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2007 – 2008 Annual Report of the Women's Alliance
In this church year 2007 - 2008 the Women's Alliance has been quite active. We are still operating under the Umbrella Organizational Model that was first used by the Lincoln, Nebraska Women's Group. The Steering Committee has worked hard to balance our focus and be inclusive of all women at First Unitarian and serve the Women's Alliance membership as well. Joan Beal and Lois Allen produced a Women's Alliance Brochure, an easier way to inform new and/or interested women. Claire E. Lukacs designed a series of logos for the Women's Alliance. The membership chose one to represent the Women's Alliance. We did increase our funds for our projects by making Red, White and Blue pies and selling them on the Sunday before Labor Day. We also rented a vendor table at the Yuletide Fare and sold Holiday decorations and handmade hats. Lois Allen led this project. We will start to develop by laws this summer.
We decided to focus our activities on Social Outreach, Fellowship, the Spiritual and Education, and gifts of work and treasure to First Unitarian. This is the order of the Women's Alliance voted preference as well. I will report what we have done under each of the categories if you will please bear in mind that all these categories overlap each other.
In the realm of Social Outreach, many of our membership took a shift at the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice booth at the Kentucky State Fair. Kathy Kremer was the main organizer for the successful Valentine Party for the women and children of the Center for Women and Families. This center is located a few blocks from First Unitarian. The Alliance group, the Liberal Sew and Sew's will partner with the Mission and Outreach Ministry this summer and participate in the Linus Project from June thru Labor Day. They will make blankets of all types for children in need. We will have a "shower" at which all women of the church will be invited and requested to bring a gift for the women who are ready to leave the Center for Women and Families and start their lives again. Linda Parry will organize this event.
Fellowship or should we say Sistership is a very important category within the Women's Alliance. We do like to be together. We and other First Unitarians occupied two tables at the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice Roe v. Wade Celebration in January. Many of our members attended a docent lead tour of the Gee's Bend Quilt Exhibit at the Speed Museum in January. After the tour we had a very nice lunch at the Bristol at the Speed. The Steering Committee wanted to give Joan Beal a going away gift. Joan will be joining her husband (our newest minister emeritus) in Maine. Joan has been a vital force in the Women's Alliance; the Evening Women's Alliance and helped to hold us together as we spent time without a formal organization. Lois Allen, Barbara Coles and Holly Hogue organized and collected from members and produced the "Memory Book" for Joan. Kathy Drehmel presented the "Book" to Joan at the Women's Alliance Service in March. The Women's Retreat was a wonderful "Sistership" event. The Retreat Team really worked hard and it showed in a wonderful Retreat. The members of the Retreat Planning Committee are Holly Hogue, Barbara Coles, Kathy Rogers, Lois Allen, Kathy Kremer, and led by Kathy Drehmel.
The Spiritual and Educational category is found in all we do. We enjoyed the speaker at our Annual Muffin and Yogurt Brunch, Professor Kelly Ryan who spoke about her research "Refashioning the Sexual Self: White Women's Seduction Narratives, 1780 - 1820". The Women's Alliance provided information regarding the number 1 killer of women, heart disease. We asked all people to support Women's Heart Health the 1st of February and Sunday the 3rdof February by wearing Red on those days. The Women's Alliance usually provides a Sunday Service during March which is Women's History Month. This year we asked Joan Uebelhoer, Professor of Women's Studies, to deliver the sermon. International Women's Connections was the theme. Joan brought poster art, Women of Hope, which was displayed in the sanctuary. Rev. Betsy Scheuerman led us through the Labyrinth at Hopscotch House during our Women's Retreat in April.
Many of our membership can be found on many task forces, teams, Ministries, the Board of Trustees, and Committees thus they are very active in the work of the First Unitarian. We did want to honor the Alliance's tradition of giving to the church. We gave Susan Wilburn the "Clara Barton Sisterhood" honoring Susan's service and leadership with the Alliance as well as with First Unitarian. We communicated with the Music Director, William Plumber, as to our desire to give something to the help the Choir. We will present the Choir with a 10 Choral Books for the Choir on June 1st. Lois Allen led this project and Kathy Kremer designed the book plates for the Choral Books.
Our sorrow this year is the death of a great Feminist, Allie Corbin Hixson. The Women's Alliance will help her daughter Emma during the Memorial Service and the Lunch that follows on May 24th.
I and the Women's Alliance membership take this opportunity to show our appreciation for the time, work and dedication of the Steering Committee Members, Kathy Drehmel, Lois Allen, Kathy Rogers, Penny Nader and Kathy Kremer. Thank You.
This report is respectfully submitted by Kathy Thackeray.
Current year opportunities
2010 Alliance Report
2009 Alliance Report
2008 Alliance Report
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First Unitarian Church * Unitarian Universalist * UU * Louisville
Kentucky * KY
www.firstulou.org/groups/womenreport2008.html
