2009 Holiday Festival coming soon

Altrusa's annual fundraising event, the Holiday Festival & Gifts event, will be held on Friday, November 20, 2009 at Wells Fargo Bank downtown from 6:15 - 8:15 pm. This year, a $10 per person donation at the door includes an extensive appetizer selection, desserts, beverages (including wine and beer), and a souvenir wine or beer glass to take home.

A wide assortment of decorated trees, wreaths, centerpieces, and a variety of gift baskets suitable for all occasions will be on display in the lobby of the bank starting Monday, November 16 from 9:00 am to 5:30 pm daily.  Everyone in our community is encouraged to stop by the bank to view and bid on these silent auction items. The silent auction will end on Friday, November 20 at the conclusion of the evening event.

Altrusa Club of Montrose CO Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit foundation, relies on funds raised at this event to enable the club to fund local area scholarships and grants for other charitable organizations, as well as our numerous other service projects. These include Lifeline (with over 100 units in local homes), Love Hug Bears (stuffed animals for children at MMH), Buddy Bags (tote bags filled with books and items for children), Tender Touch Turbans (for cancer patients), Pennies for Peace (raising funds to build schools in remote villages in the Himalaya), Kids on Wheels (promoting bike usage & safety), and many more projects.

The flyer for the 2009 Festival can be downloaded here (1.2 MB PDF)

Kids on Wheels contest winners announced

(left) Altrusans Kylee Smith and Janis Marcha present the Altrusa Kids on Wheels Bike challenge winner Zach Lasher from Columbine Middle School with a new Haro Mountain Bike donated by Jeans Westerner.




Altrusa's Environmental committee held a month-long Kids on Wheels contest that challenged students from both Columbine Middle School and Centennial Middle School to ride their bikes to school to help the environment and create better health. The contest ran from September 21 through October 17.

The bikes were presented to students on October 17th 2009.

(right) Altrusan Cheryl Gibson presents Andrew Cretti, the winner from Centennial Middle School, a new Haro Mountain Bike donated by Altrusa and Jeans Westerner.

Altrusa and ASTRA help support Bosom Buddies 2009

More photos from Bosom Buddies 2009:

(top left) Altrusa members Mary Watt, Becky Wolford, Susan Bony, and Margaret Goodhue assist with registration for the walk/run.

(top right) Francie Smiles presents plaques to several organizations which supported the fundraising event.  Roberta Hoey, Altrusa of Montrose President, accepts on behalf of our club.  The plaque reads:

Supporting the Fighters
Admiring the Survivors
Honoring the Taken
and never, ever giving up Hope

Altrusa International of Montrose
Bosom Buddies 2009

(bottom center) ASTRA members and friends who walked to raise money for Bosom Buddies pose with their "signature" flamingos.
Front row: Taylee Neubauer, Stephanie Speck
Middle Row: (unknown), Pat Myers (MHS Guidance Counselor), Carol Parker (Altrusa), Kassey Petschl, Sara Kuta, Lori Michaels (Altrusa)
Back row: Kyle Ayer, Lauren Bony, Taylor Petschl
Other ASTRA members who walked but were not in the photo: Vanessa Lohr,  Marcia Wanner

October 2009 Newsletter

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

October 2009, Volume 33, Issue 4 (539 Kb PDF)

Altrusa & Montrose Library to kick off Pennies for Peace program

Altrusa of Montrose is teaming up once again with the Montrose Regional Library Children's Department to host a special Pennies for Peace program.

On Tuesday, November 3, 2009 at 7:00 pm at the Library, there will be a reading of Listen to the Wind, the beautiful story of Greg Mortenson's first school-building project in Pakistan.  We will also watch a moving video about Pennies for Peace to kick off a community-wide penny drive to support the remarkable work of building schools in remote mountain regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan, described in Mortenson's best-selling book, Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace...One School at a Time.

Altrusa will provide naan (a regional flat bread) and chai (spiced tea) at the event.

Pennies for Peace jars will also be distributed to businesses and organizations in our community, and many elementary school classrooms will begin to collect pennies.  Our community Pennies for Peace project will run through December 16.  All funds collected will be donated to Mortenson's non-profit organization, Central Asia Institute.

Download the flyer for 2009 Pennies for Peace night here.

Download general information about Pennies for Peace & Mortenson's Central Asia Institute here.

Christy Biella demonstrates the art of holiday decorating

At our September 30 meeting, Christy Biella demonstrated decorating techniques to appreciative Altrusa Club members in preparation for our annual Holiday Festival & Gifts fundraiser.  Christy, whose background includes  graphic design and floral design, created a beautiful wreath, candle centerpiece, and tall centerpiece right before our eyes.

This year's Festival will be held on Friday, November 20, 2009 starting at 6:15 PM at Wells Fargo Bank downtown. Businesses and individuals may "sponsor" a wreath, centerpiece, or tree with a donation to Altrusa International Foundation of Montrose, a 501(c)3 organization. For more information on sponsorships, please contact Dena at 249-4702.

Members of the community are invited to attend the Festival, enjoy food and beverages, and bid on decorations and gifts during a silent auction.  Admission to the event is a donation of $10 at the door, and attendees will receive a wine or beer glass to use during the event and to keep as a memento.  All proceeds benefit Altrusa International Foundation of Montrose, and enable us to provide our many community services, scholarships, and grants.

Altrusa participates in Volunteer Fair

Several Altrusa members talked to community members looking for volunteer opportunities at the 2nd annual Volunteer Fair sponsored by the Montrose Library on September 26, 2009.  President Roberta Hoey, 1st Vice President Diane Winger, Alice Vest, and BJ Vinson-Neeld told participants about numerous Altrusa projects, including Lifeline, Love Hug Bears, Buddy Bags, Tender Touch Turbans, and Pennies for Peace.

The Fair offered our club an opportunity not only to talk to prospective Altrusa members, but also to answer a question we're sometimes asked:  What is Altrusa?  Some people who stopped by know our name because of Altrusa Park, or have seen our name in the paper, but don't realize the broad range of service projects, scholarships, and grants we provide.