Holiday Festival raises needed funds

The 2008 Holiday Festival & Gifts fundraising event was enjoyed by many people in our community, and was a big success in raising funds for scholarships, grants, and a multitude of service projects provided by Altrusa of Montrose.




Members of Altrusa as well as numerous companies, organizations, and other individuals pitched in to sponsor, donate and decorate trees, wreaths, centerpieces, gift baskets, and garlands.


As in past years, Christy Biella hosted a decorating party at her house, where she helped others with their decorations while also creating numerous silent auction items herself. Holiday Festival committee chair Bobbi Brown worked innumerable hours, as did the committee members, to bring together a successful event.

The history of Altrusa Park

In August 1981, club members began a long-term project to create a fitness trail with stops describing what exercises to do. The trail was set up in what was then called "Hillcrest Park" with the help of the City. We solicited input from doctors on the types of exercises, and members worked on constructing stations for the trail and setting them up. According to an article in the Daily Press, the trail was 1 1/2 miles long with 20 stations.

The grand opening was September 11, 1982. In 1985, a committee petitioned the City to rename the park as "Altrusa Park". A sign with the new name was erected, and Altrusa funded additional landscaping.

The exercise stations were removed in 1991 due to deterioration and liability issues. Altrusa of Montrose has continued to provide trees, benches, and playground equipment, plus plaques with names of plants and trees. Altrusans have also put in hundreds of volunteer hours grooming the flowerbeds in Altrusa Park.

Distinguished Club Award -- 15 years running

Altrusa of Montrose President Lorie Bollig holds a banner displaying all 15 Distinguished Club awards won by our local Club.

Altrusa International Inc. of Montrose Colorado was once again honored with the "Distinguished Club" award for 2007/2008.

Our Club has won the award 15 years in a row -- every year the award has existed! We are the only Altrusa Club in the world to have accomplished this outstanding "winning streak".

According to Altrusa International, "The Distinguished Club Award recognizes a Club's activity and productivity at every level of program involvement. Information from Club Activity Reports on Service, Programming, Membership, Leadership and Communication will be used to judge whether a Club is a Distinguished Club."

And the winner is...ASTRA of Montrose!

Our local ASTRA Club has done it again! For the 4th time, the ASTRA members at Montrose High School are the First Place winners of the Altrusa International Service Award.

Here's an overview of the work involved in winning this world-wide award:

Our goal at the beginning of the year was to adopt at least three local projects and one international project. We far exceeded that goal by completing 8 local projects and five international projects. We also adopted a new project that will support student initiated service projects at Montrose High School. Each of our members devoted an average of 35 hours for a total of 700 documented service hours. Fund-raising hours added even more time. For already busy teens, this outstanding commitment helped our members realize the true meaning of sacrifice to benefit others.

Read about their award submission in this article published in June 2008.

ASTRA members were honored by members of Montrose Altrusa Club on October 29th at a dinner and award presentation. Congratulations to all involved for this outstanding achievement. Altrusa of Montrose is extremely proud to be the sponsor of the most outstanding ASTRA Club in the world!

Altrusa of Montrose History - 1975 to 1976

(excerpts from the "25th Anniversary" report of our club, published in 2000)

At noon on Wednesday, June 11, 1975, the first meeting of the Montrose Altrusa Club was called to order at Mary's Cafe by Dena Brooks, first president of the club. Members of the Grand Junction Altrusa Club hosted the luncheon, and Montrose's first service club for women was lauched.

By August ... several community service projects were adopted -- a day-long workshop called "How to Oil Your Organization", assisting with glaucoma testing, and career counseling for girls by members taking junior high students into their offices for a day.

The club received its charter at a dinner/dance held at the Montrose Elks Club June 5, 1976.

An article in the Montrose Daily Press noted:

"Altrusa International was formed as an international service organization April 11, 1917, adapting the principles and governing rules of Rotary and Kiwanis to its needs. The organization now totals about 550 clubs in 14 countries, drawing its membership from professional women and well as women holding executive positions in business."

(Note: Altrusa is now open to both women AND men)

October 2008 Newsletter

The current issue of our local newsletter, ALTRUSUN, is available online:

October 2008, Volume 32, Issue 5 (808 Kb PDF)