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Wintersville club meeting includes presentation of 50-year service pin

Holiday Splendor planning to begin

MEETING HIGHLIGHTS — Wintersville Woman’s Club President Pat Ketzell, right, was presented her 50-year GFWC pin by Marjean Sizemore, president of the GFWC/OFWC. -- Janice Kiaski

WINTERSVILLE — Pat Ketzell, president of the GFWC Wintersville Woman’s Club, was formally presented her 50-year GFWC pin when the club held its July meeting at the St. Florian Event Center in Wintersville.

The presentation was made by Marjean Sizemore, who is continuing in her 2020-22 term as the 62nd president of General Federation of Women’s Clubs/Ohio Federation of Women’s Clubs. “It’s one of the fun things I get to do,” commented Sizemore, who also is a Wintersville club member, before reading a congratulatory letter to Ketzell from Marian Simmons-St. Clair, GFWC international president.

“On behalf of the membership of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, I extend our best wishes and congratulations to you upon the celebration of 50 years of service to your community and state as a member of a GFWC club,” the letter began. “What a noteworthy milestone this is! It gives me great pleasure to recognize the commitment and dedication with which you have served in the GFWC Wintersville Woman’s Club these many years. Both GFWC Ohio and the General Federation of Women’s Clubs celebrate with you. Please know that your devotion to volunteer community service with the GFWC Wintersville Woman’s Club is very much appreciated. You have spent these years contributing to GFWC’s proud tradition of achievement, but more importantly, you have helped ensure the continuation of that legacy into the future,” it noted.

“It is wonderful to get this honor,” Ketzell said.

The business meeting included mention of Holiday Splendor, the club’s key fundraiser that returns this year after a pandemic-induced absence in 2020. It will be held Dec. 5 at St. Florian Event Center with co-chairs being Ketzell, Iris Craig and Aimee Jaros, the latter of whom confirmed that Cato’s will do the fashion show. Event chairmen will be meeting to plan for the fundraiser that generates money for scholarship awards.

In other club news:

≤ Barb Grimm encouraged members to collect and bring pill bottles minus their labels to the next meeting, which will be Sept. 16. They will be collected on an ongoing basis to benefit the Matthew 25: Ministries, which has a two-fold benefit that includes recycling and distributing medicine in developing countries.

≤ Michalene King distributed information to club members on submitting new items for the club newsletter that she will edit and make available beginning in September. It will include upcoming events, the president’s message and health information. She welcomed ideas and suggestions.

≤ Ketzell reminded members about Leadership Day in Columbus with the Wintersville club serving as hostess. She thanked Kate Sedgmer for preparing welcoming bags. Ketzell added that the club will be the hostess for the Southeast District Conference which will be held Oct. 3 in Belpre.

≤ The meeting’s guest speaker was Louise Holliday, Jefferson County environmental educator for the Jefferson/Belmont Regional Solid Waste Authority (JB Green Team) whose 30-year career began with Clean Community System Steubenville/Wintersville, then Jefferson County Recycling and Litter Prevention.

Introduced by Iris Craig, first vice president, Holliday conducts classroom environment-oriented presentations and activities that during a normal school year would involve as many as 29 schools in Jefferson County and more than 2,000 students. As the environmental educator, she is instrumental in planning and implementing recycling and litter prevention education and awareness campaigns, including the importance of reducing, reusing and recycling.

Although COVID-19 made it not possible to have the in-person “Trashy Art” event at the Fort Steuben Mall, a successful alternative was held on Facebook, she told club members. It is an activity where students are encouraged to make something out of items they have around the house. Visitors to the display vote for their favorite, and any money generated benefits teachers with prizes for the winning students.

Letters are going out to schools to let them know Holliday is available for presentations.

“The adult presentations are going really well, and I really appreciate you having us here,” she said, noting the average person generates 4.5 pounds of garbage a day. With recycling and composting, that can be reduced drastically.

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