Fraternity-Testvériség, 2003 (81. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
2003-07-01 / 3. szám
Page 16 TESTVÉRISÉG BRANCH NEWS Branch 2 - Cleveland, Ohio The summer has been rewarding to members of our Branch, along with members of the First Flungarian Reformed Church of Cleveland. July 26th was set aside for a bus trip to Bethlen Home, Ligonier, Pennsylvania, under the supervision of Elaine and Betty Rose Galgany (long-time HRFA members). The day proved to be füled with good fellowship as we were graciously hosted by the entire staff of the Home. The fraternal flavor of church and retirement community was highlighted by the Rev. Imre A. Bertalan in a brief service in the Chapel. The same type effort was repeated on September 9th with a group from the same church, led by the Rev. Csaba Krasznai and myself. The visit to Lorantffy Care Center in Copley, Ohio, was enhanced by a personal tour of the facility, along with an excellent Hungarian style lunch. Thanks to the Rev. Zsigmond Molnár, Chaplain, and Mrs. Domotor, and staff. Additionally, our Branch was invited to a fraternal summer picnic gathering with our sister Branch 4. Cleveland has been blessed with the opportunity to participate fraternally and socially through our Church and the HRFA. Edward Szabó, Branch Manager Tel: 216-328-8549 Branch 20 - Trenton, New Jersey Join Hands Day 2003 For the past two years, members of Branch 20, and anyone I could get to help us, have been making walker bags. At various times, we got together in groups to sew the bags which we gave to people who needed them, or we mailed them to those we heard were using walkers. This spring and summer, we accelerated our efforts to complete more bags for Join Hands Day. There are three sewing machines in my room, and if I have an extra ten minutes free, the time will often be spent sewing just a little more. One evening, a Sunday School teacher and her friend came after work and sewed for three hours. During my daughter’s college visit to St. John’s in Annapolis, Maryland, my younger daughter and I spent a day at the Home Office, where many of the workers spent their breaktime helping with sewing. My children and their friends, whenever they were wandering around saying they were bored, ended up sewing for a while. This year on Join Hands Day we passed out 70 bags to rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, and assisted care facilities, among others. Although this is on on-going project, Join Hands Day was an opportunity to involve people who were aware of it but had never participated. It would be too numerous for me to list all the volunteers who gave so much of their time to pick up the fabric and materials, and who helped with the making and distribution of the bags. My appreciation and gratitude to all! Another ongoing project is helping Quilts for Kids make quilts for children with cancer or AIDS. If anyone is interested in making walker bags or quilts for children, please contact me for instructions and information. Update on Iraq Project Starting this May, when Lieutenant Colonel Julius Oroszvary, stationed in Safwan, Iraq, first visited the schools in the province. Branch 20 has been involved in sending boxes of school supplies to Iraq. In June, the HRFA included a notice about the project, and the response was A classroom in Safwan, Iraq overwhelming. To date, at least 25 boxes have been sent, and received by Julius, who was able to personally pass out the supplies to the schools and children who needed them. The approximately 5,000 children who attend school in Safwan Province have been immeasurably helped by the generosity of everyone who participated. Under the Saddam Hussein regime, classrooms were mostly bare, with nothing in them but rows of desks. The teacher stood in front of the room and recited what the children were to learn. The children repeated it back, until they knew it. This allowed the government to maintain nearly total control over what children learned in the schools.The US Navy supplied chalkboards for 10 of the 11 schools, and sent teams to install them. Repairs to the schools were included in the mission of the Civil Affairs teams in the area. With the help of many of the Branches of the Federation, 12 boxes, 10 of them computer-box sized, were packed the weekend of the Golf Tournament and Bethlen Home picnic, and sent out the next day. Other dedicated participants include Jodi Reynolds, a Sunday School teacher at
