If anyone is willing to do newsletters, please let me know.  I will be more than happy to share the template I already have here. 

Enjoy!

2008 Yearbooks
Yearbooks were distributed last night for 2008.  If you weren’t able to make it, see Kristi Jones for a new copy.  There were some revisions to the Member Information section.  As soon as those corrections are made, we will send out an updated list for you to copy and replace.  Please take note of the hospitality schedule in the book and be aware of the months you are responsible for helping out.  Thank you Kristi, for your work on the yearbooks!

Charity Bash
Committees were started last night to secure a venue for the Charity Bash and to research prices on Catering/Food.  We are open to new ideas in both areas.  It was suggested that we might have food donated, which seemed to be well-received.
Venue:
Cindy, Meg, Allison W., Bridget
Catering:
Mary, Tara, Fallon

District Arts Festival
This is coming up Saturday (the 9th).  Thank you to all who signed up to help!  If you are coming for lunch, remember the price is $12.  This is a great way to meet other clubwomen in the area and to understand what our organization is all about.  It is a sacrifice to give up precious Saturday time, but it is enjoyable and rewarding.  Hope to see you there!

Relay for Life
Please go to the website and register for Relay for Life as soon as possible.  The registration fee is $10 and allows us to participate and covers the cost of your t-shirt.

We are considering fund-raising options for Relay.  Lori Boldt brought bracelets last night for everyone to see.  If you have an idea for a fund raiser and would like it to be considered, please bring a sample, with prices and potential for profit, to the March meeting.  At that time, we will vote on which project(s) we would like to do.  Thank you Lori and Amanda for being co-chairs for Relay for Life.

Fireman’s Dinner
We are set for Feb 26.  We are serving BBQ chicken, baked potatoes, marinated slaw, rolls, tea and Pig Pickin Cake.  If you signed up to set up, we are planning to start at 4:30.  Servers should be there at 6:15.  Wrapped potatoes should be delivered to the church by 4:30.  All other food needs to be at the church by 5:30.  If you signed up to help and something comes up, please let me know as soon as possible.  As the date gets closer, I will email a reminder everyone who signed up to help.  Thank you!

Lunch Bunch
We are hoping to start getting together at least once a month for lunch.  Most of us are in the Shallotte area and break for lunch at some point.  Look for more details about this.  We might also meet for a movie at night or do something else fun, so if you work away or can’t get away for lunch, you can still be included.  Feel free to bring a friend.  This will be very informal and fun and is intended just to be a social outlet for us to get to know each other better.

If you made it this far, THANK YOU!!

MARINATED SLAW (Cindy, Amanda & Amanda - not sure which 2 Amandas!)

INGREDIENTS
3 bags chopped coleslaw mix
1 lg bell pepper, any color
1 lg onion
1 cup sugar
1 cup vinegar
½ cup oil
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dry mustard

DIRECTIONS
Add Coleslaw mix, sliced bell pepper, and sliced onion to a large bowl. Pour sugar over ingredients. Boil oil, vinegar and spices for 5 minutes. Then pour sauce over vegetables and sugar. Let stand for at least 8 hours before serving. For best results, prepare a day or two in advance. Turn or stir daily.

PIG PICKIN CAKE  (Meg, Sarah, Michele H., Tina, Lydia, Casey, Bridget)

INGREDIENTS
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 (11 ounce) can mandarin oranges, juice reserved
4 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 (16 ounce) package frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (15 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 (3.5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix

DIRECTIONS
Mix together cake mix, canned oranges with juice, eggs, and oil. Pour batter into three greased and floured 8 inch round pans. Layers will be thin.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes, or until cake tests done. Cool layers on wire racks.

Mix together whipped topping, drained pineapple, and instant pudding mix. Fill and frost the cooled cake. Refrigerate until ready to eat.

Charity Bash Flyer - print and distribute around the community or pass out to potential sponsors/guests

If you weren’t at the meeting Monday night, the club voted and approved having the Craig Woolard Band at the 2008 Charity Bash.  We need to raise a lot of money to pay for the band and it is going to take a lot of hard work and commitment to do.  We have set a goal to have enough funds to pay for the cost of the band by Feb 15, 2008.  If you have any questions, feel free to ask here or send me an email.

Here are the corporate sponsor levels:

$500 - Includes 4 tickets, advertising mention at event and sponsor’s photo in the newspaper

$300 - Includes 2 tickets and advertising mention at event

If a business would like to donate more, we will gladly consider additional recognition.

The Honorable Ola Lewis will be our guest and will conduct the installation and induction ceremony, and will also have a short message to us about volunteer service.

We have several things to discuss, but one thing we all need to be thinking about is the Charity Bash. For new members - this is our BIGGEST fund raiser of the year. It takes a lot of work and preparation, but keeps us from having to hold many smaller fund raisers throughout the year. We have some important decisions to make regarding the entertainment and venue and those decisions will have to be voted on at this meeting.

Last year, we had the Craig Woolard Band as entertainment and the event was held at the Silver Coast Winery. We have the CWB tentatively booked for May 31st, but we have not officially confirmed. Their price for this date is $3,500.00. Having the CWB as entertainment was beneficial for our event. We had more demand for ticket sales and had increased publicity by having someone so popular. Even with the terrible weather, we had a great turnout and many said it was the best Charity Bash yet. If we approve having them again this year, we need to make sure there are plenty of people to work hard to obtain corporate sponsors. At a *minimum*, we would need 7 $500 sponsors JUST to cover the band. A lot of businesses in the area are not making the profit they have been accustomed to in years prior, so we need to take this into consideration, as well.

It will not be easy and no one can do it alone, but it is possible with everyone working together. Be thinking about what you would like and if you have any ideas, please bring them with you so we can discuss.

Hope to see you all at the January meeting. If you ever have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me anytime. Thank you! Happy New Year!