Sew What Club


SewWhat Group 10-28-09

Officers (2011 - 2012)


President:           Susanne Apitz

Vice President:   Pat Owens

Secretaries:         Heather Hoffman
                            Marsha Rodrigues

Treasurer:          Donna Meenach


Mailing Address: PO Box 16154
                              Portal, AZ 85632


Sew What Programs & Forums

2012 - 2013



PROGRAMS - Open To Members

All programs will be at 11:00 a.m. sharp, followed by lunch at noon. The business meeting will be after lunch.


26 September 

Sew What Picnic at Southwestern Research Station

Speaker: Dr. John Alcock

Title: A Wonderful Desert with Wonderful Bugs

Co-Hostesses: Donna Meenach and Maya Decker


31  October

Home of Patricia  Esser

Speaker: Barbara Miller

Topic: An Amazon Voyage

Co-Hostess: Anna May Meyers


28 November 

Home of Alicia Davidson (at Davidson’s Gamble)

Speakers: Ruth Plenty and Alicia Davidson

Topic: Maxi Hope and Mini Dreams

Co-Hostesses: Jeanne Williams and Gerry Hernbrode


30 January

Field Trip to Kartchner Caverns

Organizer: Marsha Rodrigues


27 February

Home of Alice Newton

Speaker: Alice Newton

Title: An Afternoon in Provence

Co-Hostess: Zola Stolz


27 March

Home of Suzanne Apitz

Speaker: Marsha Rodrigues

Title: Strong Bones Make a Sound Body

Co-Hostess: Barbara Miller


24 April - Open To The Public

Portal Rescue Classroom

Speaker: Judith Fortney

Title: Mongolia: Birds and Other Fauna of the Gobi, Steppe and Taiga Forest 

Co-Hostesses: Delane Blondeau and Dinah Davidson


22 May

Home of Joy Mendez

Speaker: Junior Gomez

Topic: The Classy History of Rodeo through the Eyes of Jr. Gomez

Co-Hostess: O’Leary Squier



FORUMS - Open To The Public


25 September

6:00 p.m.

Portal Rescue Classroom

Candidate’s Night

Contact: Gerry Hernbrode


5 October

6:00 p.m.

Portal Rescue Classroom

Propositions and Initiatives

Contact: Gerry Hernbrode


19 October

7:00 p.m.

Portal Rescue Classroom

Speaker: Ray Mendez

Title: Adventures in Gabon or We’re only an Hour Late: Always Time for Coffee


16 November

7:00 p.m.

Home of Rick and Vicki Beno

Speaker: Rick Beno

Topic: Confer with the Stars


30 November

7:00 p.m.

Portal Rescue Classroom

Speaker: Narca Moore-Craig

Title: Midway Atoll: Where Wild Nature and History Converge


12 January (Saturday)

2:00 p.m.

Portal Rescue Classroom

Speakers: Jana Flagler and Frances Grill

Title: Medical Needs Seminar and Hands-On Workshop: Living Wills and Powers of Attorney


8 February

7:00 p.m.

Portal Rescue Classroom

Speaker: Frank Keim

Title: White Water Blue: Paddling and Trekking Alaska's Wild Rivers


22 February

7:00 p.m. 

Portal Rescue Classroom

Speaker: Dr. Hedley Bond 

Title: ‘We're Here to Help': Two Years in the Peace Corps in Armenia 


1 March 

7:00 p.m.

Portal Rescue Classroom 

Speaker: Dr. Gary Goldfogel

Title: Fact and Fiction of CSI - Modern Death Investigation


15 March

7:00 p.m.

Portal Rescue Classroom

Speaker: Dawn and Jerry Aerts

Title: Journey to Israel


19 April 

7:00 p.m.

Portal Rescue Classroom

Speaker: Peg Abbott

Title: Papua New Guinea: Nature and Culture


27 April (Saturday)

1:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Portal Rescue Classroom

Speaker: Bruce Thompson

Title: How do People See? Photography for the Rest of Us.


10 May 

7:00 p.m.

Portal Rescue Classroom

Speaker: Rebekah Karsch

Title: Survival and Mortality of Desert Bighorn Sheep in the Peloncillo Mountains


17 May 

7:00 p.m.

Portal Rescue Classroom

Speaker: Nancy and Harold Farmer

Title: The Safari from Hell: Life on the Cheap in Africa




Articles Of Association


Article 1.       Name

The name of this association shall be Sew What?

Article II.      Purpose.

This association shall provide for members to pool their ideas, judgment and expertise for the progressive improvement of community and personal life. It snail offer community forums,which are programs of local, state, national and international interest and importance. The dub shall offer such activities as it may deem appropriate to educate and entertain its members. Itshall support charitable programs such as the Sew What? Scholarship Fund, the Christmas Charities Nursing Home Project, Portal Rescue, the Portal Library, the Rodeo Community Center, and the San Simon and other schools.

Article III.     This association is organized for charitable and educational purposes within the meaning of Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Article IV.     Legislative or Political Activities.

No substantial part of the activities of the association shall be distributing propaganda or otherwise attempting to influence legislation. The association shall not participate in (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office.

Article V.      Limitations.

Any property, moneys or other items of value belonging to this association or hereafter acquired is and shall be irrevocably dedicated to the herein described purposes, and no individual shall be entitled at any time, including at dissolution, to receive any benefits from the properly or accounts of the association. No part of the net earnings of the association shall be distributed fruits members, directors, officers or other private persons, except that the -""association shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable reimbursement for services rendered. In the event of dissolution or the impossibility of performing the purposes herein described, the assets shall be distributed to a charitable organization which is exempt under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The first choice would be local charitable organizations that we have supported in the past.

Article VI.     Membership and Dues.

Section 1. Membership in this association shall be open to all interested women.

Section 2. The annual dues shall be determined by vote of the members at any meeting.

Section 3. Each individual member shall be entitled to one vote in the business of the association.

Section 4. The fiscal year shall start September 1 and end on August 31.

Article VII.     Officers and Duties,

Section I. The Executive Committee shall consist of the officers. The officers shall be President, Vice President. Secretary and Treasurer. They shall be elected by the general membership at the Ma\ meeting. The terms of office shall be one year.

Part a. The President shall preside at meetings. She shall appoint such standing and  special committees as may be necessary and shall perform other duties that usually pertain to the office of president.

Part b. In the absence of the President, the Vice President shall preside at all meetings. In case of vacancy of the office of President, the Vice President shall assume the title and duties of President.

Part c. The Secretary shall keep minutes of all meetings. She shall be the custodian of-all official papers and records. She shall keep a current list of officers and members of the club.

Part d. The Treasurer shall collect all moneys belonging to the dub and shall disburse such funds on request of the President or appointed members so designated A bank account shall be maintained for deposit and distribution.

Section 2. The Executive Committee shall serve a term of one year and will be nominated by a Nominating Committee and offered for approval at the annual membership meeting.

Article VIII.    Meetings.

Section 1. The association shall hold monthly meetings from September to May. Notice shall be given to the membership at least one week prior to all meetings.

Section 2 The club shall establish committees to meet at intervals allowing them to meet their objectives. Committees shall include, but are not limited to. Programs and Forums, Forum Setup. Scholarships, Nursing Home, Nominating. Christmas Program, Ways and Means, Publicity. Membership Booklet, E-mail and Telephone Contact, Facility Reservations, and Historian.

Section 3. A quorum shall be the number of members present at a regularly scheduled meeting. A vote of fifty-one percent of the quorum shall be required to pass any motion. All meetings shall be conducted according to Robert's Rules of Order Revised.

Article IX.     Amendments

Amendments shall be added or changed as needed by a majority vote of members present at a regularly scheduled monthly meeting. Proposed amendments to the bylaws shall be communicated to the members one week before the meeting.


© Howard Topoff 2011