Author: Ambucs

Next Meeting: Tuesday July 7th at the Blair County Convention Center (See details below)

…..Last Tuesday we held our Zoom meeting and our speaker for the day was our very own Ken Decker, who discussed the renovations that Arts Altoona has made to the Simpson Temple buildings at 6th Avenue and 22nd Street in Altoona. Ken went on to say that when the combined small Lutheran and Methodist congregation of the two buildings could no longer afford to maintain the buildings; they donated the site to Arts Altoona. Since then they have been working to renovate the buildings into an arts center that was originally intended for the Kress building along 11th Avenue. While the church donated all of the existing furnishings and equipment, there is still quite a bit of work to do to renovate the two adjacent buildings. Once completed Arts Altoona intends to use the buildings to host art programs, concerts, social events and other programs for up to several hundred attendees. A large commercial kitchen will be able to host dinners, both sponsored by Arts Altoona as well as catered events. Ken stated that donations are being sought to help with the very costly renovation process.

…..President Linda made several announcements including the reminder that she still has available Hoss’s/Marzoni’s gift cards for $10 and that the blood screening has now been rescheduled for Saturday August 1st. Details regarding both of these events can be found later in this bulletin.

….On Thursday, the AMBUCS board met at Hoss’s in Altoona for their monthly meeting, with the resumption of our regular meetings being the main topic of discussion. Following a large number of positive responses from our membership when asked if they feel comfortable re-starting our in-person meetings, the board decided to resume our meetings beginning Tuesday July 7th. The meetings will be held at the Blair County Convention Center with the following requirements/restrictions/precautions:

• The meetings will be held in the same room that we met in earlier during the trial run, but the connecting wall between the rooms will be opened to allow for more spacing.
• The round tables will be set for four members per table.
• The servers will wear masks and gloves and will be serving pre-packaged meals.

At least for the first several weeks, President Linda will send out an invitation for the meetings which should allow us to give the Center a rough idea of how many will be attending. While the board is asking that you please respond to the invitation from Linda, there is no problem if you later find that you can’t attend or if you decline and at the last minute realize that you can attend. The intent is to get an approximate count. With the resumption of our regular meetings, the quarterly billing will go back to our normal dues. Treasurer Chris Shirock will be sending out the next dues billing in July for the July-September quarter. For those uncomfortable or unable to attend, Alex Seltzer and Bill Reintgen plan to make these meetings available on Zoom.

In other board action, approval was made to donate this year’s two $500 scholarships to Alexis Murray of Altoona (O.T.R. – St. Francis) and approval was granted to Tony Miller to register the Ambucs to again participate in the Pro-Care Softball Marathon. The game is scheduled for Saturday August 15th at Legion Park in Hollidaysburg. Details and a sign-up sheet will be available soon.

…..The annual AMBUCS Blood Screening has been rescheduled for Saturday morning August 1st at Blair County Convention Center. UPMC will be making recorded calls to all those that had pre-registered for the cancelled May screening. More details in the following weeks, but Screening Chairman Ed Farabaugh will be looking for lots of help that morning. Please spread the word of the new date to all of your family, friends and co-workers. This is a major fundraising effort for our Amtrykes and other philanthropic works. A sign-up sheet should be available at the July 7th meeting.

…..With Blair County restaurants now being open…now’s the time to get your Hoss’s – Marzoni’s gift cards that support our club. The cards are just $10 and can be used anytime at either Hoss’s or Marzoni’s. You know you are anxious to eat out…call President Linda Horomanski today at 937-0884 to get your cards today!

…..Program chairman Ken Decker is looking for programs for July. If you can help Ken, give him a call. Once meetings start back up, a sign-up sheet will be circulated by Ken for the remaining months in the club year. Please help the club out by taking a month or share one with a fellow Ambuc. Programs are an integral part of our weekly meetings and your help is needed.

…..During this pandemic the bulletins have been rather sparse since there wasn’t much to report, however what was missed was our monthly birthday and club anniversary lists. So here they are, just a little belated.

Birthdays:

April:
4th – Lynn Lee-Alexander
11th – Renee Pullen
13th – Alex Seltzer
21st – Bob Reffner
30th – Jim Huff

May:
4th – Tim Parnell
6th –Dean McKnight
9th – Rudy Turko
10th – Rachael Lenhart
18th – Sue Barber, Rachel DiAndrea, & Ed Farabaugh
20th – Michele Lloyd
22nd – Steve Parks
23rd – Emily Sollenberger
29th – Bill Reintgen

June:
13th – Jim Berkhimer

Club Anniversaries:

April:
1981 – Bob Reffner – 39 Years!
2002 – Lynn Lee-Alexander
2018 – Jim Berkhimer, Chris Shirock, & Rudy Turko

May:
1984 – Steve Parks – 36 Years!
1986 – Bob Fiore – 34 Years!
1988 – Alex Seltzer – 32 Years!
1998 – Tim Parnell
2007 – Mike Strait
2015 – Rachel DiAndrea
2019 – Spencer Wiggins

June:
2016 – Karen Lemme & Derek Martin
2017 – Michel Lloyd & Dean McKnight
2019 – Kristen Rago

In Closing: Room for just a few puns…

• A crazy woman says to her husband…”There are moose falling from the sky” to which he replies, “Don’t worry, it’s just reindeer”!
• My Grandpa has the heart of a lion and a lifetime ban from the zoo.
• Speaking of the zoo…some aquatic mammals recently escaped. It was otter chaos.
• My sister bet me that I couldn’t build a car out of spaghetti. You should have seen her face when I drove pasta.

Future Speakers:

January 8^th – TBD

January 15^th – TBD

January 22^nd – Howard Ermin – Regional Housing Coordinator for the Self Determination Housing Project

January 29^th – Steve Howsare – SAP&DC

News of the Week:

 

…..It’s time to get your “Ambuc On” as we resume our Tuesday lunch meetings this week. Why not make regular attendance at our AMBUC meetings one of your New Year’s resolutions (one that you can easily achieve)! The club is a great place to socialize with your fellow Ambucs, hear an interesting speaker, and enjoy lunch. The club just isn’t perfect without your attendance. Hope to see you Tuesday! 

 

…..AMBUCS has been chosen as one of two non-profits to assist with the Sunrise Rotary Club’s annual Spaghetti Dinner to be held on Saturday April 6th. We will co-sponsor the fundraising event with the Rotary by selling event sponsorships, placement ads and tickets to the dinner. Watch for an email soon from Project Chairman, Linda Horomanski, regarding the details of this fundraiser.

 

…..It’s not too early to mark your calendars for several upcoming events:

• On Sunday February 3^rd the club will be hosting our annual Super Bowl party. Details to follow but the evening is free for all “33 Club” members and guests are always welcome for a small cost. Good food, good fellowship, good football, and probably so-so TV commercials will round out the evening. Details on a sign-up sheet will be circulated soon.

 

• The Northeast AMBUCS Regional Convention will be held on April 12^th through the 14^th. The Hotel Rock Lititz will be the host site of this year’s event. More details on this convention will be sent out by NE Regional Director, Jamie Casino. For more information on the hotel, located in beautiful Lancaster County; visit them on their website at hotelrocklititz.com.

…..Currently we have only one Amtryke pending request and that tryke is on backorder until late January. We have several larger, slightly used, Amtrykes in stock and we plan to donate one of these to the DuBois High School. Paul Dick and John Lloyd will deliver that tryke to them in the near future. John also replaced the seat on a little boy’s Amtryke in Osterburg on Saturday. The mother was very appreciative of the seat replacement so that her son could once again ride his Amtryke.

…..The AMBUCS raffle pot is up to $385 to start the new year. There are 37 cards remaining in the deck (35 cards and 2 Jokers).  Maybe 2019 will bring a winner in January. 

In Closing:

 

 

 

Today’s Meeting:  Amanda Palmieri – Lifted Reiki

ALSO – Remember to bring your voting stub to club on Tuesday for a free ticket for the weekly raffle. Remember to vote early & often!

 

Future Speakers:

November 13^th – Joe Fagnani – Service Paws of Central Pa.

November 20^th – Andrew Ritchey – Ritchey’s Dairy

November 27^th – Chuck Gojmerac – Morrison’s Cove Memorial Park

 

Whacha’ May Have Missed Last Week: Our guest speaker was our very own self-proclaimed stellar speaker, Dave Aikens. Dave covered a number of items from his recent trip to the AMBUCS National Conference in Reno. The highlights of the conference included:

• The Great Reno Bike Build – he participated in the event where 35 Amtrykes were assembled.
• Educational Sessions – “Show Me the Money” had numerous clubs discussing their fundraising activities including beer-fests, auctions, bowling tournaments, etc. Dave will give the ideas to Project chairman Linda Horomanski. “Growing Your Chapter” Session – membership recruitment ideas were presented such as assigning new members a mentor, using United Way volunteers, and using student groups, possibly to build Amtrykes.
• Trek for Trykes Walk – Dave was the 2^nd overall fundraiser with $800 raised from our members and he walked the entire course, much to his knees chagrin.
• Great Tryke Giveaway – 63 Amtrykes were presented to children and adults in a rodeo style event.
• President’s Reception – Where it was announced that nearly $200,000 in scholarships were awarded to 277 individuals and $9 million has been awarded since 1955. Also, 55,000 Amtrykes have been presented to date. Also announced was the decision to have our Amtrykes manufactured by the Bicycle Corporation of America out of South Carolina. This transition will take place over the next two years. Also announced was the use of new logos for AMBUCS which will discontinue the use of the word ‘disabilities’. Next week’s bulletin will have those new logos. Finally, Pittsburgh has been chosen to host next year’s National Conference on October 2^nd to the 5^th.

Dave noted that the conference was invigorating and that he hoped the club could have a nice representation at next year’s conference in Pittsburgh…stating that he would certainly be there.

 

Guests of the Day:

…..There were none.

 

News of the Week:

…..President Kristan called to the front table Emily Sollenberger for her induction into the club. After administering the membership oath to Emily, Kristan presented her with her AMBUCS pin.

 

…..Social Chairman Jim Huff announced a social at the Rail City Brewing Company at 1415 11^th Ave in Altoona this Thurday evening beginning at 5:30. The club will be providing appetizers and will purchase your first beverage of the evening. Spouses and significant others are welcome as are any perspective members that you might want to invite. No reservations necessary…see you there!

 

…..Today is the deadline to order Cooke Tavern dried soup mixes that we sold at the recent Pumpkinfest. Ken Decker has also been selling some of the remaining stock of the two soups that we had left over from our booth.  See Ken to hand in your order or to buy some of the soup mixes.

 

…..Fundraising Chairman, Linda Horomanski distributed order sheets for our annual Christmas Candy sale for those members who didn’t get one from Kathy Storm. Linda announced that the order deadline is November 20^th and that candy delivery will be made at club on Tuesday December 4^th. Additionally, boxes of Gardners chocloate covered pretzel sticks and Peanut Butter Meltaway bars can be ordered for sales in your office by calling Kathy at 931-0351.  As we offer each year, any member who sells $500 of candy or makes a $200 donation (the profit from $500 of candy), or some combination of the two will become a $500 club member and will enjoy a special recognition lunch next year. Please consider supporting the club as part of the  $500 club.

 

…..President Kristan noted that at the AMBUCS booth at Pumpkinfest she spoke to a mother of a child who would benefit from one of our Amtrykes. The Amtryke for 3 year old Ansel Meadows-Rader from Cresson was built over the weekend by Dave Aikens and John Lloyd. Arrangements to present the tryke are being discussed with the family by Amtryke chairman Michele Lloyd.

 

…..November’s Ambuc birthdays and club anniversaries include:

Birthdays:                                                       Club Anniversaries:

1^st – Dave Aikens & Kristan Zolnoski            1977 – Paul Dick – 41 Years! 

2^nd – Mike Strait                                             1981 – Dave Mason

5^th – Linda Horomanski                                 1993 – Mike Knote

29^th – Bob Fiore

30^th – Bruce Brower

 

…..I didn’t see any “33’s” scored over the weekend…but as always we still have Monday Night Football. Next weekend’s pot will be $60 / $20, if Monday Night has no 33’s.

 

…..Last week’s raffle ticket winner was Karen Lemme. Karen tried her best at finding one of the two Jokers but came up empty by selecting the Two of Spades. This week’s winner will be choosing from the remaining 43 cards (41 cards – 2 Jokers) for a chance to win the pot of $260.

 

In Closing:       Since there wasn’t much space for a long joke today….here are a few “groaners”:

• Today I learned that writer Stephen King has a son named Joe. I’m not joking, but he is.
• So, I said to the judge, “60% of my parking tickets are bogus”. He said, “Repeat infractions”? So, I said, “Okay, 3/5 of my parking tickets are bogus”.
• What’s Yoda’s last name? Layheehoo.
• My earliest childhood memory was visiting the eye doctor for glasses. Life before that was a blur.
• My wife was furious at me for throwing a snowball at our son. On top of that I’m now banned from the maternity ward.

Today’s Meeting:  Dave Aikens – Discussing his recent trip to the AMBUCS National Convention

 

Future Speakers:

November 6^th – TBD

 

Whacha’ May Have Missed Last Week: Our guest speakers were Jennifer Knisely and Sara Ebersole of the Altoona Library. Jennifer, who has been the library’s Executive Director since 2011, began by stating that the Altoona Library is one of eight libraries in Blair County and also one of the state’s 29 District Library Centers. She explained that the library has 141,000 items for the public to access…which includes 128,000 books as well as DVD’s, E-books, puzzles, document scanners, and even ukuleles! She said that while many people believe that they get their books at no cost, they actually have to purchase them. The purchase of the books represents about 12% of their annual budget. While they do receive some government funding, a large percentage of their funding comes from the Altoona School District, who also owns and maintains the building. The staff includes six librarians and other paid staff as well as numerous volunteers.

Sara, who is the Children’s Services Supervisor, noted that many of the activities at the library are geared for children and youth such as story times, family films, and other activities such as Lego club and Super Saturdays. One of their key programs is their STEM programming. The library adds Arts to the acronym making it STEAM, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. The library defines STEAM as “where the art of reading becomes the science of discovery”. STEAM events are scheduled year long and include interactive technology such as robotics. Sara brought one of their six robots with her demonstrating how the children can learn to program the robots through coding to move, speak, and perform a number of operations. Sara finished by saying that the library is now much more than just reading. For more information on the library, visit them at www.altoonalibrary.org.

  

Guests of the Day:

…..President Kristan introduced her guest, Katrin Allison, an Occupational Therapy student at Penn State Dubois, who is doing an extended internship with Kristan.

 

News of the Week:

…..President Kristan noted that at the recent AMBUCS booth at Pumpkinfest, she spoke to a mother of a child who would benefit from one of our Amtrykes. Kristan will be working with the child to determine which model is the correct one. The club will then order a tryke for the child.

 

…..Social Chairman, Jim Huff asked for a show of hands from those members who would  be interested in a social at the Rail City Brewing Company on 11^th Ave in Altoona at some future date. From the response, Jim and Carl Gingrich will organize the event. Watch for further details!

 

…..Last week, Dave Aikens and John Lloyd went to the DuBois High School to repair an Amtryke that one of the students owns and uses at the school. While there, one of the school’s therapists noted that the student will graduate this year and will be taking the Amtryke home with him, leaving the school without one. Dave and John will be discussing with the AMBUCS board the possibility of securing an Amtryke for the school.

 

…..Ken Decker distributed order sheets for the Cooke Tavern dried soup mixes that we sold at the recent Pumpkinfest. He also sold some of the remaining stock of the two soups that we had left over from our booth. Please consider buying some of these soups or placing an order sheet at your business. The cost is only $8 and the mixes make up 2 quarts of delicious soup.

 

…..Candy Princess Kathy Storm, distributed order sheets for our annual Christmas Candy sale. Orders will be delivered at club on Tuesday December 4^th. Additionally, as is offered every year, boxes of Gardners chocloate covered pretzel sticks and Peanut Butter Meltaway bars can be ordered for sales in your office by calling Kathy at 931-0351. Please support our annual sale!

 

…..Let’s meet our newest Ambuc, Cullen Sheehan. Cullen is a 10 year Allstate Exclusive insurance agent, with his office being located at 413 South Logan Blvd., Lakemont (right across from the traffic light when you pull onto Logan Blvd from our club meetings). Cullen was sponsored by Dave Aikens, but let’s not hold that against Cullen. His family includes his wife Mindy and sons Carter (13) and Aidan (9). Cullen has lived in Blair County for most of his life, attending high school at Hollidaysburg and then graduating from Juniata College with a B.S. degree in business before aquiring his M.B.A. at St Francis University. He enjoys spending time with his family, often in outdoor activities such as skiing and riding ATV’s. He also enjoys coaching youth sports, in particular baseball. He joined AMBUCS because he had heard good things about us and our meetings at Park Hills fit his work schedule. When asked what was rather unique about himself he responded by stating that he was born on the day of the infamous accident at GPU’s Three Mile Island nuclear plant.

Welcome Cullen!

 

…..The Steelers scored 33 over the Browns this weekend which nets Jim Berkhimer $60 and both Dave McConnell and Steve Parks $20 each; unless of course they have to share the pot with a 33 on Monday Night Football.

 

…..Last week’s raffle ticket winner was Kathy Storm. Kathy confidently strode to the head table and made a poor choice of the Three of Diamonds. Her non-Joker selection means that this week’s winner will be choosing from the remaining 44 cards (42 cards – 2 Jokers) for a chance to win the pot of around $250.

 

In Closing:       Last week was a banner week for a chance at winning millions as both the Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots sky rocketed. But I didn’t see any of our fellow Ambucs on the news holding up one of those giant checks. Too bad, but then what would you have done with all of that money anyway? As comedian Steven Wright once astutely noted…” You can’t have everything. Where would you put it?”

Today’s Meeting:  Jennifer Knisely & Sara Ebersole – Altoona Library Services

Future Speakers:

October 30^th – Dave Aikens – Discussing his recent trip to the AMBUCS National Convention

 

Whacha’ May Have Missed Last Week: Our guest speaker was Aaron Kovach of Crossroads   Cryotherapy. Aaron, who is a Senior Physical Therapist at Cross Roads, explained that cryotherapy was created in 1978 in Japan as an effective method to treat a number of pain issues. Cross Roads, owned by Ambuc Tim Parnell, began offering treatments recently when they purchased a whole body Cryo-Innovations walk-in chamber. The 2 to 3 minute treatment uses liquid nitrogen to drop the chamber’s temperature to -220° F. The body responds by releasing endorphins, which are the body’s natural pain inhibitors. The treatments promote faster injury recovery as well as relief from muscle and joint pain, which is the reason that athletes are often the target of the treatments. So far, about 150 treatments have been performed on athletes and chronic pain patients. Besides feeling rejuvenated from the sessions, many benefits such as decreased pain, increased energy, reduced inflammation, and decreased muscle spasms occur. Aaron stated that although the treatments are not covered by insurance, sessions are priced at $25 for the first one and $45 thereafter. Discounted costs are available for multiple treatments and a 10% discount is offered to veterans, law enforcement, and 1^st responders. They are currently trying to encourage schools to consider these treatments for their athletes in lieu of a traditional ice bath. Appointments can be scheduled during the week from 11 AM to 1 PM and from 5 PM to 7 PM. Saturday hours are 9 AM to 11 AM. For more information, you can visit them at www.crossroadscryotherapy.org.

 

Guests of the Day:

 

…..Tim Parnell introduced his two guests…Alexis Murry and her Mother Dottie. Alexis is the recipient of a $500 scholarship from the Altoona AMBUCS. She will be attending St Francis University as an Occupational Therapist. Shown here is Tim presenting Alexis with her scholarship check.

 

…..President Kristan introduced her guest, Katrin Allison, an Occupational Therapy student at Penn State Dubois, who is doing an extended internship with Kristan.

 

News of the Week:

…..President Kristan sent around a thank you note from Melody Ray, our guest speaker on October 9^th. She thanked us for inviting her to speak and for what we do for the community.

 

 

…..On Saturday, the club once again had a booth at the Hollidaysburg Annual Pumpkinfest. The booth was manned by a number of members who sold Gardner’s candy and Cooke Tavern dried soup mixes as well as promoting the club and our Amtrykes. The day was a success in spite of the morning rain with good crowds for most of the day. Thanks to all who helped and a special thanks to Ken Decker for providing the tables and tent we used and for preparing the soup samples that we offered as a sales incentive. There are still some soup mixes that weren’t sold, so the plan is to sell those to club members. The cost is only $8 and the mixes make up 2 quarts of delicious soup. Once the remainder of the soup is sold we should net about $500!

 

…..On Saturday night, Ed Farabaugh presented three Amtrykes at the Bavarian Aid Society Hall. Each year the Society celebrates their anniversary with an Octoberfest style evening and then they present the AMBUCS with a donation check. The three Amtryke recipents were 7 year old Vincent Kaika of Altoona, 13 year old Ayden Parshall, and 9 year old Ryan Finochio, both of Hollidaysburg. The Bavarian Aid Society did in fact present Ed with a check for the club in the amount of $1,000 and the Finochio’s donated $500 as well. Thanks to the Bavarian, the Finochio’s, and to Ed for representing the club at this annual function.

 

…..Last week it was announced that we had received an invitation from the Sunshine Rotary to participate in their annual spaghetti dinner fundraiser next April. Last Tuesday, Treasurer Paul Dick explained a few more of the details and asked the membership for a show of hands as to whether they would be willing to participate in the event. The majority of the attending members responded favorably. Michele Lloyd has volunteered  to chair the event for the club.

 

…..There was a “33” score last Monday night when Green Bay scored 33 against San Francisco. This netted both Karen Lemme and Cullen Sheehan $30 and Chris Shirock and Derek Martin $10 each. So far this week there haven’t been any 33’s, but there’s always Monday Night Football. If there are no winners on Monday, the pot for next weekend will be $60 for a “33” team and $20 for their opponent.

 

…..Last week’s raffle ticket winner was again Ed Garlena. Ed’s choice of the Ten of Spades wasn’t much better than his choice the week before.  That means that next week’s winner will be choosing from the remaining 45 cards (43 cards – 2 Jokers) for a chance to win the pot of $220 or so. The pot’s not as big as the Mega-Millions jackpot but your odds are probably a bit better!

In Closing:

Today’s Meeting:  Aaron Kovach – Cryotherapy

Future Speakers:

October 23^rd – Jennifer Knisely – Altoona Library Services

October 30^th – Dave Aikens – Discussing his recent trip to the AMBUCS National Convention

 

Whacha’ May Have Missed Last Week: Our guest speaker was Melody Ray who is the volunteer coordinator of the Healing Patch, a Home Nursing Hospice program. Melody has been working at Home Nursing for 8 years in grief services and previously was the Hospice coordinator in Cambia County. Through her work at the Healing Patch, which is a children’s grief program, Melody began to notice an increase in children who lost a loved one to substance overdoses. Since many of these deaths occur to people in the 20’s to 40’s, often they leave children behind. She consulted the center’s lending library to find resources to help children and quickly learned that none existed. She contacted a number of authors who had written other books on the grief process, but found that no one had authored such a book. It was at this point when she took it upon herself to draft a book on the subject. After an extensive search she found a non-profit publisher as well as an illustrator for her book. Her efforts paid off when the finished book was released in March of this year. Melody credited social media with promoting the book and noted that Amazon’s first supply of the book sold out. Melody’s book, “Someone I Love Died from a Drug Overdose” helps a child through the grieving process by providing honest answers to such deaths. Melody ended her remarks by providing some sobering statistics, such as that in 2017, over 72,000 Americans died from opioid overdoses!  She provided local statistics of drug deaths in both Blair and Cambria counties; with Cambria’s annual deaths rising from 43 in 2014 to 87 in 2017 and Blair’s rising from 22 to 52 in the same period. Melody finished by saying that the Healing Patch is there to help in the grieving process for both children and their families. For more information about the Healing Patch, visit them at www. homenursingagency.com/our-services/childrens-services/healing-patch.

 

Guests of the Day:

…..There were no guests last week.

 

News of the Week:

…..Paul Dick passed around a sign-up sheet to man the AMBUCS booth at this year’s Pumpkinfest in downtown Hollidaysburg on Saturday October 20^th. We will have a booth with an Amtryke on display and we will be selling Gardner’s candy bars as an early kickoff to our annual Christmas candy sale. Why not help spread the word about AMBUCS and sign up for an hour.

 

 

 

 

…..Also on October 20^th, the club will be presenting three Amtrykes at the Bavarian Aid Society Hall at 112 S. 13^th Street, Altoona. Each year the Society celebrates their anniversary with an Octoberfest style evening. Traditionally they invite the AMBUCS to the event where we give away an Amtryke and they honor us by presenting us with a donation for our Amtryke fund. Ed Farabaugh will be presenting the three trykes and discussing with the attendees what AMBUCS does for the community. The event is open to the public for a $5 cover charge. The AMBUCS portion of the evening will be from 7:30 to 8:00. Why not come out to the Bavarian that evening and support the AMBUCS? Three Amtrykes given away, good food, a dance and lots of fellowship!

 

…..Rachel DiAndrea promoted the AMBUCS participation in the Altoona Christmas parade on Thursday November 29^th. Volunteers will be needed to decorate the AMBUCS float and to participate in the parade as walkers to assist the children with their Amtrykes. More details soon.

 

…..My apologies to Mark Ford when I missed his name as one of our “500 Club” honorees at lunch on October 2^nd.

 

…..Last week it was announced that we had received an invitation to the club from the Sunshine Rotary to participate in their annual spaghetti dinner fundraiser next April. If we agree to participate, we will be expected to sell tickets to the event at $8, find corporate sponsors at $200, obtain corporate placemat adds at $75, help provide desserts, and provide volunteers to help the day of the event. For our efforts, it is anticipated that we would receive $3,000 to $4,000 from the profits. Treasurer Paul Dick will provide more details this week and a club discussion and vote on the idea will be scheduled for a future meeting, possibly October 30th.

 

…..There were no “33” scores this weekend but there’s always Monday Night Football. If there are no winners on Monday, the pot for next weekend will be $60 for a “33” team and $20 for their opponent.

 

 

…..Last week’s raffle ticket winner was Ed Garlena. Ed’s choice of the Queen of Spades was rather poor for him.  That means that next week’s winner will be choosing from the remaining 46 cards (44 cards – 2 Jokers) for a chance to win the pot of over $200. Good luck…it could be your chance to pick out one of the Jokers!

 

In Closing:

One night a husband takes his wife to a disco. All of a sudden, a guy takes over the floor, break dancing…moonwalking…doing back flips…the whole works. The wife turns to the husband and says: “See that guy? Twenty-five years ago, he proposed to me and I turned him down.” The husband, taking one more look at the dancing man, says: “Looks to me like he’s still celebrating!”

Today’s Meeting:   Melody Ray – Home Nursing – Discussing a book she has recently written

 

Future Speakers:

October 16^th – Aaron Kovach – Cryotherapy

October 23^rd – Jennifer Knisely – Altoona Library Services

October 30^th – Dave Aikens – Discussing his recent trip to the AMBUCS National Convention

 

Whacha’ May Have Missed Last Week: Our guest speaker was Lisa Hann of Family Services Incorporated. Lisa, who is a Carlisle native, moved to the area in 1987 and is currently the Executive Director of Family Services. She said that her organization has served the Blair County area for 90 years. The organization’s name has changed over the years, but their mission to help youth and their families has remained constant since their inception when they were involved with adoptions. One of their newer services is supporting victims of crimes, often times even attending court sessions with the victims. They recently shut down one of their shelters but they still manage to serve clients through their youth center at 6^th Avenue and 17^th Street, their homeless family shelter, and their group homes; all with a staff of 140. Lisa presented some disturbing statistics; such as that there were 174 evictions in Blair County last year. She said that Family Services served 639 people in their shelters over the last three years…. but they also had to turn away over 2,000 individuals, mainly due to limited shelter space being available. Hopefully some of those families can be served in the future when a proposed $2.3 million renovation is finalized for the old Drenning building at 2300 North Branch Avenue. The building will house 35 beds and six 2-bedroom apartments. The project will be paid for by grants as well as a capital campaign. For more information on Family Services, visit them at www.familyservicesinc.net.

….Also at lunch we recognized those Ambucs who are members of the “500 Club”. Those members who sold $500 of Christmas candy, made a $200 donation (our profit from $500 of candy), or some combination of the two; were thanked with a special lunch. Members of the “500 Club” over one or both of the last two years includes Bruce Brower, Ken Decker, Paul Dick, Bob Fiore, Vic Gioiosa, Sandy Gregory, Linda Horomanski, Bill Hoyne, Jim Huff, Michele Lloyd, John Lloyd, Jack McDougal, Dean McKnight, Tim Parnell, Jack Rawlings, Bill Reintgen, Alex Seltzer, Mike Strait, and Kathy Storm. A big thanks goes out to Linda Horomanski who organized the recognition lunch.

Guests of the Day:

…..Our guests last week were three students from the Social Media Marketing class at PSU-Altoona. The students will be examining the Altoona AMBUCS with an emphasis on determining what things we may be able to do to improve our visability in the community. Shown here is Rachel DiAndrea talking to Chris Kuhn, Minh Nguyen, and Catherine Rossman.

 

News of the Week:

…..President Kristan passed around a sign-up sheet to man the AMBUCS booth at this year’s Pumpkinfest in downtown Hollidaysburg on Saturday October 20^th. We will have a booth with an Amtryke on display and we will be selling Gardner’s candy bars as an early kickoff to our annual Christmas candy sale. Why not help spread the word about AMBUCS and sign up for an hour.

 

…..The AMBUCS board met last week with the following meeting highlights:

• A $500 donation was approved for ARC to support them with a planned trip for their clients to Asbury Park, N.J.
• A suggestion to plan a monthly AMBUCS Happy Hour Social was discussed. Carl Gingrich will work with Social chairman Jim Huff on this.
• A review of our Amtryke grants for the club year now total $18,894. We budgeted $20,000 for the club year.
• We reviewed an invitation to the club from the Sunshine Rotary club to participate in their annual spaghetti dinner fundraiser next April. If we agree to participate, we will be expected to sell tickets to the event at $8, find corporate sponsors at $200, obtain corporate placemat adds at $75, help provide desserts, and provide volunteers to help the day of the event. For our efforts, it is anticipated that we would receive $3,000 to $4,000 from the profits. More details will be presented to the membership this week and a club discussion on the idea will be scheduled for a future meeting.

…..Amtryke Chairman, Michele Lloyd’s minions were again hard at work last week as three more trykes were assembled by Paul Dick, Ed Farabaugh, and John Lloyd. Michele reports that all backordered trykes have now been received.

 

…..There were two teams that scored “33” over the weekend! Both the Panthers (Tony Miller) and the Rams (Rudy Turco) scored 33 which means they split the $30 pot and each win $15 (barring any Monday Night Football 33’s) and their opponents, the Giants (Mark Ford) and Seahawks (Ken Decker) each win $5. Three of the first five weeks have had 33 scores.

 

 

…..Last week’s raffle ticket winner was Derek Martin. Unfortunately for Derek he chose the Four of Diamonds.  That means that next week’s winner will be choosing from the remaining 47 cards (45 cards – 2 Jokers) for a chance to win the pot of nearly $200. Good luck!

 

In Closing:

Today’s Meeting:    NO MEETING THIS WEEK! See you on September 25^th.

 

Future Speakers:

September 25^th – Chris Gable – Discussing his observations from a recent trip to Cuba

 

Whacha’ May Have Missed Last Week: What a smile on Brady Wilkinson’s face as he pedaled his new Amtryke around the room! Five-year-old Brady of Wilmore had previous experience on an Amtryke when he rode one at the IU-8, but now he has one of his own. Brady was joined at the meeting by his Mother Jennifer, two-year-old sister Caylie, his Grandmother Chris Wilkinson, and his Aide Michele Chesnutwood. Brady was not at all shy as he high-fived nearly everyone in the room. His outgoing personality caught President Kristan’s attention and she asked Brady’s Mother if they would consider having Brady be the Altoona AMBUCS 2018/19 Ambassador Child. His mother agreed and asked Brady if he wanted to do that and he gave her an enthusiastic “Yes”.  If Brady’s parent’s schedule permits, Brady will be a big part of the AMBUCS float at the Altoona Christmas Parade in November.

 

Our guest speaker was – Juls Bratton – Girls Night Out Altoona, Inc. Juls, who is a New Enterprise native, is the Sales Manager of DelGrosso Foods; but more importantly she has over 26 years of charitable fundraising experience. Knowing about charitable giving, she commended the Altoona AMBUCS for our work in the community. Juls went on to say that “Girls Night Out” was started in Johnstown 12 years ago and in Altoona 11 years ago. The first year, the night’s events raised $6,000 while last year’s event netted the organization $106,400! Each year’s event includes dinner, silent auctions, and other fundraising activities. The proceeds from the night are used for vouchers for those individuals who cannot afford their needed mammograms, ultrasounds, and other procedures at the Joyce Murtha Breast Cancer Center as well as the Tyrone Hospital and UPMC Altoona. Additionally, some of the monies are funneled to support cancer research. Over $700,000 has been raised by the annual event’s donors and sponsors. Each year, Girls Night Out is held at the Jaffa Mosque and has a crowd of 950 attend the sold-out evening. The planning for each year’s event takes 12 months and is accomplished by a committee of women, a number of whom themselves suffer from cancer. This year’s event will be held on October 24^th. For more information on this charitable 501(c)(3) organization, visit them on their Facebook page.

 

Guests of the Day:

…..No guests last week

 

News of the Week:

…..President Kristan noted that the club will be participating in this year’s Pumpkinfest in downtown Hollidaysburg on Saturday October 20^th. We will have a booth with an Amtryke for

 

display and we will be selling Gardner’s candy bars as an early kickoff to our annual Christmas candy sale. Kristan is also planning some type of children’s craft/activity which will include stickers. Booth setup is from 7 to 9 that morning and the booth will need to be manned from 10 until 4. Kristan will have a sign-up sheet in the future. Additionally, Kristen informed the membership that the club is looking into participating in the upcoming “Community Fair” to be held by the Altoona School District.

 

…..Rachel DiAndrea noted that the AMBUCS public relations/marketing committee is organizing our float for our participation in this year’s Altoona Christmas parade, scheduled for Thursday evening, November 29^th. The committee will be looking for volunteers to help with the float and participate in the parade. Hopefully a number of Amtryke riders can be a part of our float.

 

…..The last several years we have not had our annual “500 Club” lunch for those members who either purchased $500 of candy from our Christmas sale and/or made a cash contibution equaling our profit from $500 of sales. The lunch this year will be held on Tuesday October 2^nd (note: this is a date change) and will include those members who were “500 Club” members in either 2016 or 2017, or both. Linda Horomanski is contacting those “500 Club” members to get a meal count.

 

…..Week 1 of the football season and we already had a “33” score! Rudy Turko’s Rams scored 33 against Sandy Gregory’s Raiders. This netted Rudy $30 and Sandy $10. I didn’t see any 33’s scored this weekend but we always have Monday Night Football. Remember, if no one scores 33, the pot will continue to grow.

…..Remember to support Dave Aiken’s efforts to raise money for a Wish List Amtryke for his Trek-4-Trykes walk at this year’s National AMBUCS Convention in Reno. You can contribute by writing a charitable donation check to “National AMBUCS” and give it to Dave or by using the Crowdrise fundraising site described in Dave’s email to club members on August 23^rd.

 

…..Last week’s raffle ticket winner was once again Mark Ford! . Mark has been pretty lucky lately but this time he chose unwisely, picking the King of Hearts. That means that next week’s winner will be choosing from the remaining 49 cards (47 cards – 2 Jokers) for a chance to win the pot of around $120 or so. Good luck, it just might be you.

 

…..Joining us at our September 25^th meeting will be members of the Altoona PSU Social Media Marketing class and their professor Tulay Girard. As a class project, the students will be examining the Altoona AMBUCS with an emphasis on determining what things we may be able to do to improve our visability in the community.

 

In Closing:

Today’s Meeting:  – Juls Bratton – Girls Night Out Altoona, Inc. and an Amtryke presentation to 4-year-old Brady Wilkinson of Wilmore. 

Future Speakers:

September 18^th – No Meeting

September 25^th – Chris Gable – Discussing his observations from a recent trip to Cuba 

Whacha’ May Have Missed Last Week:

 

Our guest speaker was Pam Townsend of the H.O.P.E. Drop-In Center. Pam is the Executive Director of the Center which was formed in 2014 as a non-profit organization that works to improve the quality of life for those suffering from mental issues. Pam said that 1 in 5 people will have a mental diagnosis and that the stigma of these issues often causes people to suffer in silence. The center teaches skills and recovery methods in a relaxing environment, allowing participants to share like experiences and develop friendships. Currently about 40 people are being served by H.O.P.E. The meetings are held every Monday from 12:00 PM until 4:00 PM in the basement of the Bethany Lutheran Church at 200 3^rd Avenue in Altoona. Other activities include crafts, games, educational programs, and several wellness activities. This year, in conjunction with St Francis University, they will be developing an art studio experience with a year-end art display being planned. Pam, who volunteered her time in the past, is now a paid staff member thanks to a recent funding grant from the county. Pam brought with her a number of Worry Stones for the membership. These stones, when rubbed between the index finger and thumb, are believed to lessen ones’ worries. Pam finished her talk by reading the poem “I’m the Evidence”. To make a tax-deductible contribution, send a check made out to H.O.P.E. Drop In and mail it to P.O. Box 1215, Altoona, Pa. 16603.

 

Guests of the Day:

 

…..Guest of Dave Aikens was Sandy Hazlett. Sandy also works for H.O.P.E. Drop In.

 

News of the Week:

…..President Kristan noted several Amtryke presentations and also noted that the club will be participating in this year’s Pumpkinfest in downtown Hollidaysburg on Saturday October 20^th. We will have a booth with an Amtryke for display and we will be selling Gardner’s candy bars as a kickoff to our annual Christmas candy sale. Booth setup is from 7 to 9 that morning and the booth will need to be manned from 10 until 4. Kristan will have a sign-up sheet in the future.

 

…..Dave Aikens reported that the club has 6 tickets to the Altoona Kiwanis 100 year celebration party, set for September 22^nd. If interested in helping our fellow service club celebrate their milestone anniversary, see Dave for tickets.

 

…..Rachel DiAndrea noted that the AMBUCS marketing committee is organizing our float for our participation in this year’s Altoona Christmas parade, scheduled for Thursday evening, November 29^th. The committee will be looking for volunteers to help with the float and participate in the parade. Hopefully a number of Amtryke riders can be a part of our float.

 

…..The last several years we have not had our annual “500 Club” lunch for those members who either purchased $500 of candy from our Christmas sale and/or made a cash contibution equaling our profit from $500 of sales. The lunch this year will be held on Tuesday October 2^nd (note: this is a date change) and will include those members who were “500 Club” members in either 2016 or 2017, or both. Linda Horomanski is contacting those “500 Club” members to get a meal count.

…..As we did last year, there will not be a meeting next Tuesday September 18^th due to the annual Operation Our Town golf outing being held at Park Hills. You’ll have to find your own lunch that day!

 

…..Last Tuesday evening, Amtryke Chairman, Michele Lloyd and husband John presented an Amtryke to 2 year old Mae Flaugh of Duncansville. The presentation was made at the end of her therapy session at Kid’s First in Hollidaysburg. Mae’s Grandmother thanked us for the tryke but Mae was sufferring from a severe bout of shyness so we couldn’t get a picture of her.

 

…..Well the NFL season kicked off this past week and that means our “33 Club” is off and running. Hopefully you didn’t fumble and pass on all of the fun! (That’s as many football terms that I could come up with). I didn’t see any 33’s scored this weekend but we always have Monday Night Football and this Monday there are two games. Remember, if no one scores 33, the pot will continue to grow. I attached a copy of the “33 Club” assignments to this week’s bulletin email.

…..Remember to support Dave Aiken’s efforts to raise money for a Wish List Amtryke for his Trek-4-Trykes walk at this year’s National AMBUCS Convention in Reno. You can contribute by writing a charitable donation check to “National AMBUCS” and give it to Dave or by using the Crowdrise fundraising site described in Dave’s email to club members on August 23^rd.

 

…..Last week’s raffle ticket winner was Jack McDougal. Jack was no more successful than many who came before him. Jack’s choice of the 3 of Hearts was rather pathetic but that just means that next week’s winner will be choosing from the remaining 50 cards (48 cards – 2 Jokers) for a chance to win the pot of around $100 or so. Good luck…..it just might be you.

In Closing:        Say what…..?       

Today’s Meeting:  Pam Townsend – Hope Drop-In Center 

Future Speakers:

September 11^th – Juls Bratton – Girls Night Out Altoona, Inc.

September 18^th – No Meeting

September 25^th – Chris Gable – Discussing his observations from a recent PSU sponsored trip to Cuba 

Whacha’ May Have Missed Last Week:   

Our guest speaker was Jerry Zolten – PSU professor – “How They Got Over: Black Gospel Quartets & the Road to Rock ‘n’ Roll.” Jerry is a professor at PSU-Altoona and has created a documentary film entitled “How They Got Over: Black Gospel Quartets & the Road to Rock ‘n’ Roll”. The executive producer of the film is DiAndrea Media. Jerry went on to say that the independent film is currently being shown in the film festival circuit. They are hoping that they can soon land the film in a deal for a larger distribution, possibly on television. As a McKeesport native, Jerry grew up listening to black gospel music, which he described as the foundation of future rock ‘n’ roll music. He is the author of a book about the Dixie Hummingbirds and from that recognition he became the co-producer and narrator of the film. The film includes interviews from a number of the artists as well as vintage clips from many of the musical groups’ performances. He explained that the title “How They Got Over” comes from a bible verse as well as explaining that many of these groups used their musical talent to help them “get over” their hardships of life. During his talk he played two segments from the film….one being the movie’s trailer and the other of a live performance from Sister Rosetta Tharpe, who has recently been posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Jerry said that this style of music influenced many future music legends such as Elvis Presley and Jimi Hendrix. Most of these groups were from the 40’s and 50’s, so when interviewed for the film the musicians were in their 90’s. Since the film was ten years in the making, by the film’s release only one had survived and actually passed away the week of the film’s debut. Jerry stated that so far both the domestic and international market reviews have been very positive! Hopefully the film will soon be shown in the Altoona market.

Guests of the Day:

…..There were no guests last week.

News of the Week:    

…..The last several years we have not had our annual “500 Club” lunch for those members who either purchased $500 of candy from our Christmas sale and/or made a cash contibution equaling our profit from $500 of sales. The lunch this year will be held on Tuesday October 2^nd and will include those members who were “500 Club” members in either 2016 or 2017, or both. Linda Horomanski is organizing this special lunch and will have more details soon.

…..As we did last year, there will not be a meeting on Tuesday September 18^th due to the annual Operation Our Town golf outing held at Park Hills. This event draws a very large crowd and both parking and dining room space is at a premium. You’ll have to find your own lunch that day!

…..There are no September Club Anniversaries and just two Ambuc Birthdays:

Ed Garlena – on the 7^th and John Lloyd on the 12^th

…..Last week was a banner week for Amtrykes. We received three more of the back-ordered Amtrykes and we delivered seven built bikes to children in the area. On Tuesday afternoon, Jack Rawlings and John Lloyd delivered an Amtryke to 15 year old Luke Hinish of Saxton. This is Luke’s second tryke as he has outgrown his first one. His mother gave us his first Amtryke for the return ride home on Jack’s trailer. It should be able to be refurbished and given away to another child in the future. On Wednesday afternoon, Michele and John Lloyd presented 15 year old Kennedy Heaster of Altoona with her new Amtryke and then on Thursday morning three more were given away….one to 5 year old Isabella Thomas of Altoona, one to 3 year old Kelsey Ganz of Altoona and the last to 3 year old Elizabeth Houp of Portage. Then on

Saturday morning, the Amtryke building team was again hard at work. Four Amtrykes were built by the team of Dave Aikens, Ed Farabaugh, and John Lloyd. Then on Sunday two of those trykes were presented, one to Brian Adam of Moon and the other to Dominic Bush of Altoona. Amtryke chairman Michele Lloyd is now arranging to schedule the remaining two trykes. This flurry of activity leaves us with just three more bikes that are on backorder.

 

                                                                                                        

       …..Speaking of Amtrykes…..the club has received a $1,000 donation check for the Amtryke fund from the Interim Healthcare Fund of the Columbus Foundation. Additionally, Amtryke recipient Brian Adam’s family also gave us a $200 donation when they picked up his tryke on Sunday.

…..The AMBUCS board met last Wednesday and approved the membership application of Cullen Sheehan. The board also approved a $500 local scholarship for Alexis Murray, an Occupational therapist student at Saint Francis. Also discussed were several possible future fundraisers and the decision to participate in the Hollidaysburg Pumpkinfest and the Altoona Christmas parade.   

…..Last week’s raffle ticket winner was Mark Ford. Mark missed finding a Joker, instead choosing the Four of Clubs. That means that next week’s winner will be choosing from the remaining 51 cards (49 cards – 2 Jokers) for a chance to win the pot of around $80 or so. Good luck…..it just might be you.

In Closing:     Sorry….no joke today….only an appeal to assist Dave Aikens in his fundraising efforts for his participation as a walker in the Trek-4-Trykes walk at this year’s National AMBUCS Convention in Reno. Each walker is raising money to get disabled children and adults who are on the National Wish List the Amtrykes that they desire. Dave’s goal is $800, which is the cost of an average Amtryke. You can help Dave’s efforts by writing a check to National Ambucs and giving it to Dave to deliver to the Convention or by using the Crowdrise fundraising site at the website shown in Dave’s email to club members on August 23^rd. What better way to support these children that have been waiting for an Amtryke for some time.