The Executive Board of the Andover Service Club (ASC) meets on the first Wednesday of the month; regular meetings are on the second Wednesday of the month. The following is a synopsis of activities and meetings from July 1, 2013 through June 30, 2014.
With the exception of September, December, and June, meetings were held at the Masonic Lodge in Potter Place. All meetings begin with opening words, followed by the business reports and/or discussions, refreshments, and special guests.
July 4, 2013: Homemade pie “Slices for Scholarships” were sold on the Village Green to benefit the Andover Service Club Scholarship Fund.
September 11: Meeting was held at the Ragged Mountain Dining Hall. A moment of silence in remembrance of the tragedy on 9/11/2001 was held. Charlie Darling spoke of the Beacon fundraising campaign. The speaker was Mary Lyn Ray, author of children’s books.
October 9: Members decide to raffle a basket of “Gifts Galore,” winner to be chosen at the Christmas luncheon on December 11. No luncheon on Election Day, as it is too close to the Thanksgiving Pie Sale. Speakers were Judith and Brian MacKay. Their topic was preparing wills and estate planning.
November 13: New roof for the Thrift Shop was approved. Mead and Braley will install the much-needed steel roof. Thanksgiving Pie Sale income was $1,093. The Andover Lion’s Club requested suggestions from ASC members concerning improvements for operation of the Andover Food Pantry. Special speaker was Alison Buckwell. The topic was antiques and estate planning.
December: Meeting/luncheon was held at Lake Sunapee Country Club in New London. Winners of “Gifts Galore” raffle drawing were Nance Barrett of Andover and Amy Ballou of Canaan. Income from raffle was $1,725. Bake sale at Bluewater Farm on December 15 nets $87.25. Entertainment consisted of solo Christmas music sung by Nancy Tripp and Margo Coolidge, and a sing-a-long with piano accompaniment by Judy Evans. Members voted to participate in a Special Olympics fundraiser on September 27, 2014. Non-perishable food items and $155 in donations for Andover Food Pantry were collected and delivered.
January 8, 2014: There are now 86 members; 17 are unpaid members. A trunk sale was held at Woodcrest Village. Nominating Committee will begin the search for new Executive Board members in March, election to be held at June luncheon/annual meeting. There was no special speaker. Hot soup and corn bread were served.
February 12: A request from Thrift Shop Chair was made for more volunteers to work at the shop. Membership is now 68 paid, 8 honorary members, and 9 not paid. Flower boxes at the shop were destroyed by falling ice and snow from the roof and need to be replaced. Discussion on distribution of money to the community and scholarship funds were discussed and would be taken up at the budget committee meeting in March. Speaker Carl Hultberg’s topic was jazz music, old and new.
March: No regular meeting, cancelled due to snow storm. However, the Executive Board met on March 5 to prepare for the regular meeting. Topics discussed were payments for new roof, raising yearly dues to $10, guidelines for Thrift Shop donations to people in emergency need, draft of new budget, lunch at Town Meeting day, and total money spent for 2013 scholarships.
April 9: Budget draft showed an increase from $16,800 in 2013 to $17,600 for 2014. This will be reviewed again at next Executive Board meeting in May and presented for discussion with members on May 14, to vote on June 11. Income from Town Meeting Election Day lunch was $418.66. Thrift Shop income has been less due to bad winter weather. Scholarship program will remain to abide by rules for 501(c)(3) non-profit status. There are now 79 paid members. New flower boxes have been ordered. Income from the in-house auction was $186.
May 14: Budget is finalized, with adjustments, bringing the total to $16,700 which is $100 less than the previous year. Thrift Shop interior to be painted. Joyce Egge, Dottie Chagnon, Lois Magenau, and Jeanne Tate have stepped down from the Executive Board. ASC needs new, hopefully younger, members to keep the club viable in the future. Four $1,000 scholarships were awarded. Members gave approval for increase of dues and term limits for Executive Board, to be voted for or against at June meeting. New slate of officers were presented and will be elected at June meeting. A field trip to Haunting Whisper Winery in Danbury closed the meeting.
June 11: The June luncheon/annual meeting was held at 74 Main (formerly the Millstone) in New London. A series of votes, all unanimous, raised dues to $10, approved term limits with the necessary amending of the by-laws, and election of the new Executive Board. They are Mary Ofenloch, President; Diane Rice, 1st Vice President; Evelyn Davis, 2nd Vice President; Eileen Mackey, Recording Secretary; Teri Leclerc, Corresponding Secretary; Robin Boynton, Treasurer; Sandra Graves, Assistant Treasurer; and Robin Boynton, Past President.
A change of venue for regular meetings was also approved. The Highland Lake Grange Hall and Ragged Mountain Dining Hall were to be the new meeting places. However, Ragged Mountain has since been canceled, so all future regular meetings will be held at the Grange, except for June and December luncheons.
Financials: Income from July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014 fiscal year was $19,070.62. Expenses for that period total $21,349.27, leaving a loss of $2,278.65, due to higher expenses than expected, such as Thrift Shop maintenance and repair, increase in fuel prices, decrease in Thrift Shop sales due to winter storms, etc.
Budget for 2014-15 as compared with last year: General expenses increase from $8,900 to $9,800. Contributions to the community decrease from $2,550 to $2,450. Contributions to wider community increase from $350 to $450. Money budgeted for scholarships is $4,000. This is $1,000 less than last year. Therefore, the total budget for 2014/2015 is $16,700 which is $100 less than the previous year.
Calendar for 2014-15 meetings at Highland Lake Grange Hall: September 10 – Gardening tips with ASC members; October 8 – Energy Medicine with Jane E. King; November 12 – Tai Chi/Chi Gong with Marcia Wyman; December 10 – Christmas Luncheon; January 14 – Broadway Bound with Nancy Tripp; February 11 – Game Day; March 11 – Book review and discussion; April 8 – In-House Auction; May 13 – Mystery House Tour field trip; June 10 – Annual meeting/luncheon
This fiscal year, the Andover Service Club begins its 56th year of service to the community. The ASC ladies cordially invite women of all ages to become a member and make new friends while serving your community. For more information, please e-mail President Mary Ofenloch at MaryO.ASClub@nulllive.com. The Andover Service Club is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.