Missouri GFWC Officers with the 9th District President attending the 9th District Fall Convention hosted in Kennett. From left, MIssouri Vice-President, Lisa Cook; Missouri President, Pat Zachary; Missouri President-elect, Carolyn Lovelace; and 9th District President, Sheri Hickey.

Photo provided

PRISM, or "Promoting Respect in Schools in Missouri," was introduced by Springfield, Mo., State President, Pat Zachary, during the convention. President-elect, Carolyn Lovelace, of Lathrop, Mo., explained that the project was in connection with Missouri Senate Bill no. 894, which regards the subject of "bullying" in schools. Several ways for the clubs to work with local schools to help diffuse the problem were discussed following the introduction and explanation.

The convention was hosted on Saturday, October 17, at the First United Methodist Church Christian Life Center, in Kennett, with the theme of "Walking in Tall Cotton," chosen by the Kennett club. As a memento of the area, each lady attending received a cotton boll corsage, which coincided with the cotton boll bouquets displayed in high-heeled shoes on each table.

The meeting was called to order by President of the Ninth District, Sheri Hickey, of Farmington, Mo., who was joined at the convention by other officers including, Ninth District President-elect, Kathy Hartig, of St. Genevieve, Mo.; Recording Secretary, Kathy Tate, of St. Genevieve, Mo.; and Parliamentarian, Alice Goehman, of Arcadia, Mo.

Following the meeting being called to order, the presentation of colors was presented by local Girl Scout Troop #264, with leaders Glenda Jaine and Melinda Mowrer.

Next, Chamber of Commerce Director, Jan McElwrath, representing the city, welcomed the group to Kennett.

Also in attendance fro the event were State officers of the GFWC including, Missouri State President, Pat Zachary, of Springfield, Mo.; President-elect, Carolyn Lovelace, of Lathrop, Mo.; and Vice President, Lisa Cook, of Fayette, Mo.

During the conference, Zachary reviewed events of the past year and presented award and recognition to the outstanding clubs of District 9, according to member Paula Calhoun.

Zachary also updated the clubs on the activities of Missouri Girls Town, located in Kingdom City, Mo.

Entertainment at the event, performing prior to lunch, consisted of Rev. Gary Carter, Dianne Carter, Larry Swindle, and Daryl Wilcoxson. The lunch served following the entertainment was prepared by Pat Mitchell of the Traveling Whisk.

The event concluded with a live silent auction to raise funds for the Sophomore Pilgrimage, a program established by the GFWC over 75 years ago. The Sophomore Pilgrimage provides sophomore students, from schools across Missouri, the opportunity to tour the State Capitol and other sites in Jefferson City, Mo., along with meeting state representatives and other government officials.

A total of 11 clubs throughout the district were represented at the meeting and Adelphian Club President, Anita Brogden, expressed appreciation to all who attended and helped make the event a success.