June Message

Calendar:

• June 7th: Past Queens, 12:30 PM
• June 12th – 16th: Supreme Session, Tampa Florida
• July 5th: Past Queens, 12:30 PM
• July 16th: Nile Picnic, 4 PM
• August 2nd: Past Queens, 12:30 PM
• August 9th: Rehearsal for Supreme Queen visit, 7 PM (Unit), 7:30 PM (Temple)
• August 10th: Supreme Queen Visit; Dinner, 5:30 PM; Ceremonial to follow

It's been an exciting time already!  I'm still getting used to the idea that I'm Queen.  It's different from anything else I've ever done.

We welcomed Pr. Pattie Goodrich into our Household last month; I hope she had an enjoyable time of the ceremonial and will enjoy her time in Temple.  She's been helping us with the circuses the past couple of years, and she's really been enjoying that.

Supreme Session is coming up fast.  I'm going with the following ladies: Elizabeth Hussey, PQ (Pr. Recorder); Pr. Ellen Fisher (Pr. Royal); and PQ Ellen Zirkle (Pr. Tirzah).  We're going to have fun in Tampa.  There's plenty of business to work on, and there will be two break-out sessions, as well as all of the performances in the evening.  If you haven't been to a Supreme Session before, I highly recommend it.  We always have fun.  I look forward to it.

I'm bringing back the Annual Nile Picnic.  We're set for July 16th at 4 PM at Pr. Ellen Fisher's house.  Please bring a dish to pass that will serve between eight and ten people and your own table service.  The temple will be providing hot dogs, bratwurst, and buns.  There will be iced tea, water, and coffee provided; if you want something else to drink, please bring it with you.  The pool will be open and Steve will be running trains.  If you have questions or need to get directions, please call Pr. Ellen at 989.777.3024.

The Supreme Queen's visit will be on August 10th (unless there's a change in the schedule).  The dinner will be at 5:30 PM with the Ceremonial following (if you are coming to just the Ceremonial, please be to the Temple by 7 PM).  We'll be having a rehearsal at 7:30 PM with the Unit practice beforehand.

We are still looking for some officers.  If you are able to serve as Pr. Chaplin, Pr. Badoura, Pr. Zenobia, or Princess Zora, please contact the Queen, Pr. Recorder, or Pr. Royal.

Sickness and Distress:

I would like to extend my thoughts and prayers to everyone who have been sick or in the hospital.  I hope everyone gets better soon.

 

Changes

Sorry all, but there have been some changes to my schedule.

First of all, my Installation has been changed to April 9th.  We will be having a practice on April 5th for the Installation AND the Session.

This was changed because of the weather we've been having.

Thank you!

Masonic News Message

Tuesday March 1st: Past Queens 12:30 PM
Tuesday March 8th: Stated Session and Annual Meeting 7:30 PM, with Unit meetings before
Friday March 11th: Setup and donation acceptance for the Indoor Yard Sale 3 PM - 7 PM
Saturday March 12th: Indoor Yard Sale 9 AM - 3 PM
Tuesday March 15th: Bennigan's FUNdraiser, 12 PM - 9 PM (coupon required)
Tuesday March 22nd: Circus Appreciation Dinner, time TBA
Wednesday March 23rd: Officers Installation Practice 7:30 PM with Unit practice before
Saturday March 26th: Officers Installation, 7:30 PM
Tuesday April 5th: Past Queens 12:30 PM
Tuesday April 5th: Practice for Stated Session 7:30 PM
Tuesday April 12th: Stated Session 7:30 PM

Wow, do we ever have a lot of things coming up!

First, I'd like to remind everyone about the Annual Meeting on Tuesday, March 8th. We will be electing new officers at this meeting, as well as going over all of the year end reports. As of this writing, we still need the following officers: Princess Badoura, Princess Zulemia, and Princess Zora. Please contact the Princess Royal if you are interested in serving in one of these roles or if you have questions about them.

The annual Indoor Yard Sale is coming up as well. We will be accepting donations of items for the yard sale table as well as donations for the bake sale. This is a joint effort with Martha Washington OES Chapter. Please come out and support the ladies and the Temple. We will need people to work on the bake sale table as well as the items table, so if you can help, please come out. You don't necessarily have to work all day, but even coming out for a couple hours helps!

We are going to try something different. On March 15th, we're having a Bennigan's FUNdraiser for Nile. If you want to participate, all you have to do is pick up a coupon from Princess Royal (Amy Hussey) or Princess Badoura (Ellen Zirkle) and show up between 12 and 9 PM to eat! That's it. Present the coupon to your server, and we will get 20% of the profits from your dinner or lunch. It's a great way to make some money and really simple for everyone. I mean, we all have to eat, right?

The Circus Appreciation Dinner at Circus Park is also coming up on Tuesday, March 22nd. This is for all the ladies who donated their time to making the Circuses successful. We will have more information about the time at the next Session.

We'll be having a practice for Officers Installation on Wednesday, March 23rd at 7:30 PM. The Unit will be practicing beforehand. Please come out so we can have a successful Installation.

Officers Installation is on March 26th at 7:30 PM. The Unit will march in before the actual ceremony starts. Please come out and support your officers.

Sickness and Distress:

Pr. Lila Butler, Mary Young PQ, Mary Alice Parcell PQ, and Pr. Jackie Boettcher are all having surgery in February. Pauline Parsons Noble, Richard Parsons, passed away in February. Cards would be appreciated.

There are also Ladies who have had colds and the flu. We hope everyone feels better soon!

February Message, 2011

February 1st: Past Queens, 12:30 PM
February 3rd - 7th: Saginaw Circus
February 5th: Saginaw Circus Walkthrough
February 8th: Stated Session, 7:30 PM
February 14th: Happy Valentine's Day
February 15th: Sponsorship Committee Meeting
March 1st: Past Queens, 12:30 PM

I hope everybody had a wonderful and relaxing holiday season. I also hope you all are rested and prepared for the fund-raising work we have coming up.

We worked at the Flint Shrine Circus this year. This was a first, and we hope it is successful. If we do it every year, it hopefully it will become as big as the Saginaw Circus for us.

We have the Saginaw Circus coming up the first weekend of February. We will need help in the kitchen; please contact Sharon Pequignot for more information about times. The crew for down at the Dow Center is pretty much set. The walkthrough for the Saginaw Circus is on the fifth. We hope to see the ladies supporting their nobles at this fun event.

I would like to thank everyone who helped with the Circus, whether in the kitchen, at the event centers, transporting the food, or at the walkthroughs. We really appreciate the help with this fundraiser; it's our largest one that we have every year, and to keep our temple going, it takes everyone to lend a helping hand.

Sickness and Distress:

Lila Butler fell right before Christmas, and is bruised badly and Mary Young will be having back surgery soon. Please keep these ladies in your thoughts and prayers for their speedy recovery. We also know that several of our members have had colds and the flu. We hope everyone is feeling better, and if they aren't, they will soon.

Call for Officers

I'm issuing a formal call for officers. I currently need people to serve as the following:

• Pr. Zenobia
• Pr. Zora
• Pr. Badaura
• Lady of the Keys (if our current Lady of the Keys decides to retire)

The first two are crescent ladies, and as such, don't do much walking. All you have to worry about is the work in the opening and the work for the ceremonial.

Lady of the Keys works in conjunction with the Lady of the Gates to deal with intrusion and members coming in and out of the Temple while it's in session.

Pr. Badoura's part is the start of the line. It's a five year commitment (Pr. Badoura, Pr. Tirzah, Pr. Royal, Queen, Jr. Past Queen) and requires the ability to walk the candidate(s) around the room for the ceremonial.

If you are interested in any of these parts, what they require, or have any other questions, feel free to contact me at 989-793-8316 or rpgirl1981@gmail.com.

January 2011 Message

CALENDAR
Tuesday—January 11, 2011 Stated Session 7:30 P.M.
January 13-17, 2011 Flint Shrine Circus
February 3-6, 2011 Saginaw Shrine Circus

MESSAGE
I hope that all of you had very safe and happy holidays and that you are ready for a fresh
and successful new year.

I am hoping to have one more ceremonial yet before my year ends. There will be more
information to follow.

We have been asked to provide our services for the Flint Shrine Circus for food and then
the walk thru, like we do for Saginaw. Their walk through will be on Sunday, January 16,
2011. The Saginaw Shrine Circus is February 3-6. The walk through will be Saturday,
February 5, 2011. Please come out and help us. Ladies, this a great opportunity for our
temple to help the children.

If you would be interested in helping in any way, please contact Elizabeth Hussey at 989-
793-8316. We will need help in the kitchen and then delivering the food to the sites.
We will also need help in selling the food and then serving for the walkthroughs. If you
would be interested in helping me with the walkthroughs please give me a call at 989-
239-9392.

Helen Robinson is doing better and will be moved to Shattuck Manor soon.

We have been invited to Isis Temple #41 for Sue Leymans welcome home ceremonial in
Evensvile, Indiana February 25-27. For more information please call Liz Hussey.

With Nile love,

Nancy J Hoffman
Queen-2010

Christmas Bazaar

The Christmas Bazaar is coming up on December 4th, which is tomorrow.  I hope everyone who can come out, will.

Also, don't forget that we are helping to set up the dining room for the Bazaar on Friday, December 3rd from 3 to 7 PM. The ladies may bring whatever they have for the Bazaar to the Temple on that day and we will hold it in safe-keeping until the event. If you want a specific price on something, please mark it or have a sheet with prices.

We will need people to work on the Bazaar. I (Pr. Royal) will be there all day, but it would be nice to have some ladies come out and provide relief for everyone. If you can come out, please do! We'd love to see you. It's a great way to see everyone and see what we have for sale.

Jewelry Open House

We are having a jewelry open house and sale on Thursday, October 21st, from 1 to 7 PM at

Swan Valley Condominiums

205 Kennely, Unit A-1

Overlooking the Swan Valley Golf Course

There will be necklace and earring sets, separate earring sets, and ankle bracelets.  Everything is made from genuine gems including turquoise, tiger eye, picture jasper, coral, jade, lapis, and pearls.

For more information, please call 989-781-6266.

The proceeds are to benefit the Daughters of the Nile Handchime Unit.

Alpena Visit

A quick reminder for everyone about the Alpena Nile Club Visit on September 25th.

I need to have your reservation and money ASAP.

Cost is $10 each.

Meeting is to be held at the VFW Hall on US 23 in Alpena, MI

Gathering hour: 12 PM
Meeting: 12:30 PM
Dinner: 1:30 PM

Nobles/significant others welcome as well.

September Session

Our first Session back from summer will be on 9/14/10.

Please come out and support the Temple.  We have a lot of things going on; attending Temple Session is the best way to keep informed of what's going on.

New Hospital Request List

Hello from your friendly Hospital Request co-charman!

I have the new list from the Shriner's Hospitals in a paper letter here.

If you want a hard copy of this, feel free to contact me or my mother (our emails are in the sidebar).

Onto the information!

First, a note from the Shriner's Hospital:

For the safety of our patients, strict infection control policies are followed.  We accept only new toys, games, and stuffed animals.  Gently used books and toys pose the risk of bacteria that could cause infections.  For this reason, used toys and books cannot be accepted.

We suggest donating your used items to your local Goodwill, Salvation Army, or other charitable organizations.

We have listed suggestions for toys and games we can use with patients of various ages.  If you have any questions about donations, please call 513.872.6059 or email Louise at lhoelker [at] shrinenet [dot] org.

Acceptable Gifts

Infants (birth to 1 year)

• Activity centers
• Infant mirrors, musical toys
• rattles and squeeze toys
• Nesting and stacking toys
• No water filled toys

Toddlers (1 to 3 years)

• Shape-sorting boxes
• Sorting and grouping toys

Preschool (3 to 5 years)

• DUPLO blocks
• Musical toys

Teenagers (11 to 18 years)

• Board games: Sorry, Trouble, Monopoly, etc
• Diaries, stationary (for 15 to 18 years)
• Teen novels, word search, crossword puzzle books, suduko books, sports books
• Teen movies, music, magazines
• Hand-held electronic games, battery operated
• Nerf balls
• Mp3 players (any brand)
• Wristwatches
• Baseball caps and t-shirts with professional and college logos (adult sizes L, XL, XXL)
• Travel sized games
• Car model glue sets

All Ages

• Paint-by-number sets
• Disposable cameras
• Scrapbooking material
• Books or CDs in Spanish
• "I Spy" books
• DVDs (G or PG rated)
• Batteries (AA and AAA)
• Uno, Skip Bo, card games
• Regular playing cards
• Small photo albums
• Chapter books

Note: Everything that is in italics is the most needed.

Over the years, we have been very fortunate to have the generous support of Shrine Centers, their clubs, units, Daughters of the Nile, and many other organizations.  Subsequently, we do not need the following items:

• Hospital gowns/dresses
• Knitted slippers/bed socks
• Infant bibs
• Pre-op dolls
• Large afghans
• Barbie dolls
• Coloring books
• Match box cars
• Wagons
• Used toys or stuffed animals
• VHS tapes
• Baby dolls
• Beanie babies
• Books for young children
  
• Playdough
• Stuffed animals
• Magic doodlers
  

They only accept new items.

Tips for donating:

Small to medium toys and games that can be used in a wheelchair or bed are preferred for our patients who have limited physical mobility.  Due to airline luggage restrictions, avoid large items: dollhouses, keyboards, race track toys, etc.  Games and books that depict violence and toy weapons are not accepted.  Sharp, glass, or breakable items are not accepted.  Gift bags are helpful but you do not need to wrap toys.  Patient privacy regulations (HIPAA) prevent us from allowing donors to personally distribute toys to the children.

Pr. Royal Amy, Co-Chairman Hospital Request Committee

Ceremonial

Our first Ceremonial for the new year is May 18, 2010 at the Saginaw Masonic Center.

We have a pro-tem candidate.  This is going to be a dress rehearsal of sorts for the Supreme Queen visit.  Please come out and support the officers in their work.

It will start at 7:30 PM with the entrance of the Pageantry Unit.  We will open and then go right into the Ceremonial.

May Message

I would like to thank all of those that attended our 59th Annual Installation of Officers on March 27th.  It turned out to be a very nice evening with 62 people in attendance.  I know that it makes all of us ladies feel proud of our beautiful order and also appreciated for what we do for the children at the Shrine Hospitals.

I would especially like to thank the Illustrious Sir, Clarence Meyer for the beautiful hand-made gavel that he made with his own hands for me as a svery special give that I will cherish forever.

Please mark your calendars for July 17th, 2010.  Our Supreme Queen will be at our temple for her annual visit.  The more ladies we can get to show up and support our temple, the better we will be.  There will be a dinner at 5:30 PM at the Saginaw Masonic Center and then the Ceremonial will follow.

Illness:

Please keep Helen Robinson in your thoughts and prayers as she is in Covenant Rehab.  Also keep Dick and Pauline Parsons in your thoughts and prayers, as they are now residents at Masonic Pathways in Alma.  I know that they would appreciate visits and cards.

Schedule:

Tuesday, May 11: Rehearsal 6:30 PM for Ceremonial
Tuesday, May 11: Stated Session, 7:30 PM
Tuesday, May 18: Ceremonial
Supreme Session: June 13th-18th in Indianapolis Indiana

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Nile Newsletter

Everyone!

The Spring/Summer edition of the Nile Newsletter is due to be mailed today, and you should see it in your mailbox within the next couple of days.

Don't forget, if you have articles to submit to the Newsletter, contact Elizabeth H. or Ellen F. to have it put in.

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Happenings around Nile

Makere had a very successful installation.  We installed (most) all of our officers, and the ones who couldn't make it were installed at the first Session following.

The new officers are becoming proficient in their work.  Everyone did a wonderful job at the last Session.  Kudos to all.

Handchime Unit

The Handchime Unit's bylaws were read and approved at the last Session.  We are now official!  Don't forget that are taking orders for our flower fundraiser.  The website is as follows:

http://www.flowerpowerfundraising.com/campaign?campaign_id=879

Please feel free to do an online order or see Amy H., Elizabeth H., Ellen Z., Ellen F., Nancy H., or Kristy M. to fulfill orders.  We are taking them through April 23rd.  This is coming up pretty quick, so get your order in as soon as possible!

We've almost made $100 through this, so keep on ordering.  We will have other fundraisers coming up (possibly a fall flower drive) so keep your eyes and ears peeled for new and exciting things.

Pr. Royal's Corner

I am still working on the cookbook initiative.  I need to schedule another "type-in" and finish working on the recipes.  I'll need some Ladies who have laptops who can come to my house and type.  I'll probably order a pizza after we're half-way through and provide pop/lemonade/iced tea.  We had fun last time, and I hope we can have fun again.  We got over 100 recipes done last time we had a "type-in"!  It was great!  I will try to schedule something either next month, or after Supreme Session.

~~~~

Don't forget that our next session is on May 11th.  We will be having a Rehearsal at 6:30 (an hour before Session) for our Ceremonial that is on May 18th.  If you are in the Pageantry Unit, please come at 6 so we can work on our floorwork before the Rehearsal and we won't interfere with the Session following.

If anyone needs help with their memory work, please contact Pr. Royal Amy to work on it.  I'll be happy to help you with your talk and response memory work.  It's much easier to learn when you have someone to "play" the other parts.

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