NORWICH — The Retired Educators of New York Chenango (RENY) will be hosting a Valentine and friendship card making workshop from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 23 at the Norwich Family YMCA, located at 68-70 North Broad Street in Norwich.
The workshop is open to the public, and is $10 for RENY members and $15 for non-members. Pre-registration is encouraged but not required. To sign up ahead of time, contact RENY Chenango President Mary Ann Luciano at maryann.luciano@gmail.com or leaving a voicemail at 607-336-2728.
Luciano said the workshop will be taught by RENY Member Carolynne Whitefeather, a retired educator who worked as Utica University Museum Director and an adjunct professor at Mohawk Valley Community College.
"Carolynne will have a variety of materials to use and the folks who come can put together Valentine cards, friendship cards, very unique different ways of doing cards," Luciano explained. "Being an artist, she approaches card making from a very different perspective, and so some of the cards are 3D, some of them have a variety of pieces to them, collages. She will also have packets of materials people can take away with them and make cards."
RENY Chenango hosts a variety of workshops and volunteering opportunities throughout the year for their members and the community, such as a holiday tea at the Splendor Inn, an Election Day breakfast at the Bohemian Moon, a pizza party to celebrate National Pi Day, a State Convention in the fall, volunteering at United Way to assist them with their annual campaign, and legislative letter writing.
Funds collected from these events go toward the organization's community service projects, which support other local organizations.
Recently, RENY Chenango donated $600 to Chenango County food bank Roots and Wings. The funds were raised over two years through raffles and donations. Luciano said they often donate to food banks, with members collecting food and other items to give to food banks in the area where they hold their meetings.
"For example, our fall meeting was held in Afton, and we collect food and other items for the food bank in that locale. So when we have our meeting in Sherburne, we collect things for the Sherburne food bank, and then we also have raffles over two years during our meetings that raise money for the food banks," she said.
Luciano said RENY Chenango is in the process of selecting their next community service project.
The organization also supports future educators in the area through a $1,000 scholarship awarded each spring.
"The students write a business letter to our Scholarship Committee and then the Scholarship Committee chooses a letter that meets the points that we require for the letter, and that shows us that young person is going to be going into education as a future," Luciano said.
Retired Educators of New York Chenango is part of the RENY Central New York Zone, which includes Cayuga, Chenango, Herkimer, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, and Oswego Counties. The organization's goal is to support retired school and university teachers, administrators, teaching assistants, faculty members, office staff, and artists through legislative support, social events, and connection to resources.
Luciano said RENY Chenango also provides "Friendly Service," which is an effort of volunteer members known as Key Workers to keep in touch with elderly members.
"The Key Workers send birthday cards, holiday cards, and small gifts on milestone birthdays. They keep in touch with phone calls and visits when possible," Luciano said. "Key Workers also provide resource connections to fiscal support from the statewide organization like grants and monthly funds to members in need."
Membership with RENY Chenango is $10 per year, and members will receive two biannual newsletters via mail or email with topics ranging from legislation to health, as well as connections to other members and organizations. Members can also attend Executive Committee meetings via Zoom.
For more information on Retired Educators of New York, visit RetiredEducatorsNY.org.