Celebrate AltrUSa! was the theme for the 53rd annual District Five Conference held April 25-27 in Akron. The Marion Altrusa club, one of 30 clubs in District Five which is comprised of Ohio and the lower peninsula of Michigan, walked off with three awards at the conference.

The club captured first place for the Mary Shanks Award which is for the best yearbook which was compiled by Roselynn Fullmer, Brenda Donegan and Tammy Kelly and printed by Laipply’s Quickprint. The club also received a check for $25 for the club coffers.

The Ruth B. Emmons Award is given annually for the best newsletter. The Marion club received third place in this award. Roselynn Fullmer is the editor and designer of the club newsletter, The Blotter.

The club received a third place award for the Letha H. Brown Best Literacy Project. The entry as composed by Donegan was the group’s GED (Graduate Equivalency Diploma) reception held annually at Harding High School for those adults — who for one reason or another did not or could not due to circumstances complete their high school education with their assigned class.

The project, Donegan wrote, started in 1980 when the club was approached by the Marion City Schools and asked to participate in awards ceremony honoring the participants of their adult program and their families. To do so, the club baked cookies, brownies and other pastries, made punch, set up decorated tables and served more than 500 people.