Delta Kappa Gamma Alpha Upsilon held its March meeting at Russellville First Baptist Church.  Preparing the delicious refreshments were co-hostesses Barbara Ayers, Barbara Cain, Judy Evett, Sandra Guinn and Karen Townsend. Assisting with serving were Debbie Beason, Judy Baker, Brenda Oliver and myself.

Cheri McCain, vice president, presided at the meeting. Debbie Beason, secretary, gave the Inspirational Thought.

A very interesting program on Alabama birds was presented by Dianne Pace.

A handout with information about backyard birds common to Russellville was given to each club member. This information included pictures of the birds, size, color, what they eat, how to feed them, their nest and the type of birdhouse that attracts them.

Dianne also brought some of her paintings of birds. One of her favorites is the House Wren. She said they are friendly birds, territorial and noisy all year long. They enjoy nesting in wreaths, flower pots, baskets and open containers in garages and carports. They eat insects, spiders, other tiny animals and suet or bread crumbs from a feeder.

They love freeze-dried mealy worms in the winter and have been known to invade containers of these delicacies if they know where they are stored. They are very smart birds!

At the close of Dianne’s presentation, she gave each member a bag of items such cotton balls, feathers, paper, straw and more that birds use for making their nests. She demonstrated how to use a piece of mesh to enclose these items and hang them in a tree. As time goes by, watch how the birds will gather the items they need to build their nest.

A shoutout was given to Beverly Donaldson, Alpha Upsilon/District I, for reading to a class of kindergarteners during Read Across America Week. A DKG Alabama past president, Beverly also gave each kindergartener a Dr. Seuss book.

Cheri shared that the DKG Alabama president’s project for this biennium is Eagles’ Wings, a non-profit agency that provides day habilitation and residential services for adults with developmental disabilities.

Eagles’ Wings provide a wide array of services that are individualized to meet each person’s unique emotional, physical, social, spiritual and vocational needs. They are committed to promoting and protecting individual rights of people.

Their primary objective is centered on happiness and independence for each individual in a respectful, secure and person-centered environment, which maximizes potential for independence, productivity and integration with the surrounding community.