NOEL -- The November 2022 Noel Woman's Club meeting was called to order by Secretary Vicki Barth in the absence of President Melissa Lance. Club members recited the pledge of allegiance and the Lord's Prayer.
The program was brought by Retha Mitchell; she gave a history of the Orphan Train that was used during the late 1800s through the early 1900s, taking orphaned children and those whose parents could no longer care for them from New York City and Boston (mainly) to the Midwest where farming families were willing to take them in and raise them in exchange for help on their farms. The children were loaded on trains that made stops in towns along the way, and the children were displayed for folks to take home.
Many of these children were starving on the streets and, although this sounds bad, most went to good homes where they were treated fairly and given food and a warm bed. This began as "The Children's Aid Society" formed by Charles Brace and was a kind of "early" Department of Family Services as we have today.
As always, Retha gave a very interesting talk on this, and the club thanks her for coming.
Roll call was taken, with seven members and one guest in attendance. The minutes were read by Secretary Vicki Barth. They were approved after a motion by Bonnie Leonard and a second by Hannah Bartholomew.
Bonnie Leonard gave the treasurer's report. Linda Jefferson presented checks from the Rags to Riches Flea Market booth in Anderson. The booth there continues to bring in money for the treasury.
Bonnie asked who to send the check to for "Shop with a Hero," which was approved last month. She will call the sheriff's office in Pineville for that information and get that sent to them.
We did not have a report on the Help Your Neighbor meeting.
Also, the club discussed participating again in the Noel Christmas Parade. It is to be held on Dec. 10 this year. It begins at 5 p.m. The club made plans to have a vehicle to ride in and buy candy to throw out.
The club elected new officers for the coming 2023 year. Some are new officers and some continue to serve.
After a motion by Linda Jefferson and a second by Beth Dobbs, this passed as effective in January 2023.
The meeting was adjourned. The next meeting will be a Christmas party on Dec. 13 at the Senior Center. The hostess will be Louine Gardner.
If you would like to join this group, it welcomes new members. Call President Melissa Lance at 417-455-6674 for more information.