On September 17, 2020,  St. Augustine Altrusans gathered at the Ponce de Leon Fountain of Youth to honor Altrusan members who have given so generously of their time over the past many years. The members were honored with the planting of a beautiful magnolia tree – a tree so appropriate of our location on Magnolia Avenue in St. Augustine.

These are the words that our President, Eileen Holden used in the dedication of the tree; “In April, 1959 a group of women organized the Altrusa Club of St. Augustine. The women continued to meet and the ultimately became chartered three years later in April, 1962.

With a focus on patriotism and literacy, Altrusans have continually served St. Augustine by volunteering thousands of hours and sometimes even blood, sweat, and tears to make our community a better place in which to live.

Here we are sixty-one years later and now we have men working alongside women giving unselfishly of their time and  money to the residents of this beautiful city.

This tree is being planted to honor all Altrusans for their dedication and service. The tree symbolizes longevity, tranquility, and life itself. Trees take many years of growth to reach their version of adulthood. Trees provide shade as well as shelter for birds and small animals and add much to the appearance of the landscape.

May this tree grow to be strong and live long!”

Altrusa would like to thank Ponce de Leon’s Fountain of Youth and Altrusan Brian Bowman for their help with this dedication.