The Red Pencil 
Newsletter of Watauga County Retired School Personnel
Vol.X, No.3 December 2012__________________________
Noon, Thursday, December 20, 2012
Deerfield Methodist Church
Cost per meal is $10, payable to Watauga Unit, NCRSP
Program: Entertainment from the Native Sons Band: Jimmy Higgins, Barney Hodgson, Jack Lawrence, Gary Waters, and Larry Richardson
To make your reservation: Just let your caller know that you will attend. IF YOUR CALLER HASN’T CALLED BY SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, PLEASE PHONE MARGARET AT 264-2036.” SHE MUST REPORT BY THE 18TH SO THAT GEORGE CAN ORDER THE FOOD FOR US.
To bring: as much non-perishable food as you can for the Health and Hunger Coalition. Powdered milk, soup, oatmeal, pasta products, canned fruit and vegetables, ANYthing non-perishable will be acceptable. Did you know that more than 400 children receive food on Fridays to feed themselves during the weekend? PLEASE help.
Note, please, that the Health and Hunger Coalition is the central agency which responds to requests from the Department of Social Services, OASIS, Hospitality House, Ram’s Rack, and the Watauga County Schools (when referred by a social worker). Clients are allowed to pick up supplies every l4 days, produce once a week and take-out meals daily.
Also to bring: a new or gently read children’s book for distribution to the children in this county through the Santa’s Toy Box Program. DO NOT bring books that have been marked in. We’re honoring the legacy of Dr. Seuss and the Read Across America program he loved. On that subject, if you would like to volunteer to read to kids, select an appropriate volume, put the first week of March on your calendar, and call your favorite elementary school – AND, AND, AND –
all your loose change, of course.
DON’T FORGET: After our lunch, you will be able to purchase a second meal to take home for $5. As good as George’s food is, imagine how much you’ll enjoy sharing with a friend or spouse or having your own dinner already prepared!
I have a confession. I am one of the people who did not turn in my volunteer time to Eula Mae last year. I didn't intend to neglect it, but I was sure it was going to take a long time to do, so I just kept putting it off. Determined to do better this year, I realized that once I started, it didn't take long at all. It seemed that everything I wrote down reminded me of something else and before I knew it, I had a respectable list. Sure, I probably forgot something, but what really matters is that I will have something to bring to the meeting. If I remember something else, I can always send that in too. I hope all of you will join me in remembering and reporting volunteer hours. I'm sure that once you start, you'll be surprised at just how many things you do that can be considered volunteer activities. Let's let the rest of the state know how active our members really are!
On a more personal note, please accept my sincere gratitude for your support and prayers following the death of my father. I have much for which to be thankful, and your friendship ranks high on that list.
I hope your holiday season is happy and safe, and I look forward to our fellowship on December 20.
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Our People in the News
For a group of retired folks, we’re really, really, REALLY active. We deliver Meals on Wheels, volunteer in the nursing homes, mentor students in the schools, work in political campaigns, lead civic organizations, “kitty-sit” and “puppy-sit” at the Humane Society, make blankets and quilts for young children, visit folks in the hospital, and take on another hundred labors of love in Watauga County. This month we’re congratulating R.G. Shipley, who spoke at the Veterans’ Day observance in the Boone Mall and Arvil Sale, who has been given the “Big Kid Award” in honor of his unparalleled service to the Boy Scouts of America in our area.
If you hear of something wonderful one of our members has done or is doing, please call up ntn1066@hotmail.com and tell me.
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1 box instant powdered milk (The size that makes 8 quarts)
1 6-ounce jar powdered coffee creamer
1 2-pound box Nestle’s Quik
1 pound powdered sugar
Mix all ingredients together in large container. Store in sealed container until ready to use. To make hot cocoa, fill mug 1/3 full with mix and add hot water, stir. Makes at least 45 servings!
AS GIFTS, package 1/3 cp mix in a small Ziploc with miniature candy cane, ten miniature marshmallows, and two chocolate kisses and tag with instructions. EASY!
(Thank you, Christy at Southern Plate!)
Membership is a topic that just won’t go away, and it shouldn’t. We need every single member we can attract and we need new and present members to be aware of the benefits of their membership and participation. If you know of retired educators who could benefit from membership in NCRSP, please call Roland or Barbara Moy.
Eula Mae Fox
We are participants in the Gold Star Local Program and really need your help to reach our goal. We will do that by continuing our involvement in anti-bullying activities in this county, by having at least 50% of our members reporting their volunteer hours, and by seeing that a certain percentage of those volunteer hours are spent in education. The goal is eminently reachable, especially since we all know of NCRSP members who are reading mentors and tutors and “volunteer grandparents” in the schools and at the library.
Now is no time to be modest, because modesty gets us nowhere, and reporting your volunteer hours isn’t bragging since you’re just stating facts.
You’ll find a Volunteer Hours form with this newsletter and we’ll bring several extras to the meeting. Bring your completed form to the December meeting or mail it to Eula Mae Fox, 199 Watauga Dr., Boone NC 28607, by December 31, please; this little task is IMPORTANT!
If our December meeting is snowed out, as it has been in years past, we will meet on the third Thursday in February. That’s the 21st of February. YOU WILL RECEIVE LOTS OF REMINDERS.
Dues Information
From our State Office: “Any member still on payroll deduction will need to make a decision on switching to either EFT (Electronic Fund Transfer) or Cash Pay by December 15 to ensure his/her continuing membership with NCRSP.” If you have switched to credit card or bankdraft since October 1, please notify Dot at 264-3621 so that our records will be correct.
NCRSP Community Participation - Volunteer Hours 2011
Name _____________________________
Category
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Jan
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Feb
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Mar
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Apr
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May
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Jun
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Jul
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Aug
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Sep
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Oct
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Nov
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Dec
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Total
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Education
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Other
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Total Hours in All Categories ________
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