Christ is the Morning Star,
who, when the night of this world is past,
gives to his saints the promise of the light of life,
and opens everlasting day.
– Venerable Bede

Ladies of Blessed Sacrament (LBS) – Meeting Minutes – November 8^th 2022

President Eileen Foster called the meeting to order at 1:30 and welcomed 23 women which included newcomer Fran Davis. Fran moved to Midland from Macomb County over a year ago. Welcome Fran! Our president read a prayer for our country on this mid-term Election Day.

Special thanks to Dorothy Kociba and Connie Latuszek for setting up a beautiful refreshment table and to Joanne Tanner, Isabel Viges, Sharon Capriccioso, and Deb Rey for providing snacks.  Susie Rademacher, Karen Adamcik, and Dorothy Kociba signed up to bring refreshments to our next regular meeting in February 2023.

Secretary Elaine White read the minutes of our October 4^th meeting. Minutes were previously posted on the Blessed Sacrament website and on the LBS FaceBook page.

Treasurer Tana Zemanek reported that our cider and donut fundraiser on October 16^th was very successful. A second cider and donut fundraiser will be on Sunday, November 13^th. Money raised from these two fundraisers will be used to cover the cost of the fleece for the blankets that we are making for the homeless and disadvantaged in our community.

Anne Boyd reported that our second blanket making session will be on Wednesday, November 9th from 9-2. We hope to complete the making of 50 blankets. All are welcome to come for all or part of the time.

Anne Boyd asked us to “Save the Date: Advent Time of Reflection” to be held on Saturday, December 3^rd from 9-2 at Assumption Church in Larkin Township. This event, co-sponsored by Blessed Sacrament, will be led by Sr. Nancy Murray.  Also “The Chosen”, which depicts the lives of the followers of Jesus, will be at shown at the AMC Theater in Saginaw November 18^th-20^th at 3 and 7 pm. Anne highly recommends both events.

Treasurer Tana reported a treasury balance of $14,754.11. At our last general meeting, we decided to gift $10,000 ($1,000 each) to ten non-profit agencies. Before our speaker and before a brief break for refreshments, each meeting attendee was given 10 tickets to use in voting for the organizations of their choice. We thank Judy Kawiecki, Tana Zemanek, and Ramona Lalka for coordinating the voting process. Votes were tabulated and announced at the end of the meeting.

Meghan Dahl, Behavioral Health Therapist from My Michigan Medical Center in Midland, was our speaker. Meghan is offering a five week series focusing on loneliness and social connection called “Bridge to Belonging”. This series is in collaboration with Midland Senior Services.

This free virtual Zoom series will be on Tuesdays, November 15^th to December 13^th from 1-2:30. Registration closes Thursday November 10th. Register by calling 989-837-9090 or at www.mymichigan.org/bridge. Meghan gave us strategies to use to decrease our feeling of being alone and to help us feel more connected and positive about our lives. We thank Meghan for sharing her expertise with us.

Instead of a business meeting in December, we will hold our annual Christmas potluck on December 6^th at 6 pm. The Meistersingers from Midland High will provide the entertainment. Watch the bulletin for more details. All are invited to bring a guest of your choice.

Tana Z and Ramona L announced the results of our voting. These ten charities will receive $1,000 each from Ladies of Blessed Sacrament:

1. Global Compassion
2. Blessed Sacrament Emergency Fund
3. Shelterhouse of Women and Children
4. Toni & Trish House
5. Sleep in Heavenly Peace
6. Emmaus House
7. Midland Community Former Offenders Advocacy and Rehab (MCFOAR)
8. Home to Stay
9. Wings of Mercy
10. Guatemalan Stove Project

Respectfully submitted,

Elaine White, Secretary

Ladies of Blessed Sacrament (LBS)  – Meeting Minutes – 10/04/2022

President Eileen Foster called the meeting to order at 1:30 and welcomed all present. An opening prayer was said.

Eileen announced that our April 11^th 2023 meeting will be an evening meeting to enable more ladies to attend as 1:30 in the afternoon may not be a good meeting time for many women.

Eileen thanked Joanne Tanner for making autumn floral arrangements for the tables in our social hall.

Elaine White, Alex Braley, and Aimee Kopiwoda provided snacks for the 24 ladies in attendance. Connie Latuszek and Dorothy Kociba provided the table arrangements. Joanne Tanner, Deb Rey, Isabel Viges, and Sharon Capriccioso signed up to bring snacks to our November meeting.

Secretary Elaine White read the minutes of our last meeting. Minutes were previously posted on parish website and on LBS FaceBook page.

Treasurer Tana Zemanek reported a treasury balance of $15,071.43. It was decided at our September meeting that we’ll gift $10,000 to various charities with emphasis on charities that provide help with basic necessities such as food, clothing, and shelter. The board previously compiled a list of 23 charities.  The board then pared this list down to 15 charities. All those in attendance at our November meeting will vote on which of those 10 charities will get $1,000 each. Each person at the November meeting will get ten tickets. There will be 15 bags labeled with the name of each charity. Members can spread their votes around or place all tickets in the same bag. The charities selected are:

Blessed Sacrament Emergency Funds, Camp Fish Tales, Caregiving Network, East Side Soup Kitchen of Saginaw, Emmaus House of Saginaw, Global Compassion, Guatemalan Stove Project, Home to Stay (formally Midland Area Homes), Midland County Former Offenders Advocacy and Rehab (MCFOAR), Midland County Food Pantry Network (EFPN), Shelterhouse for Women & Children, Sleep in Heavenly Peace, Tall in the Saddle, Toni & Trish House, and Wings of Mercy.

The LBS will have a cider and donuts fundraiser after both Sunday Masses on October 16^th and on November 13^th.  Money raised will be used to buy fleece for the blankets that we’ll be making for the homeless and disadvantaged in our community. Everyone is invited to our blanket making day on Wednesday, October 19^th from 8 am to 3 pm. You can come for the entire time period or just part of the time. A pizza lunch will be provided or you’re welcome to bring your own lunch. Additional workers are needed. Please contact Anne Boyd (989-415-4243) to sign up.

Judy Kawiecki introduced Anne Canvasser, volunteer coordinator for the Midland Center for the Arts (MCFTA).  Anne talked about the role of ushers at MCFTA. Training is provided. If you wish to volunteer, contact volunteer@midlandcenter.org or fill out an application on the MCFTA website at midlandcenter.org/volunteer.

Our next speaker was Pesi Kennett, outreach coordinator for Midland County Emergency Food Pantry Network (EFPN). EFPN distributes over 17,000 items (food, cleaning supplies, personal care items) per month through their eight food pantries. Pesi explained the various programs of EFPN, one of which is the Backpack Buddies program which distributes a weekend supply of food to elementary children in Midland County who qualify for free or reduced price school lunches. Anyone who needs help with food can call 989-486-9393 and press “1”.

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, November 8^th at 1:30. All are welcome!