2010 FEBRUARY Newsletter

Note: The Calendar of Events now has its own page.  Click on Calendar in the Top Menu.

Contents

• February Luncheon
• From the President
• Grapevine: News and Notes about WEC Members
• Book Club
• Cannon Circle
• GEM
• WEC Table and Reservation Policies
• Closing Thought
• WEC Board of Directors
• Luncheon Dates
• Membership Attendance

FEBRUARY Luncheon: HAppy Fat TUESDAY!

Date: Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Time: 11:30 Networking
          12:00 Luncheon

Place: Tower Club, 28th floor
         One Financial Plaza in the Regions Bank Building
           Click here for directions

Program Speaker: J.R. Steele, M.S., Professor, Barry University

Topic: I’d Rather Pull My Nails Out Than Give a Public Speech

Guest Cost: $30. Members are responsible for Guests.

Menu:

Beef Stroganoff served over egg noodles
or
Fresh Half-Pineapple layered with fresh seasonal fruit and served with cottage cheese

Save room for dessert:  Chocolate Cake

RSVP to:

Please RSVP (including your menu choice) to rsvp@wecftl.com
We appreciate your RSVPs! To assist Suzie administratively, please put “WEC Lunch” in the subject line. Guests can pay below with credit card or Paypal. Checks or cash only at the door:

Guest Payments and Reservations

Quote:

I am like a falling star who has finally found her place next to another in a lovely constellation, where we will sparkle in the heavens forever. ~AMY TAN

Guest Speaker

Jennifer Renee “J.R.” Steele, M.S.

A thought-provoking, motivational presenter who is passionate about helping others maximize their potential through communication

Since 1988, J.R. Steele has been helping individuals, as well as public and private organizations develop, produce and deliver messages.  She began her journey as a communications specialist in high school competing on a state and nationally recognized Speech and Debate Team.  In college, she was contracted as a national speaker by the federal government as part of the Office of Substance Abuse and Prevention (OSAP) National Prevention Implementation Program.  She was the National Student Director for Positive Moves (d.b.a. Campuses Without Drugs, Inc.) where she worked with authors like Peggy Mann and Gabriel Nahas to develop educational programs for high school and college students.  During her years with Positive Moves, she was responsible for managing representatives throughout the world conducting various workshops to develop communication skills, improve community networking, and increase leadership abilities.

In 1993, she joined the Environmental Training Fund where she nurtured and managed over twenty regional training centers throughout the country.  During her tenure, she spearheaded the development of the lead based paint abatement curriculum and obtained certification from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and over thirty individual State governments to train these regulated courses.  As a result, she was invited to participate and speak at several state and national conferences on preventing lead based paint poisoning.

J.R. is an accomplished video producer who specializes in producing all elements of award ceremonies.  Her skills are often called upon by organizations like the International Swimming Hall of Fame, International Game Fish Association World Fishing Hall of Fame and Museum and the Olympic Club to name a few.  At these ceremonies, she has worked with honorees and/or award recipients in the delivery of their acceptance speeches.  Some of the individuals she has coached include: John Rodstrom, Broward County Commissioner; Jim Moran and daughter Pat Moran, JM Family Enterprises; Buddy Epsen, Actor/Entertainer; E. Clay Shaw, US Senator; Buddy Bucha, Congressional Medal of Honor recipient; Donna de Verona, Television Commentator;  Paul Tsongas, US Senator;  Kurt Gowdy, Television Sports Commentator;  Ted Williams, Baseball Great;  Greg Louganis, Olympic Gold Medalist/Motivational Speaker;  Mark Spitz, Olympic Gold Medalist/Motivational Speaker; and Diana Niad, Radio Commentator.

In 1999, J.R. decided to focus on teaching young people.  She founded a Speech and Debate team at Plantation High School and produced a daily, morning television show for an audience of over three thousand students and staff.  She was also the drama director for the production of Annie, supporting a cast of over sixty students.

Today, she teaches communication courses, primarily public speaking at Barry University and Broward College.  As well, she consults with corporations like American Express and Aimco creating multimedia courses as a lead instructional designer.  She studied communications at the University of Pittsburgh, obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Business from Nova Southeastern University and a Master of Science degree in Communications from Ithaca College with several courses deriving from Cornell Johnson School of Management.  She is involved in her community volunteering with various organizations like American Cancer Society, Hollywood Art and Culture Center and sits on the board of the Broward Chapter of NAWBO as programming chair.

From the President

Hard to believe we’re already halfway into our year. I’m looking forward to great speakers and events over the next few months. My year so far as president has been a pleasure thanks to the participation of our members and your dedicated board.

We had a fabulous time at Emily Rushin’s home at the January Cannon Circle she co-hosted with Deb McLaughlin. What a slice of tropical paradise! Speedy recovery from your rotator cuff surgery, Emily.

At our January luncheon we heard Miami Herald columnist Cindy Krischer Goodman discuss work/life balance in the digital age. There were quite a few questions and comments from our members on dealing with client calls and emails after hours. Ronnie Halpern showed us how she transforms her clients homes with her interior design magic.

We had a great turnout at the February Pace event held at Allied Kitchens. The food was delicious and money and toiletries were collected to benefit Pace. Thank you to Susan Kingsley and Connie Cheney for organizing.

At our February meeting, Barry University Professor, J.R. Steele, M.S. will share with us: “I’d rather pull my nails out than give a public speech”. Liz Mendel will be presenting the business showcase.

Upcoming events include the February 23^rd Cannon Circle at Dee Moustakas’ home, co-hosted with Diane Hickey and Bonnie Unsworth. Please be on the lookout for our March membership meeting information….we hope to have a great turnout but need you to invite prospective members. See you this week!

Jenny Kelly

The Executive Grapevine: News and Notes About WEC Members

Click on the link to read all the great news about WEC members.  This is the best part of the newsletter … don’t miss it.  Click now!

Read all about the exciting adventures of our WEC members in our new blog! Feel free to comment on any post that strikes your fancy!

Read the Grapevine, news and notes about our members …

Book Club

We welcome all members to join us for our next Book Club meeting on February 22 where we will discuss the book, "A Reliable Wife" by Robert Goolrick.  The group will meet at Edie Hoppe’s home at 6:30 p.m.  Those attending are asked to bring a dish to share and she will provide beverages.  She lives in a condominium at 5749 Camino Del Sol #402, Boca Raton, so please call (561-504-9108) or e-mail her (ekhoppe@mac.com) if you are coming, so she can notify the gate attendant.

Directions:  From I-95 take exit #44 for Palmetto Park Road and head west for 0.5 mi. At the traffic light turn left onto Military Trail and head south for 0.5 mi.  At the traffic light, turn right onto Camino Real and head west for 0.5 mi.  Turn left at Camino Del Mar and head south for 0.2 mi.  Take the second left onto Camino Del Sol in 0.2 mi. and check in with the guard at the gate. My condo, 5749, is the 5th right turn.  Guest parking is immediately to the left of the turn into her condo building.  Take the elevator to the 4th floor and turn left to get to #402.

Here is B&N’s synopsis:

He placed a notice in a Chicago paper, an advertisement for "a reliable wife." She responded, saying that she was "a simple, honest woman." She was, of course, anything but honest, and the only simple thing about her was her single-minded determination to marry this man and then kill him, slowly and carefully, leaving her a wealthy widow, able to take care of the one she truly loved.

What Catherine Land did not realize was that the enigmatic and lonely Ralph Truitt had a plan of his own. And what neither anticipated was that they would fall so completely in love.
Filled with unforgettable characters, and shimmering with color and atmosphere, A Reliable Wife is an enthralling tale of love and madness, of longing and murder.

###

All WEC members are invited to become “bookies”, where women meet in each other’s homes once a month to share in the love of books. Please contact Emily Rushin at wisemily@bellsouth.net or Deb McLaughlin at dmclaughlin@duncancenter.org for more information about WEC’s monthly book club meetings.

Cannon Circle

Along with the monthly luncheons, members also get together in a more informal atmosphere during the year. These evening socials are called “Cannon Circles” and are hosted at members’ homes or businesses.  The Cannon Circle is named for Past President Shirley Cannon who was known for her gracious and uplifting spirit.

The next Cannon Circle will be held at Dee Moustakas’ home on February 23rd, and will be co-hosted by Diane Hickey and Bonnie Unsworth. Please contact Dee Moustakas at dee@kodiakcommunications.com to RSVP. This is a members-only event.

GEMS: "Greet, Eat, Meet"

Hello Ladies!

I hope everyone is looking forward to a year of great opportunities to form new and stronger friendships and business alliances.  You have already received an email from Susan Kingsley with the January-February GEM groupings.  Hosts, please send me an email with your selection of date, time and place so that we have a central clearing house.  Also, after the gathering, please email me the list of attendees.

Attendees, please be quick to respond to your host’s email.  If you should have a change of plans, please advise your host as soon as possible. If you would like to attend a current GEM event, you may contact me by email or phone to see if there are openings at the other hosts’ gatherings.

Kindest regards,

Liz Mendel

GEM Coordinator

P.S. For those of you new to WEC, here is an introduction to GEMs:

Formed in November 2002, members of WEC who choose to get together for an informal meeting are selected at random in small groups to greet, eat and meet. A Lead person is selected to set a time and place for breakfast, lunch, dinner or whatever. This is a great opportunity to get to know each other on a more personal level. If you would like to be a host, please email Liz Mendel at dolphintravelinc@aol.com.

WEC Table and Reservation Policies

We have several club policies which we need to remind everyone:

Regarding items on the tables at the luncheons, the only things permitted are: official club business such as flyers about social events, items from the speaker, and items from the member doing the business showcase. Thank you for your cooperation.

RSVP to luncheons…Any member who fails to cancel a luncheon reservation within 48 hours or who fails to attend a reserved luncheon, will be billed at the current rate by VP of Finance. Each member will be entitled to one courtesy “no-show” per club year.

Closing Thought

Loving is not just looking at each other, it’s looking in the same direction. ~Antoine de Saint-Exupery.

WEC Board of Directors

President
Jenny Kelly,
Ritter’s Printing

Past President
Vanessa Koutalidis
Island City Chiropractic
Ambassador Committee
Canon Circles
Business Showcases

President Elect/
VP Membership
Jan Bullard,
JP Financial Services Membership Committee
Membership Luncheon
Directory
Webmaster

VP Corporate Records
Diana Fairbanks
Coldwell Banker Agent
Corporate Records
Historian
By-Laws Committee

VP Finance
Karen Rowe
Fort Lauderdale Acupuncture, Inc.Budget
Dues collection

VP Community Involvement
Chadia Meroueh
Auto Tech and BodyMentorship (FX) Program
Women Empowering Women (WEW)
Community Outreach
Public Relations

VP Internal Involvement
Pam Morgan
Body Centered Psychotherapy
Programs Committee
Greetings Committee
Newsletter, Book Club

VP Events
Susan Kingsley
www.susankingsley.biz
Social Committee
Fun raiser or Fund raiser
GEM Events

Luncheon Dates

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Membership Attendance

The membership requirement is to attend a minimum of five (5) club events every year in order to maintain regular membership. This is calculated on a fiscal year basis (i.e. August-June, not calendar year).