NWN Ruritans meet for first time since March
The Northwestern Ruritan Club met July 13 at Northwestern Middle School. President Kim Wellert welcomed members including new members Dave Knight and Dave Mowrer, and Jim Stephenson and John Martin both attended the meeting in spite of health problems.
Sympathies were extended to member Becky Burkholder and family for the passing of member Mike Burkholder on May 15 and also to members Michelle Matteson and Vickie Devore for the loss of their son and brother David Devore from a tragic accident. The group joined in singing “America,” and the invocation was given by Kim Wellert.
The program was presented by Wendy Mole, food service supervisor for the Northwestern Schools District, and was appreciated by all. The school cooks serve about 200 breakfasts and about 700 lunches a day to the three schools in the Northwestern district, plus snacks to many after school, so it is a major undertaking. They also serve extra meals including Ruritan Club meetings and banquets.
The state first became involved in school lunches in 1944 and developed stringent requirements for nutrients to be served. In 2012 calories needed to be counted, and fruit and vegetables needed to be served every day with whole grain breads and other healthy items.
In 2015 Mole began the Farm to School program, purchasing fresh fruits and vegetables from the West Salem auction. This has worked out well, although time-consuming, and she has frozen some of the fresh fruits and vegetables to serve later. She also has worked with the group, A Whole Community, to secure local food for the school program.
New members Knight and Mowrer were inducted, and Wellert presented each with a Ruritan hat, a coffee mug, a 50th anniversary pen and a member’s handbook.
The scholarship recipients, who will receive $700 each, were announced: Joshua Cline, Travis Cochran, Matthew Kobak, Sasha McConahay, Jordan Melegari, Karlie Mowrer, Kaitlyn Praisler, Makayla Stormer and Rachel Winkler, all graduated seniors of Northwestern High School. Thank-you notes for scholarships were read from Cochran, McConnahay and Mowrer. This is the 35th year the club has given scholarships, to a total of 420 students with a value of $155,080.
A motion was passed that the club donate $1,000 for the Mike Burkholder Memorial and NWHS Athletic Hall of Fame structure by the entrance to the football field. Motions also were passed to send $100 to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, a Ruritan National project, and to donate $150 toward the Celebration of Life of David Devore.
A sizeable profit from the Pancake/Sausage Day was realized. It was announced that the managers of the Craft Show/Sale held during the Pancake/Sausage Day donated funds to the club in addition to other causes.
American Auger and George’s Alignment were selected as outstanding businesses this year. They have been presented with plaques and hopefully can come to a fall meeting to give the highlights of their businesses.
This is the 13th year the club and Northwestern Schools have presented the awards. Two or three businesses are recognized each year for their contributions to the school, and they share the fulfillment of their dreams and words of wisdom with the scholarship recipients. Regretfully, due to the pandemic, the meeting between the students and businesses was not able to be held in the spring.
Jamie Bowman announced the next U.S. holiday for the Parade of Flags is Patriot’s Day on Sept. 11. Also, more help is needed with the Congress Township recycling bins project, held on the first and third Saturday of the month from 9 a.m. to noon, with a reminder that cans and other recyclables should be dumped into the bins without the bags.
Phil Keener disbursed forms for selling tickets at the Wayne County Fair. The club will sell tickets at gates five and six and man the exhibitor’s gate.
With no more business, the meeting was closed with the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. The next meeting will be Aug. 10 at 7 p.m. at Northwestern High School. The program will be by the Business and Professions Committee, Bill Cletzer, chair.
Directors will meet at 6:15 that evening.