Red Oak Altrusa celebrates 100 years of service

Altrusa International of Red Oak is celebrating a huge milestone this year.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the local chapter, which began in 1925 with 11 charter members. The club, which is currently led by President Zoey Swanson, now boasts a 55-member roster, which is currently the largest in the state of Iowa.
Swanson said that celebrating the 100th year of the club has been exciting, and it is currently planning for an artistic project to commemorate the milestone. Altrusa International of Red Oak has shone through a variety of projects and fundraisers, and Swanson said it was the desire to give back to the community that drew her to becoming one of the club’s 55 members five years ago.
As for the club’s long-standing projects, one of the longest is nut sales. In 1950, Margaret Ostrom became president of the local chapter and in that same year, she began the annual nut sales, Beginning with pecans only, the sales drive has grown to now include mixed nuts, almonds, walnuts, and cashews. This fundraiser, now 75 years strong as of this year, serves as a major fundraiser for the club. With these funds, Altrusa has served the community in numerous ways over the past 100 years.
One of the club’s longest-running service events has taken many forms over the years. Currently, it has been held every spring during the first week of March, celebrating Dr. Seuss’ birthday. This year, Red Oak Altrusans donned festive “Cat in the Hat” hats and delivered books to the kindergarten through second grade students in Red Oak, Villisca, and Stanton.
In 2020 and for a few years after during the COVID-19 pandemic when face-to-face contact was risky, Red Oak Altrusans read on KCSI for local classrooms to tune in and read along with their favorite Dr. Seuss books.
Prior to celebrating Seuss’ birthday, “Camp Read S’More was held at Viking Lake. The event included yard games, celebrity readers, and s’mores, of course. Reaching back to the project’s conception in 2004, “Reading Round Up” invited third grade students in Red Oak to stay the night at school for an evening of literacy games, read-alouds, singing, line dancing, food, and fun.
In addition to those events, Altrusa has spearheaded several projects for the community. The first two thermal imaging cameras were purchased for the Red Oak Fire Department, and the summer Read and Feed program sent bags of food and books home for children and families.
Altrusa also coordinated other community betterment events. There were three years of a local winter coat drive, several years of working with law enforcement to create child identification cards through the “Child Find” program. Altrusans also provided infant care packages for newborns at Montgomery County Memorial Hospital, and a project at the former Hysham House that included an Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility ramp, landscaping, and a bathroom remodel.
Altrusa has also helped numerous Red Oak students over the years. Every spring there are scholarships awarded to graduating seniors in Red Oak, Stanton, and Villisca, and Altrusans are always looking to partner with other local service clubs to strengthen everyone’s impact. Among those partnerships are charing the Junction Days parade in partnership with the Red Oak Chamber and Industry Association, volunteering at the Red Oak Grand Theatre, selling duck tickets with the Kiwanis, and creating anf posting signs on the trails in partnership with Friends or the Red Oak Trails. Friends of Viking Lake, and Montgomery County Conservation are other partnerships that Altrusa has forged.
One of the most memorable projects for members was the creation of the Dove Room in the Domestic Violence Safe House in Shenandoah. Members reminisce about cleaning, painting, building book shelves, and filling those shelves with books for children who would find themselves without much in terms of comfort as the fled dangerous situations.
Members said it is these projects that leave an impact far beyond their time there, and that make a difference in the communities and for their neighbors, The Dove Room project was the winner of the Iowa Community Betterment Award in 2003.
Members of Altrusa also say the club is not all work. Each April, a birthday party is thrown and this year’s was extra special. Not only did the local Red Oak club celebrate 100 years, but emeritus member Phyllis Stebbins also turned 100 years young. She has been a member of Red Oak’s Altrusa club for 68 years.
In the last 100 years there have been countless projects, meetings, members, and service hours contributed to the communities. Altrusa continues to look for meaningful ways to contribute to the community and make a difference in the lives of others. As Mamie L. Bass, Altrusa’s founder once said, “It’s not enough to be good. Altrusans must be good for something.”
Alrusa International of Red Oak currently meets monthly on the second Thursday at 6 p.m. for a meal, with the meeting following at 6:30. Guests are welcome to attend the meeting and see if Altrussa is right for them. To learn more about Altrusa and follow along with what the club is doing in the community, follow the Facebook page at facebook.com/altrusaofredoak.