Matt Hawkins Met With Pachyderm Club

On Friday January 27th Matt Hawkins talked to the Pachyderm Club about the need for Board of Election reform.  He spoke about the desire to clean up the voting records and for better representation in the city.  Matt had a very interesting presentation which sparked many questions from those in attendance.  Thank you Matt for bringing these items to our attention.

Congressman John Shimkus Speaks to Pachyderm Club

Congressman John Shimkus spoke to a packed out room on Friday January 20th, at the Metroeast Pachyderm Club Meeting.  Me Shimkus talked about the budget, SOPA, PIPA, and the Keystone Pipeline Project.  Mr Shimkus took many questions and was very gracious to answer.  Thank you for coming, Mr Shimkus.

For more information on the Keystone Pipeline Project, click on this link.

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 12 CANDIDATE THERESA KORMOS ENLIGHTENS PACHYDERMS

On Thursday evening December 15, 2011 Theresa Kormos gave the Pachyderm Club a very thorough briefing on Obamacare and what we can expect in the future. Theresa is an RN and has been in health care literally around the world for years. Her briefing was educational and she was able to answer all of our questions about the plan. Theresa is a candidate for the 12th Congressional District and expressed her concerns for our County, State and Country if the right person is not sent to Washington to represent our needs. We thank Theresa Kormos for her thorough preparation for her program, and for coming out on a Thursday evening to share with the Pachyderm Club.

Pachyderm Banquet a Well Attended Success

A WELL-ATTENDED SUCCESS

The Metro East Pachyderm Club annual Installation of Officers Banquet was held December 8, 2011 at Bellecourt Manor in Belleville. Thanks to the stellar efforts of our banquet committee it was a huge success. The Banquet Committee was Chaired by Mary Thurman and included the following members: Venue/Menu Sue Don Carlos and Barb Viviano; Program Booklet Rick and Shirley Van Etten and Tempie Lyons; Invitations/Tickets/Ad Sales Sue and Guy Don Carlos, Barb Viviano, John West, Judy Davenport, Steve Amos, Adrian Heuermann and Tempie Lyons; Speakers Tempie Lyons, Barb Viviano, Mary Thurman; Entertainment Mary Thurman; Silent Auction Gayle Ayres, Barb Viviano and Tempie Lyons; Administration Bob Lyons; Publicity Laura Anderson; and, Support Services Ruth Dehne and Karen Rees. Our new Black and Gold table covers were donated by Laura Anderson and were made by her mother. As you can see, this was a huge effort by a lot of our members and it resulted in tremendous success with around 200 people attending. These volunteers deserve a very large THANK YOU for making this a great event. There simply are not enough superlatives to bestow upon them.
A major part of the success of the night were our speakers Adam Andrzejewski of "For The Good Of Illinois", and Mason Weaver, author and motivational conservative speaker. They both generated much excitement among the crowd and Mason managed to sell many copies of his book "It's Okay To Leave The Plantation". Thanks to both of them for sharing their wisdom and their genuine conservatism.
Major contributors to the Christmas overtones of the banquet were the O'Fallon Township High School Madrigal singers who moved through the crowd singing Carols, and Deb Henry who provided background piano music during dinner. Mary Thurman sang the National Anthem, and our closing was blessed by Sue DeLorme singing God Bless America. They were all absolutely beautiful.

SPECIAL AWARDS

Mary Thurman received the most coveted "Tough Tusk Award". Only one of these is given each year and Mary is our first ever recipient.		John West received a Pachyderm "Certificate of Appreciation" for his many contributions to our Club and Community.
	Sue Don Carlos received the "Meritorious Service Award" for her outstanding contributions this year.

This was an evening enjoyed by all with much camarderie and intra-party discussion. Most candidates and elected officials were there to meet with and get to know their constituencies better. Our President-elect Sue Don Carlos promises an even better event next year. Sue was installed as Club President for 2012, along with Mary Thurman 1st Vice President, and Directors Richard Davis, Barb Viviano, Robert White, Bob Lyons, Joe Behnken, and Judy Davenport.