Greetings from Nevada Rainbow
By: Shelby Freidhof, Grand Worthy Advisor
On June 18th, 2023, the streets of our storybook grand cleared as A CIRCUS pulled
into the square! No one could believe their eyes or ears to the sound of trumpets and
batons twirling as they pulled up the circus tent! Nevada Rainbows’ 90th year started
with a BANG as our new ring leader, Shelby, introduced her circus.
So, ladies and gentlemen, fasten your seatbelts because you’re about to embark on a
thrilling adventure that will transport you to a place where dreams come to life, and the
extraordinary is just an ordinary day at the circus. Welcome to the Grandest Show
under the Rainbow!
When we were not running around our circus and carnival, we were spending time with
our veterans and redefining our own meaning of patriotism. In the circus, we met all
kinds of different Barbies and even looked into the mysteries of who stole the pot of
gold.
I want to invite everyone to Nevada Grand Assembly held June 14-16 in Las Vegas,
Nevada! It will be a time of joy, laughter, and maybe a few tears, but most importantly,
sisterhood. I am sharing a quote that inspired this theme: Make the journey
unforgettable. The destination might be necessary, but your decisions and the paths
you take impact your life the most.
Greetings from Oregon Rainbow
By: Maleah Hill, Grand Worthy Advisor
Hello California Rainbow!
Oregon Rainbow is having a super year so far! We are working towards our goal of $10,000 for Our Children Oregon! A non-profit striving to help students in Oregon amidst a literacy crisis creating disadvantages for families across the state. Growth is our super power! Oregon Rainbow is working to “Build-A-Bow” in each assembly. We hope to gain seven new members in each assembly, and with most assemblies averaging five-seven active members all we have to do is bring a friend to Rainbow. We are positively Marvelous when it comes to service! Our service hour goal is 700 hours across the whole state. Many of our members take that challenge and provide service in their schools, homes, and community. Our Service project this year goes hand-in-hand with our non-profit as we are working to engage students in active reading, and participation with book drives at Libraries all over the state. Knowledge and reading is our Super Power! We hope to meet all of these goals by Grand Assembly, October 11-13th 2024!
Greetings from Washington/Idaho Rainbow
By: Malyia Williams, Grand Worthy Advisor
Hello California Rainbow! My name is Malyia and I’m currently Grand Worthy in
Washington/Idaho. A little info about me is that i have been in rainbow since i was 13 years old
so I’ve been in rainbow for a total of 7 years! I held two grand offices before being GWA which
where Grand Associate Drill Leader in 2022 and Grand Faith and 2023. My theme for the year
is “Go Beyond Your Limits And Shoot For The Stars” which is a space theme! and our service
project is Family Promise which is an organization that helps families that are experiencing homelessness. This Grand Year Washington/Idaho is hoping to strengthen our connections with our rainbow sisters not only in our own jurisdiction but also with our rainbow sisters in other jurisdictions. Im so excited visit California Rainbow at your Grand Assembly in March!
With All My Washington Idaho Rainbow Love, Grand Worthy Advisor Malyia Williams
Greetings from Virginia Rainbow
By: Alyssa Kiffer, Grand Worthy Advisor
Hello California Rainbow! My name is Alyssa Kiffer and I am so honored to be serving as the
Grand Worthy Advisor of Virginia Rainbow for the 2023-2024 Grand Year. I am thrilled to be returning to California this year, as I was a member of Petaluma-Marin Assembly! I was initiated on April 9, 2017 at California’s Grand Assembly, which was my mother’s 20-year Grand Officer reunion (she was Grand Confidential Observer in 1997).
A little about me… I am 18 years old and a senior in high school. I do not yet know where I will
be attending college, but I hope to major in Music Education and/or Global Studies. I am originally
from the west coast (I was born in the Seattle area), but I have lived in Virginia for well over half of my life. I currently reside in Manassas, which any history lovers may know from the First and Second
Battles of Bull Run in the American Civil War. I have been with Manassas Assembly since I joined their Pledge group in 2013 and served as Worthy Advisor during the height of the pandemic. In 2019-2020, I had the honor of serving as the Grand Representative from Virginia to California and had an absolute blast attending all of your virtual events. Here in Virginia, the Grand Worthy Associate Advisor advances to Grand Worthy Advisor the following year. I had the immense honor of being appointed GWAA at the 2022 Grand Assembly and planned my term during junior year of high school.
My theme for this Grand Year is “Navigating Life’s Journey”, which centers around the
challenges and milestones in one’s life and how we navigate them. In addition to learning crucial life
skills and developing further as leaders to aid us in our journeys, our “Awesome Opossum” Grand
Officers have also been navigating around the Commonwealth to enjoy many of the natural wonders
of Virginia. Another reason for choosing this term theme was to acknowledge how my Rainbow
journey has taken me across the country, and my appreciation for how each jurisdiction I have been a
part of has truly impacted the Rainbow girl that I am today. That is why I chose the Virginia Dogwood,
the California Poppy, and the Washington Rhododendron as my term flowers, to symbolize the
impact that each jurisdiction has had on shaping my Rainbow journey. This year, we are supporting
Stomp Out Bullying as our Grand Charity and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention as our
Grand Service Project, two organizations that are very near and dear to my heart. Although the topics
have been difficult for me to speak on so many times, if even one young girl, who is going through the
same things I have endured, can hear my message and find hope to keep going, I can feel that I have
truly made a difference. My most prominent goal for this term is to bring light to those who may need
it the most and to show our Rainbow love and support to sisters who may feel as if they are alone.
In closing, I cordially invite each and every one of you to attend our “Navigating Life’s Journey”
Sessions of the Grand Assembly of Virginia from June 28-30, 2024 in Harrisonburg, Virginia, located in
the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. We would absolutely love to see you there!
Representative Reports – Connecticut & Rhode Island
By: Merissa S., Dean of the Grand Cross of Color and Representative to Connecticut & Rhode Island
mRepresentative Reports – Maryland & West Virginia
By: Ameryn L., Grand Recorder and Representative to Maryland & West Virginia
Representative Reports – Alaska & Hawaii
By: Cassie Ray W., Grand Fidelity and Representative to Alaska & Hawaii
Representative Reports – Washington/Idaho
By: Natalie S., Grand Charity, Assistant Editor and Representative to Washington/Idaho
The Frisky Frogs Celebrate their 50 Year Reunion!!!
By: Lucetta O’Brian Kappers
Let’s travel back in time…waaay back. The year is 1973, it is Spring. Hair is long or big or both. Wardrobe of choice is bell bottoms and granny gowns. The music you hear is probably ‘Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree’, or maybe ‘Big Bad Leroy Brown’. There are 12,347 Rainbow Girls in CA.
Focus on Fresno, CA, where Grand Assembly is underway. Rainbow Girls from all over CA have gathered and are anxious to learn who their new Grand Officers will be for the next Grand Year. One by one, Supreme Deputy, Barbara Campbell, calls each new Grand Officer. Dazed and surprised, each of the 80 new Grand Officers made their way to the floor to meet their Grandie and their Froggie mascot. Our new GWA would be Susan Berry from Angels Camp Assembly. We would be known as the Frisky Frogs with our new Supreme Deputy, Bernice Dyck.
And so, a year of travels in our violet travel dresses trimmed with Peter Pan collars and frog appliques and accompanied by our Froggie mascots and “Tadpoles” (Trailers) began. What was it like? Well, gas was 40 cents a gallon. Susan, our GWA, had this to say: “Years ago, we traveled the state of CA with no GPS, no cell phone, no email and no texting. At least we weren’t on covered wagons! What we did have was long-distance phone calls from a real phone (landline) or from a phone booth, for which actual coin money was needed. We had paper maps and mimeographed correspondence sent via snail mail and frisky excitement for our Grand year!”
Our Grand Service project was the NorthStar school for youth called “Star of Hope” with a motto of “Loneliness Hurts; Love Heals”. Our goal was to raise $8,000.00 to help add a new wing. We traveled to 88 OVs, visiting girls in 248 assemblies in 80 districts. At each OV. Susan would sing an original song and play her guitar. 45 RPM vinyls were sold for a dollar each to support our Grand Service project. Side 1 was “Sing a Song of Happiness” and side 2 was “Star of Hope”. Sometimes we would hear “Who Can Paint a Rainbow”.
We were probably the only group of Grand Officers to enter a frog in the “Frog Jumping Jubilee” in Angels Camp. We also got to meet Mrs. Mac (Florence Macdonald), whose husband wrote many of the marches still in use today. We were honored to be the last appointees by “BC” (Barbara Campbell), and proud to be the First Grandies for “Sweet Bernice”( Bernice Dyck). Incidentally, the Past Grand Officer database was started by Bernice Dyck!
In those days, an assembly might go 3-5 years between Grand Officers. The only office to repeat would be Assistant Grand Editor-who would become the new Grand Editor. Grand Assembly rotated between several cities, including Sacramento, Long Beach, and Fresno.
As our year wound down, the time for our Grand Assembly approached. We would be the first Grand Assembly held at the Anaheim Convention Center. We Entered the Grand Assembly room in our violet dresses with blue flowers, and purple sashes. Nothing could have prepared us for the sound of 7,680 guests cheering us on. Wow! All that practice sure paid off, as we made formation after formation!
There were 50 Confidential Observer helpers, nicknamed the Starlets, looking lovely in their turquoise dresses. 11 of these ladies would go on to become Minnies.
The invocation was given by the Director of North Star, Dr. Mansdorfer. He had recently been in Washington DC and presented Susan a plaque with the Great Seal of the US.
Shortly after our Grand Assembly, several Frogs once again donned their travel dresses and headed to North Star, where the final check for our Grand Service Project would be presented. We were so proud to be able to present $18,100.00! Not only did we exceed our goal, but this was enough to fully cover cost of the wing with change to spare! In terms of 2024 dollars, that amount was equivalent to approximately $112,660.51.
Susan was presented with a plaque expressing appreciation to CA Rainbow for the new wing. The students at the school also gave her a 16” tall miniature grandfather clock. Thus, our Frisky year came to an end, but, not the friendships, and not the memories.
This is the year we celebrate 50 years of Friskiness. Yes, we have lost some of our sisters along the way. They are dearly remembered, and they are missed. And yes, we have changed—but inside each of us will always be the heart of a Rainbow Girl—and that Frisky Grand Officer! Here’s to many more years of Friskiness!
