On November 30, 2023, TVFC held their annual Christmas luncheon at Middendorf’s Restaurant in Manchac, LA. Fourteen club members attended the event along
with three guests. One of the guests was Deputy Susie Cambre with the Tangipahoa Sheriff’s Office. During the event, TVFC President, Gloria Messenger, presented
Deputy Suzie with a check from WVFC to help fund Sheriff Edwards’ Christmas Crusade for Children. TVFC has donated to this worthy cause every Christmas for
several years. The Sunshine Ladies, a chapter of TVFC, also presented Deputy Suzie with numerous toys which had been donated by their chapter members for
the children.
Following the presentations, Scholarship Chair, Jean Hebert, asked Deputy Suzie to draw a name for the club’s annual raffle. This year’s prize was a beautiful quilt
made by club Parliamentarian, Sue Nelson. The lucky winner of the quilt was Bonnie Guidry of Beaux Bridge. The funds raised from the raffle go to support TVFC’s
scholarship fund. Each year, TVFC awards one Tangipahoa high school senior with a $1000 scholarship to apply towards his/her college expenses.
This year, members of TVFC once again participated in Samaritan Purse’s annual Operation Christmas Child International Project. TVFC has adopted the operation
as their annual international project each year for the last several years. The goal of the project is to bring Christianity to children all over the world through the gifting
of shoe boxes to needy children. The boxes are filled to overflowing with items the children can use and/or enjoy, and Samaritan Purse adds a pamphlet with an
introduction to Christianity to each box.
In early November, both chapters of TVFC met with their prospective club members to assemble their shoe boxes. A few members could not meet with the other
members, either due to living out of town or some other reason, so they put their own box together to donate. Altogether, TVFC assembled and donated 91 boxes.
Among the items included in the boxes were school supplies, toothbrushes, hair brushes and barrettes, small toys, and costume jewelry. On November 14th,
members Ann Bourliea, Gwen Domiano, Maureen Felder, Sheila Gagliano, and Jean Hebert delivered the shoe boxes to River Fellowship Church in Hammond which
is Samaritan’s Purse’s designated collection site for Tangipahoa Parish.
On October 12, 2023, TVFC had their final council meeting of the year. After calling the meeting to order, TVFC President, Gloria Messenger introduced three surprise
guests, men from the Order of Hibernians. This is a philanthropic group of men of Irish decent. The President of the Order of Hibernians, Dr. Martin Kearney,
explained that the main purpose of his organization is to help fund local volunteer groups who are providing much needed services to the community.
Dr. Kearney along with his two fellow members, Mr. Bruce Caliva and Mr. Ronnie Crimmins, commended the ladies of TVFC for all of the hard work they do
throughout Tangipahoa Parish. Then, Dr. Kearney presented Ms. Messenger with a donation check in the amount of $500 to be applied to whatever volunteer
project the club chose to use the funds for.
L to R: Dr. Martin Kearney, Gloria Messenger, Bruce Caliva, Ronnie Crimmins
Last Friday, October 20, Sunshine Ladies hosted their monthly Bingo game at the Hammond Nursing Home. This month's game had a Halloween theme, of course,
and all our ladies wore Halloween themed shirts or outfits. After the Bingo games, we raffled off stuffed animals and hand-crocheted throw blankets to the residents.
Each resident then received a goodie bag along with their snacks. The residents as well as our volunteers get a kick out of the themed Bingo events, and everyone had a "spook-tacular" time!
Sunshine Ladies also donated several bags of adult diapers to the home for the residents' use. This is one of our many on-going community projects.
We host Bingo here monthly, and make it as enjoyable as we can for the residents.
Pictured below are Sunshine Ladies members Ginny Shartle, Anita Murray, Malinda Sanchez, Sheila Galiano,Marie Heck, Freda, and President All Bourliea, kneeling in front. The second picture is some of the items donated to the nursing home for the residents use.
This year marked our 40th year of our Holiday Ideas Workshop fundraiser, and we were very pleased with this year's event. There was a demonstration of easy holiday wreath ideas given by one member, and a
demonstration of canning techniques and equipment by our former 4H Extension agent. The event had lots of great gifts for the Parade of Prizes, a fine lunch of jambalaya and white beans provided by the men
of St. Margaret's church, and lots of Bingo, of course!
Wednesday Volunteers for Family and Community (WVFC) held their monthly meeting on September 6th at the Tourist Center in Hammond. The meeting was called to
order by Vice President, Pam Villagran, due to the absence of President Donna Bouterie. At the end of the meeting, members put personal care items along with
personally written notes into 15 different gift bags. Afterwards, WVFC members, Gwen Domiano and Gloria Messenger, delivered the bags to SAFE to be distributed
to their women residents.
Pictured are Gwen Domiano, SAFE employee Kristi Giammolva, and Gloria Messenger.
Members of Tangipahoa Volunteers for Family and Community (TVFC) traveled to Marrero, LA on July 19th to attend this year’s Louisiana Volunteers for Family and
Community Area One Fun Day. Area One consists of groups from three parishes: Jefferson, St. Bernard, and Tangipahoa.
The event was held at the Knights of Columbus
Hall in Marrero. It was hosted this year by Jefferson Parish Volunteers for Family and Community (JVFC). The theme was “Hidden Treasures” and the guest
speaker was Louisiana author, D.M. Bourgeois.
Pictured are Gloria Messenger, Sue Nelson, Jean Hebert, Mareen Felder
On July 18, 2023 Tangipahoa Volunteers for Family and Community (TVFC) hosted an ice cream social at the New Beulah Baptist Church in Hammond. The purpose
of the event was to highlight what TVFC does for the Tangipahoa community and what the organization has to offer prospective new members. Guests were treated
to ice cream Sundays and homemade brownies. The event was planned by TVFC Membership Chair, Sue Nelson.
At the beginning of a short, informal program, Ms. Nelson welcomed all the guests and thanked them for coming. TVFC President, Gloria Messenger gave a
brief overview of what TVFC is all about. Ms. Messenger was followed by TVFC Reporter, Pam Villagran, who spoke about the club’s dictionary project. Then
Scholarship Chairperson Jean Hebert, spoke about our scholarship program.
Anita Murray then talked about the club’s Raise-A-Reader project. Then TVFC
Vice-President Marie Heck who talked about the club’s annual fundraiser, our Holiday Ideas Workshop and Bingo event. This event is open to the public and will be
on September 28th this year from 9:00 am until 2:00 pm at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Ponchatoula.
After the program, TVFC Treasurer, Karen Moran, was on hand to assist several of the guests who chose to sign up as new members of TVFC.
On June 22, 2023, members of TVFC along with four guests attended the club’s annual International Day Celebration at the LSU Ag Extension office in Amite.
Event co-chairs were Kathy Brandon and Gloria Messenger.
The Wednesday Volunteers chapter of TVFC chose to honor the country of Hungary for the event. Members dressed in the Hungarian colors of red, white, and black
and served Hungarian goulash, cabbage rolls, salad, and cookies. TVFC President, Gloria Messenger, invited guest Hungarian speakers, Royanne and Alex Kropog
to the event to explain and demonstrated some Hungarian traditions. Afterwards, Hungarian guest Vicky Mocsary led the group in singing some Hungarian songs.
The Sunshine chapter chose to honor the country of France and the French dishes they served were quiche, string beans, au gratin potatoes, chocolate silk pie, and
eclairs. For their chapter entertainment, Sunshine Ladies, Marie Heck and Ann Bourliea, directed a game of Pictionary using French symbols. Everyone who attended
the event had a wonderful time!
On June 14, 2023 five members of Tangipohoa Volunteers for Family and Community (TVFC) and two of their guests attended the Jefferson Parish Volunteers for Family
and Community’s (JVFC) annual Bunco fundraiser at the Piccadilly Restaurant in Metairie, LA. TVFC member, Sue Nelson camein first place at the event and TVFC
guest, Janet Sappington, came in third place.
Anyone wanting more information about TVFC local groups can email TVFC president, Gloria Messenger, at ggmesenger1@gmail.com or Membership Chair,
Sue Nelson at suenelson41@yahoo.com.
TVFC held their third Council meeting of the year on May 30th at the LSU Ag Center in Hammond. The guest speaker was Damon Abdi, Assistant Professor of
Landscape Horticulture. Mr. Abdi spoke about plants and trees that are indigenous to Louisiana and their suitability to home and garden landscaping in the
Tangipahoa area.
During the meeting several topics were discussed including ongoing club projects such as the Raise-a-Reader project and the Scholarship project and upcoming
events such as the club’s annual International Day of Celebration which will be in Amite on June 22, a membership drive ice-cream social which will be in Hammond
on July 18, the annual Area One Fun Day which is being hosted by the Jefferson VFC in Marrero on July 19, Jefferson Davis VFC’s Christmas in July event in
Jennings on July 25, and the annual Holiday Ideas Workshop which will be in Ponchatoula on September 21. TVFC’s next council meeting will be in October.
On May 25, Tangipohoa Volunteers for Family and Community (TVFC) held their annual Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon at Murphy’s Seafood Restaurant.
Co-Chairs for the event were Gwen Domiano and Pam Villagran. On behalf of Louisiana Volunteers for Family and Community (LVFC), TVFC President,
Gloria Messenger, presented members with certificates for being 2022 Community Champions. Ms. Messenger also presented certificates for Perfect Attendance
at TVFC council meetings in 2022, and certificates for being in TVFC for 5 Years or increments of 5 years.
Community Volunteer Chair, Maureen Felder, presented LVFC Community Volunteer certificates and/or seals to those members who performed at least 500 hours of
volunteer service to their communities and/or families during 2022. On behalf of TVFC, Scholarship Chair, Jean Hebert, presented the first of two checks to this year’s
scholarship winner, Jewel M Sumner High School senior, Emalee McCain, who plans to attend Northshore Technical Community College where she will be majoring
in nursing. Miss McCain’s mother, Tricia McCain, and sister, Kaylee McCain were on hand to show their support to Emalee for this achievement. Tricia McCain
was also a TVFC scholarship recipient 29 years ago.
To qualify as an applicant for the TVFC scholarship, a student must be a senior at a high school in Tangipahoa
Parish and have been accepted into a Louisiana college for 2023. The applicant must have also participated in his or her junior or high school 4H program. To be
chosen as a scholarship winner, the applicant must also have demonstrated strong academic and leadership qualities. Miss McCain was a member of her school
4H clubs for the last 8 years and served in several of the clubs’ officer positions including as President and Vice President. She also was awarded as one of the
top three female 4H members in the parish for six of the eight years she has been in 4H. LSU 4H agent, Dawn Culbreath was an honored guest at the event.
Ms. Culbreath spoke briefly about the different programs the 4-H organization offers student participants.
TVFC Parliamentarian, Sue Nelson, performed a short memorial ceremony for former TVFC member, Marie Swinney, who passed away in 2022. Ms. Nelson spoke
briefly about some of her fond memories of Ms. Swinney during her time as a TVFC member. Ms. Swinney was a member of TVFC for over 30 years. Former TVFC
member and close friend of Ms. Swinney, Mitzi Verberne, was an honored guest at the event representing Ms. Swinney’s family. Ms. Verberne also spoke briefly
about some of her memories of Ms. Swinney during their time as friends and as members of TVFC.
Pictured below are: 1) Scholarship Chairman Jean Hebert, scholarship winner Emalee McCain, and TVFC President Gloria Messenger.
2) Award recipients included: TVFC President Gloria Messenger, Sue Nelson, Wednesday Volunteers President Jean Hebert, Millie Meyers, Marie Heck, Sunshine Ladies President Ann Bourleia, Donna Bouterie, and Maureen Felder.
1) TVFC President Gloria messenger presents Anita Murray a grant from Louisiana Volunteers For Family And Community for our Raise-A-Reader program.
2) Sunshine Ladies Anita Murray, Malinda Sanchez, Marie Heck, and President Ann Bourliea, with long-time member Joyce Bourliea seated in front.
3) 50/50 winner Malinda Sanchez displays her winning ticket.
On April 18, 2023 seven members from Tangipahoa Volunteers for Family and Community (TVFC) attended this year’s annual convention for Louisiana for Volunteers for Family and Community (LVFC). They were TVFC president, Gloria Messenger, TVFC treasurer, Karen Moran, TVFC parliamentarian, Sue Nelson, Jean Hebert, Betty Bankston, Donna Bouterie and Gwen Domiano.
The convention was hosted by the Jefferson Davis VFCin Jennings, Louisiana. TVFC won the award for most new members in 2022. They were also awarded a $100 grant to help fund their Raise-A-Reader program. The goal of the program is to promote reading at a young age. To do this, TVFC donates over one hundred gift bags
twice a year to thenursey at North Oaks Hospital. The nursey staff then distributes them to parents of the newborn babies. Each bag contains a picture book, information on the importance of reading to and with children, and a handmade burp pad loving sewn by TVFC members.
Several members of Tangipohoa Volunteers for Family and Community (TVFC) recently delivered 100 Raise-A-Reader packets to North Oaks Hospital. The hospital
nursing secretary, Linda Jo Kincaid, was on hand to receive the packets. Ms. Kincaid will deliver them to the hospital nursey where they will be distributed to the
parents of the infants in the nursery. Each packet contains a burp pad sewn by TVFC members, a stuffed animal, a picture book, and information on the importance
of reading to and with children.
Pictured, left to right, are: Sunshine Ladies President Ann Bourliea, Linda Jo Kincaid, Marie Heck, TVFC President Gloria Messenger, Sue Nelson, Anita Murray, and Ginny Shartle.
On April 18, 2023 seven members from Tangipahoa Volunteers for Family and Community (TVFC) attended this year’s annual convention for Louisiana for Volunteers
for Family and Community (LVFC). They were TVFC president, Gloria Messenger, TVFC treasurer, Karen Moran, TVFC parliamentarian, Sue Nelson, Jean Hebert,
Betty Bankston, Donna Bouterie and Gwen Domiano.
The convention was hosted by the Jefferson Davis VFCin Jennings, Louisiana. TVFC won the award for most new members in 2022. They were also awarded a $100
grant to help fund their Raise-A-Reader program. The goal of the program is to promote reading at a young age. To do this, TVFC donates over one hundred gift bags
twice a year to thenursey at North Oaks Hospital. The nursey staff then distributes them to parents of the newborn babies. Each bag contains a picture book,
information on the importance of reading to and with children, and a handmade burp pad loving sewn by TVFC members.
Tangipahoa Volunteers for Family and Community (TVFC) was once again happy to send two of our members to serve as judges for the annual 4-H Sewing and Fashion Show and Beef/Sugar Cookery events held recently at the Florida Parishes Arena. The attending members were Kathy Brandon and Gwen Domiano. Ms. Brandon served as the judge for the beef dishes, and Ms. Domiano served as the judge of the fashion entries. On behalf of TVFC, Ms. Domiano presented a pair of quality cutting scissors to the sewing and fashion winner, Miss Kai Sheng, whose entry was an apron. Miss Sheng attends Oaks Montessori School. Knowing how to sew is a homemaker skill that will carry through a lifetime, and TVFC was proud to award this young lady with the scissors to aid in her future projects.
TVFC Treasurer, Karen Moran, was also on hand at the event to sell raffle tickets for a nine patch garden quilt which is the club’s 2023 raffle item. This beautiful handmade item was made, quilted, and graciously donated to the club by TVFC member, Sue Nelson and her daughter, Lisa Munchausen. Tickets for the quilt are available now until December 1, 2023. The ticket sales support the club’s Scholarship Fund which is used to award a $1,000 college scholarship each year to a graduating high school senior from Tangipahoa Parish. For more info on our scholarships or to buy tickets, call TVFC’s scholarship chairperson, Jean Hebert, at 504-259-1412.
At the January Council meeting, members Sue Nelson and Betty Bankston showed off the quilt we will be raffling this year for our Scholarship program.
The squares were made and donated by Sue's niece, then Sue put it all together. Even the back of it is beautiful! Tickets are $1 each, and 100% of the
proceeds go to our scholarship fund! To get your tickets, contact any member!
Our first Council Meeting of the new year was held Jan. 19 at the LSU Ag Center. Pam Villagran was installed as our new reporter, as she was unable to attend the officer's installation
at our Dec. 1 Christmas meeting. Some dates were decided on, including International Fun Day, holding HIW in the fall this year, and Operation Christmas Child as our International project again this year.
Sue Nelson showed off the quilt that was made from squares donated by Lisa Munchausen to be raffled off for our Scholarship fund this year.
Now that all the Covid restrictions have been removed and life is getting back to normal, we are looking forward to a great year! After the meeting was adjourned,
members enjoyed a light luncheon provided by the new officers.
The members of Tangipahoa Volunteers For Family And Community gathered at Middendorf's Restaurant on December 1 for their annual Christmas party and the installation of new officers for the 2023-2024 term. Marie Heck, out-going President, said goodbye to the old officers and inducted the new ones. The new officers for the 2023-2024 term are: Gloria Messenger, President; Marie Heck, Vice President; Karen Moran, Treasurer; Ann Bourliea, Secretary; and Sue Nelson, Parliamentarian.
Our special guest was Deputy Susie Cambre, with the Tangipahoa Sheriff's Department. On behalf of the club, Marie and Gloria presented Deputy Susie with toys and a check for the Daniel Edwards Children's Christmas Campaign. We are proud to support this effort every year to provide toys for children in our parish.
We also had the drawing for the beautiful hand-made quilt we were auctioning off for our scholarship fund. The winner of this year's quilt was Donna Bouterie. All the proceeds go toward the scholarship we present to a graduating senior every year.
Members then presented outgoing president Marie Heck with a scrapbook commemorating her 4 years as President of our organization. Normally,
terms are only 2 years, but with the covid pandemic, all our officers ended up serving for 4 years, from 2019-2020 and again 2021-2022.
1. Sue Nelson presents a parting gift to outgoing President Marie Heck.
2.. Marie shows off the scrapbook presented to her by Jean Hebert.
3. 2023-2024 Officers: Karen Moran, Treasurer; Sue Nelson, Parliamentarian; Gloria Messenger, President; Marie Heck, Vice President; Ann Bourliea, Secretary.
4. Gloria Messenger and Marie Heck present toys and a check to Deputy Susie Cambre.
On Thursday, November 17, members of Tangipahoa Volunteers For Family And Community delivered shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, an outreach of Samaritan's Purse. While our primary purpose is to assist people in our own Tangipahoa parish, once a year we proudly participate in an international project as well.
Operation Christmas Child has been our International project for several years now. This is a fun and easy project. Our members collect items to go in the shoeboxes all year long - things like toys, school supplies, hygiene items, and, for older children, other useful items, like sewing kits or fishing gear. Members then get together once or twice to pack the shoeboxes and get them ready to ship. The boxes are then taken to a central collection location. Eventually, they reach children around the world.
Since 1993, more than 189 million children in more than 170 countries and territories have received a shoebox filled with goodies from Operation Christmas Child. Tangipahoa Volunteers For Family And Community is proud to participate in this special program. This year, the two branches of TVFC packed a total of 83 shoeboxes; Sunshine Ladies contributed 63 boxes, and Wednesday Volunteers made 20. Members of both clubs got together and packed boxes and loaded them all into Sunshine Ladies President Ann Bourliea's car for delivery. Ann was assisted by Donna Bouterie, International Chairman Gloria Messenger, and Jessica Ragan. We also have a member of Wednesday Volunteers, Karen Acuna, who is living in Ohio, but still participates in this project with us. This year she delivered 3 extra boxes.
1. Sunshine Ladies President Ann Bourliea, Donna Bouterie, and International Chairman Gloria Messenger.
2. Ann shhows the 83 boxes loaded into her car for delivery.
3. Donna, Ann, and Gloria taking a break from packing boxes.
4. This is our Ohio member, Karen Acuna, delivering her boxes.
At our meeting on November 9, Tangipahoa Volunteers for Family And Community President Marie Heck proudly presented the "Heart Of Louisiana Volunteers For
Family And Community" award to Ann Bourliea. Ann is a long-time member and current President of the Sunshine Ladies branch of TVFC. This award is given by our
state organization to recognize grassroots members who have made a difference in their communities through their volunteer work.
Ann has been a member of Sunshine Ladies for 27 years, and has served as President for the past 13 years. She is part of every project TVFC sponsors, whether it is
Bingo at the Hammond Nursing Home, delivering dictionaries to local elementary schools, meals to veterans, or bringing Raise A Reader packets and other items to
North Oaks Hospital. She has served in many offices and has chaired many committees over the years. Ann served as Sunshine Ladies Treasurer for 4 years, and
as Literacy Chairman and Environmental Chairman for 10 years. She served on the Executive Council as Vice-President for 4 years, and Council Literary Chairman
for 15 years. Congratulations, Ann, for being the heart of LVFC!
Tangipahoa Parish is one of 15 parishes that belong to the statewide organization, Louisiana Volunteers For Family And Community. Formerly known as Homemaker's
Club, LVFC has been in existence as long as the LSU Ag Center Extension itself. Originally formed in 1936, the purpose was, to help families in rural communities take
better care of their families, by teaching them things like how to grow their own foods, and how to can and preserve the foods they grew. In the early 1930s, Miss Ellen
LeNoir, a home economics agent from Louisiana, chaired the national committee that created the extension
homemakers organization. Today, LVFC still provides scholarships in her name to Louisiana graduate students in agriculture or human ecology. Although our name and our
programs have changed over the years, our purpose now is the same as it was then: to serve and strengthen families in our community. We help serve the people of
Tangipahoa Parish with programs encompassing areas like Family Life, Literacy, Environmental and Recycling, Leadership Training, Legislative Education, and
International Projects.
On Tues, November 1, members of Sunshine Ladies made our semi-annual delivery of "Raise A Reader" packets and other items to North Oaks Hospital. We delivered
100 packets, which the hospital gives to parents of newborn babies.The packets include things like burp pads and stuffed teddy bears made by our members. Every packet
also contains a brand new story book for parents to read to their baby. In this way we hope to encourage parents to foster a love of reading in their child, which will help them in school and throughout their lifetime.
In addition to the Raise A Reader packets, members also donated items for the children's unit at the hospital. Our members collected over 110 pairs of brightly colored socks for pediatric patients, brighlty colored pillowcases hand made by members, as well as puzzle books, and coloring books and crayons to give to hospitalized children. These items help cheer up children who have to be in the hospital, making it a bit more fun and a little less frightening to them. Accepting the donations for the hospital was Linda Jo Kindcaid.
Pictured are Sunshine Ladies President Ann Bourliea, North Oaks representative Linda Jo Kincaid, Anita Murray, Carolyn Krestos, and TVFC President Marie Heck.
The Sunshine Ladies branch of Tangipahoa Volunteers for Family and Community were happy to be able to be able to distribute dictionaries to local elementary school students again. The dictionary giveaway is one part of TVFC's Literacy program. Unfortunately the dictionary program had been on hold since the onset of Covid, for the safety of the students and staff. Now that the schools are once again open and we are happy to once again be able to go into the schools and present dictionaries to local third graders.
Our efforts to promote literacy include programs like Raise-A-Reader, the dictionary program, and our Scholarship Program, where every year we present a scholarship to a graduating senior in our parish. We especially enjoy encouraging a love of reading in young students that will stay with them all their lives. We provided dictionaries to students at Oaks Montesoori School, Mater Delarosa, and Independence Leadership Academy. Sunshine Ladies President Ann Bourliea delivered the dictionaries October 20th and 21st.
Wednesday Volunteers members delivered dictionaries last month to Eastside Elementary School, Holy Ghost Elementary and Midway Elementary schools.
A total of 268 dictionaries were delivered to these three schools.
First picture: Large class pic is Mater Delarosa Tracey Suarez 3rd grade class. 20 dictionaries Thursday, Oct 20th.
Second: Small class is Oaks Montessori School, Ms. Kristy Bankavic & Ms Julie Cleveland 3rd grade class. Friday, Oct 21st
Third: Independence Leadership Academy, with Carlie Vaccaro, Kyleigh Genco, Sunshine Ladies President Ann Bourliea, Timothy Jackson, Lisa Genco, Jamie Mills. We donated 72 dictionaries for 3rd graders on Oct 20th.
We are so excited for our First Annual Craft Expo coming up October 7 at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Ponchatoula from 11 am- 7 pm!
Here's a sneak preview of some of the vendors who will have a booth! Come out and join us- you're sure to find great Christmas gifts or something for yourself!
Hammond Sweets (April Bell)
Suellen Buckley
Jo Jo Creations (Jo Ann Franeois)
Crochet by Linda (Linda Starns)
Anna Rita Miller
R & D Creations (Dottie Nelson)
Gisella Designs (Gisela Niedenfuer)
Tupperware (Kelly Brandon)
Silver Branch Soapworks (Melissa Gillespie)
Debbie’s Crunchy Delights (Debbie Binnings)
Creations by Gladiola (Gladys Leiter)
Creative Minds Writers’ Group (featuring our own Ann Marie Jameson)
Sharron Clelland
IB Woodworks (Stephen Cozad)
G Anna’s Gems (Gloria Messenger)
Evangeline, Inc. (Monika Rogan)
Pampered Chef (Dottie Wall)
Sandra's Baked Breads & Feedbag Creations (Sandra Null)
Woodsy Girl (Jody Revader)
Sew Southern Embroidery And Crafts (Madison Faunce)
TVFC Gifts and Crafts
TVFC members got together Friday, September 2, to enjoy a luncheon at the LSU Agricultural Research Center in Amite. The theme of the luncheon was “International Fun Day”.
The event was organized as a time of fun & fellowship for all our members by our International Chairperson, Gloria Messenger.
Each club represented a country: Sunshine Ladies chose Mexico, and Wednesday Volunteers picked Fiji. Members dressed in native costumes and colors, and listened to native music. The decorations refelcted the themes, with tropical plants, birds, and fruits on one side of the room, and brightly colored flowers, piñata's, maracas, and sombreros on the other side.
Various club members presented information about the country they represented, such as when the country was founded, language, culture, major cities, businesses and industries. Lots of little known facts made these presentations interesting and informative for everyone. Small tokens such as leis, fans, and beaded necklaces representing each country were given to each member.
There were games that included native dances, like the hula and the Mexican Hat dance. Finally, the luncheon itself consisted of native foods from each country or foods made from native products. Members enjoyed foods like tamale balls, enchiladas, sweet island salad, pineapple upside-down cupcakes, and much more. It was a very enjoyable day for everyone involved!
PS- Ladies, don't forget to email your recipes to Ann Bourliea!
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2022 Louisiana Volunteers For Family And Community Convention.
Our State Convention was held this year at the Community Center in Ponchatoula.
Area 1 hosted the event the year, and members enjoyed the
guest speakers and awards ceremony. Guest speakers included
Dr. Elizabeth Gollub and Dr. Gina Eubanks, and Inspirational
Speaker Dr. Mari Ann Calais, Director of Student Organizations/Sorority Life at Southeastern Louisiana University.
Pictured, left to right:: Mayor Bob Zabbia greets members and guests to the Convention.
TVFC member Sue Nelson was recognized for her fifty years of dedicated service to her community.
Judy Harris installed was installed as Area 1 director and Pris Breaux as LVFC Vice President.
Pictured below is the beautiful quilt we are raffling in 2022 for our Scholarship Fund. It is handmade by one of our members, Sue Nelson. (Pictured on left, with member Betty Banston assisting.)
The pattern is called "Happy Squares" and the quilt measures 57" x 75". Tickets are $1 each, and can be purchased from any member. 100% of the proceeds go toward our scholarship program.
This year we will be offering a $1000 scholarship to a graduating senior in Tangipahoa Parish. For any questions regarding the scholarship or tickets, you may contact our scholarship chairman, Jean Hebert at 504-259-1412.
WELCOME ABOARD!!
AREA 1 FUN DAY SUMMER CRUISIN’ is
THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2022
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS HALL
566 Avenue D, Marrero, La.
Captain Judy Harris and her Crew invite Area 1 LVFC members
to Step Aboard, relax and enjoy Summer Cruisin’ adventures.
9:30 A.M. Registration 10:00 – 2:30 P.M. Activities
Wear your favorite Beach, Sporty or Summer Cruisin’ outfit!
STEAK LUNCHEON with Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans
Salad, Rolls, Dessert and Tea - Cost is $22.00 each.
Bring 2 12" x 12" WASHCLOTHS & YOURSELF!
Door Prizes & 50/50
RSVP to Judy Harris, 204 Oak Ave. Nine Mile Pt., La. 70094
Mail check for $22.00/person for registration & lunch made to JVFC.
504-439-9188 or email judygh847@gmail.com
Include Name, Address, Phone # and Email DEADLINE JULY 1, 2022
Members and guests had a great time at Area 1 Fun Day!
Pictured above are guest Linda Arceneaux, former member
AnnaRita Miler, and member Jean Hebert. And member
Pam Villagran won one of the doorprizes!
Bags That Give Back: Tangipahoa Volunteers for Family and Commmunity has been Selected by the Winn Dixie
Community Bag Program Designed to Give Back in Local Communities. Throughout the month of July, we will receive $1 from every reusable shopping bag sold at the Winn Dixie
in Amite. This is a great way to help save the environment and help a local non-profit organization at the same time. The bags are $2.99, and $1 of that goes to us in July!
It's a Winn -win for everyone! So be sure to tell all
your family and friends to stop by the Amite store and pick up a couple shopping bags! Thank you, Winn Dixie!
On Wednesday, May 25, members of Tangipahoa Volunteers For Family And Community held our annual Volunteer and Scholarship Banquet at Mike's Catfish Restaurant in Amite. This year, we were pleased to again be able to give not one, but two $1000 scholarships to graduating seniors in our parish. The winners of this year's scholarships are Paige Johnson and Phoebe Brandon.
Paige graduated Magna Cum Laude from Ponchatoula High school. She plans to attend Southeastern Louisiana University this fall, majoring in Physical Therapy. Paige was on the dance team her freshman year, took dual enrollment classes, and is active in her church and community. She was accompanied at the banquet by her mother, Rachel Johnson, grandmother Donna Bouterie, and sister Zoe Johnson.
Phoebe also graduated Magna Cum Laude, from Loranger High school. She spent 7 years in the 4H program, where she won many prizes for shooting competitions, cooking competitions, and raising prize-winning rabbits. Phoebe is also active in her church's youth group. She will be attending Southeastern Louisiana University this fall, and plans to go into nursing. She attended the banquet with her parents, Rob and Kelly Brandon, and her grandmother, Kathy Brandon. Both of these young women are great assets to our community and we are very pleased to award these scholarships to help them in their college careers.
After awarding the scholarships, several of our members were acknowledged for their hours of volunteer work in the community, and their years of membership in Tangipahoa Volunteers For Family And Community. One member, Mrs. Sue Nelson, was recognized for her 50 years of membership and volunteer work in our Parish. In 2021, our members volunteered over 10,000 hours serving our community in various ways. Members volunteer many hours each week in our nursing homes, local businesses, churches, schools, and much more.
Other guests attending the banquet included Laura Baiamonte, Lily Dickens, and Molly Mayer, family members of
Hilda Alphonse, a long-time member who passed away this year. A short memorial was held in her memory, with a special poem read by TFVC member Karen Moran. Our Tangipahoa 4H Leader, Megan Roberts also attended the banquet as our guest.
Picture 1: TVFC President Marie Heck, Scholarship winner Paige Johnson, and Scholarship Chairman Jean Hebert.
Picture 2: TVFC President Marie Heck, Scholarship winner Phoebe Brandon, and Scholarship Chairman Jean Hebert.
Picture 3: Wednesday Volunteers President Jean Hebert and TVFC Prsident Marie Heck presented Sue Nelson with a beautiful bouquet in honor of her 50 years of membership in TVFC and service to her community.
Picture 4: Anita Murray, Pam Villagran, Sue Nelson, and Millie Meyers were each recognized for their years of service
Picture 5: Member Karen Moran presented a memorial poem for long-time member Hilda Aplphonse.
Picture 6: Members and guests enjoy Mike's Catfish Restaurant.
We've made a short video highlighting some of our projects
and two of our scholarship winners. We especially thank
Deputy Susie of the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Department
for her wonderful endorsement! You can watch our video here:
After having our big event cancelled for two years in a row, first due to Covid and then last year due to
Hurricane Ida, we were finally able to once again host our yearly HOLIDAY IDEAS Workshop and Bingo Event! It was held March 24 at the Ponchatoula Community Center.
This is our major fundraiser for the year, and we are so glad to be able to host it once again.
Our members worked really hard to make this year's event a great success, and it was! The event was lots of fun for everyone! We played lots of Bingo, had many pretty craft items for sale,
had lots of nice gifts for the Parade of prizes, and enjoyed a delicious lunch
of chicken and sausage gumbo and potato salad prepared by Pappy's Stowaway Cafe.
Left: Getting everyone registered was Gwen Domiano and Karen Moran. Center: Selling Scholarship raffle tickets and 50/50 tickets were Sue Nelson
Betty Bankston. Right: Sue and Betty display the beautiful quilt that will be our raffle item this year for our Scholarship fund. Every dollar raised from the raffle goes directly to the
Scholarship Fund. This beautiful quilt was made and donated by Sue, who is a 50 year member of TVFC.
Left: Our Bingo callers were Ethel Gilless, Ann Bourliea, And Marie Heck. TVFC President. Center: Manning the
Craft Tables were Gwen Domiano, Roxanne Larkin, and Kathy Brandon. Right; Kathy Brandon, Caroline Krestos, and Ann Marie Kenney.
Left: One of our most popular sellers: our wonderful hand-crafted cork trivets in two styles, fleur-de-lis and Louisiana. Center:
President Marie Heck shows off some of our adorable hand-crafted pillowcases and the popular neck towels for use in the kitchen or at the grill. Right: Some of our guests included (clockwise from front left)
Betty Fortenberry, along with former members Anna Landry, Jean Pinion, and Shirley Juneau.
Left: Tables full for the Parade Of Prizes! Center: Some of the great prizes included a Saints Fan Gift Basket,
a set of bowls, and several relaxation and beauty sets, along with gift cards to local restaurants. Right: Other prizes included sets of Christmas dishes, and farmhouse dishes.
These ladies were also our guests and members of another local club, the Monday Morning Crafters. They left with a number of prizes, between their Bingo wins and
the gifts they won from the Parade Of Prizes. We appreciate their support!
Tangipahoa Volunteers For Family And Community are always happy to help judge the 4H Fashion Show Contests.
This year's winners included Noelle Deshotel, Alyssa Jeanfreau, Chloe McKinney, and Gabriella Cietat, pictured below. Noelle won two blue ribbons, for
her tie-dyed T-shirt and her ready-to-wear ensemble, as well as overall in the
"Other Hand Sewn Item" category, for her stuffed teddy bear. Alyssa won a blue ribbon for her tie-dyed dress, and overall in Ready-to-wear, Division I. Gabriella won overall in Ready-to-wear ensemble, Division ll.
She also took 3 blue ribbons in the Sugar Cookery Division, and a blue and a red ribbon
in Beef Cookery. Chloe won
overall for her complete outfit ensemble, as well as the Homemaker Award. Jean Hebert, President of Wednesday Volunteers, was pleased to present her with a
pair of high-quality sewing scissors for best overall complete outfit.
Congratulations to all of our contest winners - we are very proud of your accomplishments! Sewing is a valuable skill that lasts a lifetime.
Helping to judge the contest was Jean Hebert, shown here with the winner of the Homemaker Award, Chloe McKinney. Other judges were Gwen Domiano, of Wednesday Volunteers, and School Board member Carla Kirkland, pictured below.
Also pictured is one of the 50 year members from Wednesday Volunteers, Sue Nelson, who was at the event selling raffle tickets for our scholarship fund. Sue is pictured below, along with the beautiful hand-crafted quilt she made and donated for our raffle this year. 100% of all the proceeds go to our scholarship fund.
Our Bingo fundraising event is almost here, and we are so excited!
Come out and bring a friend for fun, prizes, and lunch!
Your support will help us help our community!
Tangipahoa Volunteers For Family And Community exists to serve families right here in our own parish. We
are proud supporters of Santa Bear, a project of the Tangipahoa Sheriff's Department that provides Christmas presents for needy children in our own
community. However, once a year we choose an international project to support. Both branches of TVFC, Wednesday Volunteers and Sunshine Ladies,
work together for this annual international project.
This year once again we've chosen to make shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. This project gives needy children around the world a
wonderful gift - a shoebox filled with toys, school supplies, and personal items. This year, Tangipahoa Volunteers For Family And Community filled and
donated 90 filled shoeboxes. Items for the boxes are generously donated by our members, often with help from their families and friends. Making the
shoeboxes together is a fun project the whole family can enjoy!
Pictured below are TVFC President Marie Heck and Sheila Gagliano delivering the shoeboxes from Sunshine Ladies to the local collection center at River Fellowship Church in Hammond.
Also pictured is Karen Acuna, a member of Wednesday Volunteers who is currently living in Ohio. She shared the word there about Project Christmas
Child and got together with other friends and family to put boxes together. Here she is shown delivering shoeboxes to her local collection center!
Left to right: Members of of Wednesday Volunteers Ethel Gilless, Donna Bouterie, Betty Bankston, Sue Nelson, International Chairman Gloria Messenger, Cathy Vilardo, Millie Falgout, Karen Moran, Gwen Domiano, Pam Villagran, and Maureen Felder are shown with their shoeboxes.
Also shown are Malinda Sanchez and Sunshine Ladies President Bourliea sorting and packing items collected for shoeboxes
NOTICE: We are very sorry to announce that we have once again been forced to cancel this year's State Convention, and our annual Holiday Ideas Showcase - not due to Covid 19 this time, but rather
because of Hurricane Ida. As so much of the state is still without power and still cleaning up the mess left behind by the worst hurricane to ever hit Louisiana,
we did not feel like we could do justice to either of these events. We are looking forward to hosting both events at some future date. We are sorry for the cancellation, and hope you will all
come out and support us when we are able to reschedule these events.
One of the projects we try to do twice is year is our Raise-A-Reader project, where we deliver packets to our local hospital to give to parents of new-born babies.
These packets contain baby items like burp pads made by our members, and every packet also contains a brand new story book for the parents to read to their baby.
In this way we encourage parents to foster a love of reading to their child, which will help them in school and throughout their lifetime. The Raise-A-Reader
project is a joint effort of both of our clubs, Wednesday Volunteers and Sunshine Ladies. Sunshine Ladies also donate many items for the pediatric ward, including
"crazy socks" for pediatric patiemts, and brightly colored pillowcases.
Pictured below are Sunshine Ladies President Ann Bourliea, TVFC President Marie Heck, Anita Murray, making a delivery to Linda Jo Kincaid from North Oaks Medical Center.
On Thursday, May 20, Tangipahoa Volunteers For Family And Community was pleased to host our two 2021 scholarship winners and their families at our Volunteer Appreciation Banquet. The event, organized by co-chairs Gloria Messenger and Pam Villagran, was held at Joe's Italian Restaurant in Hammond. Other guests included our Assistant 4H Extension Agents, Megan Roberts and Dawn Culbreath.
Our scholarship is given every year to a deserving high school senior who has been involved in the 4H program. Our extension agents spoke to us about the many programs that are available to students through 4H. They emphasized that there is something for everyone in 4H besides just agriculture; everything from life skills like cooking and sewing classes, to shooting sports, to public speaking and leadership development.
Tangipahoa Volunteers For Family And Community is the all-volunteer arm of the LSU Agriculture Extension Service, and we are proud to be able to assist our extension agents in various projects. TVFC has two groups in Tangipahoa Parish, Wednesday Volunteers for Family and Community, and Sunshine Ladies.
This year we were very pleased to be able to be able to award two scholarships again. Our winners this year were Sophia Hanna, who graduated from Ponchatoula High School, and Roger Robertson, Jr., who graduated from Loranger High School. Sophia is planning to attend SLU in Hammond and become a teacher, while Roger plans to attend LSU in Baton Rouge and become a lawyer. These outstanding young adults have both been involved in 4H for many years, and are definitely excellent role models in their schools and community. Attending the banquet with them were Sophia's father, Mr. Glenn Hanna, and Roger's parents, Mr. Roger Robertson Sr. and Mrs. Lori Robertson, as well as Jayla Robertson and Lariah Robertson.
Also recognized at the banquet was Mrs. Sheila Gagliano, a long-time member of Tangipahoa Volunteers For Family And Community, who received the Heart of LVFC Award from our state organization, Louisiana Volunteers For Family And Community. Tangipahoa Parish is one of 15 parishes that belongs to our state organization. In September, TVFC will be hosting our State Convention right here in Ponchatoula. We will also be having our annual Holiday Ideas Showcase, which is our major fundraising event for the year, and helps to fund all our community service projects.
There was a short time of remembering a member who left us this past year. Mrs. Marge Daly was a long-time member of Sunshine Ladies, and put in innumerable hours of service to our community over the years. Another long-time member of Wednesday Volunteers, Mrs. Hilda Alphonse, passed away just weeks before this banquet.
Pictured below are:
1. Sunshine Ladies President Ann Bourliea, Heart of LVFC award recipient Sheila Gagliano, and TVFC President Marie Heck
2. Scholarship Chairman Jean Hebert, scholarship recipient Roger Robertson, Jr., and TVFC President Marie Heck
3. Scholarship Chairman Jean Hebert, scholarship recipient Sophia Hanna, and TVFC President Marie Heck
4. Our scholarship winners and their families
5. Memorial table
The Tangipahoa Volunteers for Family and Community Sunshine Ladies held their August meeting at Pappy's Stowaway Cafe in Ponchatoula.
Members were very impressed with the atmosphere and the delicious food and friendly courteous service provided by the staff.
The meeting was primarily to discuss the upcoming one day LVFC State convention slated for September 23, 2021 at the Knights of Columbus hall in
Ponchatoula, and the Holiday Extravaganza to be held on September 30, at the Ponchatoula Community Center. We are hoping that the rise in COVID
cases does not call for postponement of these two events but realize that the safety of those attending is the primary concern.
Since our guest speaker, April Bell, Director, Restoration House, was unable to attend the meeting, President Ann Bourliea, suggested that a couple
of us go to Restoration House after the meeting to deliver the stash of baby items that we had collected for them in July. As always, our members had
been extremely generous in their donations of diapers, wipes, clothing for both boys and girls, bath towels, bedding, crocheted blankets, hats, booties,
socks, teething rings, pacifiers, shampoo, lotions, comb and brush set, baby cereal, and a CD of baby/children nursery rhymes.
Prior to meeting adjournment, Marie Heck reminded everyone that on Friday, August 20 between the hours of 11:00 a.m. till 4:00 p.m. Pappy's Cafe
would be donating 10% of their total sales to the TVFC. She asked that we spread the word among our family, neighbors, and friends encouraging them to
support Pappy's and enjoy a meal while helping to support TVFC at the same time.
Pictured on Restoration front porch from left to right are Sunshine Ladies President Ann Bourliea and Vice President and Family Life Chair Sheila Gagliano.
Ladies! Grab a friend and head to Pappy's Stow-away Cafe on Friday, August 20 between 10 am and 4 pm. Enjoy a delicious lunch and help support our club at the
same time! A portion of all proceeds will be donated to us for our many programs to help our community. Mark your calendars, call a friend (or two) and enjoy!
Members of Tangipahoa Volunteers For Family And Community (TVFC) were happy to host the annual Fun Day this year. The event was held on Tuesday, July 27, at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Ponchatoula. Attending were Area 1 members of Louisiana Volunteers For Family And Community, which covers Jefferson, Livingston, St. Bernard, St. Charles, and Tangipahoa parishes.
Each year one of these parishes acts as host to their sister chapters of our great organization. We were so grateful to be able to host the event this year, as last year's event, like so many others, had to be cancelled due to the pandemic. Gloria Messenger, from Wednesday Volunteers, was the chairperson of the event, and did a wonderful job organizing the food and entertainment. This year's Fun Day consisted of games and fellowship, as well as craft demonstrations, raffles, and door prizes. Lunch was catered by Cayenne Catering of Ponchatoula.
Entertainment was provided by the "Y Knot Square Dancers" from Tangipahoa parish. Attendees were greatly entertained by the dancers, who were Mary Ann Michon, Cindy Boyer, Martha Tausch, Sandra Madere, Buddy Campbell, Hoppy Lacroix, Bruce Bordelon, and Russ Madere. Buddy Campbell was the oldest square dancer on the floor, at 90 years young. Larry Tausch was the caller for the dancers. Larry, who lives in Loranger, has been a square dance caller since he was a teenager, over 55 years now. His wife, Martha, and Sandra Madere were formerly members of the Busy Bees, which was another branch of TVFC.
Left: Event Chairperson Gloria Messenger
Right:
Betty Bankston, Wednesday Volunteers President Jean Hebert, and Carla VanVrancken display some of the delicious desserts that were served.
The Y Knot Square Dancing Club members: Sandra Madere and Russ Madere, Marie Ramirez, Bruce Bordelon, Martha Tausch, Buddy Campbell, Mary Ann Michon, Edwin Franz, Cindy Boyer, Hoppy Lacroix, and Larry Tausch, caller.
The men in the Y Knot Square Dancing club, Buddy Campbell, Hoppy Lacroix, Bruce Bordelon, and Russ Madere, gave several ladies, including Wednesday Volunteers President Jean Hebert, a spin around the dance floor.
On June 17, members of Tangipahoa Volunteers For Family And Community met with a representative from North Oaks Medical Center to donate 100 Raise-A-Reader packets to the North Oaks maternity unit. These packets are then distributed by the hospital staff to new parents. The packets contain practical items like small stuffed teddy bears and burp cloths, as well as brand new storybooks for the parents to read to their new babies. The goal is to instill a love of reading that will remain with the child as he or she grows, which will help them do better in school, and in life.
The packets were provided by both Sunshine Ladies and Wednesday Volunteers, which are the the two clubs that make up Tangipahoa Volunteers for Family And Community, or TVFC. We donate these packets every year as one of our on-going literacy projects. Some of our other literacy projects include giving free dictionaries to every third grader in our parish every year, and of course, our Scholarship program for graduating high school seniors to help with their college or trade school expenses. This year we were again pleased to award two scholarships to deserving seniors! Please feel free to contact us to learn more about this or any of our projects!
In addition to the Raise-A-Reader packets, members of Sunshine Ladies also donated hand knitted or crocheted newborn and preemie beanies, swaddlers for preemies, and specially made pillowcases for the Cuddle Cots used by the hospital. We also donated crayons and coloring books, activity books, workbooks, and various puzzles to help occupy hospitalized children on the pediatric unit at the hospital, as well as brightly colored children's socks and pillowcases. We are so grateful to partner with our local hospital to help families in Tangipahoa parish.
Pictured below are (Seated) Sharon Clelland, Anita Murray, Sheila Gagliano, and TVFC President Marie Heck.
(Standing) Sunshine Ladies President Ann Bourliea, and Linda Jo Kincaid from North Oaks Hospital.
Pictured below is the beautiful quilt we are going to be raffling off this year for our Scholarship Fund, hand-made by one of our members. The pattern is called Floating Star, and the quilt measures 56"x56". Tickets are $1 each, and can be purchased from any member. 100% of the proceeds go towards
our scholarship program. This year we will once again be offering scholarships to TWO deserving seniors in our parish. For more information regarding our Scholarship, or to purchase tickets, contact our Scholarship Chairman, Jean Hebert at (504) 259-1412.
Award Recipient
Tangipahoa Volunteers For Family And Community wants to congratulate our very own Sheila Gagliano of
Sunshine Ladies for being awarded one of the two Heart of Louisiana Volunteers for Family and Community awards given out last year! This is an award given by our state organization to recognize outstanding community volunteers, and Sheila certainly is that!.
This wonderful lady has made extraordinary contributions to our club and our parish for many years, and is very deserving of this award. She is pictured here with one of the many blankets
she crochets for our local nursing homes or veteran's home. She is involved in so many projects it would be impossible to name them all. She is also our club's Literacy Chairman, and
Family Life Chairman as well. She volunteers at the Fuller House and Options, and spends many hours each week serving her community in various ways. Prior to Covid restrictions,
she was an integral part of our Bingo project at a local nursing home, and is eagerly looking forward to resuming that activity as soon as we can safely do so.
The other recipient of this award was Mary Hennegan Spano of Jefferson Parish. Other nominees included Letha Briggs of Lafayette, Betty Fredericks of St. Martin, Kay Stone of Terrebonne, and Marilyn Strickland of Jeff Davis. These ladies serve as a great example to all of us to do more and give more to our families, our club, and our parish. Out of the entire state, only this small group of ladies were nominated for their outstanding service. Congratulations, Sheila - you are an inspiration to us all!!!
House of Serenity Christmas Donation
On December 18, members of the Sunshine Ladies visited the House of Serenity, a homeless shelter in Ponchatoula, with a large load of Christmas cheer. Sunshine Ladies is one of the two branches of Tangipahoa Volunteers For Family And Community.
House of Serenity is a homeless shelter in Ponchatoula, owned and operated by Mrs. Francis Seymore. Volunteers collected 42 bags of clothing for men, women, and children, including shoes, slippers, sweaters, pants, and shirts. We also brought 5 bags of personal toiletries, such as soaps, lotions, shampoos, deodorants, and toothpaste. In addition, we donated household goods, including laundry detergent, dish soap, and bed linens.
Christmas would not be complete without a grand Christmas dinner, so Sunshine Ladies purchased a large frozen turkey for the residents to enjoy. We donated 2 cases of assorted canned goods, including vegetables, chicken, and tuna. We also purchased kitchen basics like coffee and creamer, as well as snack items such as chips, cheese crackers, and Hershey's Kisses.
Pictured below are Gail Riche, Mrs. Francis Seymore, Sheila Gagliano, and Sunshine Ladies President Ann Bourliea.
TVFC Donates to TPSO's Santa Bear Project
Tangipahoa Volunteers For Family And Community usually celebrates the end of another busy year with a luncheon for our members and special guests,
and one final project for the year: making Christmas brighter for children in our community through the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Department's Santa Bear project.
This has definitely been a year of challenge for all of us, and our annual luncheon had to be canceled like so many other events due to the Covid 19 restrictions. However, we weren't
going to let that stop us from giving to the children of our parish. The need is especially great this year, as so many have been negatively impacted by the shutdowns caused by the virus.
Tangipahoa Volunteers For Family And Community purchased bags full of toys to donate to the Santa Bear project. Volunteers from both Sunshine Ladies and Wednesday Morning Volunteers met with Officer Susie Cambre and Deputy Javonna Cordova from TPSD to give them the presents, as well as a monetary donation.
Pictured are: (Front row) TVFC President Marie Heck, Carla Van Vracken, and Officer Susie Cambre.
(Back row) Gloria Messenger, Betty Bankston, Maureen Felder, Deputy Javonna Cordova, Wednesday Volunteers President Jean Hebert, and Sunshine Ladies President Ann Bourliea.
Raffle Winner Picked
Tangipahoa Volunteers For Family And Community proudly awards a scholarship every year to a graduating senior from our parish, and one of the ways we raise money for that is with our annual raffle. This year we raffled off a beautiful handmade quilt.
This beautiful full size quilt in bright gem-tone colors was started by former club member Mary Lou Batty, who passed away in 2019. Her family donated the finished squares, and club member Ms. Carla VanVrancken graciously finished the task in Ms. Batty’s honor.
Officer Susie Cambre of the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Department was on hand to draw the winning raffle ticket, as was Deputy Javonna Cordova. The lucky winner was Marilyn Bankston from Gretna, Louisiana. We are so grateful for all those who purchased raffle tickets to help support our Scholarship program! We also appreciate Bill Hood Ford for donating the printing of the tickets.
Pictured below is Scholarship Chairman Jean Hebert with Officer Susie Cambre, who drew the winning ticket for the raffle. Also pictured is the beautiful gem-toned quilt the lucky winner will receive.
Dictionaries Delivered!
One of the yearly projects of Tangipahoa Volunteers For Family And Community is donating dictionaries to every third grader in Tangipahoa Parish, as part of our literacy program.
In November, Sunshine Ladies President Ann Bourliea delivered dictionaries to our local 3rd graders with the assistance of her husband Wayne. These dictionaries were specifically donated by Mr. and Mrs. Bourliea in memory of their son, Wayne Bourliea, Jr.
Mrs. Bourliea delivered these dictionaries to Oaks Montessori School in Hammond, Mater Delorosa Catholic School in Independence, and Independence Leadership Academy in Independence. A total of 90 dictionaries were delivered to these three schools.
Operation Christmas Child
Tangipahoa Volunteers For Family And Community exists to support famiilies right here in our own parish. Once a year, however, TVFC looks outside our own beloved Tangipahoa Parish to the broader world around us, and chooses an International project for our members to participate in. Once again this year, we choose Operation Christmas Child for our International project.
Operation Christmas Child is an outreach program of Samaratin's Purse. Since 1993, more than 178 million children in more than 150 countries have received an Operation Christmas Child shoebox. In 2019 alone, more than 10.5 million Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts were distributed worldwide. Tangipahoa Volunteers For Family And Community is proud to participate in this wonderful program, under the leadership of our International Chairman, Gloria Messenger.
TVFC members had a great time packing the shoeboxes and getting them ready. Our organization has two branches who function both independently and together. We all worked
together for this project to fill a total of 79 shoeboxes The members of Wednesday Volunteers filled 17 boxes, and Sunshine Ladies filled 62. Our members donated things like
school supplies, personal hygiene items, coloring books and crayons, socks and hats, small toys, and much more. Some of our members crochet hats all year long to pack
in the shoeboxes, and Wednesday Volunteers president Jean Hebert braids colorful, lightweight jumpropes out of
T-shirts for the boxes. We appreciate them using their time and talents the time to make these things!
Pictured below is TVFC International Chairman Gloria Messenger, Sheila Gagliano, and Sunshine Ladies President Ann Bourliea, delivering shoeboxes to our drop-off location.
Picture 2 is Sheila Gagliano sorting out all our members donations prior to packing shoeboxes.
Picture 3 shows some of the many items donated by individual members to pack our shoeboxes.
Picture 4 shows some of the colorful, lightweight jumpropes made by Jean Hebert.
JULY 2020
Sunshine Ladies are still helping our neighbors with masks and ear savers as the state-wide mandate for masks continues. Sunshine Ladies President Ann Bourliea delivered
both crocheted ear-savers and the headband type of ear-savers to Landmark South Nursing home and Rehabilitation Center in Baton Rouge. Although they are not in Tangipahoa parish, they
are close neighbors and we were glad to be able to help them out! Thank you, Ann, for delivering these to our neighbors!
On Wednesday, July 23, members of Sunshine Ladies, a part of Tangipahoa Volunteers For Family And Community, visited Serenity House, the homeless shelter in Ponchatoula. We collect items for use by our homeless population all year long, and bring these collected items to them once or twice a year.
On this visit, TVFC donated 47 bags of clothes, including underwear, socks, and shoes. Socks are usually one of the most requested items at homeless shelters. Donations of underclothing such as socks and underwear must be brand new items; clothing and shoes may be gently used. We also brought items for personal hygiene, such as Kleenex, bath soaps, and deodorants for both men and women,
In addition, we bought food items for the residents, including things like industrial sized jars of peanut butter and jelly, cans of tuna fish and chicken breast, boxes of saltine crackers, cans of coffee, sugar, and coffee creamer, some much-needed kitchen items, as well as things like napkins and laundry detergent.
To help keep the residents safe during this continued Covid pandemic, TVFC also donated 30 homemade cloth face masks to our "friends without addresses" who are currently living at the shelter. These items were all delivered while following state protocols.
Pictured are Ann Bourliea, Ms. Francis Seymour, the owner and manager of Serenity House, Sheila Gagliano, and Mr. John, who is one of the residents at the house.
Tangipahoa Volunteers For Family And Community are proud to present this year's $1000 scholarship to Jordan Mazzeno of Hammond. Jordan is a 2020 graduate of Ponchatoula High School. He will be attending Louisiana Tech University in Ruston this fall. Jordan plans to study engineering and obtain a degree in Agricultural Engineering. He has been very active in 4H, winning many, many awards.
Any graduating senior in Tangipahoa Parish who has participated in the 4H program is welcome to apply for TVFC's yearly scholarship. The scholarship may be used for any Louisiana accredited college or trade school. We are proud to help support the 4H program in this way. For more information or to request an application, contact President Marie Heck at marie_heck@yahoo.com or contact your 4H club. You may also visit our website at http://www.tangivfc.com
Pictured below is our 2020 Scholarship winner Jordan Mazzeno, practicing social distancing with Scholarship Chairman Jean Hebert and TVFC President Marie Heck.The second picture is Jordan, showing off his scholarship.
Several members of the Sunshine Ladies made a long overdue (because of Covid 19) delivery to the Women's Pavilion at North Oaks Hospital. They delivered 100
Raise-A-Reader packets, 25 from Wednesday Volunteers and 75 from Sunshine Ladies. The hospital provides these packets to new moms following the birth of their new babies.
The packets include a new children's book, a handmade burp pad, a stuffed cloth teddy bear, and information on the importance of reading to childrem.
In addition to the packets, the Sunshine Ladies also collected 185 pairs of brightly colored socks, which TVFC members refer to as "crazy socks", nine handmade whimsical pillowcases,
25 stuffed cloth teddy bears, 10 coloring books and 20 boxes of crayons. These items are utilized by the hospital to help cheer up pediatric patients during their hospital stays.
Pictured here are Linda Jo Kincaid from North Oaks hospital, and TVFC members Anita Murray, Sunshine Ladies President Ann Bourliea, and Sheila Gagliano.
JUNE 2020
Tangipahoa Volunteers for Family and Community gave free jambalaya lunches to first responders and law enforcement officers at the Hammond Police
Union Hall on 201 Natchez St. on Thursday, June 4th. We fed 139 police and fire personnel, 60 UPS workers, 50 Options members and 30 Quad Vets
members.
These meals were made possible through donations received for masks made by club members during this pandemic. At this time, we have made and distibuted over 3300
masks all over the parish. Every donation we received goes back into the community, through our various programs like this meal for our hometown heroes, or our Scholarship program, or one of our other community service projects.
The volunteers voted to use the donations we received to show appreciation and support for our fine law enforcement officers, firefighters, and first responders and their work during the pandemic.
The food was purchased through a local business that has been badly hurt, as all local businesses have, by the long
forced closure orders. This is one more way for TVFC to assist a small business in our community.
In addition, look for our article this month in Tangi Lifestyles magazine. We are so proud to be included in this great magazine about our parish!
The article focuses on our mask-sewing and distribution efforts, as well as some basic information about our club and many of our other community service projects. If YOU are looking for a way to give back to your community,
please contact us - or come to a meeting to see what you can do to help!
#backtheblue
#welovetangipahoa
TANGIPAHOA STRONG!
Pictured below are TVFC President Marie Heck, Maureen Felder. Anita Murray, Carla VanVranken, Sunshine Ladies President Ann Bourliea,
Wednesday Volunteers President Jean Hebert, Pam Villagran, and Officer Susie Cambre, who made this event possible. Many thanks, ladies, for all your hard
work to serve our local heroes!
May 2020
Although many of our plans for the
upcoming months have either been cancelled or put on hold due to this pandemic, we are going forward with one of our biggest projects, which is
our annual scholarship award. We are so proud to be able to offer our Scholarship to a deserving senior every year.
To help us fund our Scholarship program, we are raffling off this hand-made gem-tones quilt. This beautiful full size quilt was started by former club member
Mary Lou Batty, who passed away in 2019. Her family donated the finished squares, and club member Ms. Carla VanVrancken graciously finished the
task in Ms. Batty’s honor.Tickets are $1.00 each, and can be purchased from any member.
Left: As of now, our members have made and delivered over 3300 masks to our community. We are proud to be able to help in this way.
Pictured are Bedico police officers wearing our masks.
Right: Members met for an Executive Board meeting following social distancing protocols. Those in attendence were Sue Nelson, President Marie Heck,
Donna Bouterie, Gloria Messenger, Pam Villagran, Kathy Brandon, and Ann Bourliea. Not pictured is Jean Hebert, photogragher.
April 2020
Here we have Sunshine Ladies President Ann Bourliea delivering headbands and straps to Northshore Rehabilitation Hospital. Meanwhile, Sheila Gagliano was
delivering masks to Mary Bird Perkind Cancer Center, Options, and the Independence Police Department.
Pictured below are TVFC President Marie Heck, along with members Anita Murray and Kathy Brandon, donating 100 masks and 100 teddy bears to the Tangipahoa
Parish Sheriff's Department. Sergeant Vic Ferrara graciously picked up these donations, but declined to have his picture taken. The teddy bears are used by the Deputies to
reassure and comfort children they encounter on the job. (BTW, we also donate these teddy bears to Acadian Ambulance, to give to the children they transport to the hospital.)
Also pictured are 100 of the masks made by Malinda Sanchez, and some of our teddy bears.
Corona Virus Mask Update April 13, 2020
Our members have delivered over 1000 masks so far, and are still busy sewing, as the need is so great. We have had requests from
the hospital, all our nursing homes, our police and fire departments, the cancer center, and even private businesses! One of our members, Carla Van Vranken, has
made and delivered over 500 masks, with the help of her daughter Hanna and granddaughter Ella! Even members who do not sew have helped by donating materials and cutting out the masks for others to sew.
We certainly appreciate the help!
Pictured below are members Malinda Sanchez and Kathy Brandon and TVFC President Marie Heck hard at work at their sewing machines!
Pictured here is Carla Van Vranken, working on some of the many, many masks she has made and delivered. She had help from her daughter Hanna and granddaughter
Ella, who washed and ironed fabric and cut out masks for her to sew.
Also pictured is Sunshine Ladies President Ann Bourliea, hard at work sewing headbands with buttons. The elastic on the masks can then be slipped over the buttons,
relieving the pressure on the ears. She was assisted by her daughter Rebecca and mother-in-law Joyce Bourliea. These were donated to Northshore Rehabilitation Hospital. The crocheted straps were donated by her friend Joni.
While the state of Louisiana continues to shelter at home due to the corona virus outbreak, members of Tangipahoa Volunteers For Family And
Community have still found a way to help our community during the crisis. In mid-March, North Oaks Health System sent out a call asking if any
ladies could sew masks for their doctors and nurses, to help their personal protective equipment last longer. Karla VanVranken, Maureen Felder,
, Anita Murray, Malinda Sanchez, Kathy Brandon, and Marie Heck
whipped out their sewing machines and got busy. Marie then made arrangements to pick the masks up following the state’s safety protocols, and deliver
the first set of masks to the hospital.
After making hundreds of masks, we heard from many nurses that the elastic was making their ears very sore after wearing the masks for so many hours. Sunshine Ladies President Ann Bourliea
began making headbands with buttons on each side. The nurses can then slip the elastic around the buttons, so there is no pressure on their ears. Ingenious solution!
Members of TVFC are still sewing, as there is still a great need for these masks to help protect our healthcare
workers who are on the front lines in the fight against this virus. While our meetings and activities are currently suspended due to the shelter at
home order, Tangipahoa Volunteers For Family And Community will resume our regular activities as soon as it is safe to do so.
Pictured below are some of the masks for North Oaks Medical Center, And President Marie Heck making the first delivery to the hospital.
One of our greatest projects every year is our Scholarship Project, which is open to graduating seniors who have been involved in 4H. Last year, we were very pleased to be able to offer not one
but two scholarships to deserving seniors. We hope to be able to do the same this year. The deadline for applying for a scholarship is March 30, so anyone interested needs to get their application in soon!
To help fund our scholarship project, we will be raffling off this beautiful hand-made quilt. Anyone interested in purchasing tickets may contact any member of either Sunshine Ladies or Wednesday Volunteers.
Our annual Christmas party was held at Rosaryville Retreat Center in Ponchatoula. Detectives Marlboro and DiMatteo from the Tangipahoa Sheriff's Department were our special guests this year.
We were pleased to donate both money and new toys for the toy drive sponsored by the TPSO. In addition, the club donated $200 to purchase heaters and blankets for the elderly.
We also held the drawing for a 32" color TV for our scholarship fund.
Standing: Maureen Felder, Gloria Messenger, Anita Murray, Betty Bankston, Detective Marlboro, Wednesday Volunteers President Jean Hebert, Sunshine Ladies President Ann Bourliea, Detective Di Matteo, Sue Nelson, Carla Van Vrancken, Zoe Johnson, Donna Bouterie, and Karen Moran. Seated: Hilda Alphonso, TVFC President Marie Heck, Sheila Gagliano, and Pam Villagan.
Left: Detective Marlboro from TPSO talking about the toy drive sponsored by TPSO.
Right: Wednesday Volunteers President Jean Hebert watches as Detective Marlboro draws the winning raffle ticket.
Tangipahoa Volunteers For Family And Community selected Operation Christmas Child as their International project this year. While all the rest of our projects are right here in our own Tangipahoa Parish, once a year we choose an International project as well. Operation Christmas Child is a wonderful program that distributes shoe boxes full of toys, personal items, and school supplies to children all over the world.
The two branches of TVFC, Sunshine Ladies and Wednesday Volunteers, were very pleased to be able to present a total of 69 boxes to Beth Hiller, the Regional Chairman for Operation Christmas Child. Sunshine Ladies collected and assembled 53 boxes, and Wednesday Volunteers collected and assembled 16 boxes.
Pictured are Sunshine Ladies President Ann Bourliea, Sheila Gagliano, Operation Christmas Child Chairman Beth Hiller, International Chairman Gloria Messenger, Wednesday Volunteers President Jean Hebert, and Maureen Felder, with some of the boxes we made and donated.
The Tangipahoa Volunteers For Family And Community held their 38th Annual Holiday Ideas Showcase & Bunco on Thursday, September 26, 2019 at the
Ponchatoula Community Center. This is our major fund-raising event of the year. The ladies enjoyed playing Bunco again this year, and also the chance to win
one of more than 25 door prizes. There were lots of lovely holiday crafts for sale, all hand-made by our members. We also featured a truly wonderful Parade of
Prizes, offering over 50 diffferent prizes to try to win. Admission also included a delicious luncheon of jambalaya, cole slaw, and brownies.
Tangipahoa Volunteers for Family And Community works in various ways throughout our parish. From newborns to school children, to our scholarship program for high school seniors,
to women and children in crisis, to local veterans, to our elderly population,
we strive to help people in our community, making their lives a little better.
37th Annual Holiday Ideas Showcase/Bunco
Our major fund-raising event of the year is our Holidays Ideas Showcase.
Last year, we combined the holiday arts and crafts with Bunco, and it was
a great success, and a lot of fun for everyone! We're looking forward to this
year's event, which will be held in September. Hope to see you there!
One of our proudest projects our Scholarship Project. In 2019 we were able to
award TWO $1000 scholarships to deserving graduating high school seniors.
The first scholarship was awarded to Shaylee Puls, who graduated from Hammond High School. Shaylee plans to attend Louisiana Tech for Engineering and STEM/Education. The second scholarship was awarded to Dustin Husser, who graduated from Loranger High School. Dustin plans to attend Northshore Technical College to become an electrician.
Congratulations, Shaylee and Dustin - we are proud of your hard work and dedication!
We raise funds and donate baby items to the two Pregnancy Resource Centers in our parish. We sponsor a "Raise A Reader" program at a local hospital, providing storybooks and other items to
parents of newborns, to encourage them to read to their children and foster a love of reading. We donate dictionaries to local schools to help our children learn.
TVFC helps provide the needs of abused women and their children at local safe house. We also bring donations to the local homeless shelter.
We help support our Veteran's Home, and partner with the VFW to provide a nice dinner for our veterans twice a year. We also bring clothing, and personal items they may need.
We volunteer every month at area nursing homes, hosting bingo with the residents there, and providing snacks and prizes for them.
TVFC members also love our four-legged friends. As individuals and as a group, we are proud to help support our local animal shelter.
These are just a few of our endeavors to give back to our community. If you are interested in joining a great group of ladies and having fun while doing various community projects, you may want to join us.
We would be glad to have you attend one of these meetings. Send us a message or call the LSU AG Center
Office at 985-748-5462 for more information!
March 25, 2019
Parish President Robby Miller recognized the Tangipahoa Volunteers for Family and Community tonight at the council meeting, and issued a proclamation for
Volunteers Week. Shown are: (L to R) Sheila Gagliano, Gloria Messenger, Sue Nelson, Nell Dubose, Wenesday Volunteers President Jean Hebert,
Kathy Brandon, TVFC President Marie Heck, Anita Murray, Donna Bouterie, Maureen Felder, Sunshine Ladies President Ann Bourliea, and Parish President Robby Miller.
We are a 501(c3) organization, so your financial donations are tax deductible!
Whether you help through your donations, volunteering your time, or spreading our mission through word-of-mouth, thank you so much! We couldn't accomplish our goals without the help of supporters like you.
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