President’s Message
The holiday season is upon us, and I know we all ate too much over Thanksgiving. I hope yours was as wonderful as mine. Those of us who went on the AARP trip to Pigeon Forge and Nashville, TN, had a wonderful time. Thank you, Ruby, for arranging it.This is my final President’s letter. My term is up, and it has been a privilege and a pleasure to serve as President for the past two years. There have been a lot of fun times (especially this year’s Cardboard Boat Race-thanks, Hank), wonderful trips, great programs, and lots of volunteer hours performed for both the chapter and our community. Our own Betty Hughes was awarded The Warren J. Lodge Award for Excellence this year and Frank and Marion Jacobeen received the AARP Chapter Volunteer of the Year award. Other chapter members have also received various LOWA awards throughout the years. In my book all our members are deserving of recognition for all that they do. I do want to offer my special thanks to Ruth Hood for publishing this newsletter as well as making sure that our articles and pictures get into Lake Currents. She has produced the Perspectives for the past four years and has done an excellent job. I also want to thank all of you who helped with our Volunteer Day in May, our Chicken BBQ in November, our monthly Silent Auction, and all those involved with Woods Cares. Without all of you, our chapter would be just another monthly meeting, albeit one that has a great program. Thanks to our program committee that has arranged interesting and informative programs and great coffee and sweets. There are many other services that our members take part in, but too numerous to name here. I have also not named names because the list is too long, and I don’t want to forget anyone. I will leave that for our holiday pot luck on December 21 at the Community Center. I just want everyone to know that I am thankful for each and every one of you who has made my term go by smoothly. I know that you will continue to support the chapter and your new officers.December is going to be as busy as usual, but let us take time to reflect on the past year. I know that times are hard for a lot of us or our family members, but we all have love and friendship in our lives and that is very important. May all of you enjoy a safe and happy holiday and may 2010 bring health and happiness to all.
Carla Wascalus, President.

AARP Holiday Luncheon, December 21, 2009
by Carolyn Wray, Publicity
AARP Chapter 5239AARP members and friends are invited to join us at the Community Center for the annual holiday luncheon on Monday, December 21, at 11:30 AM. Members are asked to bring one of the following: a hot entrée, a vegetable or a dessert to serve eight people. Food should be delivered no later than 11:15 AM. Tables will be set up ahead of time and drinks, paper products, and plastic ware will be furnished.The following members will be installed as the Chapter 5239 Officers for 2009: President, Dick Martin; Vice President, Dick Bradie; Secretary, Jennifer Zukowski; Treasurer, Dick Durphy. The Board of Directors is as follows: Ruth Hood, Ruby Horvath, Dwight Mottet, Pierre Payett, Roxanne Kessler and Past President, Carla Wascalus.A short business meeting will follow the luncheon.Invite your neighbors to join us, and come to the Community Center on Monday, December 21, to enjoy food and fellowship with our friends and neighbors.

NOVEMBER BIRTHDAYS
(Scorpio and Sagittarius)
Charlotte Banas, William Bauer,Ellie Baughman, Dick Bradie, Ellie Brown, Tony Brown, Laurel Buongiovanni,Marilyn Buttimer, Pat Cassese,Sheila Clark, Joe Davidson, Carol Dionne, William Grogan, Mary Hudak, Don Larsen, Helen Markart, Richard Martin, Joe Sauro, Ken Tilliman, Laurie Wares,Carla Wascalus, Elizabeth Wiley,and Karen Woods

DECEMBER BIRTHDAYS
(Sagittarius and Capricorn)
Otis Adgerson, Joan Bassford,June Belinsky, Dick Berra, Donna Crawley,Nola Davidson, Ray Dickinson, Jim Dionne,Marion Doherty, Janet Emblidge,Nancy Grogan, Robert Haring,Jackie Hill, Ruth Hood,Marion Jacobeen, Joan King,David Kovarik, Millie Lane,Ruth Lemmerman, Hank Lewis,Ron Moffa, Pat Phillipo,James Protiva, Ed Rowan, Gail Sauro,Sue Schafer, Janelle Seiberlich,Richard Stohr, Joseph Wascalus,Erlinda Wight, Elaine Witcher,Boyce Wrayand Paul R. Zacheis

SUNSHINE REPORT
A Get-well card was sent to Nick Duy.If you know of a member who needs cheering up, contact Carolyn Durphy at 972-3306.

NEW MEMBERS
Welcome to the following new members: Donna Stanford, Ann Walker, Ed and Doris Sc
oon, Phillip and Gerlinde Carmona, Nancy Arnold, Marva Culp, Carroll and Marian Hamilton

NOTES, BITS AND PIECES
Monthly Silent AuctionWe always need new and gently used items for the auctions, which will resume in January. We need to have all items by January 15 to ready them for the meeting on January 21. Thanks for your help.Call Roxanne at 972-8364), Patti at 972-1370 or Carla at 972-3436 for pickup. Any donation will be greatly appreciated.

TRIAD
TRIAD has 3 Guardian Alert 911 systems available right now. These devices help to keep seniors who live alone safe in their own homes. The alarm is worn around the neck. When there is an emergency, they push the button on the alarm and 911 is notified that help is needed. Call Dick Bradie at 308-5507 for more information.

Found
A man's wedding ring was found in the Great Hall after our October 19 meeting. If you have lost a ring, contact Carla at 972-3436.

Legislative Report
by Pat Berry
During the week of October 16-23 Channel 18 broadcast a WW2 Veteran Interview with Lincoln Landis, a LOW resident and past Army Liaison to Russian Occupation Forces in Germany. This interview and 69 others like them were filmed over the past five years by Dick Martin and seventeen other AARP volunteers as part of an initiative sponsored by the Veteran’s History Project and the Library of Congress. This program was designed to gather the first-hand recollections of the diverse men and women who served our nation during wartime. Created in 2000 as part of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, the Veteran's History Project is the largest oral history project in the nation. Public Law 106-380, sponsored by Representatives Ron Kind, Amo Houghton, and Steny Hoyer in the U.S. House of Representativesand Senators Max Cleland and Chuck Hagel in the U.S. Senate, authorized $250,000 for that fiscal year to collect, preserve, and make accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war.Today the Center holds more than 60,000 collections of audio- and video-taped interviews, photographs, letters, diaries and other personal documents from veterans of World War1, World War2, the Korean, Vietnam, and Persian Gulf wars. We are proud that AARP Chapter 5239 recognizes veterans living here in LOW who contributed their own unique stories to our nation’s history and has made their information available to a broader audience.If you are interested in learning more about the Veteran’s History Project, you can log onto www.loc.gov/vets and access the interviews.