Highland Lakes Women’s Club holds first meeting of new fiscal year

The Highland Lakes Women's Club held its first meeting of the 2017-2018 fiscal year on Oct. 3, 2017 at the home of Lori Gronek.   

Club President Teresa Pfefferkorn kicked off the meeting with a special presentation of the new "Highland Lakes Good Samaritan Award.” Two very special guests were the first recipients of the award, which is designed to honor Highland Lakes neighbors who go out of their way to be Good Samaritans.

Rick Ogden was recognized for his generous actions that resulted in Bob Browning (who attended the meeting and provided a humorous account of the incident) recovering his cell phone and tablet after they slid off the top of his car at the intersection of Highland Lakes Drive and U.S. 280. Rick “chased” Bob and his wife for several miles to ensure they got their electronic devices (along with credit cards and paperwork). Rick said that “Anyone would have done the same thing" but we think he's pretty special and a great neighbor.

Jack Little was instrumental in getting Jamie, a stray dog that was found in Highland Lakes, cleaned up, healthy and living happily in a forever home earlier in 2017. He generously shared his honor with a number of Highland Lakes residents as well as the Shelby County Humane Society.

The club also selected Hand in Paw as the charitable organization to be supported this year. Members are excited to partner with this wonderful group whose mission is "to improve human health and well-being through Animal-Assisted Therapy."

Therapy dog Lucy along with her handlers, Mary and Helen Macher, visited with members to provide an overview of the program and give personal testimony about its effectiveness. HLWC donations will help Hand in Paw reach more people in need — more than 100 sites are on their waiting list — and provide training for therapy dogs. Several opportunities for neighbors to support this wonderful charity will be available this year.

The next meeting will be held at Cat 'n Bird winery in Chelsea on Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. Membership is open to residents of Highland Lakes subdivision in North Shelby County. If you are a resident and want more information about the club and the neighborhood, check out our website at highlandlakeswc.com. 

-Submitted by Lynette Clemmons