Jewel City Knitters

SEPTEMBER 3, 2008 GENERAL MEETING

JCK General Meeting
Wednesday, September 3, 7:00-9:00pm
Crescenta Valley Methodist Church, 2700 Montrose Ave., Room 25, Montrose 91020

Agenda:
    6:30pm: Meet and Greet, Sign In, Get Organized, etc.
    7:00pm: Call to Order [Evelyn Van Orden, President]
    Approval of Minutes [Marsha Stoddard, Secretary]
    Treasurer's Report [Jerri Nicol, Treasurer]
    Philanthropy Report [Judy Gregory, VP Philanthropy]
    Announcements [Members]
    Show and Share [Members]
    Discussion of Meeting Location [Evelyn Van Orden, Marsha Stoddard]
    9:00pm: Adjourn
Minutes:
    7:10pm: Meeting Called to Order    Evelyn Van Orden, President    16 members were present, plus 2 visitors.
    A. Minutes    Marsha Stoddard
        1. Minutes of the August meeting were posted on the website and a hardcopy was available for review. They were approved.
    B. Treasurer's Report    Marsha Stoddard for Jerri Nicol
        1. Jerri reported that the balance in our treasury is still $932.57.
    C. Announcements    Members

        1. Judy introduced her sister, Gale, who was visiting from Florida. Gale shared many charity items she had made just this week.
        2. JCK member Thea Orozco returned for a visit. We haven’t seen her since last summer, when she and Jessamy moved to England, where Jessamy is attending an Art Institute. She told us about the yarn there and what she is doing for her job. Thea’s family owns That Yarn Store in Eagle Rock.

        3. Cathy Wacker thanked Marion Green and Judy Valenzuela for the yummy treats.
        4. Marsha reported that she had brought from the stash the crochet thread for anyone who needed some. Michelle took some skeins.
        5. Thea announced that the Los Angeles County Fair, which starts September 5 and runs through the 28^th, will have a knitting lounge this year. They want to put together squares for Warm Up America. Anyone who donates 4 hours to stitching together afghan squares can get free Fair parking and possibly free admittance to the Fair. They also will be knitting ‘Scrumbles’ (free form pieces) and making them into afghans to be auctioned for breast cancer research. For more information, we can contact That Yarn Store 323-256-9276 or Etta at 909-263-4647 or 909-865-4565. The Fair is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
    D. Philanthropy    Judy Gregory, VP Philanthropy
        1. Judy announced that Children in Common has a winter project of wool mittens for toddlers through teens. Infant/toddler mittens up to age 2 don’t need thumbs. The mittens will be sent to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Deborah Kac, who sponsors an Indian child there, gave us some information about the reservation. It is the poorest reservation in the entire country, with an average income of $7,000. There are no jobs and many social problems. But there are good people there doing good things. Warm Woolies is another organization that sends wool items to Pine Ridge and another reservation, as well as overseas. They have some information at:
            http://warmwoolies.org/
Any mittens we make will be collected by Judy at the October meeting. They should be made from at least 70% wool. Patterns for mittens can be found at:
            http://www.knittingpatterncentral.com/directory.php
            http://www.crochetpatterncentral.com/directory.php
            http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/winter.html#MITTENS, plus others.
        2. Afghans for Afghanistan is now requesting wool sweaters for age 7–14. They should be made for warmth, with full-length sleeves and long bodies. The children like bright colors. The sweaters should not be felted. Afghans also needs blankets and, as always, socks. Right now, no baby things are needed. Judy will collect them in October.
        3. Marion Green reminded us about Operation Gratitude, which collects and distributes care packages for our troops to lift their morale. They request dark-colored handmade scarves and hats. Acrylic is fine for making them. We can include a personal note, if desired. The next collection deadline for these items is November. Their website is:
            http://opgratitude.com
       4. Betty Molinaro said that she and Jerri Nicol are still collecting baby things for Christ Child Society. Jerri collects items for all ages for Brothers’ Helpers. Lynne Emery delivers baby things to Stitches from the Heart, Huntington Hospital NICU and Arcadia Methodist Hospital. These are all agencies serving local ghildren.
        5. Deborah Kac talked about RSVP, Retired Senior Volunteer Program, which is a group that meets in Hollywood. Their contact, Norma Foster, tells Deborah that they do occupational therapy to keep the seniors involved. They are looking to connect with a group that has younger members and possibly have their seniors make items for our charities. Deborah will suggest that Norma attend one of our meetings to give us more information.
        6. Member Donna Hovartos is also a member of a quilting guild and makes many quilts besides the crocheting she does for our group. She donates some of these to Project Linus, a group that donates blankets to children in need and in trauma. Project LInus needs 200 baby blankets per month to give out to all the hospitals!
        7. Jerri Thomson reported that Eagle Rock Library hopes to start a Knitting Club. They would like to knit items to donate to our charities. She will invite her contact to come to our meeting to give us information.
    E. Show and Share Members
    8:45pm: Meeting Adjourned