Altrusa International of Fayetteville, Arkansas, Inc.

Altrusa International of Fayetteville, Arkansas, Inc. is an nonprofit organization, making our local community better through leadership, partnership, and service.

Organized November 27, 1939 / Chartered February 1, 1940

Mailing Address:

PO Box 251

Fayetteville, AR 72702

Email:

AltrusaFayettevilleAR@gmail.com

We love working with other organizations that support women. Members brought female sanitary products for Light House Solutions’ personal wellness program. Karen McClard attended our meeting to collect the items.

This year, we continued the Art of Service theme. One of our projects in support of that theme had members color pages to be posted on the walls in African schools, where students don't have books of their own.

Members gave away more that 300 children's books at the Fayetteville Farmers Market on June 20, 2023.

Using a art movement theme, Carolyn Rash installed the 2023-2024 officers from left to right: Teresa Bevis, President; Margaret Kilyanek, President-Elect; Molly Hewitt, Vice-President, LaNita McKinney, Treasurer, Charlcee Small, Secretary; and Lorraine Brewer, Immediate Past President.

Thirteen members and three ASTRA members attended the 67th Annual District Eight Conference held in Tulda, OK to see Lorraine Brewer, seated in the middle, installed as District Eight Governor.

Immediate Past President, Lorraine Brewer, was named one of the 2023 Washington County Women in History. The 2023 honorees are pictured below. Back row left to right: Lorraine Brewer; Paula Irvin; and Glenda Patterson, M.D. Front row left to right: Beverly Augustine and Angela Mosley-Monts, Ph.D.

ALTRUSA INTERNATIONAL OF FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS, INC. TUGS+

As part of our long-running TUGS+ (T-shirts, Underwear, Gloves, Socks+) project, we provided warm clothing for Head Start/Early Head Start. Picture shows members holding coats, with scarves, socks, gloves, and other items on the table.

ALTRUSA INTERNATIONAL OF FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS, INC. MAKE A DIFFERENCE DAY

Altrusa International of Fayetteville, Arkansas, Inc. brought coats for 7Hills Home Shelter for our Make A Difference Day activity.

ALTRUSA INTERNATIONAL OF FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS, INC. INSTALLATION OF OFFICERS

Altrusa International of Fayetteville, Arkansas, Inc. installed its 2022-23 Club Board with the theme of Art of Service. Please contact us if you are interested being a member. 2022-23 Board Members shown left to right: Lorraine Brewer, Immediate Past President; Charlcee Small, Director; Margaret Hershberger Kilyanek, Secretary (with Lena); Katie Hill, Treasurer; Teresa Brewer, President; Molly McGee Hewitt, Vice-President; and Carolyn Rash, President-Elect. Corinna Dranow, Director, was unable to attend.

ALTRUSA INTERNATIONAL OF FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS, INC. RECOGNIZED FOR SERVICE

At the 66th Annual District Eight Altrusa Conference held April 21-23 in Fort Smith, Altrusa International of Fayetteville, Arkansas, Inc. received ten awards, including three first place awards for the 2021-2022 club year. The club’s Altrusa Loves Literacy project won the Letha H. Brown Literacy Award for distributing more than 3,300 children’s and adult books to organizations throughout Washington County. The club’s longstanding TUGS+ (t-shirts, underwear, gloves, socks) project won the Governor’s Distinguished Service Award for providing much needed items to 7Hills Homeless Center. The club’s Safe Schooling for Tanzanian Scholars project won the Dr. Nina Fay Calhoun International Relations Award for providing books, scholarships, and notes of encouragement to students and teachers at East Meru Community School in Tanzania.

CHRIS BELL HONORED FOR HER COMMUNITY SERVICE

At the 66th Annual District Eight Altrusa Conference held April 21-23 in Fort Smith, Chris Bell, Altrusa International of Fayetteville, received the 2022 Marilynn Bell Humanitarian Award from previous recipient Rebecca Wood, Altrusa International of Washington County, in recognition of her community service with Altrusa, Botanical Garden of the Ozarks, Master Gardeners, Fayetteville School Board, First United Presbyterian Church, and more.

During the first quarter of 2022, we worked on our Nourishing Our Neighbors project. In February, we stuffed bags with items needed in colder weather for the Little Free Pantries tended by our members.

In March, we provided a small refrigerator to the Donald Reynolds Boys & Girls Club for their Little Free Pantry.

At our December meeting, we filled 50 bags to be distributed at the Marshallese vaccination clinic. Items included holiday candy, small games/toys, and books. In addition, we provided 356 TUGS+ items to 7Hills.

For Make A Difference Day, we filled bags for New Beginning residents with personal care items, sanitizers, socks, hats,, treats, food items , and pumpkin decorating supplies. The club also furnished the pumpkins to be decorated.

Our back to school project combined our Altrusa Loves Literacy and Nourishing Our Neighbors projects by stuffing 20+ backpacks for elementary and junior high school Marshallese students. Extra supplies were also delivered. Altrusans wrote notes of encouragement that were included in each backpack.

For the second half of 2021, our Altrusa Loves Literacy delivered 145 books to Little Free Libraries; 217 books to church fundraiser/community outreach; 25 books to Habitat for Humanity Restore; 128 books to two local Friends of the Library groups; 360 books to the Marshallese; 498 books to Washington County Fair Rummage Sale; 640 books to Head Start, 90 books to the Attic, 70 books to Family Network, 64 books to Magdalene Serenity House, 405 to Delta Kappa GAmma, 100 to County Jail, and 11 books to New Beginnings.

For the first half of 2021, our Altrusa Loves Literacy project delivered the following: 392 books to Holcomb Elementary School for second graders and remote learners; 100 books to Yvonne Richardson Community Center parent night activities; 168 board books to UAMS, 75 books to Ozark Literacy, 409 books to West Fork Library / Friends of the Library; 150 books to CASA for their fundraiser; 58 to African school; 56 to Little Free Libraries; 70 books to Family Network, and 50 books to a Farmington church pantry.

Nourishing Our Neighbors by filling Little Free Pantries throughout Fayetteville and Helping the Marshallese community. For Mother's Day and graduations, Club supplied two-ingredient cakes and icing for the Little Free Pantries.

Donation of TUGS+ (T-shirts, Underwear, Gloves, Socks, and other items) to 7Hills. Over 480 items included over three dozen outerwear, 17 pairs of gloves, plus many other items .