WCI Delivers

GFWC Woman's Club of Indio

January 2024 Volume 8, Issue 1

www.wcindio/home

GFWC WOMAN’S CLUB OF INDIO IS A PROUD MEMBER OF CFWC AND GFWC

The California Federation of Women’s Clubs (CFWC) is a statewide non-profit service organization with 10,000 members. Its motto, “Strength United in Service,” reminds us that more can be accomplished when we unite our efforts to serve others.

The General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC) is an international organization dedicated to community improvement by enhancing the lives of others through volunteer service. Founded in 1890, and with clubs in every state, Washington, D. C., and more than a dozen countries, GFWC members transform lives every day.

Leadership: Officer Reports

President's Message January 2024

We will soon welcome 2024 and as with every new year, it is a time for new beginnings, resolutions, and renewal of our commitments.  

Plans are progressing, and the date for our Mardi Gras party is fast approaching on March 2nd. See Sylvia’s Fundraising article and commit to pitching in to attend and assist with raffle items, silent auction items, and the wine surprise.  

Have you resolved to become more involved and support the vital work our club does for our community? If so, consider serving on our Executive Board for the 2024/2026 term. The timeline for our Board Election is provided below, along with an attached overview of duties, qualifications, and responsibilities for each position.  

It is time to pay your annual dues to renew our commitments. Along with prioritizing our club involvement, get next year’s dues off your To Do list. The process is fast and easy using the link on the Membership page of our website.  

Have a fabulous New Year, and I look forward to seeing you at our General Meeting on January 3rd. 

Your President, Marlon Carrier

Annual Dues

Your Friendly Elves on the Shelf (Marlena, Dona, and Claire) are excited to welcome the new year. We’re here to tell you that your annual dues of $100.00 are now up for renewal. Thank you to those of you who paid in the last few days.  

As our president, Marlon Carrier, stated, “It’s time to pay your annual dues! Along with prioritizing our club involvement, get next year’s dues off your TO DO LIST.”

Please use the link below to pay. This is the easiest, fastest, and most convenient way to pay.

Also, we will be accepting checks or credit card payments at our January 3rd meeting.

Happy New Year!

1st VP/Dean

Christal Cansino

Due Date: Wednesday, January 10, 2024

This year is wrapping up pretty fast, and we are working hard on our club reports for the 2023 calendar. In our reports, we include a paragraph of what our club accomplished this year:

• Volunteer hours
• Donations
• In-Kind donations

Report your hours and donations through December 31, 2023, no later than Wednesday, January 10th. We must receive your reports so that we can meet our deadline. Please send your information to Christal Cansino at dean@womansclubofindio.org.

To all our members, we wish you a happy new year! 

3rd VP/Fundraising

Sylvia Baran

Fundraiser! Fundraiser! Fundraiser!

I can’t believe it, but here we are, TWO MONTHS away from our annual fundraiser. The time leading up to the fundraiser is crucial, and we need your help. We need donations for our silent auction and for our raffle prizes. We need advertisers and sponsors. We need wine (bottles valued at $15 or more, or donated $$) for our wine surprise. And, lastly, we need to sell tables and tickets for our event. 

Can you help?

The next four weeks are the time to secure raffle items, silent auction items, and our wine surprise. If you don’t have bottles of wine, feel free to donate cash, and we’ll do the shopping for you. It’s the time to invite advertisers and sponsors.

Please get the word out. Let everyone you know that we sell tables and tickets, advertising, and sponsorships. Visit our website and click on the ticker tape link running across the top of the page, and you’ll see where all of these sales can be accomplished. If you need help with accessing our event portal, please email me or give me a call.

We set an energetic fundraising goal of $50,000! Whoop whoop! And we will let the good times roll because our event will be super fun. 

Thank you so very much for all that you do.

Sylvia Baran

(760) 641-1313

Fundraiser

Rosalind Miller, Chair

Raffle and Silent Auction

Greetings,

Did Santa bring you a holiday gift clearly meant for someone else?

The WCI raffle and silent auction committee would love to have all those holiday gifts you do not need or want.

We are hoping to make this year's fundraiser the best one yet. If you have items to donate, we will happily accept everything and anything. We are also looking for holiday items to make theme baskets for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Valentine's Day, New Year's, and any other holidays you celebrate.

Thank you all for your continued support and generosity.

Don't hesitate to get in touch with Rosalind Miller at 760-333-2374.

The Short List

Upcoming Events

📌Beginning of January, please report volunteer hours and contributions to Christal Cansino, dean@womansclubofindio.org by January 10th. You may report 2 hours if you flew the flag on December 25th, Christmas Day.

📌 Board Meeting via Zoom: Thursday, December 28th, 5:30 p.m. 

📌 Fly the Flag: January 1st, New Year’s Day   Happy New Year!

📌 General Meeting: Wednesday, January 3rd. Social time 11:30 a.m., lunch and meeting 12:00-1:00 p.m.

• Guest speaker: Claudia Castorena, CEO and Co-Founder, Galilee Center 
• Collection: Pajamas, winter clothes, socks, and underwear for CV Foster Kids
• Collection: Diapers, toilet paper, and paper towels for Shelter from the Storm
• Collection: Penny Pines
• Pay your $100 yearly dues if you have not done so

📌 Girls Love Mail: Wednesday, January 3rd, 1:15-2:00 p.m. in the library following the General Meeting. Learn about this organization and write letters to women recently diagnosed with cancer. Samples provided.

📌 Hours and Donations due Wednesday, January 10th. Please send December’s hours & donations and anything you forgot to report in 2023 to dean@womansclubofindio.org.



📌 Fly the Flag: January 15th, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 

📌 De Anza District Conference: Monday, January 15th, 9:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Calexico. Register on our website by January 3rd.

📌 Officer and Chair Club Award Entries due Friday, January 12th. Please send them to president@womansclubofindio.org.

📌 CV Rescue Mission:  Meal Service, January 27th, 10:00 a.m.-12 Noon. Must Register with health@womansclubofindio.org. See Community Action for list of other volunteer opportunities.

📌Galilee Center: Assemble Food Baskets, January, TBA. Contact ltorres@galileecenter.org. (See article.)

SAVE THE DATE

📌 General Meeting: Wednesday, February 7th, Social time 5:00 p.m., dinner and meeting 5:30-6:30 p.m.

• Election of Nominating Committee 
• Collection: Desert Mountain Care Center Winter Drive
• Collection: Eyeglasses for Lion’s Club
• Collection: Penny Pines

📌 Valentine Card Writing Workshop: Saturday, February 10th, 10:00-11:30 a.m. Heritage Palms Heritage Room (not a card room; see Heritage Palms map at end of newsletter.)

📌 CVRM Women’s Life Program: Decorate Cookies and Play with the Kids, February 17th, 10:00-11:30 a.m. Must register with health@womansclubofindio.org.

📌 ESO Meeting: Tuesday, February 20th, 6:00 p.m., Mario’s, Hwy 111, Indio. Book to discuss: West with Giraffes.

📌 Board Meeting via Zoom: Thursday, February 29th

📌 Mickie Reed’s Installation as De Anza District President: April 6th. Location to be determined.

Meetings and Programs for 2023-2024

Girls Love Mail

Following the January 3rd Meeting

Bonnie Tucker

Girls Love Mail — This organization distributes handwritten notes to women who have been newly diagnosed with breast cancer in hospitals across the country. Please attend a workshop in the library immediately following the January 3rd meeting at Heritage Palms. There will be a very brief introduction of why and how the program started, card writing guidelines, and the opportunity to write a card or two. We will provide the workshop materials and cards. Please bring a pen. This is a wonderful program that touches so many women’s lives and will fill you with gratitude. It’s a great way to kick off the new year! Please call Bonnie Tucker at 760.775.5886 if you have any questions. 

Leadership: Chair Reports

Community Action

Marcia Daniels, Chair

Some things old; some things new. In 2024, we will highlight old and new groups that can benefit from our assistance. But first, BIG SHOUT OUTS to all the WCI members who in December so generously contributed HUGE truckloads of new toys for kids at the Coachella Valley Rescue Mission (CVRM) and the Galilee Center (GC), as well as serving as Santa’s helpers for the Toy Giveaways at these two locations. And thanks, too, to our members who diligently and creatively made 117 Holiday Cards for residents at the Desert Mountain Care Center (DMCC) Nursing Home.

This month, we call on our members to support two important programs, the Coachella Valley Foster Kids and Shelter from the Storm.  

The CV Foster Kids was created to “change the trajectory of a foster youth’s life growing up in the system.” Currently, they are having a Winter Kids PJs, Clothing, Socks, and Underwear Drive. Please consider bringing these new, kid-size items to our meeting on January 3rd.

Shelter from the Storm was created to provide “comprehensive services to victims of domestic violence.” Currently, they are having a winter drive, too. Please bring diapers, toilet paper, and paper towels for the women and children to our meeting on January 3rd.

Monetary donations for either the CV Foster Kids Winter Drive or Shelter from the Storm Winter Drive can be made through our website (click here), sent to WCI PO Box 1503, Indio, CA 92202, or brought to our Treasurer, Claire Whitney, at our meeting on January 3rd. Please note whether you want your donation to go to Foster Kids or Shelter from the Storm.

We also note new and old activities where our members can help with meaningful actions, including:

• CVRM Meal Service: January 27th, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 noon. Help prep/serve meals. 
• CVRM Women’s Life Family Program: February 17th. Help decorate cookies and play with kids in the Women’s Life Family Program.

To volunteer at these CVRM activities, sign up at the WCI meeting on January 3rd or contact Marcia to RSVP.

• GC Assemble Food Baskets: TBA

To volunteer at GC, contact Lupe Hilario-Torres at ltorres@galileecenter.org or 760 396-9100)

• DMCC Pen Pals: Write cards or letters to a resident one or more times. Templates provided.
• DMCC Valentines Card Writing: February 10th, 10:00-11:30 a.m. in the Heritage Room (not card room), Heritage Palms

To volunteer for DMCC activities, sign up at the WCI meeting on January 3rd or contact Marcia to RSVP.

Questions/RSVPs: Contact Marcia Daniels at health@womansclubofindio.org or 818 235-7625. 

Volunteering at Galilee Center

Susan Everett, Chair

Interested in volunteering? Please contact the Galilee Center at 760-396-9100 or email Lupe Hilario-Torres at ltorres@galileecenter.org for more details and to register.

Address: Galilee Center, 66101 Hammond Road, Mecca, CA 92254

Rules for Volunteers: 

** Please arrive 20 minutes before events begin. 

 Dress Code: No sandals, shorts, open toe shoes or tank tops.

WCI members interested in joining the Galilee Center volunteer team, or if you have questions, please contact Susan Everett at susanleverett56@gmail.com or

510-333-1497.

Other Volunteer Opportunities

Mondays-Saturdays 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Help in store, warehouse, or food storage. Sweep,mop, organize, sort items and clothing, or move furniture

Tuesdays 9:30-11:00 a.m. Fill food baskets

Thursdays 9:30-11:00 a.m. Fill produce bags

Thursdays 2:15-4:00 p.m. Help load food boxes into vehicles' trunks. Fast paced. Must be able to lift approximately 25 pounds.

Advocates for Children

Rosalind Miller, Chair



CV Foster Kids

 "I can't wait to get home and sleep in my own bed."

How many times have you said or felt that? For foster children, the comfort of home and slipping into their beds for a good night's sleep was taken away.

Through the generosity of WCI, comfort is given back to many foster children in our community by the little things you have done. Every child who attends a juvenile court hearing, which often determines where they will be living next (on average, foster children move four to ten times), receives comfort items such as stuffed animals or blankets. The gifts help reduce the stress they experience in the courtroom. The pajamas and underwear you donate give these children dignity by having clean clothes to wear.

Another great organization is the CASA program, Voices for Children. You can be the voice of a child who needs a caring adult to be there just for them, listen, ask how they are doing, and be a positive role model in the child's life.

For more information about these great organizations, please get in touch with cvfosterkids@gmail.com or Brianna@speakupnow.org.

Arts & Culture

Karen Acker and Vicky Rutherford, Co-Chairs.

Agua Caliente Cultural Museum Permanent Gallery

There is a new and excellent Native American Museum next to the Agua Caliente Casino in downtown Palm Springs. The Agua Caliente Cultural Museum opened in November of this year and is dedicated to the culture of the Agua Caliente people. The nearly 10,000-square-foot space is divided into five exhibition areas, each offering a unique piece of the Agua Caliente story. 

Our Home introduces visitors to the Cahuilla Nation, which includes lands occupied by the Agua Caliente Band and the eight other bands of Cahuilla Indians.

Creation and Migration uses 360-degree projection and immersive digital animation to tell the Agua Caliente Creation and Migration stories in a theater setting.

Our Land explores the ancestral lands of the Agua Caliente people in more depth. Full-scale replicas of the Palm, Andreas, Tahquitz, and Chino Indian Canyons, as well as the Tribe’s sacred mineral hot spring, Se’c-he, can be found here, along with examples of Agua Caliente ceremonial practices, material culture, and artistic expression. 

Change, Adaptation, Self-Determination takes the visitor through the Tribe’s more recent history, beginning with the arrival of Euro-American settlers in the 19th century and ending in the present day, by way of a visual timeline and numerous audiovisual elements. 

Into the Future takes a step backward to focus on archaeology, specifically the artifacts discovered during the Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza excavations, including the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum and the Spa at Se’c-he. The manos, metates, and projectile points on display, carbon-dated as far back as approximately 8,000 years, demonstrate the Agua Caliente people’s longstanding occupation of this region.

Be sure to visit the museum. It has beautiful displays which are authentic and intriguing. The cost is very reasonable. You will be glad you took the time.  

It’s Contest Season!

Peg Boortz, De Anza District Arts & Culture Chair



The CFWC and De Anza District competitions will soon be here, and if you plan to enter one or more contests, please take note of this information.

Writing

Essays and poems had to be written in 2023.

Send printed work to Kay Masonbrink, 7746 Dutra Dr, Hemet, CA 92544 by

February 15th. For questions, first look at the linked material below, then check the information on the De Anza District website. If all else fails, call or email Peg at 760-345-9710 or pegboortz9@gmail.com.

Photography

Only photos taken in 2023.

Entry forms due to Peg Boortz by March 11, 2024.

Winning photographs will be sent to CFWC’s contest in April.

Arts and Crafts

Work could have been completed in any year. 

Send entry form to Peg Boortz by March 30, 2024.

Click on the links below to find complete instructions and forms for each contest.

Civic Engagement

Margaret Nieto, Chair

Domestic Violence

Barbara Fairbairn

Domestic & Sexual Violence Awareness & Prevention Chair

Domestic Violence Update

At our December WCI meeting, our speaker was Marcia Willett, the Domestic Violence Chair for CFWC. She has quite a bio and is an excellent speaker. Sorry if you missed it! 

She explained the Just One campaign that was launched in 2022. We are just rolling out our plans here in Indio. We meet the second Tuesday of each month, starting on January 9, 2024, in the Heritage Palms Library at 9:30 a.m. Please bring your thoughts and ideas on how we can continue Marcia’s campaign. Let’s brainstorm on other ways we might help our community and Shelter From the Storm, our newest nonprofit that we are supporting in Palm Desert.

If you are interested in joining our team, don't hesitate to contact me.

Barbara Fairbairn

714-328-9710 barb.fairbairn@gmail.com

Domestic Violence/Sexual Abuse Chair WCI

Shelter from the Storm

Barbara Fairbairn

Domestic & Sexual Violence Awareness & Prevention Chair

In the Coachella Valley, there are the CV Rescue Mission, a few shelters open during the summer heat, and eleven soup kitchens and food banks. However, we have only one local shelter for abused adults and children - Shelter from the Storm, directed by Angelina Coe for the last five years. When we spoke with Angelina, she told us there was no limit on the number of children one might bring to the shelter, but pets are prohibited. Currently, the shelter leases a large house that sleeps ten. There is no time limit on the length of stay. The hope is that with counseling and support, these families can leave at some point and not need to return. 

Shelter from the Storm is a not-for-profit organization, 501c3. Recently, WCI welcomed them into our family and offered our support. The shelter’s most significant need currently is paper products. We can help by donating paper products and diapers at the January 3rd meeting. 

ESO

Epsilon Sigma Omicron Literary Society

Ellen Cafferata, Chair

We hope everyone enjoyed the holiday season with friends and family. At our last meeting, the members of the Woman's Club of Indio ESO enjoyed the Reindeer Quiz, the entertaining "First Annual Dollar-Type Store Gift Exchange," and a delicious dinner at Mario's. We welcomed two new avid readers, Heidi Graham and Lynn Merritt.



We will not meet in January, but we chose our third book in the Travel and Geography category. Our February book is West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge. The book is a historical fiction account of how two giraffes traveled across the United States to the San Diego Zoo in 1938. 

Please join us on Tuesday, February 20, 2024. Just a reminder: Please record your ESO book reading hours and the number of books you read for ESO in 2023. Any book you read counts toward your ESO membership status. If you read a book but did not record the time you spent reading, you can use the following guideline. According to Google, it takes the average reader 8 hours and 18 minutes to read a 300-page book. Please report your hours to Christal Cansino (dean@womansclubofindio.org) no later than Wednesday, January 10, 2024. 

Environment

Yard of the Month

Bernadette Subia-Martinez

Recognition Chair

The Mendoza Family , 82092 Miles Avenue, Indio

The Mendoza Family has owned their home for 30 years. They added changes to their home five years ago to modernize the look of the home. All of the work was completed by Mr. And Mrs. Mendoza. 

Mrs. Mendoza did a wonderful job propagating all of her succulents from cuttings and placing them in her yard. 

Thank you, Mendoza Family, for letting us share your story and home with our members. 

Happy 2024! 

WOMAN’S CLUB OF INDIO PRESIDENTIAL HUMMINGBIRD GARDEN 

Below is a rough rendering (not to scale) of our planned garden art and signage. We have selected our art, shown below. Each artwork is 48”x30”, made of airplane-grade aluminum, and will not rust or fade. Each piece of artwork costs approximately $1,200. We selected this design because it is in our club color, and we felt that the layers symbolized how we have supported each other over our 111 years.

The signs in the middle will list the name of all the Club Presidents. We have not selected the signs yet, as we are trying to find the best option, allowing names to be added, but they will cost approximately $2,000 each. There will be hummingbird attracting plants.  

Please help us make our garden a reality, by making a general donation to the garden. Any amount will help. Or, you can choose to adopt a particular president. If you wish to adopt a president, donate $100 and your endorsement will be shown on the President’s page in the Presidential Garden booklet, or donate $500. Your contribution will not only be in the booklet, but also on a garden stepping-stone. The stepping-stones are available in several designs, such as the one below.

We are very excited by this garden, as it will be the only memorial dedicated to our club in our City of Indio.

2022-2024 Officer and Chair Contact Information

Membership

Dawn Gummer

On November 19, 2023, Dawn Gummer (front row in black dress and white lace jacket) was installed as the leader of a fraternal organization. Congratulations Dawn!

Meet Our New Member

Heidi Graham

I am a twin, and my birthplace was The Hague, the Netherlands. When I was six years old, our family of seven came to the United States. 

I am retired and spent 40+ years in banking. My career took me to managing employees and various departments in the Consumer Division. Employee Satisfaction, Diversity Network, and Career Opportunities were a few of the groups I was involved in. The groups allowed me to improve employee satisfaction and encourage and participate in volunteer work with the community. 

I am a recent widow with two daughters, three stepchildren, and several grandchildren. I enjoy being a grandma. I like reading, watching movies, and spending time with family, friends, and Labradoodle Nala.

I moved from Glendale, CA, to Indio in 2022 and enjoy desert living. I joined WCI to participate with other women, build friendships, and make a difference.

Care & Concern

Francine Henigan

We regret to announce that Francine Henigan’s husband, Terry, passed away after struggling with Alzheimer’s for several years. She would appreciate receiving cards and notes. Her address is 21291 Manzanillo, Mission Viejo, CA 92692. For our newer members: Francine was a WCI member for eight years, and she served as our Financial Secretary for two years and our Treasurer for four years.

Volunteer Spirit

Peg Boortz

Blankets for Kids

Our new members, Jane Williams and her mother, Sue Haney, have been spending their time making colorful, soft blankets for CV Foster Kids. We are proud to have them as new members who have the Volunteer Spirit! 

’Tis the Season to Be Giving

Thank you to the twenty-six members with big and generous hearts who signed up for the Indio Senior Center’s Giving Tree Project: Margaret Nieto, Community Civic Outreach Chair who organized the project, Lana Bathen, Katie Berger, Peg Boortz, Amelia Calderon, Christal Cansino, Marjorie Castro, Lulu Cofer, Marcia Daniels, Lena DiGregorio, Candy Dravage, Gail Fisher, Dawn Gummer, Michele Krapf, Arlene Handler-Smith, Fran Handler, Dona LaFrance, Marcia Meakim, Linda Mesman-Poirot, Bobbi Morris, Mickie Reed, Teresa Stafford, Vickie Statler-Ozburn, Bonnie Tucker, Julia Vasquez, and guest Gabriela Curry. Members bought the gifts shut-ins and people in need put on their wish lists for Christmas.

A group of crafty ladies deserves high praise for creating 117 holiday cards with paper, pens, stickers, and skill for the residents and staff at the Desert Mountain Care Center: Marcia Daniels, Community Action Chair who organized the event and brought the supplies and treats, Lana Bathen, Peg Boortz, Margo Handelsman, Michele Krapf, Trish Lounsbury, Peggy Mathieson, Bobbi Morris, Linda Pack, Victoria Rutherford, Gail Sand, Reiko Simmons, Lorraine Velona, and Claire Whitney.

Moment in Time

Fire Destroys Club Property

From a September 8, 1922 newspaper article submitted by Mickie Reed:

“Last Wednesday evening, the Wilmot home was destroyed by fire. The building was located one mile west of Indio and was known as the Durbrow mansion. Mr. and Mrs. Wilmot were away on their vacation, but there were several workmen on the ranch. How the fire started is not known. It was discovered in the bathroom, and the flames spread rapidly as the door was opened by one of the ranch men. The old mansion was of generous size and was of adobe construction. A cobblestone fireplace was recently built. There were wide verandas which almost circled the building. It was built by George Durbrow many years ago when he was the “salt king” of California.

The Wilmots had extended the use of one of the large rooms to the Women’s Club, and in it was kept all of the club property. A new piano, recently purchased for $750, and several hundred dollars worth of club property were lost.”

And yet, the club persevered. 

Birthdays & Anniversaries

January Birthdays

Alora Reed-Garcia - 5th

Claire Whitney - 11th

Ruth Ann Aguilera -14th

Christal Cansino - 17th

Betty Shaffer - 26th

Patti Stratton - 28th

January Anniversaries

Betty Shaffer - 30 years!

Marie Santana - 20 years

Pat Ruth - 18 years

Jackie Hagan - 17 years

Nancy Neufeld - 8 years

Christal Cansino - 2 years

Kimberly Barraza - 1 year

Marcia Becker - 1 year,

Betty Sassano - 1 year

Photo Galleries

Federation

Mickie Reed

Mickie Reed diligently and with remarkable energy worked her way through the District offices to the position of President of the De Anza District. She will be installed on April 6th at the Convention, tentatively scheduled to be held in Corona. Plan to attend to support her as a member of our club and as the new leader of the District.

De Anza District Conference

The conference will be held in Calexico on Monday, January 15th. Carpooling will be available. Use our website to register for the meeting by Wednesday, January 3rd. Let’s take a road trip to Calexico, not only to hear what is happening in our district and the other clubs, but to support the 20-member Woman’s Improvement Club of Calexico.

What’s happening in other clubs?

Read the Elsinore and De Anza District newsletters

to see their projects and events.

WCI Delivers is shared with these clubs and the district.

Heritage Palms Maps

We Thank and Support Our Sponsors

 Brought to you by the talented WCI Editorial Staff:

Peg Boortz & Dona LaFrance

www.WCIndio.org

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