National Active and Retired Federal Employees

The National Active and Retired Federal Employees Chapter 469 met Oct. 13 at Pizza Ranch in Austin. Ken Dobbs, a retiree of the Social Security Administration, spoke about the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset. A legislative report was given and a current list of Chapter 469 members was distributed. The chapter will not meet in December. The group’s next scheduled meeting is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Feb. 9 at Pizza Ranch in Albert Lea.

 

American Legion Auxiliary

The American Legion Auxiliary Unit 56 of Albert Lea met at 7 p.m. Nov. 4 in the Legion dining room. President Bonnie Schneider opened the meeting with a salute to the American flag. Chaplain Jenny Torgerson gave the opening prayer. Taps was played as the group had a moment of silence in memory of their dead. The Pledge of Allegiance, one stanza of the national anthem and the preamble to the American Legion Auxiliary was recited by all in attendance. Deanne Adams, treasurer, gave her report. The report was placed on file for audit.

Children & Youth Chairwoman Karen Cibert thanked everyone who brought in healthy snacks for after school children in all local schools. They can still be brought to the club until Nov. 22. She also made a game called Bamoosh to remind the group of items like Box Tops for Education, Milk Moolah, pop tabs, coupons, etc. They can also be brought to the club and placed in the container marked for such items. Members were asked to bring in coupons for National Security Chairwoman Betty Anderson to send to the troops.

A list of special days to fly the American Flag was also read.

Announcements:

The Auxiliary breakfast will be from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. This is a fundraiser for the groups veteran, youth and community programs. Members are asked to come and support the event.

The American Legion Auxiliary was founded on Nov. 10, 1919, so the organization is celebrating its 96th birthday. Veterans Day was on Nov. 11. Members were asked to thank a veteran everyday. American Education Week is Monday through Friday. Thanksgiving is Nov. 26. The department president’s toast and roast for Sandy Fredrickson will be on Saturday at Glenville.

Recommendations were voted on and approved as follows: Auxiliary Hospital Fund, Community Hospice Tree, Presbyterian and Salvation Army food shelves, Beyond the Yellow Ribbon and the Freeborn County Historical Museum.

The group’s next meeting will be at 7 p.m. April 6, 2016.

 

First Lutheran Church Women

First Lutheran Church Women met at noon Oct. 14 in Bethany Hall. It was the 55th anniversary of the reformation luncheon. Joan Holt provided the piano prelude music.

Co-President Joyce Fredin gave the welcome, after which the table prayer was sung.

The luncheon was prepared and served by Unit II co-chairwomen Virginia Hermanson and Helen Lovik and their committee of Marilyn Chafee, Audrey Christianson, Kathy Olson, Arlis Smith, Julia Tonder and Maxine Wignes.

Jane Loge gave devotions with the message that people serve the Lord and one another with their talents.

Sandy Narverud introduced the speaker, Ann Joos, who provided an inspirational and interesting program on the topic of “Tanzania — Agriculture/Orphans.” She has made several trips to the very remote area in eastern Africa, bringing medical supplies and other essential items. She showed pictures of the mission for the Mutamba orphans and told about the progress being made in the extremely poor area to feed the orphans one meal a day. Her closing remark, “The love of Christ is the cure for death. Share it with everyone.”

There was no business meeting.

Co-chairwomen Neva Mathison and Marge Moine and their committees served one funeral in September.

 

Women Veterans of Freeborn Co.

The regularly scheduled meeting of the Women Veterans of Freeborn County met Nov. 4 at American Legion Post 56 in Albert Lea. Women veterans present included Judi Olson, Julie Hamson, Deanna Luedtke, Joan Paczkowski, Ruth Perry, Marge Lukehart, Sandy Maiden and Pat Johannsen.

Minutes of the last meeting were passed.

Luedtke was officially recognized as commander of the group. Perry donated a gavel and it was used for the first time at this meeting. Perry was thanked for her donation.

The group had discussions and updates about their families.

The treasurer’s report was read.

Luedtke read a thank you note from Ride Share for the group’s $25 donation.

The group had a discussion about Veterans Day. The group met at 7:30 a.m. at the Legion. From there members went to the Veterans Memorial. They raised the colors, volley, and taps was played. There was a program inside with Sen. Mike Perry who spoke at 11 a.m. The group returned to the post for lunch.

Luedtke shared an article about fighting dementia. Concern about the health of the brain reflects an ominous trend — the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias is increasing sharply. This can take a tremendous toll on the person, their family and the health care system. Luedtke said it was time for society to recognize the magnitude of the problem and become more aggressive. The goal is to find a cure, but there is also a need to find a way to slow the progression of the disease once it is diagnosed. There is some evidence that suggests people can reduce their risk of dementia through regular exercise, proper diet, reducing stress, staying socially engaged and continuing to learn new things.

Another article the group discussed dealt with retirement planning. It stated that before you can figure out where you’re going in retirement, you have to figure out where you are now. The article suggested to take a complete inventory of your financial status to get a grip on six areas including assets, debts, interest rates on those debts, income, current expenses and prioritizing spending. With social security you get an 8 percent bump up in benefits each year between the ages of 62 and 70 if you wait to start claiming it. If you cost of living is greater than your income you have two choices — reduce your spending or earn more. Many people begin to downsize and some begin part-time jobs.

Luedtke shared the latest information about the Freedom cruise set for April 29, 2017. It is for all veterans with an emphasis on getting more women veterans involved. Spouses are welcome to attend as well. The cruise leaves from Galveston, Texas, and those who attend must provide their own transportation to that point. The cost is $489 per person with a deposit of $250 due when you make your reservation.

St. John’s Lutheran Community would like the group to continue to assist with dessert and coffee for various occasions. The group decided that they could support them one time this year. Luedtke will let St. John’s know.

Maiden will ensure that the food donations are delivered to the food pantry.

The Women Veterans of Freeborn County meet at 11:30 a.m. on the first Wednesday of every month at the American Legion. The group encourages all women military veterans to join them for an informal lunch, discussion and camaraderie. The next meeting will be at 11:30 a.m. Dec. 2 at the Legion.

Those who would like more information can call Luedtke at 414-530-3982.