The Florida Lamp

FLORIDA STATE COUNCIL, ESA www.esaflorida.net January 2016

floridalamp@hotmail.com

2015-2016 EXECUTIVE BOARD

President Barbara Fry

1st Vice-President Ida Schultz

2nd Vice-President Trudie Myers

Recording Secretary Christine Bishop

Corresponding Secretary Sue Ceriale

Treasurer Laurel Lichtenberger Philanthropic Director

Sherry Cavaretta Education Director Alisha Hulslander Jr. Past President/

Disaster Fund Chairman Lin King

2014-2015

APPOINTED OFFICERS Audit Chairman

Mary Sosa/Amy Holloway Awards

Kayla Andux, Alisha Hulslander

Care Connection Karen Rennacker

Chaplain Margaret Post

Sr. ESA Foundation Counselor Verna Cornell

Jr. ESA Foundation Counselor Pamela Masoud

Sr. Easter Seals Coordinator Lucy Hague

Jr. Easter Seals Coordinator Sandra Edwards Executive Advisor

Barbara Kalm Hope for Heroes Janice Dietrich Sr. Lamp Editor

Sue Ceriale Outstanding Youth Coord.

Barbara Floyd Parliamentarian Robin Allred

PPA/Credentials Kayla Andux

St. Jude Coordinator Karen Rennacker

Jr. St. Jude Coordinator

Scrapbook Chairman Alisann Del Favero

SERC State Coordinator Pinky Barbour

Webmaster Lin King

President’s Message...Barbara Fry

“Each day comes bearing its own gifts, untie the ribbons”.

–Ruth Ann Schabacker

Well, here we are at the end of 2015 and the beginning of 2016, a new year to begin again with hope and a sense of excitement. I know you all have heard this before and you have probably said it yourself “when I was young, time would not pass by fast enough and the older I get it flies by so fast that I am always saying “where has the time gone”? I hope and pray you all had a good holiday season.

There will be a State Board Meeting on January 9th, 2016 at 10:00am in Cocoa Beach. Sue Ceriale will be sending out directions and she will take orders for lunch but I do want you to “hold” the date. Everyone is invited to attend, remember this is your board and you are always welcome.

Our Leadership 2016 hosted by Sigma Phi in Clermont on March 5th, 2016. Please do not forget that you can have some input into this meeting, any ideas you would like to see at Leadership? Let me know what your ideas are. A registration form is included in this issue. This form can also be found on the Florida website. Have you checked out the Florida Website lately? It has some really good recipes listed along with lots of information we need as members of ESA.

****************************Important Dates*****************************

Scholarship Applications are done on line and must be submitted no later than February 1st. (See page 43 of the Florida State Council Yearbook for complete details).

Have you thought about becoming a “State Council Officer”? It took me a long time but I am so glad that I took the plunge, even with all I have going on; it has been a wonderful journey for me. Thank you to my sisters who encouraged me to move on. The “Florida State Council Officer nomination Form” is on page 19 of the current yearbook, the deadline for this is Postmarked by February 15th. Fill it out and send it to 1st Vice President/President Elect (Ida Schultz). You can also let Ida know if you would like to hold an appointed office.

Any state bylaw changes must be sent to the State Parliamentarian on or before February 1st of current year, (on page 33 of the yearbook there are some helpful hints for Parliamentarian – Bylaws for the state). I know we always groan when the word bylaws comes up but they are very important to making things run smoothly so we all can enjoy what we do to make ESA continue on. I bet there are few of you who run your homes without some kind of order in place, a budget, memory books (scrapbooks) and all kinds of schedules.

I have had some really good experiences lately starting with Epsilon Gamma’s Christmas Auction in Deland which benefits St. Jude. What a wonderful job these ladies did to make everything so special for all who attended. There were 15 members from ESA attending and we enjoyed good food, and the joy of wining some great items. They did mention they would be doing this again about the same time next year and I can say you won’t want to miss going.

I have had the privilege to do a Pledge Ceremony for Epsilon Lambda’s newest member Leanne Lawson. Thank you for allowing me to attend your Christmas Party also.

Alpha Nu invited past members to their Christmas Party and since I became a member

when I moved to Brevard County 20 years ago, I went. What fun to learn some “ESA Facts”

(which I will share with you at another time) and as always I enjoyed the fellowship with Alpha

Nu members.

Nu Alpha is planning their “Olde Bags & Baskets Auction & Luncheon on February 20th, 2016 in Cocoa Beach which will benefit Florida School for the Deaf & Blind.

President’s Message...Barbara Fry (cont.) Thank you also to all who participated in the

Wreaths Across America. Janice said there was a good response and she has her report in this issue.

As a last thought, please think about someone who is a “hero” to you and let me know. I have not heard from anyone yet and I know there must be someone out there. You all are my heroes and I am thankful for you,

Barbara

1st Vice President -- Ida Schultz Our Happy Holidays are over and I didn’t get any

snow this Christmas, so I will wait and see what Denver has to

offer me in February! I’m excited not only about the

possibility of cold weather and snow; I’m excited at the

wonder of Leadership for all of the 2016/2017 State

Presidents. I’m looking forward to learning more about ESA

and new ideas. Where is ESA leading us in the future?

Over the past 2 weeks as my husband has been

hospitalized, I had time to stop and reflect on my past. How

have I made a difference to others in the philanthropic projects

that I love so dearly: St. Jude’s (the children and families that

have been in the care of this hospital), FARA, FSDB, Easter

Seals, local charities and our own members? I feel that by

being a part of ESA that these children are receiving the best

care possible and that their family’s needs are met. I am so

proud to be a part of an organization that is more than willing,

wanting and looking forward to helping others in any way

possible to see that there is hope for many. I will put a smile

on my face and in my heart as I register runners at the next

walk or run, answer another telephone, put on a fashion show,

work a sports event….or bring a new member into this ESA

family.

We, yes WE, have a wonderful organization, a group

of members who make a difference! Florida needs to carry

ESA into the future. I am asking for volunteers to come

forward and let me know what you will do for our Florida

State Council this next year. We need new members, officers

and appointed board members to help make FSC work. Please

send an email if you are interested in learning about any

position on the board! Fill out the “Florida State Council

Officer Nomination Form” on page 19 of your year book and

return this to me by Feb. 15, 2016. There are Florida members

out there that would make excellent candidates and I would

like to know your interest in seeing Florida grow in the future.

Remember that one person can make a difference, but many

can move mountains! Looking forward to hearing from you!

In ESA love, Ida Schultz, 1st Vice President/President Elect

2nd Vice President – Trudie Myers

New Year greetings to all my Florida

ESA sisters. I hope that 2016 brings you

purpose in your lives and the love, caring,

and enjoyment that ESA brings.

I have received a bid for Mid Year

2016, and State Convention 2017. I am still

2nd Vice President – Trudie Myers (cont.) looking for a bid for Leadership 2017. It

would be fun to have multiple bids

resulting in fun-loving competitive

presentations at this year’s convention.

Remember it’s hosting, not doing the

meeting!

I am also looking for sisters to step up

and tell me they would love to serve on

next year’s Executive Board for anyone of

the following positions: Junior Easter Seals

Coordinator, Junior ESA State Foundation

Counselor, and Junior St. Jude

Coordinator. I know Florida ESA is full of

leaders who would like to get their feet wet

and step into a not too demanding role. I

challenge you to let me know you are

willing to take the leap and help maintain

Florida as the positive example of what ESA

is about.

Treasurer – Laurel Lichtenberger Please remember to let me know of any

address changes or changes in membership. If you pledge a new member, please send me their information and $20.00 per jewel pin, pledge, transfer or reinstated member who joins between June 1 and December 31 of the current year, or $10.00 for a pledge, transfer or reinstated member who joins between January 1 and May 31 of the current year. Make your checks payable to: Florida State Council, ESA Int’l and send to me at 3609 S. Banana River Blvd., C308; Cocoa Beach, FL 32931.

Just a reminder that Chapters are encouraged to contribute $10 to SERC beginning January 1st to the SERC Treasurer Gail Marchant at 6960 Cowan Mill Road Winston, GA 30187. I would like to wish everyone in the Florida State Council and very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! See you at the Board meeting on January 9th!

Educational Director – Alisha Hulslander Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to

all of you!! I am having such a blast

reading all of your educationals! Thank

you so much for getting them to me in

time. I wanted to give my address again

to be sure that everyone will be sending

Educational Director – Alisha Hulslander

(cont.) them to the correct place. 344 Country Club Drive, Oldsmar, Fl. 34677. Please,

please only use this address to send me

anything! Also please be sure to review

your yearbooks one more time before the

end of the year to be sure you get those

last reports to me by the correct date :)

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a

Happy New Year!

Alisha

Jr. Past President/Disaster Chairman,

Lin King At Mid-Year I mentioned a Sister-in-Need

who has had an extremely tragic year. At that time

I asked that every chapter have a fundraiser

specifically for this lady and send the check made

payable to Lambda Xi to me. Lambda Xi will then

write a check to our Sister in order to keep her

identity private. We also passed a hat for a special

love gift for her. We collected over $400. When

she received the money, she was overwhelmed and

grateful for your generosity. I have since received 3

donations for her which she will receive this week.

Please let this serve as a reminder that this

Sister still needs our support. She is having major

financial difficulties. She applied for and received

money from the Disaster Fund. Although it helped,

it can’t carry her. I hope you can find it in your

hearts to have a fundraiser for this Sister.

She had a procedure December 9 for one of

the aneurysms and is scheduled in January for

surgery for the other aneurysm.

If you want more information, contact me. I

will not reveal her name or contact information but

will discuss her situation with you.

Lin King Jr. Past President/Disaster Fund Chair

Awards – Kayla Andux & Alisha Hulslander

Hello Friends!

We are very excited about being your

award co-chairs this year. We know that

you all will be our "hero's" by showing your

talent and participating in the state

awards. Please take the time to review the

awards paying close attention to the BOLD

Awards – Kayla Andux & Alisha Hulslander

(cont,)

and underlined words and phrases. It is SO

important that you take the time when

filling out the awards forms. I wanted to

highlight some (but not all.)

On page 49 of your yearbook is the

awards cover page. Here it highlights that

anything submitted must be IN THE NAME

OF ESA. Year after year we get entries that

include volunteer type hours that are more

like a “job” and are NOT in the name of

ESA and while we appreciate anytime that

you give its important to keep it fair for

everyone. If you could not replace

yourself for that position you are

“volunteering” for with another ESA

member, then it is probably not in the

name of ESA. As always if you are unsure,

please contact us and we will let you

know.

Page 56- Outstanding Youth. Please

brainstorm any child you know grades 6-12

and encourage them to apply for this

award. Also PLEASE be sure they SIGN AND

DATE the essay. Yes that means signature

NOT PRINT even if you have to teach them

how to do it.

Page 60 – Individual Philanthropic

Award form. This form is where you keep

track of anything you do as an INDIVIDUAL

not chapter. This includes St. Jude, Easter

Seals and local projects. The months and

projects should be listed separate on this

form. Please let us know if you have any

questions.

There is no longer an award for

scrapbooks but you are more than

welcome to bring it in for display.

Association of the Arts Thank you to

those people who submitted an

association of the arts entry last year. It

was a very disappointing turn out and

some wanted to get rid of the association

all together. It will be there this year at

convention and I know you will not

Awards – Kayla Andux & Alisha Hulslander

(cont,)

disappoint. LET’S SHOW EVERYONE WHAT

WE CAN DO! Please send an approx.

number of entries when you send in your

awards forms so we can be prepared and

let us know if you need any ideas. Most of

the categories remain the same. The two

changes were the combining of Hand

needlework and hand quilting as well as

machine needlework and machine

quilting.

Thank you for all of your support.

PLEASE call or email if you have any

questions at ANYTIME. If you give us time

when you send your awards, we WILL

check for errors. Andux04@gmail.com

Kayla and Alisha

Chaplain, Margaret Post Hi Everyone,

When this is printed, Christmas will be over

and a new year will have begun. There’s a

lovely poem, “Let’s Forget”, by Charles L.

H. Wagner, that sets a perfect path for us

to follow for the new year ahead.

Let’s forget the many troubles that

the year now gone has brought.

Let’s forget its pain and sorrow. Let’s

forget our burdened lot.

Let new hope and courage cheer

us. Sunshine always follows rain.

There’s a challenge in the future.

We are needed now, again!

Let’s forget deflated values. Money

is no gauge of souls.

Let’s forget restricted markets. Profit

lies in higher goals.

Serve in love some weaker person.

There’s so many need your smile.

Make the whole year bright for

others. Then your life will be worthwhile.

Let’s forget distrust and hatred. War

from fear is oft aborning.

Let’s forget our narrow boundings.

Work for peace and greet its dawning.

Chaplain, Margaret Post (cont.) Let’s forget the self that’s held us in

our petty, cabined state.

Let us meet our challenge boldly,

and in meeting it, be great!

May your new year be blessed with

good health, happiness, prosperity,

laughter and love. And we can’t forget to

be thankful for these and all our other

blessings.

God bless you all.

Love,

Margie

Foundation Counselor…Verna Cornell

(Sr.) & Pam Masoud (Jr.)

REMINDER - The ESA Foundation awards numerous scholarships annually, you do not have to be an ESA member to apply for a scholarship, and our application process is online. Any completed application / accompanying documents submitted by December 15, and approved for judging will be eligible for a drawing to be awarded a $1000 Early Bird Scholarship as funds permit. The final deadline for 2016-17 academic year scholarships is February 1, 2016.

Hope for Heroes/Wreaths Across

America...Janice Dietrich The Wreaths Across America (WWA) story

began over 20 years ago when the Worcester

Wreath Company from Harrington, Maine,

initiated a tradition of donating and placing

wreaths on the headstones of fallen heroes at

Arlington National Cemetery.

There are over 750,000 developed

gravesites in the nation’s 133 national

cemeteries and Puerto Rico. This year, it is

estimated that over 400,000 wreaths were

placed nationwide, by more than 150,000

volunteers, as part of WAA’s annual wreath-

laying ceremony. WAA’s goal in this annual

event is to “teach the younger generation

about the sacrifices made by veterans and

their families to preserve our freedoms.” It is a

part of WAA’s mission to “remember, honor

and teach.”

Hope for Heroes/Wreaths Across

America...Janice Dietrich (cont.) All 133 VA national cemeteries receive

at least seven wreaths, one for each service

branch, one for the Merchant Marine and one

for Prisoners of War and those Missing in Action

(POW/MIA). But, it was not always the case in

Florida.

In the summer of 2006 a group of U.S.

Military Veterans came across the Wreaths

Across America website and realized that the

Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, one of

eight national cemeteries in Florida, had not

been enrolled to receive wreaths. The U.S.

Military Vets Motorcycle Club with pride and

ambition hosted the wreath-laying ceremony

that same year to honor their fallen brothers

and sisters. They may have started out small

but they did it with honor and pride; so, with 7

ceremonial wreaths, 40 people in attendance

and in pouring rain, they held the first

ceremony at Bushnell.

The tradition has continued and our ESA

sisters around the state joined with other

volunteers to lay wreaths at the 8 national

cemeteries in Florida. The cemetery at Bushnell

is the largest national cemetery in Florida with

over 140,000 gravesites. Wreaths are

sponsored for a donation of $15 each and last

year over 10,000 wreaths were laid here by

12,000 volunteers at Florida National. We don’t

have a count for this year yet, but we have to

believe it will exceed that number.

Janice Dietrich, WAA volunteer group

leader for Florida ESA, and Florida ESA Hope for

Heroes Chair, announced that 13 Florida

chapters sponsored a total of 131 wreaths this

year. She is asking those Florida chapters who

participated in any WAA wreath-laying

ceremony to send her any photos they took of

the event so she can create a collage to be

shared with all.

Lamp Editor...Sue Ceriale Happy New Year…Reminder: The next

deadline is March 1st for the April 2016 issues of The Lamp.

Outstanding Youth Coordinator,

Barbara Floyd Happy New Year! Thanksgiving behind us.

Christmas behind us. And, now a New Year is upon us.

Outstanding Youth Coordinator,

Barbara Floyd (cont.) I’m not sure whether I should be happy or sad.

Sad because I missed many opportunities to do good; but, happy that I have another chance to do better. And, speaking of doing better, I hope that you have been looking around you and found a youth or two to sponsor for our Outstanding Youth Award. March is fast approaching with the deadline of the 31st, so time is getting short. The award forms, both Middle School and High School, are found in your State Yearbook on pages 56 and 57. Be sure to read the requirements thoroughly. Get all signatures and submit before the deadline of MARCH 3l—that’s a Thursday. It’s really not that hard and I’m positive that you know of at least one young person to nominate. We would love to have LOTS of entries. We’re depending on YOU!

Barbara Floyd

Scrapbook Chairman,

Alisann Del Favero I'm trying to collect the photos for President

Barbara’s scrapbook. Please send any photos of your ESA events to: myshopper@cfl.rr.com. Please include what the event is and who is in the picture. A picture of your chapter members would also be nice to include.

IC Recording Secretary, Maria Bingheim

Happy Fall! Hopefully it is going

smoothly. As I tried to think about what to

write as a recording secretary, I struggled

somewhat. Then it came to me. This time I

want to share what you as a member can

do to help the recording secretary do her

job. If you are giving a report at your

meeting, please have a typed copy of

your report for the recording secretary.

Even if she is recording the meeting, this will

help her keep the facts straight (especially

if your report includes numbers and

financial information). It is also a good

idea to have a typed copy of your report

for the presiding officer and for your AV

person.

Until next time—Trick or Treat .

Maria Bingheim, IC recording Secretary

2016 INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION “REACHING NEW HEIGHTS IN ESA”

July 10 – 17, 2016

Embassy Suites Loveland –

Hotel, Spa and Conference Center

Loveland, Colorado

Plan to spend the week of July 10-

17, 2016 at the Embassy Suites Loveland -

Hotel, Spa and Conference Center, 4705

Clydesdale Pkwy, Loveland, CO 80538. This

is our award-winning hotel for the 2016 IC

Convention. Expect spacious suites, featuring a private bedroom and separate living room, with a wet bar, mini-refrigerator, microwave and coffeemaker. Each suite features two queen or one king bed and a pullout sofa sleeper. Savor the complimentary cooked-to-order breakfast as well as an evening reception with free drinks. Other hotel amenities include free parking and a complimentary shuttle within a five-mile radius of the hotel. There is a 50% discount in the suites for Wi-Fi or free if you are a current Hilton Honor’s Member. You must have stayed at a Hilton in the last year. Wi-Fi is complimentary in the hotel’s lobby and business center. Room rates are $144.00 plus tax

single/double; $154.00 plus tax triple; $169.00 plus

tax quad. $15.00 plus tax for each additional person

(current tax rate is 9.55%) Rates are good July 9

through July 18, 2016. To receive the group rate,

you MUST make reservations by June 18, 2016.

Call 1 800 EMBASSY. (1-800-362-2779) Ask for

the ESA block with booking code EPS. Should

you experience any difficulty in making your

reservation, please email Ann Marie Cole at

annmarie.cole@jqh.com with your name,

confirmation number and the issue you are

experiencing. She will work with hotel personnel

to find a solution for you.

2016 IC Convention Committee

Corresponding Secretary, Sue Ceriale Additions and corrections to Yearbook

The ESA Foundation has changed their dues deadline: The fiscal year for the Foundation is June 1st

through May 31st. In order to vote at the annual meeting at IC Convention, annual dues for the active member MUST RECEIVED BY THE LAST DAY OF FEBRUARY

Addition of new member to Epsilon

Lambda

Leanne Lawson

1326 Indian River Avenue

Titusville, FL 32780

Ph: 321-606-6678 Cell: 601-818-6153

E-Mail: lvlawson@gmail.com

Important Dates and Deadlines

January 9 State Board Meeting 15 Deadline to submit article(s) to Spring Issue of The Jonquil February 1 Foundation Scholarship deadline 1 Deadline to submit Proposed By-law changes to State Parliamentarian 15 Postmark Deadline for State Officer Nomination Form 29 ESA Foundation Dues Must be received March 1 The Lamp deadline for April issue 5 State Board meeting 8:00 am 5 Leadership Seminar, Clermont 31 St. Jude Report Must be received 31 Easter Seals Report Must be received 31 Philanthropic Report Must be received 31 All Educations Must be postmarked 31 All Minutes Must be postmarked

Chapter Chatter

Alpha Gamma, Crystal Springs The sisters of Alpha Gamma wish

everyone a

Happy, Healthy,

and Prosperous

2016.

We are using the

Ten Pearls of ESA

and applying them to the ideas we are

exploring from Jon Gordon’s book Training

Camp. We find this book study very

rewarding to us individually and chapter-

wise.

Since the last Lamp, we’ve had a couple

of projects for St. Jude. We had a booth at

the Greek Festival and a Garage Sale. We

are excited about the support for St. Jude

from the community.

Our Christmas Party was held at

Sherry Cavaretta’s home. We used this

festive event to invite potential members

to Alpha Gamma. We will follow up with

new member count and pledge

ceremonies for the next Lamp edition.

ALPHA NU, MERRITT ISLAND Alpha Nu, Chapter 3398, hosted a

fundraiser for Hope for Heroes at the Chili's

Restaurant in Merritt Island. With each flyer

presented by customers on November 13th,

Chili's donated 10% of the event day sales

back to Hope for Heroes.

Pictured are members and guests from Alpha Nu and Nu

Alpha from Merritt Island.

Beta Beta, Palm Harbor The year is well underway for Beta

Beta! We have been very busy. We’ve

had some exciting events take place since

the last edition.

We welcome our newest pledge,

Cynthia Dion. She is the daughter of Paula

Kelly. She is very excited to finally become

a pledge after all the years of participating

in Beta Beta activities alongside her Mom.

In September, some of our sisters

participated in the Chili’s St. Jude

fundraiser on September 14th at our local

Chili’s in Clearwater Florida. Good food

and conversation for a great cause!

We also enjoyed meeting up with

our sisters during our Bay Area Meeting

held at Jack Willies in Safety Harbor on

September 24th. Lively bunch our Bay Area

sisters are!

October brought the fall and our

annual Hops for Hospice fundraiser. It was

held at Bright House Field on October 3rd, in

Clearwater Florida. We all had a great

time meeting all kinds of people and

pouring their favorite beers from a lot of

local breweries.

We also participated in the 3K St

Jude Walk on October 3rd. It was held in

downtown Tampa and took us around the

scenic Bayshore Blvd. It was great to see

all of the people turn out and remember

all the fun we had. It was a beautiful day

and we all made it through safely. The

very same day, we met up with our fellow

chapters at our Mid Year Meeting held at

the Skycrest Community Church in

Clearwater, Florida. It was a good turn out

and everyone had a good time.

Beta Beta held their Rush tea titled

“La Tea Da”. 5 potential pledges joined us

along with our President Barbara Fry. It was

held on October 17th at the lovely home of

Eleanor Eichelberger in Dunedin, Florida. It

Beta Beta, Palm Harbor (cont.) was a formal High Tea. We had finger

sandwiches, assorted desserts and of

course, yummy tea. We want to extend a

special thank you to President Barbara for

honoring us with her presence. Picture

d:

Barbar

a Fry,

FSC

Presid

ent

and

guests

Pictured: President Barbara Fry welcomed by Beta Theta

member

November brought us to thinking

about the holidays and everything that

makes a difference during this time.

We got together on November

14th at Sharon Kalinowski’s home and

pumped out a bunch of Santa Hugs. In all,

39 of them were completed with special

thanks to Sharon Roberts for

enthusiastically finishing 17 more.

We all look forward to the holidays

with our family and friends, and also to

wrapping up 2015 with a bang. Several of

our members attended the Christmas Tour

at the historic Vinoy in St. Petersburg.

Outstanding food and presentation that

we wish would come more than once a

year. We will be participating at the Lights

at Lake Park on December 18th to benefit

Hospice. Our annual Christmas party will

be held at Eleanor E’s home on December

6th, thank you Eleanor, our hostess with the

most-est. Lastly, we will be honoring our

national heroes by participating in the

Beta Beta, Palm Harbor (cont.) Wreaths Across America in Bushnell on

December 12th.

That’s it from Beta Beta. To all our

sisters, please have a safe holiday season

and we will see you next year!

BETA PHI Chapter, Ocala Another new year and a busy time. Beta Phi has been busy since our last issue, attending IC Convention in Orlando, Mid-Year in Clearwater (Great job) and doing our own thing. We partnered with Bob Evans Restaurants to raise money for Vets Helping Heroes for 2 weeks in October and are hoping that the results will be astounding and in soon. Sam Wright has given us great programs dealing with the differences between men and women’s brains (we always knew there was a difference, and now we know why men act as they do), and we learned how coloring for adults is both stimulating and calming. We assisted the ladies at Hog Valley with their Thanksgiving dinner for the community and served approximately 150 folks with turkey, dressing and all the trimmings. As of this writing, we are planning to assist them with their Children’s Christmas Party where the children can select Christmas presents from their thrift store and we wrap and wrap and wrap. There will be crafts for the children and we help with those as well. It’s a fun time, but, more importantly, it is a time that we feel that we can be of service to those less fortunate than we.

The days ahead appear to be filled with other activities that will keep us hopping! Hope that yours are happy, healthy, and productive.

Beta Theta, Clermont Beta Theta sisters have taken to

heart our president’s theme to Keep It

Simple Sisters. All of our meetings will be

held at Sandie’s home. That’s simple! Planning started at our first meeting

in September for our two huge fund raising

projects: Annual Rummage Sale and 12th

Annual Mardi Gras. Everyone is working

hard to make these events a success.

Beta Theta, Clermont (cont.) Mid-Year meeting in October was

attended by Lucy, Lisa, Pat, Terry and Toni.

They enjoyed fun, fellowship and

education. Many thanks to Sigma Tau for

hostessing this meeting in beautiful

Clearwater. Our November 1st Rummage Sale

was a success. The profits exceeded our

budget. This was a very pleasant surprise.

We debuted our new blue Beta Theta shirts

at this event. The men of Beta Theta are

always supportive to our projects. This sale

event couldn’t have succeeded without

their efforts. Thanks guys.

Pictured in the back row are Terry, Toni, Diann, Janet, Rosetta, Ann, Donna and Michelle. Jackie and President, Sandie are in the front

At our November meeting we were

given names of patients at Leisure Manor

Nursing Home. Our sisters try to fulfill their

Christmas wish lists. It’s heartwarming to

shop for these forgotten patients. Gifts will

be delivered during Christmas week. The annual Head Start Christmas

party is another happening for our

chapter. We wrap gifts and pack bags for

each of the 100 plus students. Santa Claus

and his Beta Theta elves distribute the gifts

and visit with all the children. Our Christmas dinner party was held

on Dec. 13th at Ann Whitlock’s new home.

Secret Sisters were revealed and new

names were drawn.

Planning is in the works for the 12th

annual Mardi Gras party to be held on

Beta Theta, Clermont (cont.) February 6, 2016. This is one month earlier

than it was last year. Our sisters have been

very busy planning. This new date is the

actual weekend of the Mardi Gras

celebration in New Orleans. Please mark

your calendars and plan to attend this fun

party. Tickets available from any Beta

Theta Sister or call Jackie Ulch 352-250-

8189

12th Annual Mardi Gras Saturday February 6, 2016

6:30 to 10:30 Clermont Arts and Recreation Center

3700 South Highway 27

Clermont, Florida

Dinner, Dancing, Silent Auction,

Costume Prizes Price: $45.

Pictured from left to right are Bonnie McGuire, Joan Kyle, Suzanne McClure and Jackie Ulch.

Have a Very Merry Christmas and a

Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year.

Hope to see you all in February at Mardi

Gras.

Epsilon Lambda, Cocoa Beach Epsilon Lambda would like to welcome

our newest member – Leanne Lawson! We held her Pledge ceremony at our Christmas party on Dec. 9th at the home of Laurel Lichtenberger. Our State President, Barbara Fry, conducted the ceremony, and it was fabulous!

Epsilon Lambda, Cocoa Beach (cont.) Sue Ceriale traveled with Barbara Fry to

SERC in October and they had a wonderful time! They stopped at the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky on their way back home and declared it a great place to visit.

Pictured: FSC President Barbara Fry, Pledge Leanne

Lawson and Sponsor Heather Summy

Epsilon Lambda will again be hosting President Barbara’s State Board meeting in Cocoa Beach on January 9th at the Rock Pointe Clubhouse. The big event for 2016 will be our 50th Anniversary Jonquil Tea on April 9th in Cocoa Beach. Invitations will be going out soon! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

Eta Rho Chapter So much fun, so little time to enjoy! We are so excited about the events that we have been participating in since the last lamp article! The first FARA Farm to Table was a huge success and such a great turn out and we cannot wait until the next one! We got the chance to participate in the St. Jude Give Thanks walk and the St. Jude Radiothon. We cannot wait to spend the holidays with our

family and bring in a fabulous New Year! We wish

Eta Rho Chapter (cont.) you all the best from Eta Rho :) jPictures below: Eta Rho volunteering and having fun

Lambda Xi, Jacksonville Lambda Xi members with family and friends

enjoyed a Painting with a Twist night. There were

20+ attendees. We all learned how to paint a

beautiful beach scene under the direction of our

teacher and a little help from the vineyards! Wine,

cheese, fruit and other snacks were enjoyed by all.

There was soothing music as a background, enticing

some members to dance during the short break. This

was a fundraiser for St. Jude as well as a social. Pictured are

participants of the

Painting with a

Twist party.

In

September

one of our

newer

members,

Candy hosted

a wine tasting

as a fundraiser for St. Jude. We had a nice crowd

for that event.

Since the last Lamp publication, Lambda Xi

has had two faithful and cherished members

become Member at Large. We will miss Tiffany

Metcalf and Melissa Frankie. We are diligently

seeking new members.

Nu Alpha, Merritt Island On September 12, 2015, Nu Alpha

members Liz Hahn and Angela Elliott

participated in the Turtle Krawl 5k Run/Walk

which helps raise awareness and funds for

conservation. All proceeds go to the non-

profit Sea Turtle Preservation Society.

The

Turtle Krawl

is the largest

5k in

Brevard

County.

The first

race was

held in

2001.

Brevard

County has

one of the highest concentrations of sea turtle

nesting not just in Florida, but in the world. Last

Nu Alpha, Merritt Island (cont.) year the race raised $60,000 for the treatment

of sick and injured turtles. Way to go, Liz and

Angela!

Some things just keep getting better! Nu

Alpha hosted its annual fashion show fundraiser

for Girl Power 2 Cure on September 15th at

Dillard's in Merritt Island, Florida. The Girl Power

2 Cure organization is dedicated to raising

funds to cure Rett Syndrome. Our speaker

from the organization, Andrea Springheart,

touched our hearts when she related what it

was like to have a child with Rett. In spite of

the stormy weather, over 70 guests turned out

for the event. Dillard's very generously

donated three beautiful gift baskets for

auction and rolled out the red carpet for our

models to show off the latest fashions. Dillard's

employee Tabatha did a great job presenting

the Nu Alpha models. Everyone had fun while

at the same time contributing to a very worthy

cause. Pictured: Sharon

Haydon with

Barbara Fry, FSC

President and

Laurel

Lichtenberger at

Power 2 Cure

Fashion Show

Pictured: Model Linda

Tackach

Nu Alpha members

came to the November

business meeting in their

best "Diva" costumes, in

keeping with ESA's IC

membership slogan. The

meeting was hosted by

Jan Billias at her home in

Cocoa

Beach and

was a fun

as well as

productive

meeting. Pictured: Nu

Alpha Divas These

divas rock,

and don't

seem to be slowing down as they approach

the holidays with a garage sale and a jewelry

party this month.

Nu Alpha, Merritt Island (cont.) MERRY CHRISTMAS! Nu Alpha had a

Very Merry Christmas celebration at the home

of Nu Alpha President Linda Takach. Linda out-

did herself this year with her beautiful

decorations. We expected no less as, after all,

her theme is "Tis the Season." The party theme

was "Ugly Christmas Sweaters" and Jan Hall

was our contest

winner with her

thrift store

sweater with the

glued on

appliqués. Pictured: Ugly

Christmas Sweater

Winner Jan Hall with

Barbara Dyal

Jan Hall

conducted a

jewel pin

ceremony for Roberta Martin with Roberta's

sponsor Patsy Morgan standing by.

Picured: Pasty

Morgan,

Roberta Martin

and Jan Hall.

Educationals

were in the

spirit of

Christmas

with Patsy

Morgan reporting on Christmas Traditions and

Linda Takach reporting on Christmas Music.

The Secret Santa's did a great job with gifts.

Amazing how Santa knows just the right gift for

each person. How does he do that? In the spirit

of giving, we all brought food for the Central

Brevard Sharing Center. Jan Billias purchased

the Christmas gifts for Dominique, our FSDB

student. We even had an ornament exchange

which was really fun.

We also had a Jewelry Party for Easter

Seals and a garage sale for Foundation

Scholarships and Dominique. It has been quite

a busy Fall for Nu Alpha.

Nu Alpha is looking ahead to our next

big fundraiser - The Olde Bags & Baskets

Auction & Luncheon. We will soon get really

serious about making baskets for auction. A

basket-making workshop will be held at Liz

Nu Alpha, Merritt Island (cont.) Hahn's home in January. We have tickets on

sale now, so be sure and put February 20th on

your calendar so you won't miss it!

Omega Omega, Largo Hi everyone. We had a busy time since you

last heard from us. In September, we walked in the

St. Jude Walk in Tampa. It was held at the Amalie

Arena by Channelside. The day was lovely but it

felt odd walking in September instead of our usual

November date. Amy was our team captain and

was our top fund raiser. Recently, a few of us

participated in the QYK St. Jude Radiothon.

We worked 2 garage sales. One was in

September at Amy’s house and the other was at

Roberta’s house. Our September sale was very wet

but we had some very fun folks looking for

bargains. One lady kept us laughing with her pet

stories as the rain came down. Fortunately, we had

all our wares in Amy’s large garage so we were able

to stay dry. The sale at Roberts’s house was a 2 day

sale. The profits will be used for our philanthropic

projects.

Our educational programs have been

interesting. Recently we learned about fingerprints

while we tried out several fingerprinting methods.

Barbara tried to teach us the card game Euchre. We

are not ever going to be called “card sharks”.

Several members attended Midyear and had

a wonderful time. It is always great to see our

sisters throughout the state. We are looking

forward to being the hostess for Bay Area Council

in January.

One of our Hope for Heroes projects is

donating items to the Fisher House located in Bay

Pines VA Center. It provides a very nice place for

the loved ones of veterans receiving care to stay.

We took a tour of the place. Recently, for our ESA

Hope for Heroes week, we brought breakfast

goodies to Fisher House. Our other Hope for

Heroes projects are Wreaths Across America and

Help A Hero/Hugs for Our Soldiers.

We walked in the 1st annual Suncoast

Hospice/Empath Health Sunset Stroll in November

at the Largo Central Park. It is a night to remember

and celebrate the lives of those we hold dear to us.

There was a memory wall to post pictures and along

the route there were areas to celebrate pets, children

and veterans. The night ended with a luminary

release that was beautiful.

Omega Omega, Largo (cont.) We had our Christmas party and dinner.

We exchanged our secret sister gifts at Margie’s

house after Margie conducted a Jewel Pin ceremony

for Donna (our newest member and Amy’s mother).

We will be getting together with our sweet sister

Rolaine at Shore Acres Rehab to celebrate the

holidays with her.

SIGMA TAU - CLEARWATER Sigma Tau has been busy this past quarter. Closing out the summer months gave us opportunity for a family picnic at Howard Park in Tarpon Springs with 20-some chapter and family members. Next we dined out and attended a theatrical play, also in Tarpon Springs. This was followed with our annual cookout at Janet and Janice’s house in Brooksville and then rounding up the pigs for the “Farmer in the Dell” Mid-Year meeting in October which we delightfully hosted.

Following our president’s theme of “Anything is Possible,” our educational programs have been about “Women Who Changed Their World.”

We had lots of opportunities to give aide to our own ESA sisters with Rebecca starting chemo treatments, Janice having minor surgery, and Selma having long-overdue foot surgery. Thanks are extended to all the statewide chapters who supported Wreaths Across America for the December wreath-laying ceremonies throughout the state. We have plenty of local philanthropic opportunities to keep us in the giving mode. This brings us to Christmas. Shopping for our chosen Christmas family and then shopping for our own secret sister gift exchange at our annual Christmas party at Selma’s house. Selma always prepares and serves one of her scrumptious holiday meals and we reward her by cleaning our plates.

SIGMA TAU – CLEARWATER (cont.) Ruthann hosted a New Year’s Day party at

her new home, so we had an “after-the-holidays” opportunity to start the new year off right – by socializing and eating again!

Now, we’re looking forward to “starting our engines” in Clermont in March for Leadership.

Sigma Phi

Invites you to:

ESA START YOUR ENGINES

Leadership

March 5, 2016

Wesley Center @FUMC

715 W Juniata St

Clermont FL 34711

8:30 Board Meeting

9:30 Leadership Begins

Cost: $20.00 $25.00 after 2/22/16

** Hotel recommendations will be posted on state website*****

Questions? Call Sarah 407-304-0289 Or Email: sbybee6@gmail.com

Check Payable to: Sigma Phi #5565 Name: ___________________________________________________________ Chapter Name & # ___________________________________________________ Phone # : ____________________Email: _______________________________

Send Registration and Check to: Sarah Bybee/Sigma Phi 4630 Peaceful Valley Ct, Clermont FL 34711