October, 2018
TTN NATIONAL NEWSLETTER
With the crisp October weather in the Northeast, it is finally feeling like autumn. Fall is a great time to connect with other TTN members at the variety of events being offered by our chapters. Make sure you check out TTN’s website for the latest listings.

TTN continues to grow and develop new ways to bring members together for fun and learning. You'll be amazed at the level of activity around the country that is making TTN the wonderful community that it has become.

So pull up a comfy chair and read about all the incredible ways our members have been engaged in the past few months. 
CONNECT: TTN Connects From Coast to Coast
TTN Membership Hits Record High!
TTN set a record in membership growth this summer! We're up to 2680 members (as of this writing) from coast to coast - the highest we've ever had!

Welcome to new members who have joined in 2018! And to our ongoing members, thank you for renewing your membership. You have all figured out that joining The Transition Network is the best gift you could possibly give yourself.

Smart, interest, and active women, part of the TTN community across 13+ chapters and national, are embracing new interests or fully re-inventing themselves after leaving professional careers, making geographic moves and dealing with changing relationships, housing, and health. As Dr. Erica Miller states in her book Chronologically Gifted , "chronologically gifted is an individual decision and choice." TTN women have made the choice.

Now that you're here, make sure you find, "like" and follow us on Facebook (each chapter has their own page), on Twitter @TTN_50Plus , and LinkedIn . Visit our website to get the latest on chapter activities, local and national events and articles of interest.
Thank you to all of our chapter leaders who do such a great job reaching out in their communities to spread the word about TTN!
This past summer Gail Collier (pictured above with fellow Atlanta TTN’ers) reached out to Gracie Bonds Staples at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which resulted in This Life with Gracie: Women Redefining Retirement , prominently featuring Gail, founding chapter member Rhoda Margolis, and TTN. Ms. Bonds Staples’ article was subsequently picked up by Newsday , a Long Island, New York newspaper and The Hartford Courant . We could not have asked for better coverage of The Transition Network and all we offer to women 50+!
Breaking Free Groups Connect National Members
Last fall we launched our first "Breaking Free Group." These are virtual groups which bring together TTN's National members - women who live outside our recognized chapters. These groups have been wonderfully successful. The connections we've made inspired me to travel to Los Angeles with my friend, Ellen Murphy , to meet some of these amazing women.
We flew to Los Angeles and traveled south to Temecula to stay with Marcia Smalley and enjoy dinner at her home with Debbie Lousberg . After a brief stop in San Diego, we crossed into Mexico to stay with Karen Shuppert in her new home on the Pacific coast. We were so inspired by these women and are grateful to TTN for bringing us all together.

We are currently running our 5th group with more to come in 2019.
DISCOVER: Signature Programs Deliver
This fall, our chapter leaders have pulled out the stops planning and promoting TTN Signature Programs. Here are a few recent examples:

Women in Transition workshops, a signature TTN program, helps women understand the process of transition. Recent workshops were held in Santa Fe, Minneapolis-St. Paul , and Philadelphia . All had rave reviews from participants. 
  • “The friendship and support that were offered – wow.” 
  • “I am not alone. Women are all going through similar things.”
  • "I feel more focused on my goals and how to move forward."
  • "Very helpful in providing support."

A special thank you to Jean Palmer , who facilitated at Santa Fe, her home chapter, and traveled to the Twin Cities a few weeks later to lead their very first workshop. Both sessions resulted in 4 new members joining their respective chapters.
Philadelphia , has been offering the Women in Transition workshop since we debuted the program in 2016. Their most recent event was held Center City. Thanks to chapter members Marsha Yankelev , Tess Waldman and Meredith Betz for leading the way!
Upcoming Women in Transition Workshops

Long Island is holding their Women in Transition on November 11 at Merrick Road Park Golf Club, 2550 Clubhouse Rd., Merrick, NY. Members and guests welcome! Registration info here.

The Boston chapter is planning to hold their next WIT workshop in early 2019. Stay tuned for the date and registration details, available on the Boston chapter website event page, via email and Facebook.
TTN Members have knowledge to offer!
Central Ohio hosted an evening talk with Chicago member Joy Loverde , author, keynote speaker and Eldercare expert. Over 60 women signed up to hear Joy reveal clear, practical and relevant strategies to build your own unique life plan for aging well. Central Ohio five gained new members as a result of their TTN experience.
TTN member,  Deb Spungen , who recently published  Table for One: Essays from a Widow's Journey , tells her personal experience of the pain and grief of widowhood while also describing how her journey back into the world slowly unfolded.

This is an intimate, compelling, tender and gracious account about widowhood and loss and is meaningful to anyone confronted with life's painful experiences .. which is just about everyone at some time in our lives.

IMPACT - TTN Women Give Back
TTN members are active in their communities and make an impact in large and small ways by working at soup kitchens, registering voters, packing gift baskets for new mothers, collecting books for needy children and contributing to worthy causes via Giving Circles to name just a few of our chapter activities. Highlights of the past few months include:
TTN Chicago collected 53 gently used and new children’s books from members that will be donated to children in underprivileged areas in Chicago where resources are limited. TTN members exceeded our own goal of collecting 50 books by the end of October for their first chapter book drive! 
TTN Boston Chapter Volunteer SIG re-visited Cradles to Crayons in late September to sort and assemble outfits that will be donated to children in need. TTN volunteers wore their new Boston tee shirts
Our Washington D.C. Chapter launched its new chapter of Dining for Women (DFW) on June 27 with a spirited pot-luck dinner at the home of TTN member Theresa Murray , who co-chairs this new impact initiative with Nancy Relle r. Participants learned about the amazing work of Dining for Women, which support organizations aiding women and children living in extreme poverty worldwide. TTN members contributed over $500 to the June DFW grantee, Fond Des Blancs Female Beekeeping Initiative - a project aimed at bettering the lives of Haitian women.
TTN New York City Chapter women volunteered on Sept. 25 Voter Registration Day. Members Elizabeth Hansen and Mona Kreaden raised $1,175 from TTN members and their friends to provide League volunteers with eye-catching tee shirts. Barbara Ettington, Chair of Voter Services for the Chapter expressed her gratitude for TTN’s help which involved staffing 17 different locations and completing 375 voter registrations.
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