April Newsletter from Joanne

 

Mary Rambo, of Nu Chapter in Her Other Hat

 Mary Rambo, of Nu Chapter in her other hat:

As treasurer of the Altoona Compassion Coalition Food Pantry, Nu Chapter member Mary Rambo would like to thank WI Alpha Delta Kappa for the $600 Barbara Beetow Grant awarded to Altoona's Food Pantry.  All monies go toward supporting those in Altoona who experience food insecurity.

 

2026 Barbara Beetow Grant Recipients

 It is somewhat confusing, but we apply for the Barbara Beetow Grants in the fall, with a deadline of Dec. 15, and the winners are chosen in January of the new year. So here are the 2026 Recipients. Congratulations all!

Neighborhood Giving Benefit Concert in Eau Claire

Mary Rambo, Nu Chapter sent this picture of an Eau Claire community fundraising event in which several Nu members were involved. Kudos to Nu!

On Sunday March 1, 2026, 4 Nu Chapter members sang with the Chippewa Valley Area Singers Involved in Neighborhood Giving (CVASing) benefit concert, while many other Nu members attended and supported the fundraiser.  Several University music students also volunteered their time as instrumentalists for the event.  Over the 16 years of the choir's existence, that effort has raised over $120,000 for Feed My People Food Bank, helping many people in NW Wisconsin who experience food insecurity.

 

 

Thank You from Ben's Closet in Ironwood

 Jennifer Burla, President of Gamma Delta Chapter in Ironwood, sent this page from Ben's Closet, who won one of the Barbara Beetow Grants.

 

 

 

 

Convention Clarifications

Dear WI Alpha Delta Kappa sisters,

I am very excited to have received numerous emails and phone calls about the upcoming convention after discussion at February chapter meetings. I hope that indicates that many of you are thinking of gathering with your WI sisters from April 30-May 2, 2026. Since the Green Lake Conference Center does things a bit different than how Wintergreen did in the past for the state convention, there are clarifications that I had not communicated previously. This email is to clarify some of the questions that have come up in these discussions.

First, the registration fee for the convention is $50. This includes the Friday evening hospitality gathering, state executive board meeting and the Saturday convention. There will be a registration form sent out soon with ALL the activity and convention information. This form will need to be sent to Marlea Steiner, state treasurer along with the $50 registration fee. It does NOT include any meals. The fee covers all expenses for the meetings (room rental, equipment use, etc.), Omega service, and International guest costs. If a sister is just coming for the Saturday convention meetings, Green Lake Conference Center is charging a $7 fee per person.

Second, the Green Lake Conference Center requires room reservations to be made by March 2, 2026 with a deposit of 50%. The room rate of $128 is for two persons per room. If a third person shares a room, there is an additional charge of $15 per night bringing the cost to $143. Buffet meals (at an additional cost) that will be served for our group are Friday breakfast, Friday lunch, Friday dinner, Saturday breakfast and Saturday lunch. The cost is $13.00 for breakfast, $15.50 for lunch and $17.50 for dinner. These costs will be added to room charges when you make your reservations. Some sisters have stated that they do NOT usually eat 3 full meals per day. You can purchase the meals you will be eating while at the convention. Examples can be purchasing only breakfast and dinner on Friday, purchasing only lunch and dinner on Friday, etc. If you are only planning to come to the convention on Saturday, you would probably only be purchasing lunch for that day. I am checking with Green Lake Conference Center to see if members who are only coming to the convention on Saturday need to purchase their meals by March 2 or at a later date. I will let you know as soon as I get an answer.

Third, information about the activities for Thursday evening, Friday morning, and Friday afternoon are as follows:

   Thursday evening: Dinner together as a group at a local restaurant. Right now, the committee is looking at the 300 Club which is also a bowling alley, so we can eat and enjoy some fun too!! Transportation and costs will be on your own.

   Friday morning: Groups or individuals may enjoy...

1) The nature around the Green Lake Conference Center. There are numerous walking trails of different lengths throughout the area.

2) Golfing at Lawsonia Golf Course. Tee times will need to be made on your own.

3) Downtown Green Lake shops/library

4) Elan Brio Spa   920-294-3347   info@elanbriospa.com

This is a world-renowned spa that offers manicures, pedicures, facials, and massages. You will need to schedule sessions on your own.

5) Wallenfangs - family owned cheese house and gift shop

6) Shopping on Watson Street in Ripon (nearby city)

   Friday afternoon: Same activities as the morning with the addition of...

7) Wine tasting at Vines & Rushes Winery, time TBA

This will need to be scheduled for the number of sisters planning to attend, there will be a fee for this activity, amount TBA

   Friday evening: State executive board meeting at 7:00 PM

Hospitality gathering for sisters not attending the board meeting

   Saturday: Convention begins at 9:00 AM featuring our guest speaker, Val Johnson, NCR President-elect, a break for lunch, Omega service, election of officers and installation.

This is a lot of information but I hope that it answers the questions that came up in your chapter discussions. Please let me know if there is anything that is still unclear.

In sisterhood,

Joanne Loy

WI State President

This new information came March 2 from the Conference Center:

As with all the Alpha Delta Kappa convention registrants, the member attending just on Saturday will need to call by Thursday, April 16, 2026, to pay the discounted $15.50 meal rate for lunch. After that date, the standard meal rate increases to $17.50. Further, please keep in mind that after Monday, April 27, we cannot guarantee to provide lunch should the person register after that date. 

The $7 day charge can be paid either when the person calls to register or upon arrival.

The Monday, March 2, 2026, due date is when the bedrooms being held on the block will be released for general sale. Alpha Delta Kappa registrants can still call after that date to make a reservation subject to availability. As with the day attendee, any registrations after Thursday, April 16, 2026, will pay the standard meal rate which is $2 more per meal.

So, sisters who might not be ready to make a room reservation by today can do so at a later date. Please reach out to GLCC for any additional questions you may have regarding room reservations.

When making reservations, Bauer Lodge is the building where the rooms for the convention are located. 

February Newsletter

State Board Meeting Via Zoom

With the temperatures in the MINUS 20's in the days leading up to our January Board Meeting, and no dates available to reschedule, Joanne polled us and then wisely decided to have a Zoom meeting instead. Many of us hadn't Zoomed since the Pandemic, so there was a flurry of downloading, updating, practicing, and trouble-shooting. But it was so worth it and we had lots of laughs along the way. We had 19 in attendance, including several sisters who were there via landline! Kudos to all. Here we are. Oops! Nikki's name got covered up. So sorry!

Wisconsin Alpha Delta Kappa Month Report

 Wisconsin Alpha Delta Kappa Month Report

October 2025

Founder’s Day Celebration:

• Attended October meeting with Founder’s Day program presented by several sisters
• Delta shared treasured and cherished memories of their Founding Sisters and Omega Sisters, along with teaching times with them, while enjoying cherry cheesecake and trail mix snacks. Disabled sisters were escorted to the meeting and loving sister assistance was provided.
• A joint Founders’ Day ceremony/luncheon was held with Tau and Zeta hosted by Zeta with a speaker for LIFE (Lifting Individuals to Freedom from Exploitation) regarding human trafficking. Donations were given to LIFE. Honorees included Zeta Charter member, Gail Gillmore, WI State President and President Elect, Joanne Loy and Linda Nack, IVP, Jennie Johnson and sustaining sisters, Elaine Sherry and Elsie Goulding.

Community Projects:

• Donated items and created Baby Baskets for the 2 hospitals in Eau Claire to be given to the first baby born in October in honor of A∆K Month
• Made and delivered cards to veterans at the WI Veterans Home in Chippewa Falls
• Two chapters donated items and created Birthday Bags with one going to a nursing home and the other a local food pantry
• Worked on quilts and delivered to temporary housing for the homeless
• Worked at Community Table and one sister coordinated volunteers to prepare and serve food
• Worked at Feed My Starving Children assembling meal packs
• Prepared Christmas cards for area nursing homes
• Donated items and created boxes for Bonnie Boxes of Love for cancer patients
• One member serves on Dolly’s Imagination committee
• Knitted and donated mittens and crocheted prayer shawls for Mayo
• Participated in Festival of the Arts which raised money for an African school
• One sister helped set up new location for area food pantry
• Provided dinner for international students at Gogebic Community College
• One sister presented A∆K Innovation Grant information to two schools and helped fill out form for grant
• Donated time to Bayview Historical Society

Donations of Items and Money:

• Donated candy/treats for distribution to schools and other staff recognition as gift cards
• Donations of clothing and household items to Savers, Goodwill, King’s Closet, Hope Gospel Mission, Rescued and Redeemed, Salvation Army, Bloomer Community Clothes Shop, Beacon House, Bethania Clothing Ministry, St. Vincent DePaul, and ELCA Outreach Center
• Donations of food, time and/or money to area food pantries: Feed My People, Pantry of Hope, Food for the Poor, St. Francis, Trinity Food Pantry, Altoona Compassion Coalition, Winneconne Area Assistance Center, Community Table, Holy Communion Church 
• Donation to Chippewa Valley Street Ministry and area group home
• Donation of furniture to Hope Gospel and Feather a Nest
• Donation of books to Little Free Library
• Donations of money to St. Jude, Community Foundation, Tanzania School Fundraiser, PBS, Boy Scouts, WI Public Radio, YMCA Camp Manitou, Home4Healing, Operation We Care, Feed My Starving Children, Jabneh Christian Academy after hurricane damage, Life Initiative, Kids’ Night Out After School Project for Deaf and HoH Children, Dolly’s Imagination Fund, Bayview Historical Society, Friends of the Library, Racine Public Library, Shalom Homeless Shelter, Literacy Council, St. Vincent Diaper Ministry, Alzheimer’s Association (Longest Day), Focus on Youth and Family (Racine School District) for a speaker
• Purchased items for Ben’s Closet Organization to assist foster families
• Delivered 272 toiletries to Solutions Center
• Delivered magazines and calendars to assisted living homes
• Donated pop tabs from soda cans plus a donation to Ronald McDonald House
• Crafted tray favors for Heritage Senior Center
• Furnished snacks to Pathway Home, a family shelter
• Gave art mod-pack to a former student

Donations of Time:

• Gave rides to sisters to A∆K meeting, extra activities and community members to school board meetings
• Helping friends and elderly/homebound - delivered groceries, watched home in their absence, delivered meal, gave rides 
• Helped teach line dancing at Cancer Empowering workshop
• Volunteered at Step Force at the hospital
• Volunteered at Public Library
• Wrote letters, sent cards, made phone calls and visited shut ins, neighbors and chapter sisters
• Donated time to Bayview Historical Society
• One member serves as treasurer of area food pantry and wrote grants 
• Coordinated project and volunteers for Kids’ Night Out After School Project 
• Worked at the Red Cross Blood Drive
• Created greeting cards
• One member updated the state and chapter websites
• Members painted bowls and purchased bowls to raise money for food banks in Racine
• Attended state board meeting and worked on projects for board responsibilities

School Projects:

• Read to a preschooler
• Donated to Give a Kid a Book
• Donated books to Hope Lutheran Preschool
• Provided $250 for site license (RVSP) for Special Needs Reading and Writing Online Program

Scholarships: 

• Purchased Kwik Trip car wash cards to support Nu Scholarship Fund
• Two sisters organized and distributed the cards to members
• Donated money to Psi Scholarship Fund

Publicity:

• Article published in local paper by Gamma Delta

Leaders in Education honored:

• Delta recognized Founding and Omega sisters by sharing memories
• Tau provided treats to residents of Harvest Home Alzheimer’s residence in honor of their sister, Joan Brown, who is a resident there, and gave a donation to Longest Day in her honor

North Central Regional Conference

 Coming soon!