◼ Club's name changed from Eureka Republican Women Federated to Humboldt Republican Women Federated (HRWF) for purposes of making the club more inclusive of the home communities of our conservative women who are united in common purposes: education, better government, and service to our country.
◼ We closed out 2009 celebrating HRWF's award as a Diamond Club. There is reason to believe that we might be able to earn that award again.
◼ We started off 2010 with the publication of the HRWF cookbook with more than 350 recipes provided by our membership and family, neighbors, and friends.
◼ Prominent among HRWF goals was to become individual activists. To make ourselves heard and to influence those in power to believe they needed to listen.
◼ In 2009 and 2010 we held a total of three drives for the Eureka Food Bank.
◼ In 2010 we held a Food Drive for Arcata's Northern Resource Center.
◼ In 2009 we held a drive for clothing for a Soroptimist Women's Shelter. That gathering was so bountiful that part of it benefited the Discovery Shop as well.
◼ In 2009 we did a collecting of cell phones to benefit phone cards for the military.
◼ In 2009 we did two drives for American Business Women's Association's shelter. One was to provide personal items for women and one was for the shelter's pantry.
◼ In 2010 we collected eyeglasses for the Lion's Club program to aid vision needs.
◼ In 2009 we held a Republican Picnic with Chuck DeVore, primary candidate for the U.S. Senate, and Ken Miller, a primary candidate for governor of California, as speakers.
◼ In 2010 we held a Republican Picnic with Loren Hanks, candidate for Congressional District One; Karen Brooks, candidate for CA District One Assembly; Lawrence Wiesner, Candidate for CA State Senate; and Johanna Rodoni, candidate for Humboldt County Assessor.
◼ In 2009 and 2010 we held Membership Teas as our general meetings for their respective months. In 2009 and 2010 we held ten more general meetings for each year offering speakers on a range of topics to better educate our membership. One of these was a panel of five candidates for elective office.
◼ HRWF held a 2009 and a 2010 Big Ticket Drawing as fundraisers. These efforts helped to build our scholarship fund. It took two years of persistent effort to put that fund into a secure range for that program.
◼ HRWF hosted a reception for Meg Whitman, candidate for CA governor, at Baywood Golf and Country Club. We were assisted by benefactor Mike Harvey, longtime local political leader.
◼ We were volunteers for staffing four county fair booths (Humboldt County Fairs and Redwood Acres Fairs,) sponsored booths at the Orick Rodeo and at Rio Dell's Wildwood Days, held four bake sales, and held two member-catered buffets at general meetings as fundraisers for HRWF.
◼ We donated leftover food from our self-catered lunches and Republican Picnics to the Eureka Rescue Mission and the Northern Resource Center.
◼ We bought government-oriented books for four classrooms, textbooks for one teacher, and library books for six schools.
◼ Publicity for every general meeting and special projects was submitted to every Humboldt County newspaper. HRWF members also submitted columns and letters to the editor. Entities and schools generated coverage for our efforts to assist them. We were also given coverage by Eureka Radio. The Arcata Eye was particularly generous in coverage of our 2010 Membership Tea and helped launch our cookbook sales. The Tri-City Weekly gave great coverage of our cookbook.
◼ Many HRWF members were also great supporters of work done in the interests of the Tea Party Patriots. Hundreds of hours were devoted to the campaigns of our county, state, and congressional candidates. Staffing of the Central Committee office was also a major effort of HRWF members.
◼ Several HRWF members also devote time to Central Committee membership. Two HRWF members have joined the League of Women Voters in the interests of a more bi-partisan look at the organization. It is hoped that more HRWF members will join that membership.
◼ HRWF participated in two Rhododendron Parades.
◼ Six gift packages will have been sent to military serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
◼ Socks for Soldiers will benefit from HRWF efforts.
◼ Our last special event of the year was the Loren Hanks for Congress reception held jointly with the Central Committee. The reception brought $2600 in support for our candidate.
◼ The HRWF Scholarship Program has established a scholarship fund and the first award is planned for the beginning of classes in 2011. Applicants must have a connection with a member of HRWF.
◼ We are approaching $60,000 worth of coupons sent to the overseas military for use in their base stores. Many military families subsist at poverty level.
◼ We donated checks to ten state and national Federated Republican Women's organizations for a variety of service and education purposes.
◼ The HRWF membership was generous in its support of food and bake sale donations and attendees of general meetings and special events consistently made our Opportunity Drawings successful. We also are indebted to those who donated prizes.
◼ As part of our Beautification Project, we have awarded many flags for HRWF drawings. We hope to make the display of the stars and stripes at many more HRWF homes a big goal. What could be more beautiful than more flags waving all over our county?
◼ Two Incoming/Outgoing Board Meetings will be part of the push to do a consistently good job of planning for HRWF.
◼ The Republican of the Year, as well as the Volunteer of the Year, for the last 2 years, were all members of HRWF.
It has been a great learning opportunity and a special privilege to serve as your president for these years. Among the best of these elements has been getting to know you better and having that acquaintanceship reason to value and respect you more the better I know you. Thank you.
