Brownsdale Study Club

The Brownsdale Study Club met Dec. 20, at the home of Hazel Schlichting. President Shelley Vogel opened the meeting with the reading of the collect.

Nine members answered roll call to, “Your memory of the snowiest Christmas ever.” Mary Moritz, who was a visiting guest last month, expressed she would like to join our club and we are happy to have her. We now have a full membership of 12.

There was no old business.

New business: After some discussion as to where to give our holiday donations, Mary Gallaher made the motion to give $50 toward the new City Park Pavilion that is planned. Seconded by Rena Perrigo.

All members agreed Fern Paschke will host the January meeting. Rena made the motion to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Leone Peters.

Rena gave the ouside reading. She reported visiting Sunshine Acres, a children’s home in Mesa, Arizona. It began with a couple named James and Vera Dingman, who dedicated their lives to serving God, by helping homeless children. IN 1954 the first two children came to live at Sunshine Acres. Their parents where alcoholics and had been separated. The members kept increasing and now they house 70 children.

It’s a loving home and joined in God’s greatest miracle of all; healing the hearts of hurting children.

Mary gave the main topic, the first Christmas seal.

It was 1907 and Emily Bissell began raising money for a makeshift hospital in Delaware for patients suffering from the dreaded killer tuberculosis. The Delaware Red Cross granted Miss Bissell permission to use the Red Cross emblem.

She drew the design herself, a garland of holly around a Red Cross with the words “Merry Christmas.” On Dec. 7, 1907 the first Christmas seal in America went on sale at the Wilmington, Delaware post office for a penny a piece. People began to learn the facts about tuberculosis and quickly bought the seals.

Since 1919 the Christmas seal campaign has been operated by what is now the American Lung Association.

Hazel served a delicious assortment of Christmas cookies and J-ello.

Duplicate Bridge

Tuesday, Jan. 19, at the Mower County Senior Center, 11 teams playing. First, Dave Ring and Orrin Roisen; second, Joyce Crowe and Millie Seiver; third,  Larry Crowe and Jim Fisher;  fourth, Loren Cleland and Rick Stroup; fifth, Barb Engebretson and Lorraine Lippert