The Zonta Paul, November 2007 Newsletter

Zonta Paul Volume 81 Issue 6 November 2007

Visit Zonta St. Paul at our Web site:
http://www.zontastpaul.org

PEGGY'S MESSAGE
Happy Birthday
Web Sites to Remember
Coming Meetings
Dinner Attendance Rules:
Zonta´s October Event
November Meeting
Holiday Bags:
Service:
DISTRICT CONFERENCE:
December Meeting:
Minneapolis Zonta Holiday Event
Good Health:
NOTE!
SEE YOU!:

PEGGY'S MESSAGE

Greetings!
I hope everyone was able to enjoy the beautiful sunshine and milder temperatures this past week. Lou and I enjoyed the weather by going to the 30,000 acre Crex Meadows Wildlife Refuge, just outside of Grantsburg, WI. Crex is one of our favorite places to go for a day trip. The following information can be found on their Crex Meadows Wildlife Area website.
Crex Meadows is located on a portion of what early writers referred to as the Northwest Wisconsin Pine Barrens. The "Barrens" is a long, narrow sand plain which extends from northern Polk County to southern Bayfield County and covers 1500 square miles. The southern portion of the "Barrens", where Crex is located, contains extensive sedge marshes which are remnants of Glacial Lakes.
Glacial till was deposited over all of Burnett County as a result of the retreat of the Wisconsin glacier 10-15,000 years ago. The till varies in thickness from a few feet up to 300 feet. A glacial lake, Glacial Lake Grantsburg, was formed as a result of this glacier. This lake drained away over the years but the deepest portions had poor drainage and gradually evolved into the shallow sedge marshes which dominate the area.
The soils of the sedge marshes consist of several feet of organic material over 100-300 feet of sand. Uplands have a thin, poorly developed topsoil over 100-300 feet of sand.
Crex contains the largest remnant of brush prairie and some of the most extensive sedge marshes in Wisconsin. One of the highlights of Crex is the number of endangered and threatened species. Crex has breeding populations of osprey, eagles, trumpeter swans, Karner blue butterflies, Blandings turtles, and red-necked grebes. Timber wolves have used the property on a regular basis in recent years and a pack has recently been designated the "Crex pack". Non resident endangered and threatened species include the Peregrine Falcon, common and Caspian Tern, and great egret.
Wildlife is especially abundant and visible during the fall migration when as many as 1000 bald eagles, 7000 Sand Hill cranes, 12,000 Canada and snow geese, and thousands of ducks are present. The spring migration is less spectacular with fewer individual animals but a much greater variety of species. We took these pictures last week.

Above from left to right are Sandhill Cranes, a River Otter and an unknown Hawk
Your mission, if you decide to accept it, is to name that hawk.
Guided tours of Crex are available to organized groups (e.g. schools, clubs, and organizations) upon request. Visitors will learn about the history and management of this unique area. Plenty of time is allowed for viewing and discussing plants and wildlife. Tours generally last one to two hours.
Groups must provide their own transportation for the tour. Most groups use school buses or charter buses. Car pooling is suitable for small groups. Tours are available at no cost to non-profit groups but donations are welcomed.
If any Zontians have an interest in going to Crex Meadows, the Center has a spring event and a fall event which includes a tour via bus, etc. of the refuge or we could contact Crex Meadows for a tour and discussion for a tour with a knowledgeable Crex volunteer this coming spring/summer.

Peggy

Ha pp y B ir th da y

11/03 Pat Richards

11/21 Dorothy Swanson

"Web Sites to Remember"

Zonta International
http://www.zonta.org

Zonta District 7
http://www.zontadistrict7.org

The Jeremiah Program
http://www.jeremiahprogram.org/

Minnesota Visiting Nurse Agency Club 100
http://www.mvna.org/club_100.htm

Women's Advocates, Inc.
http://www.wadvocates.org
Minnesota Women's Consortium
http://www.mnwomen.org/
Neighborhood House
"http://www.neighb.org/default.asp"

American Association of University Women
http://www.aauwstpaul.org/

Women's Prison Book Project
http://prisonactivist.org/wpbp/index.html

Minnesota Department of Transportation Aviation Education
http://www.dot.state.mn.us/aero/aved/index.html

Calendar of Meetings for the Upcoming Year:

November 27, 2007 - Business Meeting and Service Project at
Phyllis and Erma´s at Cherokee Avenue, St. Paul.

December 11^th 2007 Holiday Get-together - Dorothy´s complex.

January 8, 2008 - Program meeting at the Ordway, the
Schubert Club presents Isabel Bayrakdarian. Tickets appear to be limited, so this venue may change.

February 2008 - Joint Meeting with Minneapolis at their meeting location.

March 25, 2008 - Business Meeting and Service Project -
location to be determined.

April 22, 2008 - Program meeting with service project - location to be determined.

May 57, 2008 - Business Meeting at Shirley´s.

Dinner Attendance Rules
Members are to call Dorothy if they are unable to attend no later than the scheduled date provided in the current newsletter, or the Friday before the monthly meeting date. If you do not call, it will be assumed that you are attending and you will be billed for that meeting.
If you are unable to attend due to last minute circumstances, you will be billed for that meeting.

Zonta´s October Event:

Zonta’s October event was enjoyed by thirteen members and guests. The play at the Park Square Theatre was superbly done and as the play progressed the three actors became their characters. The mysticism portrayed in the play gave way to questioning reality of God and faith.
I would venture that each one of us knew someone in while we were growing up who became pregnant and was unmarried. Back then, knowledge of the pregnant teen was much more common than knowledge of any physical, emotional or sexual abuse in a family in the community. The shame of the pregnancy often gave way to sending the young woman away for a period of time (perhaps visiting an “aunt”), after which she would return… alone. The shame of the physical, emotional or sexual abuse was a secret which was never to be discussed outside of the home.
To some extent, these same situations exist in our communities today. While progress has been made, there is much more that needs to be done. As Zontians, we can help make a difference.
And, as Thanksgiving approaches, I hope that each of you will be spending time with friends and family making wonderful memories.

November Meeting
The November meeting will be Tuesday, November 27th and will be in the party room at Phyllis and Erma’s at Cherokee Avenue, St. Paul, Minnesota 55107-2643.
This will be a service meeting as we will be making blankets for our service project. This is another event we can all invite friends and families to come join us. Please bring fabric cutting scissors if you have them. If anyone has leftover fleece from our last project, please bring it to the November session. I have purchased additional fabric for this project.
We can start making blankets at early as 3 p.m. (Phyllis has reserved the room starting at that time). Phyllis and Erma will be hosting our meal. The cost for the meeting will be $20. The dinner proceeds will be going to fund service projects. We will be eating dinner around 5:30.
Please call Dorothy by Friday, November 23rd to let her know whether you will or will not be able to attend. She will need to let Phyllis and Erma know how many will be at the meeting.
Anyone needing transportation to the meeting, please call Romelle or me.
Thank you to Phyllis and Erma for hosting our November meeting! It will give us all a chance to reconnect with you two. We are so grateful for all the support you have given Zonta St. Paul over the past many years.

Holiday Bags:
We will once again be making Holiday bags for MVNA Club 100 clients. Please bring goodies to the November meeting. We will plan on making between 20-25 bags. We will purchase items to add to the donated items. Club 100 clients who receive these bags often have no other Holiday gifts and these bags provide the Club 100 nurses with resources to help those families during this time of year.

Service:
We have two more service projects scheduled for the spring. If you have any ideas for possible projects, please let Judy or Carole know so we can check them out. Currently we have another blanket making project and hope to have a project with the Jeremiah Program in St. Paul.
And, speaking of service... I know that many of you have service projects that you do that are independent of Zonta. It is just part of our nature, I guess. Each one of us can make a difference as individuals too. I thought it would be appropriate to share what one of our members is doing.
Romelle has been involved with Little Brothers - Friends of the Elderly (LBFE) for the past five years and was recently profiled in their Volunteer Newsletter. Romelle has helped serve elders homemade meals at the LBFE summer parties. Knowing Romelle, I am sure that she is extending a friendly smile, engaging in conversation as well as serving meals. Like so many volunteer projects, she comes away feeling she has received so much more than she has given.
If you have a project that you would like focused in the upcoming newsletters, just let me know. It is a good way to keep each of us informed about what we are doing for service to our communities.
MVNA will be having its annual booth at Har-Mar Mall - Gifts for Families/Adopt A Family sometime during late November - early December. They have asked for 8-10 volunteers, some weekdays and/or Saturday and Sundays for 3 hour shifts. I have talked to Michelle (who has replaced Susan Anderson as Club 100 Volunteer Coordinator) about our club helping out at this event and selling poinsettias at their booth. As in the past, proceeds from our Poinsettia Sale have gone to help fund our recipient organizations, of which Club 100 is a part of. She will be getting back to us on whether this will work for them as well as dates and times.
In the event that this is a no-go, we will be looking at selling the Poinsettias at a local bank or possibly a local business. We will keep you posted on the status of this project.
Shirley has sent out the Poinsettia Sales information to each of you and you should have received your packet by now. If not, please contact Shirley. Let´s make this a successful event, since it is our major fund-raiser for the year.

DISTRICT CONFERENCE:
The district conference was held on the weekend of October 5-7th. Carole, Romelle and Shirley attended from our Club. The Minneapolis Club hosted the event, which included speakers on trafficking and a progressive dinner. We had a table at the event which included silent auction items and an original watercolor of lilacs (donated graciously by Dorothy Swanson). The total proceeds from the event were $282, which will be used for service. Thank you to Romelle for all your efforts in procuring the silent auction items and for taking care of the sales table at the event.
Also, three of our members were recognized at the District Conference for their many years of service – Virginia, Evelyn and Lauraine! Congratulations ladies!

December Meeting:
Our Christmas get-together will be at Dorothy’s at Becketwood on Tuesday, December 11th. The cost will be $20. Please call Dorothy by Friday December 7th to let her know whether or not you will be able to attend. If you are unable to attend after making your reservation, you will be billed for the dinner since Dorothy is obligated for the number of reservations made. Our dinner reservations are promptly at 5:30, and we all need to be seated by that time. Dorothy has suggested that we meet at her place by 5:15, so that we can leave coats, etc. and then move down to the dining area.
We will need to sign in as we come into the building. If you arrive close to the 5:30 time, then you will want to wait in the lobby area. After our dinner, Dorothy has invited us back to her place for fun and entertainment.

Minneapolis Zonta Holiday Event:

Let your “Light” Shine Through - The Zonta Club of Minneapolis 2007 Annual Holiday Event!
This is the 19th annual event for Zonta Club of Minneapolis and will be held Sunday, November 11, 2007, from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the International Market Square, 275 Market Street, Minneapolis. Their beneficiary is WAND (Women Achieving New Directions), a non-profit organization committed to the career and economic self- sufficiency of single lower income, working mothers. Janie Jasin, nationally known author and humorist, will be the guest speaker for the event. Janie is the author of The Littlest Christmas Tree and Heart in Hands... The day's highlights include a gourmet lunch from D’Amico, holiday shopping at our boutiques and a silent auction. They will have a raffle in addition to the silent auction. Raffle tickets can be purchased at $5 per ticket before or on the day of the event. You do not need to be present to win. Tickets to the event are $35 each.

Good Health:

Hand washing:
An easy way to prevent infection! Excerpts from Mayo’s web site:
Hand washing is a simple habit, something most people do without thinking. Yet hand washing, when done properly, is one of the best ways to avoid getting sick. This simple habit requires only soap and warm water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer — a cleanser that doesn't require water.

The dangers of not washing your hands

Despite the proven health benefits of hand washing, many people don't practice this habit as often as they should — even after using the toilet. Throughout the day you accumulate germs on your hands from a variety of sources, such as direct contact with people, contaminated surfaces, foods, even animals and animal waste. If you don't wash your hands frequently enough, you can infect yourself with these germs by touching your eyes, nose or mouth. And you can spread these germs to others by touching them or by touching surfaces that they also touch, such as doorknobs.
Infectious diseases that are commonly spread through hand-to-hand contact include the common cold, flu and several gastrointestinal disorders, such as infectious diarrhea. While most people will get over a cold, the flu can be much more serious. Some people with the flu, particularly older adults and people with chronic medical problems, can develop pneumonia. The combination of the flu and pneumonia, in fact, is the eighth-leading cause of death among Americans.
Inadequate hand hygiene also contributes to food-related illnesses, such as salmonella and E. coli infection. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as many as 76 million Americans get a food-borne illness each year. Of these, about 5,000 die as a result of their illness. Others experience the annoying signs and symptoms of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Proper hand-washing techniques

Good hand-washing techniques include washing your hands with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Antimicrobial wipes or towelettes are just as effective as soap and water in cleaning your hands but aren't as good as alcohol-based sanitizers.
Antibacterial soaps have become increasingly popular in recent years. However, these soaps are no more effective at killing germs than is regular soap. Using antibacterial soaps may lead to the development of bacteria that are resistant to the products' antimicrobial agents — making it even harder to kill these germs in the future. In general, regular soap is fine. The combination of scrubbing your hands with soap — antibacterial or not — and rinsing them with water loosens and removes bacteria from your hands.
To wash with soap and water, wet your hands with warm, running water and apply liquid soap or use clean bar soap. Lather well and rub your hands vigorously together for at least 15 to 20 seconds.
Scrub all surfaces, including the backs of your hands, wrists, between your fingers and under your fingernails. Rinse well. Dry your hands with a clean or disposable towel. Use a towel to turn off the faucet.
Alcohol-based hand sanitizers — which don't require water — are an excellent alternative to hand washing, particularly when soap and water aren't available. They're actually more effective than soap and water in killing bacteria and viruses that cause disease. Commercially prepared hand sanitizers contain ingredients that help prevent skin dryness. Using these products can result in less skin dryness and irritation than hand washing.

CDC recommends choosing products that contain at least 60 percent alcohol.
To use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, apply about 1/2 teaspoon of the product to the palm of your hand, rub your hands together, covering all surfaces of your hands, until they're dry.
If your hands are visibly dirty, however, wash with soap and water, if available, rather than a sanitizer.

Always wash your hands:

After using the toilet

After changing a diaper — wash the diaper-wearer's hands, too

After touching animals or animal waste

Before and after preparing food, especially before and immediately after handling raw meat, poultry or fish

Before eating

After blowing your nose

After coughing or sneezing into your hands

Before and after treating wounds or cuts

Before and after touching a sick or injured person

After handling garbage

Before inserting or removing contact lenses

When using public restrooms, such as those in airports, train stations, bus stations and restaurants

Hand washing doesn't take much time or effort, but it offers great rewards in terms of preventing illness. Adopting this simple habit can play a major role in protecting your health.

Note:

As always, please let me know if you have any information to share;
I would be happy to include it in our newsletter.
Any and all ideas will be entertained!

SEE YOU!:

See you all on November 27^th!