Please allow us to introduce Karen Hay, Queen Mum of the R.O.B.I.N.S. of Glen Arm. She’s been happily married to her husband, Bill, for 28 years and is the proud mother of 3 phenomenal children – Michael, Will & Erica. She wears many hats (aside from her Red one, of course) as President of Insurance Budget Services, Inc. (a premium finance company), as Proprietor of Sweet Talkin, (custom greeting cards and novelties designs), as an insurance agent, an accountant, as the proprietor and the chef of The Culinary Objective (catering), a support person for her husband’s businesses, and she is actively involved in her church.

Since 1981, she has worked out of her home office so that she could be a stay-at-home mom for her children. When her two youngest children went off to college, the demands on her time changed dramatically. She realized she was a middle-aged, empty-nester with a definite void in her life. While visiting a Cracker Barrel gift shop one day, she ran across the book, “Red Hat Society – Fun & Friendship After Fifty”. This was to be Karen’s first introduction to the R.H.S. philosophy that life can indeed get better as we get older but only if we take the time to re-learn how to play. She began to actively search for a local Red Hat chapter to which she might join. To her disappointment, she soon discovered those chapters in her area were at full member capacity and were not accepting any new members. Karen was also discovering just how important the Red Hat movement had become to women all over. Shortly thereafter, she applied for a R.H.S. charter to begin a brand new chapter. In November, 2004, the R.O.B.I.N.S. of Glen Arm (an anagram for “Royal Order of Babes Into Nonsensical Silliness”) was officially hatched and Karen donned a new hat - A CROWN, as the R.O.B.I.N.S.’ Queen Mum. Our first gathering held in January, 2005, was a pajama party attended by 12 new R.O.B.I.N.S. Ten months and many activities later, we find our present membership rapidly approaching 40 members.

Being a Red Hat Society member has given Karen the opportunity to take some well deserved time for herself, to make many new friendships and strengthen old ones, and to enjoy a variety of fun activities in the company of her Red-Hatted comrades. Our newsletter and other special projects afford her ample opportunities to challenge her creative abilities as well. She has thoroughly enjoyed her first year as Queen Mum and she indubitably looks forward to many future years of merriment with a full nest of fellow R.O.B.I.N.S. and making red feathers fly !!!

Favorite quotations:

• Choose friends that see you beyond your outer beauty or else one day you will be a lonely person.
  
• If you need something done, give it to a busy person.
  
• Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.