NILE NOTES
By Mary Lou Williams,
 P.Q., Reporter
 

April 2008
    Azrim Temple intiated three new candidates at our spring ceremonial in February. We welcome you and hope you will become involved in a club, as well as our sessions, and meet new friends and join in the fellowship.
    Our March session was the last time Queen Charlotte Eichhorn presided for the year. She expressed her gratitiude to the officers and ladies of the household for their aid and support, stating it takes all of us working together to make the temple a success.
    Reports of the clubs were read, as well as the Queen’s report. Election of officers for 2008 was held. Sheri Smith, Pittsburg, was elected as queen. She and her husband David reside in Pittsburg. They are the owner and operators of Pittsburg Refrigeration, Inc. David is a member of Mirza, serving as an officer of the Divan.
    Other officers elected were Charlotte Eichhorn, Jr. P.Q.; Dee Zortz, Pr. Royal; Grace Hensley, Pr. Tirza; Desiree Kepley, Pr. Dadoura; Sherri Orender,
Pr. Recorder; Vickie Gregory, Pr. Banker; Pat Cummings, Pr. Marshall; Linda Butler, Pr. Chaplain; Jessie Gartner, Lady of the Keys; Patricia Waltrip, Lady of the Gates; Debbie Jahay, Pr. Nydia; Debra Cumming, Pr. Zulieka; Joyce Long, Pr. Zenobia; Michelle Lambert, Pr. Zora; Cathy Brown, Pr. Zuliema; G.G. Oshel, PQ, Pr. Muscian; and Sally Cook and Terri Blessant, Attendants.
    Auxillary appointments are Amy Price, Color Bearer; Patty LeFever, P.Q., Canadian Flag; Berniece Buell, PQ, Temple Banner, Bonnie McAdam, PQ, Reader; Pam Masoner, PQ, Reader; Mary Lou Williams, PQ, Ceremonial Assistant and Publicity Chairman; Neural Reagan, PQ, Historian; Sarajene Rhuems, PQ, Class Hostess; Lois Robison, Gong. Pageantry includes Ruth Shock, PQ; Jackie Warren, and R.J. Taylor. Nile Maidens are Bernie Mohler and Lennet Thomas.
    Installation of Queen Sheri and her officers will be Sunday April 20th, Mirza Temple, 3:00 p.m. Members of the Mirza Divan will usher the event. The C.C. Nile Club will serve refreshments. A no-host dinner will be held after the installation at Bricktown.
    Thanks to all who accepted these offices. This will enable Azrim to better fulfill our duties as an organization in aiding and supporting the Shriners in their assistance to the Shrine Hospitals.
    Our sewing days are going great guns. Our chairmen Christine Yackley, always has plenty for us to do. The sewers and quilters have been quite busy, as according to Christine’s yearly report, so far this year, we have sent a total of 55 boxes and bags of items totaling 2,574, to both the Shreveport and Galveston Shrine Hospitals, as well as the items Queen Charlotte took to the supreme session.
    All this was done with the help or our Nile clubs and non-member volunteers. For an example, Coffeyville Nile club donated clothing and items totaling $3,044.65 with 690 hours of service. Fort Scott Nile Club donated $229 in clothing and supplies. Tri-County donated $150 in clothing and supplies and C.C. club donated 22 hand held games for a total of $190.
    Several of our members sew and quilt our items at hone, aside from our regular sewing day. Christine, on her own, has made 668 items for a total of 340 hours. Lois Robison and her friend Frankie Hite, a non-member, bind quilts. These are all beyond what they accomplish on sewing day.
    We are also fortunate to have many volunteers who have adopted our Shrine “Kids” as their project. Audrey Brown and her quilting group from Girard, have donated 496 items this year. We also received fourteen quilts from Gary and Sharon Johnson from Chanute, who are both sewers.
    Our thanks to all our sewers and volunteers. A special thanks to Jackie and her Noble Allen Warren who have delivered boxes to Shreveport many times. Also, to Mirza Hospital Dad’s who take a few boxes when they take the children to the hospitals. This has saved us countless amounts of postage. We are so grateful for your support.
    Included with this article are pictures of the Warrens and a couple of boys displaying their quilts. The smile on their faces just makes you proud of what we do!
    Speaking of proud, Azrim recently purchased another much needed Surger machine. We had ladies “waiting in line” for this. It will certainly speed up our progress.
    The next stated session will be Wednesday April 23rd when Queen Sheri will preside. Please come and welcome our new Queen, and show her your support.
    To Mirza Potentate David Titus and Lady Denise, we welcome you and hope you have a very successful year. We appreciate all you do for the Daughters of the Nile and it is a pleasure to work with you in support of the hospitals and the children.

The Jackie with her Noble Allen Warren with the help of a couple of boys display some of their quilts.

Jan 2008

    Greetings from Azrim No. 81. We hope your Christmas was merry, your New Year happy, and that you are beginning to “pick up the pieces” from the ice storm Mother Nature dumped on us.
    We were glad to see more members on the sidelines at our September and October meetings. This always gives our queen and officers a “boost”. We hope you will continue, as the more you participate, the more you will learn about the Daughters of the Nile.
    The annual card party/luncheon/style show in November was a success due in part to the donations from all the members. This being one of our fundraisers, your efforts are really appreciated. The theme of the afternoon was “Springtime in the Fall”. Queen Charlotte decorated the tables with spring decorations which were lovely. The luncheon was prepared by the. Coffeyville Nile Club, Martha Allison, Chairman, and served by the Mirza nobles, who did a great job, as usual, and always with a smile. After lunch, there was a style show featuring apparel from Goody’s, with Tern Blessant, Debbie Cummings, Pat Cummings, Saragene Rhuems, Sheri Smith and Mary Lou Williams as models. Queen Charlotte’s project, a quilt “Chain of Love” was raffled off. The rest of the afternoon was spent playing cards and games of choice. Punch was served by C. C. Nile Club, Saragene Rhuems, Chairman.
    Thanks to all who participated in any way.
    For those of you who are interested, Azrim now has for sale Daughters of the Nile tee shirts, both long and short sleeve, golf shirts, that is, t-shirt with a collar, and sweatshirts, in either green or white, complete with an embroidered Nile logo. These shirts are of a good quality, and can be purchased at the regular stated sessions, or by contacting Ways and Means chairman Dee Zortz for more information or pricing.
    A portion of this article is dedicated to our Nile clubs who are very important to our temple. They are like an extension of our temple. They support us with their monetary donations as well as articles for the hospitals, and their time. Each club is located in different areas of Azrim jurisdiction and is unique in its own way.
    The Coffeyville Nile Club meets in Coffeyville on the second Monday of the month, except July, August and January. Their meetings are held - at the Coffeyville Community College.
    C. C. Nile Club, which encompasses the members of the Cherokee and Crawford. County areas, meets the first Thursday of each month except for July and August.
    The Fort Scott Nile Club meets the fourth Monday of the month, except July, August and December, when they have a Christmas party.
    The Tri-County Nile club meets the same evening as the Shrine Nobles in the Tri-County area. Their meeting is the fourth Tuesday of the month except for July and August.
    These clubs are willing to work any time they are asked throughout the year and special events. Any member in good standing is welcome to join a Nile Club in their area. This is a great chance to meet new friends and enjoy their fellowship. We do a lot of good work, but have fun, too.
    Our regular sewing day meets the first Wednesday of the month, except for July and August. Come, even though you don’t sew, as there is always something you can do. Thanks to all who have donated articles and materials for sewing. We have many dedicated ladies who quilt and sew, rain or shine. With all your help, Chairman Christine Yackley states we have sent over fifty boxes to the hospitals this year.
    The next stated session will be Wednesday, January 23. Hostesses for the refreshments are C. C. Nile Club, Sally Cook, chairman. Please remember to attend our ceremonial in
February.
    On behalf of Azrim, I want to take this opportunity to thank Potentate John Lair, his nobles, and Lady Jana, for all your support you have given our temple this year. We appreciate all you do for us. Have a great new year.

Oct 2007
    Azrim Temple jumped into fall with both feet starting in September. On September 6th we were honored with the visitation of P.S.Q. Phyllis Wattenbarger, who officiated over the ceremonial, due to the illness of our supreme queen, Eleanor Green. A banquet was held before the ceremonial catered by Calvin and’ served by a number of Mirza nobles. Six new princesses were initiated that evening. Cathy Brown, Pittsburg, Debra Cummings, Arma, Pat Cummings, Arma, Barbara Crebase, Independence, Diane Spillman, Independence, and Leah Lewis, Fort Scott were initiated as new members. Azrim welcomes you and hope you will attend our sessions and be a part of one of our several Nile clubs in your area. This is a great chance to meet other Nile members and broaden your friendships.
    We were all very proud of Queen Charlotte Eichhorn and her officers. They did a fantastic job with the ceremonial, and P.S.Q. Phyllis complimented Azrim as well. The supreme queen’s focus this year is on membership, stating we are all members of the household, working together for the good of the order.
    Thanks again, all our practices paid off. We would also like to thank our hostess for the evening, Neural Reagan, P.Q., who sat with the candidates until the ceremonial. This is an. important task, also, as we inform the candidates about the Daughters of the Nile and our purpose.
    Queen Charlotte, P.Q. Bonnie and myself, continued to follow P.S.Q. Phyllis along her visit to Zohar Temple, Wichita and El Maat, Overland Park, to observe their ceremonials and meet our supreme queen, Eleanor Green, who was able to officiate there.
We also attended our regular Nile session, September 26th. This was the last time our princess musician, P.Q. Colleen Slagle played the organ at our sessions, as she informed us she and her noble Don, will be moving to Alabama to be near their daughter. P.Q. Colleen has come “out of retirement” several times to be our musician, and her music always added so much to our ceremonials. She was princess musician for over 30 years. We will miss her, and wish she and Noble Don, Good Speed and good health.
    Plans are now being made for the annual luncheon/card party/style show to be held Saturday, November 3rd. Your donations of baked goods and other items will be appreciated  There will be a drawing for a queen size “Chain of Love” quilt. Tickets can be purchased for $1.00 each from any Nile member, for the quilt. This event is open to the public, so get your group together and come to the party! You will be receiving more information in the mail.
    Our next regular session will be Wednesday, October 24th when we will observe Founders Day. Also, a reminder our session in November will be on Monday, rather than Thursday, due to the Thanksgiving holiday.
    The next sewing day will be Wednesday, October 3rd. Our sewers and quilters have been very productive. Along with items from Coffeyville and Independence, we have sent five boxes to the hospital. Join us even though you don’t sew. Come and get acquainted and eat lunch. It’s good, and it’s only $2.00!
    Mirza nobles, thank you so much for all your support to the Nile. We appreciate all you do for us. The nobles who were kind enough to serve our meal for us at the banquet did a fantastic job. P.S.Q. Phyllis made the comment that the minute she stepped into Mirza Shrine and saw all the nobles and the Nile members, she knew we had a reporter, and it was obvious.- You don’t see that everywhere. She also stated she was glad to see so many nobles at our banquet. Thanks again, you do make a difference to us!