A4 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2018
COMMUNITY
BRIEFS
AAUW sets potluck, membership
meeting in Pendleton
The American Association of University
Women is kicking off its 2018-19 year with
a potluck and membership meeting.
AAUW’s mission is to assist in better-
ing the lives of women and girls. Through
a grassroots effort, they work to empower
women through advocacy, education,
philanthropy and research. The Pendleton
branch is the nearest group in the region.
Prospective members are invited to
attend. The event is Thursday at 5:30 p.m.
in the Vert Club Room, 345 S.W. Fourth St.,
Pendleton. Those attending are invited to
bring a main dish, salad or dessert to share.
Beverages and utensils will be provided.
For more information, contact Marlene
Krout at 541-276-7596 or mkaykrout@
yahoo.com.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Dawn Long, the 2018-19 president of Altrusa International of Hermiston, enjoys the Aug.
30 club picnic at Hat Rock State Park. The annual event also serves as a introduction to
prospective members.
Altrusans cook up changes
to increase membership
By TAMMY MALGESINI
COMMUNITY EDITOR
Food, fellowship and
fun were the central focus
of the annual club picnic
of Altrusa International of
Hermiston.
In addition to the bar-
becued burgers, Altrusans
were looking to increase
interest in membership. The
Hermiston club hosted the
Aug. 30 event at Hat Rock
State park. They invited
Altrusans from Pendle-
ton and the Mid-Colum-
bia groups, as well as past
members and prospective
members.
The Hermiston club,
which
was
organized
with 32 initiates on May
14, 1977, sizzled with 67
members 10 years later. In
recent years, membership
has dwindled to 44, said
Dawn Long, 2018-19 club
president.
The reason for the
decline, said Pam Cooper,
is varied. In addition to a
few deaths, job changes,
people moving and addi-
tional time commitments
have also taken a toll on
membership. The Hermis-
ton gals — although Altrusa
is open to men, only one
male has joined the local
club over the years — don’t
want to see Altrusa go to the
wayside.
“We’ve seen clubs
‘age out’ and they miss
that opportunity to bring
younger people in,” said
Cooper, who’s in her 70s.
“If you have an average
age of 75, how do you get
younger people interested
in joining?”
However, it’s not just
Altrusa that’s losing mem-
bers. Cooper, who has been
a member since 1983, said
many service organiza-
tions are seeing less par-
ticipation. Nancy Lauck,
who joined in 2011, agreed,
saying churches also are
experiencing
declining
memberships.
Altrusa changing
with the times
Long, who’s been a mem-
ber since 2012, said they’ve
been mixing things up
recently in hopes of attract-
ing new members as well as
encouraging past members
to re-join. One of the big-
gest changes, she said, was
cutting back regular meet-
ings to twice a month — the
club previously met weekly
for a no-host luncheon. The
new format also eliminated
the catered meal.
Lauck, a past president
and currently the publicity
manager, said when they
made the change they were
just one of two clubs in the
district — which includes
20 groups from Oregon,
Washington, Montana and
British Columbia — that
still met weekly.
“Some of the older mem-
bers were initially upset
about it,” Cooper said.
“But our meetings have
blossomed.”
Cooper, Lauck and Long
said it’s important to change
with the times. One of the
things Lauck said they kept
hearing from younger mem-
bers was that taking a regu-
lar lunch hour is a thing of
the past.
“It’s just a different
dynamic than when Altrusa
first started,” she said.
The inner workings of
the club, Cooper said, are
built around decisions and
activities done by commit-
tees. So, cutting the regu-
lar meetings in half hasn’t
impacted what the club
does. In fact, she said it’s
had a positive impact —
including the addition of
five new members.
There are many choices
for people to join service
organizations, said Cynthia
Traner, who was initiated
July 19. She was looking
for a way to utilize her tal-
ents and make a difference.
Her interest in Altrusa was
piqued when she started
seeing the small lending
libraries popping up around
the region.
“I kept seeing the “Lit-
tle Red Libraries” and I
thought, ‘This is so sweet,’”
Traner said. “Literacy is
such an important thing.”
Lauck was drawn in by
a sewing project that was
being conducted by Altrusa
members at her church.
And, Long was interested
in the weekend backpack
program — although coor-
dinated by Agape House,
Altrusans provide hands on
assistance with the project
— filling backpacks with
food for kids who might
otherwise go hungry over
the weekend.
“Also, I was looking for
something to join to get to
know people,” Long said.
“It’s the best way to meet
people, to just jump in.”
“It’s a way to find a sis-
terhood and to get plugged
into and give back to the
community,” Traner added.
While Altrusa member-
ship is by invitation, peo-
ple who are interested are
encouraged to contact a
member. In addition, they
hold periodic events where
they invite prospective
members to attend. To visit
a meeting, contact Long at
hermistonaltrusa@gmail.
com. For more information,
visit districttwelve.altrusa.
org or search Facebook.
Thank you to the following businesses for supporting
Newspapers in Education
Their generous support of the Hermiston Herald NIE
program helps provide copies of the newspaper and
unlimited access to HermistonHerald.com and the
e-Edition to schools throughout the community.
Rick’s
Car Wash
1090 W. Hermiston Ave.
Hermiston, OR
541-567-8229
JeremyJLarsonDMD.com
1739 N. First St.
Hermiston, OR
541-564-0264
OldWestFCU.org
620 E. Main St.
Hermiston, OR
Our patients are the very
heart of our practice
541-567-3908
YOUR
BUSINESS HERE:
Call Today & Donate!
800-522-0255
For more information on the NIE Program, visit HermistonHerald.com/hh/nie.
To make a donation, call 800-522-0255.
Town hall in Walla Walla focuses
on veteran’s services
Veterans and their families are invited to
voice their thoughts and learn more about
benefits and services available during a Vet-
eran Town Hall Meeting.
The event is Thursday from 6-7:30 p.m.
in the theater building at Jonathan M. Wain-
wright Memorial VA Medical Center, 77
Wainwright Drive, Walla Walla. Topics of
discussion will include facility updates and
improvements to the delivery of care in the
community. Walla Walla VA leadership and
other staff will be on hand to listen to veter-
an’s concerns about service delivery.
For more information, contact Linda
Wondra at 509-525-5200 or linda.wondra@
va.gov.
Victory Baptist resumes monthly
Hymnspiration in Hermiston
An evening of food, fun and fellowship
will feature the singing of old hymns.
Victory Baptist Church is resuming its
monthly Hymnspiration service. Everyone
is welcome to attend the informal service
Sunday from 4:30-5:30 p.m. at 193 E. Main
St., Hermiston.
For more information, contact Chris
Finley at johnchris_1@msn.com or
541-571-2516.
Kidz programs kick off at
Hermiston Nazarene church
A new year of KidzOwn Worship is
kicking off at the Hermiston Church of the
Nazarene.
Geared for children ages 4 through fifth
grade, the special program features wor-
B O N N E V I L L E
P O W E R
ship, prayer and lessons geared for kids.
The kick-off event, which is Sunday at
10:15 a.m., will include a celebration —
complete with bouncy houses. The church
is located at 1520 W. Orchard Ave., Hermis-
ton. Youths entering sixth grade are invited
for a special promotion celebration.
In addition, the Wednesday night kids’
program, Kidz in the Word, will begin Sept.
12 from 6-7:30 p.m. Its focus will build on
the Sunday lesson and theme through songs
and activities. It’s also for children ages 4
through fifth grade
For more information, contact 541-567-
3677, hermistonnaz@gmail.com or visit
www.hermistonnazarene.org.
Head downtown for First Thursday
Refreshments, specials and a bonus
drawing are all a part of the Hermiston
Downtown District’s First Thursday.
The event is Thursday from 4:30-7 p.m.
in nearly 20 downtown businesses. Peo-
ple are encouraged to come down and take
a stroll, visit with friends and shop local.
Also, be sure to get a drawing ticket and
get it signed when visiting participating
businesses. To enter the drawing, get four
or more signatures on the entry card and
drop it off at Two96 Main, this month’s host
business.
And, don’t forget, Thursday also is the
Maxwell Market — Hermiston’s farmers’
market. It runs from 4-8 p.m. at South First
Place and West Locust Avenue.
For more about First Thursday, call 541-
289-1112 and for more about the farm-
ers’ market, visit www.facebook.com/
maxwellmarketupdates.
Book club to discuss ‘Fallen Land’
A book by award-winning author Taylor
Brown is the topic of the upcoming Book-
minders, the Hermiston Public Library
book club.
Participants will discuss “Fallen Land”
Tuesday, Sept. 11 at 1:30 p.m. at The Pheas-
ant Bar & Grill, 149 E. Main St., Hermis-
ton. The club meeting is free and people
may arrive early for a no-host lunch.
Set during the Civil War, the historical
novel shares the story of a young couple,
who on horseback, are fleeing from a dan-
gerous band of marauders. Seeking a safe
haven where they can make a home and
begin to rebuild their lives, the gritty and
action-packed tale also chronicles a love
story.
The book club, which is free and open
to everyone, meets the second Tuesday of
each month. A limited number of copies of
“Fallen Land” are available at the library.
For more information, call 541-567-2882
or stop by the library at 235 E. Gladys Ave.
For more about the author, visit www.tay-
lorbrownfiction.com.
A D M I N I S T R A T I O N
Cayuse Goat Ranch conservation
easement would protect Oregon
for fi sh and wildlife habitat
The Bonneville Power Administration intends to fund the purchase of a conservation easement
on approximately 76.5 acres of mixed conifer forest, native grasslands and riparian/wetland habitat
along the Umatilla River, approximately 10 miles east of Pendleton in Umatilla County, Oregon.
When the purchase is complete, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation
(CTUIR) will own and manage the property for fi sh and wildlife conservation purposes and BPA will
receive a conservation easement to ensure that the habitat values on the property are always protected.
The funding will be provided as part of BPA’s ongoing eff orts to protect, restore and enhance
habitat for Spring Chinook, Coho and Middle Columbia River Steelhead. The acquisition would
serve as partial mitigation for the construction and operation of the Federal Columbia River Power
System which includes dams on the main stem Columbia and Snake rivers. The purchase of the
conservation easement would specifi cally satisfy some of BPA’s mitigation needs to acquire new fi sh
and wildlife habitat as identifi ed in the National Marine Fisheries Service 2008/2010/2014 Biological
Opinion that guides BPA’s protection of salmon and steelhead listed under the federal Endangered
Species Act.
The CTUIR will develop a management plan to guide the protection and enhancement of fi sh
and wildlife habitat on the property. The CTUIR will provide the public an opportunity to review
the draft plan. BPA will review the plan for consistency with the purpose of the acquisition and the
terms and conditions of the conservation easement prior to its implementation. A letter describing the
proposed purchase, a map and information describing environmental review requirements under the
National Environmental Policy Act are available at www.bpa.gov/goto/LandAcquisitions.
For more information, contact BPA project manager Hannah Dondy-Kaplan at 503-230-4071 or
hadondy-kaplan@bpa.gov. You can also call 800-622-4519 toll free.
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