February 2025

Please join us for our meeting of this year. The meeting will be held on Thursday, March 6, 2025 at 80 Main. Doors will open at 5:30 and dinner will be served at 6 pm. The menu is sliced turkey, mashed potatoes, vegetable, rolls and butter. The cost will be $26.00. Coffee, tea and soft drinks will be available. A cash bar will be available as well. Please make your reservations with the Telephone Committee by Thursday, February 27, 2025 before 7 pm. You may also call Gail Marshall with your reservation. (716-434-4306). Hostesses will be Stacy Giansante and Mary Beth Caswell.

Our program will be timely and interesting as we are hosting two staff members from the Save the Michaels of the World Branch located in Lockport. Emily Buteyn is the Recovery Center Program Director and Amy Webster is a Substance Abuse Counselor and Recovery Peer Advocate. Save the Michaels of the World began as a grassroots effort to bring attention and awareness of the opioid crisis of addiction in this country, including the over-prescribing of addictive medications by the medical profession. The local chapter is located on Main Street here in Lockport and provides resources for families during their loved one’s journey through addiction and into remission. The Community Resources would be grateful for donations at their drop-in center and suggests packaged snacks, Solo cups, paper plates, plastic silverware or any new or used clothing for men and women.

At our February meeting, the recommendation of the Scholarship Committee was received and passed for 2025. It reads as follows: “At this time, the Scholarship Committee recommends for the year 2025 that we support awards up to $8,000.00 as applications from young women at Lockport High School planning on attending a two and/or four year college are received and reviewed by the Scholarship Committee.” Just a reminder that this total is paid out at the rate of $1,000.00 per year, per winner. Thank you to the Committee for all of its hard work – Daniele Priest, Ann O’Byrne, Ann Van Dusen, Nancy Fischer and Patricia Kennedy. We look forward to meeting the winners at the May Banquet.

We want to wish best of luck to our two winners who are graduating this spring - Sara McIntyre will be graduating from SUNY Potsdam and Katherine Miner will be graduating from MIT. We are proud of their hard work and dedication.

Remember that every meeting is a guest meeting, so bring a friend. We have two new members join this year – Barbara Feidner and Jennifer Yotter. Please welcome them.

Our annual Scholarship Fundraiser - “Sunday for Scholarship” will be held on Sunday, March 30, 2025, at the Lockport Town and Country Club. Tickets and information will be arriving by mail soon. We are in need of two or three volunteers willing to sell raffle tickets for about an hour prior to start of the event. Please call one of our chairpersons if interested – Lucille Cannata, Shirley Frombgen or Daniele Priest. The Basket Raffle is an important source of revenue at the event. Please create a basket or purchase a gift card (please place it in a simple frame) to help out. Completed baskets and gift cards can be brought to the March meeting.

The next Board of Directors meeting is scheduled for March 13, 2025 at the home of Patty Russell, 102 Continental Drive, Lockport, NY. The meeting begins at 7:00 PM. Please let Patty know if you are unable to attend.

Remember that we will be continuing the Bring a Book, Take a Book at the upcoming meeting! So please bring a book with you to 80 Main Street and browse and share either before or after the meeting.

I would like to encourage all of you to visit the wonderful exhibit at the Kenan Center – “Secret Weapons of World War II – Women, Books & Music”. The exhibit runs until March 31, 2025. It is sponsored by the Lockport Public Arts Council. It is the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and this Exhibit provides an opportunity to remember members of the Lockport community who served and honors the significant impact of women during World War II. What a great way to celebrate Women’s History Month!!

 January 2025 

Our next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, February 6, 2025 at the 80 Main Street, Lockport. This promises to be another exciting program as we welcome John Montague from the Buffalo Maritime Center. Mr. Montague will be talking about his work with the Maritime Center and the planning and construction of the Seneca Chief. The construction of this historic reproduction has been made to commemorate the historic opening of the Erie Canal. As you may recall, this year is the Bicentennial of the opening of the Erie Canal this fall. Mr. Montague will also be talking about launch and ‘sea trials’ made in preparation of this fall’s “Wedding of the Waters” trip. He has also written Volume 1 of the Maritime Center’s book, The Erie Canal: Perspectives at 200. He will be bringing copies for purchase if interested. He is in the process of completing Volume 2. Mr. Montague is a Professor Emeritus at Buffalo State where he set up the design history program at the College. Mr. Montague is one of the Co-founders of the Buffalo Maritime Center and has been active with the redevelopment of Buffalo’s waterfront. It will be an interesting and informative program. 

 The doors will open at 5:30 PM for registration. Dinner will be served at 6:00 PM. The menu is Pork Flat-iron topped with apple-cashew compote served with mashed potatoes, vegetable and rolls and butter. Coffee and tea will be served. The cost of the dinner is $26.00. Hostesses are Gail Marshall and Judy Johnson Paonessa. Please call in your reservation to the Telephone Committee by Thursday, January 30, 2025. You may also make an email reservation with Susan Grigg at smmgrigg@aol.com. Reservations may also be made by calling Gail Marshall (716-434-4306). Please do not call Marybeth Wilson as she is away for the winter. Every meeting is a guest meeting, so bring a friend. We had a great turnout at the last meeting so let’s do it again!! It sounds like an interesting program.

 Please make every effort to attend the February meeting as we will also be hearing and voting on the recommendation of the Scholarship Committee with respect to the number of scholarships the Club will be giving this year. 

 There are a couple of changes to the Directory – the first is that the spelling of Paula Sattelberg’s name is Sattelberg. Gail Niparts has resigned from the Club. Charlotte Lasher has a new address: Amberleigh #229, 2330 Maple Road, Williamsville, NY 14221. Her phone number is 716-276-3449. Nancy Smith has passed away and a book has been donated to the Lockport Public Library in her memory. 

 Our College Scholarship Fundraiser is scheduled for March 30, 2025 at the Lockport Town Country Club. We have Tri-Chairs for the event - Lucille Cannata, Daniele Priest and Shirley Frombgen. Ticket Co-Chairs are Daniele Priest and Shirley Frombgen. Table Decoration Co-Chairs are Anna Beth Kinyon and Patty Russell. We still are in need of Basket Raffle Co-Chairs – duties are setting up and arranging the baskets on the day of the fundraiser. We have two volunteers to sell split club tickets – Mary Beth Caswell and Delores Tracy. We are in need of volunteers to sell Basket Raffle Tickets on the day of the Fundraiser. Please let Patty Russell or any Board member know if you are able to help out.are in need of two Co-chairs! The work is easy and delicious choosing the menu! So please consider volunteering. 

 Thank you for continuing to support the College Club with your attendance at meetings and support of the annual Fundraiser. 

 Other volunteer opportunities include becoming a member of the Scholarship Committee. Members serve for a term of five years. The Committee will normally begin to meeting in mid-January to early February to review applications and interview the candidates before making a selection of a winner or winners. This is an important role if interested since the primary function of the Club is to promote education for the young women of Lockport. 

 The next Board of Directors meeting will be held on Thursday, February 13, 2025 at the home of Mary Beth Caswell at 7:00 PM. Call to confirm your attendance