2009
All articles are from the St. Tammany Parish Library Newspaper Archives, and Illustrations are not available.
Memorial scholarship applicants sought
NewspaperFebruary 5, 2009 | Times-Picayune, The (New Orleans, LA)
Page: 16 | Section: SLIDELL PICAYUNE
311 Words | Readability: Lexile: 1390, grade level(s): >12
The Slidell Republican Women's Club has established a scholarship in the memory of the late Pearl Williams, who served on the Slidell City Council until her death.
Applications for the Pearl Williams Memorial Scholarship currently are available in the counselors' offices in five eastern St. Tammany Parish high schools.
According to Scholarship Program Chairwoman Cecelia Drenan, the scholarship award will recognize an outstanding senior girl who has demonstrated not only academic achievement but also civic responsibility and involvement in the community. The recipient must be a graduating senior in good standing this May from either Northshore, Pearl River, Pope John Paul II, Salmen High or Slidell high schools.
The scholarship, in the amount of $1,000, will be payable to the institution of higher learning where the recipient has been admitted and intends to further her education. This includes a college or university, junior or community college or technical institute.
For consideration, the application packet, essay, letters of recommendation, official transcript and all required documentation, must be postmarked by March 1 and posted to Slidell Republic Women's Club, Re: Pearl Williams Memorial Scholarship Program, P.O. Box 1777, Slidell, LA 70459.
All packets received by the deadline will be assigned an anonymous student code number and then evaluated. Points may be weighted by the evaluators for extent of community service; proof of voter's registration; membership in a political organization; and extent of volunteer service to a political campaign, among other considerations.
According to Slidell Republican Women's Club President Karen Fandal, the Slidell Republican Women's Club is working with local high school counselors to announce the scholarship recipient on the Academic Awards Night at the recipient's high school. In addition, the recipient will be invited to attend the Slidell RepublicanWomen's Club installation banquet in May 2009, to be officially recognized.
Further information is available from the counselors in the five local high schools listed by calling 985.641.8121.
Slidell GOP women's group relives history
NewspaperApril 5, 2009 | Times-Picayune, The (New Orleans, LA)
Page: 21 | Section: SLIDELL PICAYUNE
330 Words | Readability: Lexile: 1310, grade level(s): >12
The Slidell Republican Women's Club held its annual Krewe of Pachyderms ball, with a tribute to the history of influential women in politics and community service.
The theme of the evening was "You've Come a Long Way, Baby."
The gala event at Pinewood Country Club featured club member Mona Mathius, queen of the Krewe of Pachyderms, representing recent Republican vice presidential candidate and Alaska Gov. Sara Palin. The queen was escorted by her husband, Frank Mathius.
Club member Pam Franklin, dressed in 19th century style, represented Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross. She was escorted by her husband, James Franklin.
Representing early women's rights activist Susan B. Anthony was club member Tracey Turgeau Powell, in a floor-length black and silver gown, escorted by her husband, J.B. Powell.
Traditional business suit with pillbox hat, a string of pearls and handbags marked the entrance of club member Nancy Bell, representing former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, escorted by husband, Tee Bell, complete with a top hat for the occasion.
A surprise guest entered at the end of the tableau, preceded by an apparent FBI agent in dark glasses, guarding the appearance of the guest in the midst of the Republican krewe. That guest was club member Elizabeth Schneider, representing recent Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who currently serves as Secretary of State. The FBI agent was portrayed by Mike Fandal, husband of SRWC president Karen Fandal.
Caption:
Mona Mathius was recently crowned queen of the Slidell Republican Women's Club's Krewe of Pachyderms for her portrayal of Republican vice presidential candidate and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Mathius was escorted by her husband, Frank Mathius.
Members of the court of the Slidell Republican Women's Club Krewe of Pachyderms, who depicted charachers in 'You've Come a Long Way, Baby,' were, from left, Pam Franklin as Clara Barton, escorted by James Franklin; Tracey Turgeau Powell as Susan B. Anthony, escorted by J.B. Powell; Nancy Bell as Margaret Thatcher, escorted Tee Bell; and Pachyderms queen Mona Mathius as Sara Palin.
Slidell Republican Women awards scholarships
NewspaperJune 4, 2009 | Times-Picayune, The (New Orleans, LA)
Author: Lisa von Eberstein | Page: 01 | Section: SLIDELL PICAYUNE | Column: Talk of the Town
594 Words
Two outstanding Slidell citizens received awards May 28 in memory of the late Slidell Councilwoman Pearl Williams, whose dedication to the community made a significant difference in the lives of many.
The Slidell Republican Women's Club held its annual awards banquet at The Gallery in Slidell, where members and their spouses enjoyed dinner, cocktails and raffle drawings. Leading the invocation and pledge was Parliamentarian Beth Royer, and President Karen Fandal welcomed the group.
Guest speaker for the event was Wendy Vitter, who spoke on state and federal issues as well as current efforts of her husband, Sen. David Vitter. Their daughter Lise Vitter, 12, also was on hand at the event. "I applaud the club for educating people," Wendy Vitter said of SRWC.
Fandal presented a lifetime associate club membership to Wendy Vitter.
Treasurer Cecelia Drennan presented the club's first Pearl Williams Scholarship for $1,000 to Jenna Knoblach, who recently graduated from Northshore High School and will attend Loyola University in the fall. Knoblach is the daughter of Mark and Patty Knoblach of Slidell. She said she plans to study fine arts and English in college.
Jerry Williams, husband of the late Pearl Williams, and Debbie Armstrong, Williams' daughter, also were on hand to help present the scholarship.
"She was always very enthusiastic and giving to this community. Pearl served Slidellin many capacities," Drennan said, noting Williams' efforts in planning fundraising events for charitable organizations. "She was a wonderful example of what women can do and should do for this community."
According to Drennan, the club selected a scholarship candidate who also shows civic responsibility. "I'm so proud to have this award in Ms. Pearl's honor. She was a wonderful, giving person," Jenna Knoblach said.
The Pearl Williams Superior Leadership Award went to Slidell Councilman Ray Canada, and was presented by past club presidents Laura Leonard, secretary; and Mary Bishop, awards chairwoman.
Leonard spoke on Canada's service to the city and his focus on family, church and community. "He can be counted on for his knowledge and integrity to his every endeavor," she said. "He makes the quality of all our lives better from one day to the next."
Canada said during trying times, Slidell residents always pull together. "The community means an awful lot to me," he said. "I get personal satisfaction out of helping people."
The club typically holds its installation of officers during the awards banquet, but because of a change in fiscal year dates, the current officers will serve through December.
Slidell Republican Women's Club currently has 122 members, and new members always are welcome. For information about joining, call Karen Fandal at 641.8121.
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News about east St. Tammany social events can be sent to The Times-Picayune, 2070 E. Gause Blvd., Slidell, LA 70461; or by e-mail at slidell@timespicayune.com. To contact Lisa von Eberstein directly, call 985.882.8416 or e-mail lisavon@charter.net. All submissions become the property of The Times-Picayune and will not be returned; submissions may be edited and published or otherwise reused.
Caption:
PHOTOS BY LISA VON EBERSTEIN
The Slidell Republican Women's Club held its annual awards banquet May 28 and presented a $1,000 Pearl Williams Scholarship to Jenna Knoblach of Slidell. From left are Knoblach's father, Mark Knoblach; Jerry Williams, Williams' widow; Jenna and her mother Patty Knoblach; Debbie Armstrong, Williams' daughter; and Treasurer Cecelia Drennan, who presented the award.
Slidell Councilman Ray Canada is the recipient of the club's Pearl Williams Superior Leadership Award. Presenting the award are secretary Laura Leonard, left, and awards chairwoman Mary Bishop.
From left are Parliamentarian Beth Royer, guest speaker Wendy Vitter and President Karen Fandal.
Rev. Wellington leads new mission - program from Slidell for West Africa
NewspaperOctober 2, 2009 | St. Tammany News (Covington, LA)
Author: Anne LautzenheiserSt. Tammany News | Section: News
661 Words
For years now, the Rev. Eugene Wellington of Slidell has had one solution to the problems plaguing the war-torn regions of Africa: water.
"The wells are centered on the borders between the opposing groups," said Wellington, pastor at El-Bethel Apostolic Ministry in Olde Towne. "The tribes have to work together to protect and maintain the water source, so it’s a way of bringing some measure of peace to the region."
Since 2004, Wellington has been involved in building wells in Uganda and other parts of the African continent where ethnic conflicts have been raging. Dead bodies are often dumped into the local water supply, he said, leading to rampant diseases such as malaria and a spike in deaths among women during childbirth. With no clean water to use during delivery, the risk of infection for both mother and infant soars.
It’s also a place where children are often pressed into service for active combat.
"When they grow up talking with children from other tribes and getting to know them, it’s much harder for them to become soldiers who must go out and kill the others," said Wellington.
Wellington has now expanded his vision to include education, and his new project, West African Missions, aims to address the needs of the thousands of children left orphaned and homeless in the wake of the conflicts.
In Wellington’s native country of Sierra Leone, a brutal civil war has been raging since 1991, and many of the school’s schools have been destroyed. Add to that the number of children whose parents have been killed in the battles, as well as families forced to uproot themselves from their villages, and the numbers increase exponentially.
The capital city of Freetown has seen its population quadruple in recent years, Wellington said.
"There are children as young as four wandering the streets," he said. "When I was growing up there were never any homeless children, maybe one man who was mentally ill, but that was it; it blows me away."
According to Wellington, anyone with a kitchen and a functioning bathroom is forced to hold classes in their home. While organizations such as UNICEF and the Peace Corps are committed to building new schools, the minister is hoping to supplement the makeshift facilities already in place. His goal is to raise $7,000, enough to cover the insurance and shipping costs of a large container he plans to fill with supplies and send to the country.
The Slidell Republican Women’s Club has already committed to helping Wellington with some supplies, while a benefit concert held in early September raised a little over $3,500. Subsequent donations have raised the total to about $5,500.
The container will be at the church later this month, and Wellington is seeking donations of crayons, pencils, notebooks, book bags, and much more.
Also needed are Bibles and folding chairs, to help outfit a recently built church. Currently church members are forced to either sit on the floor or stand for services, and while some chairs have been rented, the cost is prohibitive.
"The church plays a very important role in their recovery," said Wellington. "If there is no spiritual guidance, the nation will continue to be in chaos."
Other items going into the container are a van donated by a New Orleans attorney, and eyeglasses collected by the Lions’ Club.
Wellington served 14 years as executive director of Community Christian Concern, and said he is thankful to the citizens of Slidell for their unflagging generosity and support. He is confident his new mission will be able to make a difference.
"If someone does not have money or supplies, we can always use volunteers to help sort and organize the items for the container," he said. "We are also looking for mission members, to go to Africa to help distribute the items."
Donations can be made payable to the El-Bethel Apostolic Ministry, with "West African Mission," or WAM, in the memo field, and mailed to P.O. Box 3104, Slidell, LA 70459. For more information call 781-8326 or e-mail elbethelians@aol. com.
GOP women to mark Christmas, install officers
NewspaperDecember 6, 2009 | Times-Picayune, The (New Orleans, LA)
Author: Slidell | Page: H 21 | Section: SLIDELL PICAYUNE
311 Words | Readability: Lexile: 1160, grade level(s): 10 11-12
The Slidell Republican Women's Club's annual Christmas luncheon and auction for club members, guests and prospective members will be held Friday at 10:30 a.m. at The Gallery, 137 Taos St., off Lindberg Drive, in Slidell.
Officers will be installed at this time. Reservations must be made by Monday. The cost is $20 per person.
A special auction item this year will be a signed and numbered LSU print. Guests may join Slidell Republican Women's Club members by donating a wrapped gift for the auction, limited to a cost of $20 or less. Proceeds from this auction go to fund the projects and charitable endeavors of the Slidell Republican Women's Club. Luncheon guests will also be entertained by the Special Santa Elves who will help carry out the auction.
This annual Christmas luncheon auction serves as the major fundraiser for the Slidell Republican Women's Club. The proceeds of the auction fund various community projects and charitable endeavors throughout the year. One of these is the Literacy Project, chaired by SRWC member Lynda Donaldson, through which dictionaries are distributed to area schoolchildren. Another is the Elephant Trunk Community Service project, chaired by SRWC member Betty Guillot. This effort includes diverse projects as distributing school supplies to selected area public schools and creating and sending specialized rosaries to area servicemen.
The Christmas Auction also helps fund the Pearl Williams Memorial Scholarship, under the direction of SRWC member Cecilia Drennan. This scholarship recognizes an outstanding area high school student in the spring.
The Slidell Republican Women's Club also actively supports area Republican candidates for elected office. Prospective new members are welcome, and can choose to participate in any of these endeavors.
To make reservations for the Dec. 11th Christmas Luncheon and Auction, contact Terry Farr, 985.649.7974, by Monday.
New SRWC members are always welcome. For information about joining the Slidell Republican Women's Club, contact Fandal at 641.8121.