The Roanoke Valley Republican Women met at the Vinton War Memorial on September 19 for business and an ice cream social. The event was organized by Mildred Scott, with ice cream courtesy of Katie’s Ice Cream. Scott says the organization is 41 years old; she has been a member for over 25.

Thirty-five members attended the meeting. David Wells, who is running to become Salem’s sheriff, was the guest speaker.

In the business meeting, the women voted to make contributions to local Republicans running for office, including Chris Head, Greg Habeeb, and Jason Peters. They then stepped outside to the ice cream truck for a treat.

Members of the William Byrd High School Elephant Club, including Ana Boush, Kayland Bond, and Abby Spotswood, were also in attendance along with their sponsor, Ruth Overfelt. Overfelt said that the club evolved from a discussion about politics she and Boush had a couple of years ago and really took shape around the time of the 2016 elections.

The Elephant Club does community service as well as talk politics. They organize holiday parties at the Virginia Veterans Care Center, and distribute goodie bags to local first responders, in addition to working the phones and the polls at election time.