30 Seconds of Altrusa

We just received this wonderful 30-second PSA video explaining a little about what Altrusa is all about. Western Colorado folks may recognize several people -- the video features Altrusa of Delta and Altrusa of Montrose Colorado.

Enjoy & pass it along!

June 1 proclaimed by mayor as "Altrusa Day"

L to R: Diane Winger, Becky Wolford, Dorothy Causey, Roberta Hoey, Val Burnel, Mayor Kathy Ellis,
Dena Brooks, Margaret Goodhue, Donna Herman, Marge Keefus, Lorie Bollig

Our Altrusa Club in Montrose was organized in June 1975, making this month our 35th anniversary. In honor of this milestone, Montrose Mayor Kathy Ellis signed a declaration proclaiming June 1, 2010 as "Altrusa Day."

The club celebrated with a luncheon for its members, along with several of the original members of our club back in 1975. We were also joined by Altrusa members from the Delta and Grand Junction clubs, including Altrusa International President-Elect Dona Garretson. Some of the Charter Members of Altrusa International of Montrose CO are still members of the club today:  Dena Brooks (our 1st club President), Martha Dusio, Margaret Goodhue (past Governor of District Ten), Gin Hoagland, Mary Snyder, and Melba Teague.

Read the actual proclamation below:
2010-06-01 Altrusa Day Proclamation

Membership guidelines

The following guidelines for membership in Altrusa are taken from our Bylaws and Club Policies, which are available to each member.

Membership shall be conferred only upon written invitation from the club.

Active membership in a Club shall be confined to recognized leaders in their businesses or professions who are of good character and who subscribe to the principles and purposes of Altrusa International, Inc. In addition to being recognized as outstanding in their businesses or professions, members must meet one of the following criteria:

* Must be or have been actively engaged in the practice of their profession as a degreed or registered/certified or licensed employee.

* Must be or have been in the operation of legitimate businesses as owners, partners, officers, managers, local agents or branch representatives or holders of important positions.

* Must be or have been a holder of important position with executive capacities and having discretionary power.

* Must be recognized for outstanding work within the community.

MEMBERSHIP

Guests should be invited to attend program meetings when possible. Since invitations to become members of Altrusa must be issued by the club, care should be taken not to verbally invite prospective members to join.

A sponsor has a continuing duty to assist those the sponsor recommends for membership. A new member is automatically on the same committees as the sponsor.  Committee chairs should make an effort to actively involve new members.

During the first year of membership, a member who wishes to bring a prospective member guest or sponsor a new member should enlist the help of a co-sponsor who has been a member for a term of longer than one year.

All members are expected to actively participate in club projects, community service activities and fundraising projects. A minimum of 25 hours are required each year.

Each member shall actively participate on at least one committee and shall assist with one service project and one fundraiser each year.

Questions about membership may be directed to the Membership Chair (1st Vice President) or to the President of Altrusa of Montrose.  Our club is always pleased to consider enthusiastic and qualified people as candidates for membership.  What are we "about"?  Quoting from our Bylaws:

The purposes of this club shall be:

(a) To cultivate friendly relationships, promote mutual understanding, and foster the solidarity of people who are actively engaged in business and the professions.

(b) To encourage high ethical standards of business and professional conduct.

(c) To give vocational information and to be of service to people already engaged in or entering business or professional fields.

(d) To encourage participation in community and public affairs on a nonpartisan basis.

(e) To do any and all things conducive to the service, betterment and ultimate welfare of people in business and the professions.

(f) To promote educational and cultural training and improvement.

(g) To be informed on International affairs and to promote mutual understanding between peoples of all nations.

Supporting Altrusa when you shop

Did you know?....

Altrusa members can help generate funds for our local Foundation when we shop at City Market or buy goods and services from Big O Tires.

If you use a City Market Value card, you can designate that a percentage of all of your purchases be donated to Altrusa Club of Montrose Foundation. You don't pay any more for your groceries -- City Market simply credits us with a donation amount every time you shop and scan your card.  However, you must register your donation preference. To do that, simply give your name and your City Market card number to Janis Marcha (Treasurer-elect), and she'll take care of the rest.  Your friends can also register to have donations made to Altrusa, so spread the word!

Altrusa also benefits when you buy tires or any other products or services at our local Big O Tires store. You need to present a special card when you make your purchase at Big O in order to credit Altrusa of Montrose Foundation.  These cards are available from Roberta, and you can pick up and use a new card as often as you need one.

Remember that you can also use GoodSearch instead of Google when you want to look up something on the internet, and our Foundation received a donation as well.  There is a GoodSearch button in the left-hand column of this webpage and just below this paragraph.  When it asks "Who do you GoodSearch for?" be sure "Altrusa International - Montrose CO Foundation (Montrose CO)" is filled in.  Tip:  just type "Altrusa Montrose" in the search area, and you'll find our Foundation easily.



Not only can you Search, you can also Shop online with a number of merchants who will donate through GoodShop to our club's Foundation.  More information is on the same page as GoodSearch.

Remember:  you don't pay a cent more by using these tools when you shop, and Altrusa Club of Montrose Foundation benefits.  And when our Foundation benefits, our community benefits!

A bit of history: Eleanor Roosevelt - Altrusa member

Altrusa has a history of selective recruitment of women leaders (and now men as well) in a range of professions.  Over the years since our start in 1917, there have been many successful Altrusans who have contributed to their local communities as well as worldwide.

Our best-known Altrusa member was Eleanor Roosevelt. An active member of the Altrusa Club of New York City, her profession was originally classified under "Furniture," because she was an owner of a factory.  Mrs. Roosevelt maintained her active interest in Altrusa on up to becoming First Lady when Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected President of the United States. While FDR was Governor of New York, Eleanor helped organize the Altrusa Club of Albany by inviting prospects to dinner at the executive mansion to finalize plans with the national field representative; the documents were signed with the Governor’s pen in his private sitting room.

Source:  The Altrusa Tradition (revised 2005)

The Power of One - The “Family Tree” of Alice Vest

In 1981, Martha Dusio and Jeanne Hausman sponsored accountant Alice Vest as a member of the Altrusa Club of Montrose. Alice demonstrated her belief in the goals and principles of Altrusa and began sponsoring new members. Over the last 28 years, Alice has sponsored or co-sponsored:

Marge Keehfuss, Roena Frank, Donna Herman, Diane Douglass, Becky Wolford, Elaine Moore, and Jan Musson.

All of these members are currently active.

Alice also sponsored many who are no longer members. They are:

Kathy Glasman, Jan Freeland, Brenda Piatek, Debbie Ensley, Judy Smith, and Merlinda Barrientos.

That is a total of 13 names which are directly related to Alice’s vision of Altrusa.

When the family tree is carried further, the numbers continue to grow:

• Donna Herman sponsored Karon Jacobs.
• Diane Douglass sponsored Michelle Gottlieb.
• Elaine Moore sponsored Lynda Wareham who sponsored Casey Wareham.
• Kathy Glasman sponsored Sheree Wanner and Lorie Bollig.
• Lorie Bollig sponsored Carolee Hawkins and Erica Jiron.
• Becky Wolford sponsored Joey Montoya Boese.
• Becky also sponsored Diane Winger who sponsored Sheryl Solow and Lesley Archibald.
• Merlinda Barrientos sponsored Bonnie Eakin.
• Bonnie then sponsored Cindy Rowan, Dorinda Elder and Linda Riba.

The Power of One is thus demonstrated. Alice is responsible for 23 of our current members. Using an average of 80 members over the last year, that represents over 29% of our membership.

And Alice was able to identify future leadership of our club. Among the 23 members, there are five past presidents, 10 who have served in officer positions, and one future District Governor, along with a past District Treasurer.

Think of the fundraisers which have been planned and executed by these 23 members. The amount of money raised, all of which is used to address needs in our community, is huge! The thousands and thousands of community service hours performed by these members have had an incalculable impact on our community.

Always remember the “Power of One.” Be another Alice Vest, an Altrusan who seeks only to share the principles of Altrusa: Patriotism, Efficiency and Service.

Lifeline - then and now

One of the largest line item expenditures for service from our organization, along with Scholarships, is Lifeline.  Lifeline units are placed in the homes of the elderly to provide access to emergency help if they are sick or hurt.  A special emergency button can be worn on the wrist or as a necklace, so that a person who is unable to get to a phone can still call for help.

This project began in March 1983, when Altrusa of Montrose held fundraisers and got financial support from other members of our community, including ASTRA, Jazzercise, Kappa Phi Sorority, San Juan Living Center, First United Methodist Church, Power Operations Center members, and United Bank who all helped raise over $12,500 needed just to purchase a base unit, plus additional funds for the individual home units, which cost $500 each.

By June 1985, we had purchased 15 units, and installed them in individuals' homes.  Altrusa currently serves 104 local residents with Lifeline units.

Read more articles about Lifeline
(scroll down the page for older articles)

Source:  25th Anniversary Altrusa International Inc. 1975-2000 Highlights in History

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.

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)

We're a "hands-on" organization

Did you know....

All Altrusa members are expected to actively participate in club projects. A minimum of 25 hours are required each year. Each member shall actively participate on at least one committee and shall assist with one service project and one fundraiser each year.

+++++

Many of our members volunteer hundreds of hours each year.

Altrusa Mission statement

The Altrusa Mission statement adopted in July 1986:

"The purpose of Altrusa International is to promote community service by an international network of executives and professionals in diversified career classifications."

What does "ASTRA" stand for?

ASTRA stands for:

Ability
Service
Training
Responsibility
Achievement

Would you like to know more about ASTRA? This post about our Service committees provides some additional information about ASTRA. Or, click here to read all of this website's articles about ASTRA.

Altrusa Motto

Did you know...

Altrusa Motto = Patriotism, Efficiency, Service

(These are the words that appear on the Altrusa International logo)

What is the "key" to Altrusa?

Did you know....

Altrusa Key:

Amity
Loyalty
Talent
Reciprocity
Unity
Service
Achievement

The name "Altrusa" was originally coined from "Altruism" and "USA" back in 1917 when the first Altrusa club was formed. Altrusa became international in 1935 with its first club in Mexico.

Today there are over 150 Altrusa clubs throughout the US (including Puerto Rico), plus clubs in Canada, England, Scotland, El Salvador, Guatemala, Bermuda, India, New Zealand, Korea, Russia, and Ukraine.

Altrusa Lamplighter

Did you Know?

An Altrusa Lamplighter is an Altrusan that has contributed $500 or more to the International Foundation in a twelve month period. Lamplighters receive a special Lamplighter pin. A second contribution of $500 provides the Lamplighter with a Lamplighter pendant. With each additional $500, the Lamplighter receives a diamond chip to add to the Lamplighter pendant.

Do you know a Lamplighter?

About Altrusa

April 1917: First club organized in Nashville, TN

June 1937: Altrusa became International

June 1975: Altrusa Club of Montrose Organized

For more history and background about Altrusa, see the category Did you know...