Contents

January Luncheon

From the President

GEM

Holiday Luncheon Photos

Grapevine: News and Notes about WEC Members

Book Club

Cannon Circle

PACE

WEC Board of Directors

Luncheons and Board Meetings

January Luncheon

Date: Time:	January Luncheon Thursday, January 18, 2006 11:30 Networking 12:00 Luncheon
Place:	Tower Club, 28th floor One Financial Plaza in theRegions Bank Building Click here for directions
Program:	Panel of speakers from the Memorial West Breast Cancer Center
Guest Cost:	Guest Cost: $25.00 Members are responsible for guest
Menu:	Traditional style lasagna Broiled tilapia with lime yogurt sauce Fresh fruit plate with cottage cheese Coconut cake
RSVP to:	Please RSVP (including your menu choice) by Monday, January 15 to rsvp@wecftl.com We appreciate your RSVPs! To assist Susie administratively, please put “WEC Lunch” in the subject line.

From the President

We held our annual Holiday Lunch at the Lauderdale Yacht Club on Friday December 15th in a beautiful outdoor pavilion beside the pool. 80 members and their guests attended the lunch and were entertained by a delightful jazz duo playing saxophone and guitar. Our entertainment was arranged by Pam Dearden and the Gold Coast Jazz Society. The food and wine were delicious and the gift exchange was enjoyed by all.

At our Holiday lunch, many gifts were collected for the girls of PACE, so many infact that Kathleen Ryan who is a new WEC member and who works for PACE could barely squeeze them all into her car. We also collected many unwrapped childrens toys for Family Central. Thank you everyone who donated a gift to PACE or Family Central.

Also in December Betsy Grant (Never Underestimate the Power of a Flower!!) hosted a very well attended Cannon Circle at her home. Champagne flowed and everyone who attended got into the holiday mood. More on that event below.

Early in January, the Book Club will meet at the home of Jan Bullard on Monday January 8th. Details of the chosen book and directions to Jan’s home are below.

On Thursday January 18th we will return to the Tower Club for our monthly lunch when we will hear a panel of speakers from the Memorial West Breast Cancer Center. Members of the panel will be Genie Brodsky, Dr. Perez and Felicia Bell who will speak about the work of the Center and their particular roles.

I look forward to seeing all of you at our January events. Thanks, Vivien

Holiday Luncheon Photos

GEM

Cliff’s Notes – No, that’s Emily’s notes:

Reviewing for new and old members some parts of WEC you might not be familiar with, this month it’s GEM Events.

GEM stands for Greet, Eat, Meet, and happens about every two months when members who want to participate get together for breakfast, lunch, drinks, dinner with three, four, or five other members.  It’s an opportunity to know each other; our companies, our experiences, our stories, better.  Old friends catch up, new acquaintances become friends. 

An e-mail is sent announcing the new groups and group leaders, followed by an e-mail or phone call from the group leader proposing several dates, times and a location or two.  Make your choice and reply; the leader announces the results.  It’s only courteous to stay in touch if your plans have to change as sometimes they must. 

If you want to participate and haven’t received the January announcement in your e-mail, it’s not too late!  Just e-mail Emily Rushin at wisemily@bellsouth.net .  It’s fun!

The Executive Grapevine: news and notes about WEC members.

Toby Manke Writes:
I wanted to let everyone know that on November 1 I became a grandma for the first time! My new granddaughter's name is Sydney Gwinn Burgess and she is just adorable (of course!).  I was up in D.C. helping my daughter for a couple of weeks, and am now looking forward to my next trip up, over New Year's weekend!

Melissa Rapkin submitted:
Femmes en Democratie in conjunction with the Florida International Volunteer Corps (FAVACA) is looking for people interested in participating in an international economic development mission.

Femmes en Democratie presents the fourth annual Haitian Arts and Handicrafts Exposé May 5-7, 2007.

FAVACA and Femmes en Democratie are looking for small business owners, buyers, retailers, and importers/exporters to participate in an art exposé taking place in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.  Femmes en Democratie is an all women’s group who produce and sell Haitian Arts and Crafts and who desire to expand their enterprise.  It is their hope that individuals, groups, and business representatives from throughout the state of Florida will become partners and affiliates by regularly importing their wares.

The Florida International Volunteer Corps will sponsor those interested by paying for the airfare, hotel, transportation and meals.

If you are interested and would like to know more information regarding this flyer, please contact and send a resume to:

Chris Beyer
FAVACA Program Coordinator
1310 North Paul Russell Road
Tallahassee, Fl 32301
850-922-9854 (office)
850-922-4849 (fax)
Chris@Favaca.org
www.Favaca.org

Book Club

WEC's Bookies will meet on Monday, January 8, 2007, at Jan Bullard's home, 157 SW 127 Avenue, Plantation 33325. , cell 954-448-4822.

We're reading "Dreams From my Father" by Barack Obama.  New WEC faces are always welcome!  Just read the book, RSVP to Jan and bring a dish to share.

Cannon Circle

Please join us Thursday January 25th at 6:00 pm for food and fun with your fellow members and host Jenny Kelly at Ritter’s Printing.

1660 W. McNab Rd.
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33309
954-771-7204

Directions: From downtown, take I-95 (or Andrews Ave.) north to Cypress Creek. Turn right on Andrews Ave. Turn left on McNab Rd….go past Powerline Rd. We are on the left (south) side. Please be aware that the north side of the street is Pompano Beach and the numbers are not in sequence with the south side. We are approximately 1 mile west of Powerline. You will need to go past our building and do a U-turn. There is plenty of parking out front.

December Cannon Circle:

Dec 20th arrived,and the Cannon Circle party people arrived at the home of the party girl Betsy Grant and a few hundred small snow people. The snow men and snow women all over the house were waiting and listening for the party to begin.

The champagne was chilled, the lasagna aroma floated through the air. The bright little lites twinkled and shone as the party people did their thing. The champagne warm the hour late the snowmen and snow woman about to melt. All of the party girls tried but elated left  with  the feeling of the season and good cheer. Each with a beautiful gift. A heart full of glee and long stem pink rose whoses meaning is joy. The stars twinkled and all was right in the world of the wec party girls.

PACE for Girls

A Special Thank You from PACE Center for Girls Broward

It is amazing what WEC’s partnership with PACE has brought to the girls of PACE in 2006. First and foremost, over 45 girls have had an opportunity to attend a ”power” lunch at the Tower Club.  For many of the girls, the WEC luncheon was their first elegant dining experience and first interaction with women leaders in a diversity of professions.   The girls love being WEC’s guests and consistently rate the luncheons as their favorite field trip. 

Throughout the year WEC members have showered the girls with gifts.  Your donations help supply the Incentive cabinet which the girls visit each Friday. The girls work hard to earn points to acquire the journals, jewelry, gift cards, candles, purses, shoes, cosmetics, toiletries and other items in the Incentive cabinet.

At the end of the year, you were extraordinarily generous in your holiday donations to PACE Broward. You know what girls like! Your gifts helped fill 80 large gift bags with exciting and thoughtful gifts.  The girls are still talking about the “great stuff” in their gift bags.

The girls also know that WEC members support the PACE program though contributions and participation in special events. Several of the girls who have attended a WEC luncheon were impressed to see many WEC members at the “Believing In Girls” luncheon on December 1. With your generous sponsorships and contributions at the luncheon, WEC members helped raise $100,000 in funding for the academic, counseling, and vocational services for the girls.

WEC’s partnership with PACE Broward has generated an inspirational influence on the girls and a sustaining impact on program services.  From all the PACE team:  Board of Directors, staff and especially the girls, THANK YOU for welcoming the girls to your luncheons and into your hearts. 

Kathleen Ryan

WEC Board of Directors
2006-2007

President, Vivien Godfrey

Past President, Ronnie Karlin
Nominating Committee
Canon Circles
Business Showcases

VP Finance, Dorothy Eisenberg
Budget
Dues collection

VP Corporate Records, Cynthia Hardy
Corporate Records
Historian
By-Laws Committee

VP Internal Involvement, Joanne Dee
Programs Committee
Greetings Committee
Newsletter
Book Club

VP Membership, Marilynn Obrig
Membership Committee
Membership Luncheon
Directory
Webmaster

All contact information is available for WEC members on our Members Only website. If you are a member and you don't have a name and password, you can contact Chris Guld for more information.

2006-07 Luncheon and Board Meeting Dates

Next Board Meeting:
Tuesday Jan 9th, at 9.15 am at Bluewater Books and Charts 1811 Cordova Rd, Ft Lauderdale FL 33316

Luncheons:
January 18 Thursday
February 14 Wednesday
March 21 Wednesday
April 26 Thursday
May 15 Tuesday
June 19 Tuesday

Membership Attendance: