin County Veteran’s Memorial at 250 W. Broad St. in Columbus and is open to the public. The ceremony is very moving and definitely worth the trip. If there is enough interest, maybe we can carpool. Former member Ann Grey was also a member of the Hall of Fame.

Western Reserve National Cemetery –

There will be a Veteran’s Day Program at the cemetery at the main flagpole on Sunday, November 5^th at 3:00 pm. The program will last about one hour.

Annual Veteran’s Concert - This years’ Veteran’s Concert will be on November 9^th at 7:00 pm at St. Francis Xavier Church in Medina. This year’s theme is “Perspectives on Peace.” Please try to attend. The music is great, the speakers moving and it is in honor of all veterans!

Golden Corral - The Golden Corral Restaurant in Medina is offering a free dinner to veterans on November 13^th

“Women in the Military” - On Veteran’s Day, November 11^th, Kathy Petras and Pam Ruesch will lead a program on the history of women in the military in the United States. The program will be held at Elmcroft of Medina. Call the library for additional information and to make your reservation. The phone number to the library is 330-725-0588.

The Veteran’s Day Luncheon - The luncheon is scheduled for November 19^th at 12:30 pm at The Galaxy Restaurant in Wadsworth, OH. Please mail your reservations to Dodie Jewett ASAP. Her address is on the registration form. Our guest speaker is tentatively scheduled to be Pamela J. Anderson. She is a Naval Reserves Chaplain and leads a program that aids military families. At this time, she is still on active duty and may not be free to have lunch with us. Cost of the dinner is $14.00 per person. Choose between Chicken Picatta or Scrod with lemon butter. We need at least thirty people to attend in order to get the price above. They offered us a really good deal. Maybe we can show our appreciation by patronizing their restaurant.

Fall Foliage Tour - This year’s tour was cancelled due to the route being more rural in nature. No historical groups were involved and it was decided to not participate this year.

Volume III - Several of our members have volunteered to help with Volume III. If you have not been interviewed yet, you will be contacted soon. If you still have your interview out for editing please try to get it edited and returned as soon as possible. If you need another copy, let me know and I will send it to you. There are about twenty five interviews still out for editing, some dating back to 1998. If you need a book, either Volume I or II, call Sharon Nicholson at 330-416-6517 or send an email at Sharon@nicholson.net. Each Volume is $25.00.

Treasury - At the last board meeting, there was discussion about possible uses for money in our treasury. A couple of ideas include putting some aside for Volume III or donating to a charity sometime around Christmas time. Other ideas include sending cards and items needed by the troop overseas.

Sad News: Ann Gray, USNR, passed away on October 4^th after a long illness. She was a long time member of WAVES National and of Medina County Women of the Military.

Nominating Committee - Dodie Jewett and Pam Ruesch are looking for people to hold offices next year. Please consider running. It is a great way to meet people and to get involved in planning activities for the following year.

Membership - According to Jennifer Syme, we have about one hundred and seven women on our mailing list. Thirty five members pay dues. It is that time of year again to start sending in your dues. Also, please inform us if you don’t want to receive the newsletter anymore. Dues for the year 2007 are $10.00. If you would like a Medina County Women of the Military pin, include $5.00. Please send dues to the post office box address.

Our Mission Statement is two-Fold:

*Develop Camaraderie and provide support among women with military service experience;

*Increase community awareness of the contributions made by military women.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE BOARD:

President:

*Coordinate meetings

*Coordinate patriotic activities (parades, dedications, funerals)

Vice President:

*Member communications (newsletter, web site)

*Legislative Updates

Secretary:

*Board and Membership Minutes

*Correspondence

Treasurer:

*Collects Donations

*Maintains financial records

Membership Recruiter:

*Contact potential new members

*Follow up on member referrals

*Maintain Member information packet

*Coordinate with secretary and treasurer on member information

*Referral assistance for benefits

*Informational Brochure

Pubic Relations:

*Media Publicity

*Presentations to organizations

*Displays

Social Coordinator:

*Social Events

*Visiting Veterans

Historian:

*Member Biographies

*Chapter History/Scrapbook

Governor’s Task Force Liason

*Coordinates with Governor’s Task Force for Women’s Veterans

Medina County Women of the Military Calendar of Events Ohio Women Vet Conference Circleville October 28 9:00 am Ohio Veteran’s Hall of Fame Columbus November 2 Veteran’s Day Program Western Reserve Nat. Cemetery November 5 3:00 pm Veteran’s Day Concert St. Francis November 9 7:00 pm “Women in the Military” Medina Library November 11 1:00 pm Veteran’s Day Meal Golden Corral November 13 Women Veterans Luncheon Galaxy Restaurant November 19 12:30 pm

MEDINA COUNTY WOMEN OF THE MILITARY 2005 Officers President: Sharon Kiesel 330-723-6479 skiesel@hotmail.com Vice President: Sharon Nicholson 330-416-6517 sharon@nicholson.net Secretary: Kathy Petras 330-725-6868 kathyp@hotmail.com Treasurer: Jennifer Syme 330-769-8393 Please detach the bottom portion and post on your refrigerator as a reminder