William Penn Life, 2016 (51. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2016-01-01 / 1. szám
Branch News Branch 1 Bridgeport, CT by Jim Balias Our branch Christmas party was held Dec. 5 at the Bessemer Center Hall in Bridgeport. It was a huge success. Everyone attending had a great time. Many members who did not know each other made new friends, and some old friends who had not seen each other for years were reunited. Everyone is looking forward to our next gathering. The branch Christmas parties are designed for the families with children, but we decided to invite all the families of our branch. We did not know what kind of response we would get as our branch has not held a Christmas party in recent years. We recognize that we have some work to do to get more involvement by our members, but we had a good group in attendance. As members arrived, they were given "Hello, my name is" stickers so those who did not know each other would learn names. The hall was decorated with the holiday spirit, and Christmas music played creating a festive atmosphere. Guests enjoyed drinks of all kinds, an assortment of cheese and crackers and delicious Hungarian salami and kolbász (which was a big hit). Members attending were asked to fill out a contact sheet and give suggestions for future branch activities. Those who were not able to come are also asked to complete the contact sheet. We agreed that we would try to build an email contact list to keep in touch. Please contact me at jarnesballas@att.net if you would like to be added to the list. After a nice period of member fellowship, the party began with welcoming remarks from Branch President Bill Bero and me (branch coordinator). Everyone then enjoyed a catered lunch of chicken, pasta and vegetables, with an assortment of Christmas cookies for dessert. The food was great and plentiful. We then joined in singing Christmas carols using the songbooks provided by the Home Office. The big hit of the party was the arrival of Santa Claus. He carried his NEXT DEADLINE All articles & photographs for the February 2016 issue of William Penn Life are due in our office by January 8, 2016. If you have any questions, please contact John E. Lovász at 1-800-848-7366, ext. 135. bag of goodies and greeted everyone on the way to his special chair next to our Christmas tree. The children came up one by one to greet him and receive their gift. Of course, they also told him what else they expected to get when he made his deliveries on Christmas. The grownups also enjoyed Santa's visit. All were treated with a goody bag of WPA items and some items given supplied by our branch. In addition, we awarded door prizes to everyone's delight. In conjunction with this event, our branch held a food drive. We received a huge amount of non-perishable items from our members. We also participated in the WPA Holiday Basket program. We used some of the donated items to make up three baskets of food and used the additional fund from the Home Office ($40 each for three baskets) to add grocery store gift cards. This would enable the three local families that were given baskets to purchase some fresh fruits, vegetables and meats. The remaining food items were donated to the Bridgeport Rescue Mission, a local shelter and food bank for those in need. We also donated a tray of cooked pasta from our party. We are happy to fulfill part of our fraternal mission and spread the holiday spirit within our community. Thanks to the branch members who helped me with the planning and setup of the party, especially President Bero, Branch Secretary Sandy Stasko, Ann Balias, and Sharyn Green. They did a great job! In all, it was a superb day. Everyone enjoyed the food, the company, and sharing the holiday spirit. It was wonderful for our branch members to gather and celebrate together. Branch 14 Cleveland, OH by Richard E. Sarosi We hope that everyone had a very Merry Christmas and that we all have a very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year 2016! The Branch 14 Christmas party took place Nov. 21 at The First Hungarian Reformed Church's Bethlen Hall. All those attending were asked to bring canned goods and other non-perishable food to the party, and Branch 14 donated the items to the Maple Heights Food Pantry right before Thanksgiving. Our members and guests also raised $148 for the Nepal Earthquake Relief Fund. Branch 14 donated another $52 to raise our total contribution to $200. Ron Fowler (aka "Flower Clown"), who entertained us at our party, was most grateful for the donation. He is working hard to help those individuals and businesses affected by this tragic earthquake. Ron and his family will be heading back to Nepal in February. We wish them a safe journey. During our party, Flower Clown created amazing balloon shapes, such as spiders, flowers, lady bugs, monkeys in coconut trees, Christmas trees and wreaths, swords and much more. Joy the Clown painted the children's faces and arms with masks, butterflies, scars, Spiderman, dragons and other great designs. New to our party was Dr. U R Awesome who performed magic tricks and blew bubbles in many sizes and shapes including a square balloon inside a round balloon. Gary Pearlman (aka Dr. U R Awesome) is the Guinness World Record holder for the largest outdoor soap bubble, 16 ° January 2016 0 William Penn Life
