The Rotary Club of Butler recently made donations to several local organizations.Proceeds from the recent Election Day Rotary Pancake Festival, totaling $7,300 were donated to Lifesteps. Of the proceeds, $3,595 was raised through donations and ticket purchases by Rotary members.The Butler Arts Council received a donation of $1,198.05 for its "Building for the Arts" capital campaign. The money for the donation was raised through the Rotary's raffle of two tickets to New York City to see the Rockettes Christmas Show.The Rotary Club also donated $2,500 in food vouchers to The Butler County Community Action and Development Office. The $10 vouchers will be distributed to families using Butler County Food Cupboards and can be used to purchase food at area grocery stores.During its recent board meeting, the

Mental Health Association in Butler County elected officers for 2006.The board president is

Kenneth Blair. Offices of first and second vice president went to

Robert Ubinger and

Shirley Dunbar, respectively. The secretary is

Irv Kuhr and the position of treasurer will be shared by

Dorothy Kriley and

Carol Green.The board also announced Leo Smith as a new member of the board of directors.

The John Roebling Historic Saxonburg Society has announced that

Patti Doty of Renfrew is the winner of the "Houses of Saxonburg" quilt raffle held during the recent Saxonburg Light-Up Night.The quilt was created with help by state Sen. Don White, R-41st, Mayor Brian Antoszyk, former Mayor Reldon Cooper, District Justice Sue Haggerty, council President William Gillespie and reporter Liz Hayes

Barbara Pabst of Evans City and

Barbara Vickerman of Zelienople were installed for three-year terms on the board of directors of Historic Harmony during the organization's annual Christmas dinner on Tuesday.Pabst, an incumbent director, is co-owner of Pabst Blue Ribbon Farms and Pabst Blue Ribbon Antiques and is a retired Rockwell International executive secretary.Vickerman, a retired dairy farmer, succeeds two-term director Helen Oliverio of Zelienople, who did not seek re-election.Officers are president and chief executive John Ruch of Jackson Township; vice president Cathryn Rape, mayor of Harmony; secretary Samuel Regal of Zelienople, and treasurer Joseph White of Harmony.Other continuing directors are Tim Shaffer of Prospect; Eleanor Wise of Jackson Township; John L. Wise III of Center Township, and Joan Szakelyhidi of Harmony.

Betsy Stowe of Slippery Rock has received the international Cat Writers' Association (CWA) Muse Medallion Award.Stowe was announced winner of the award at the 2005 CWA communication contest awards banquet on Nov. 19 in Foster City, Calif. The event was part of the annual CWA Professional Conference.At last year's conference, Stowe won five awards for her poetry and photography gift book, "Calico Tales and Others."In addition, Stowe has poems in two new books "Christmas Cats: A Literary Companion" and "Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul.""Calico Tales and Others," is sold at several locations around Butler County or by calling 877-BUYBOOK. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each book goes to support animal shelters.Winners at the Butler Duplicate Bridge Club Game held Dec. 8 were:

George Cross and

Lorraine Worsley,

Lynn Rafferty and

Alexander Bealles,

Robert Freemon and

Nicholas Tredennick,

Polly Black and

Alan Martin,

Raymond Kramer and

William Frank and

Marie Crape and

Phyllis Park.