Altrusa International of Mexico, Missouri, Inc. met on Oct. 24, at noon at The Oaks for their program meeting. The meeting was called to order by Co-President Nancy Early followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. There were seventeen members in attendance along with four guests.

Committee reports were as follows: ASTRA helped with Moonlight Madness on the square with face painting and handing out candy. Literacy sent out invitations to grant winners to attend the Salad Auction and receive their checks. Hospitality has planned the Christmas party at The Carlson House. The literacy committee reported that most of the dictionaries and thesauruses have been distributed. Penny thanked everyone who helped. The special events committee said they had a good attendance at the wiener roast. Members made goodie bags for the Veterans at the wiener roast. They will be passed out at the Veterans Home in conjunction with “Make A Difference Day” and the “Collaborate Challenge” issued by Altrusa International.

In old business, members were reminded about the upcoming Salad Auction. Penny Daugherty, reported on attending the Regional Event in Bentonville, Ark.on Sept. 21.

Randy Gooch the associate director of programs with C2C (Commitment to Community/Cradle to Career) spoke about the investment that the Clippers head coach and Mexico native, Tyronn Lue and Clippers owner, Steve Ballmer, have made to the Mexico community. Lue brought Mr. Ballmer for a visit to Mexico to show him the needs of our community. Lue and Ballmer teamed up to fund a private grant as well as obtain several others to jump start C2C in our community. The utilization of these grants includes: placing a School Coordinator for every school, aiding students with career preparedness and helping with costs of dual credit courses and looking at obtaining mentors in every school. They are also working on kindergarten readiness, safe, healthy and wellness for our students. Trainers from PRI hosted an Attendance Summit in an effort to tackle absenteeism. One of the projects that they are working on is to bring back more club opportunities in the Middle School and possibly at the elementary level as well. Mr. Gooch commented that they are excited for the future and plan to be around for a while to aid and tackle issues.

Members gave “Happy Moments” and recited the benediction to close the meeting.

We are always looking for new members. You can visit our Facebook page at Altrusa International of Mexico, or email us at mexicoaltrusa@gmail.com.