Our Slant 
Forward Into The Light ~ September 2016

   
Wednesday, September 21
Membership Dinner Meeting & Program 
Summer Thyme's Bakery & Deli, 213 Colfax Ave., Grass Valley
 
Menu:
Tomato Basil Artichoke Soup; Caesar Salad;
Garlic Bread; Caramel Apple Bars
 
   
Social/Networking 5:30 p.m.; Dinner 6 p.m. $21 per person -- Bring a Friend!  
  
Deadline for reservations: Sunday, September 18 

Local Political Advocates Discuss Assorted Issues
 
Election day is just around the corner--and there's a multitude of issues to consider before casting your vote. Come hear from three of our community leaders involved in different aspects of politics at our September 21 dinner meeting. Here's the line-up:
 

Nancy Eubanks, chair of the Nevada County Democratic Central Committee's Communications Committee, has long been involved in community and political organizations, working with people from various backgrounds. She believes that at the local level, community members have more things in common than differences.
 
 
 
 

Richard Ulery, a retired insurance executive, serves on the Nevada County Republican Party Executive Board and is a delegate to the California Republican Party. He also serves as chairman of the Citizens Oversight Committee of the Nevada County Consolidated Fire District.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Lorraine Reich, a local attorney/mediator, works with the group MovetoAmend.org to get the word out on how Californians can help take corporate money and influence out of politics and Congress. Lorraine is also a Board Member with the Peace & Justice Center of Nevada County.
 
 
Join us for this lively, informative discussion of issues that affect us all--on a local as well as national level.
 
 
Deadline for reservations:
Sunday, September 18

Newcomers and guests are
always welcome!
 
Welcome New Member!
Please welcome our newest member, Jane Calbreath. If you see her at one of our meetings, please introduce yourself to her!
Message from Co-Presidents
Lynn Wenzel and Judy McCarrick

Move it, Sister!

 

I had always been a "sporting girl." That is, I played singles tennis for 40 years until my doctor finally told me it was either tennis or my worn-out joints. So, about 20 years ago I stopped. Coincidentally, four years earlier, in 1991, after suffering constant pain and aches I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and early onset arthritis. My wonderful rheumatologist said, "Keep moving!"
 
So, even though I couldn't play tennis anymore, I began a system of cardio and workout, both in classes and with a trainer. And I never stopped. Everything I read told me to exercise, every medical person said exercise was the key to staying strong and mobile. And they were right. At the age of 72, I am still working out, doing circuit training, lifting (usually with bands) and spinning.
 
I still suffer from chronic pain, but you wouldn't know it if you didn't know it! I am absolutely convinced that exercise has enabled me to still be myself and to accomplish the things I have; to allow me to continue to contribute to my profession; to volunteer for nonprofits in the county; to spend time with and babysit my grandkids; and to not need a wheelchair on long trips to places I have always wanted to visit.
 
I am not one to preach or to judge. My motto is "to each her own" and "it's never about you!" So, I say only, if you are suffering or if your doctor has told you to exercise or you just want to get started but are not sure how, well, I understand. It's really hard to stay motivated, to drag yourself out of bed, to get dressed, to drive yourself somewhere and then to do things that hurt for an hour or so (and then maybe hurt more the next day too).
 
I absolutely get that. But I do it. And I hope, if you're thinking about it, you will too! It has made all the difference for me.
 
~Lynn Wenzel


I think it's safe to say I've never been much of an athlete, though I did change my major for a semester in college in order to play junior varsity volleyball. As a very young girl I enjoyed the freedom of my neighborhood, including scaling the sea wall, climbing a few trees, skating, and doing cartwheels. My sport was always swimming, and lakes and pools were places of fun and even solace for me.
 
But so were pencils, paper, and paint and crayons, so I was just as happy on my own, creating. I fractured my leg when I was eleven, spending the next six months in a hip cast and three more in a walking cast and was extremely lucky that the only long-term effect I experienced was that my right leg is slightly shorter than my left.
 
When I married a distance runner, I figured out that one way to spend time with him was to start running, too, and I did this for a number of years with the San Diego track club; but my longest distances were three miles, not half marathons. Even so, I managed to blow out my knees because of the pavement runs, so I do have some regrets about that small attempt to be "athletic."
 
On the other hand, I realize the value of movement and I spend a good amount of time at the gym both in and out of the pool. Since I'll be 77 in November (yikes!!) I'm feeling aches and pains that are new to me and definitely an unfortunate inheritance from my family members, who all suffered from crippling arthritis at various points in their lives. I intend to stay upright and mobile as long as I possibly can, because the alternative, for me, looks like no darn fun.
 
What I have learned about my body is that it becomes "frozen" if I sit too long, and that forcing myself to get up, walk, bend, and stretch are all important to maintaining my health. Right now I'm trying to avoid a knee replacement because I'm not sure it will really make a big difference in my mobility. So strength training and physical therapy are the routes I'm taking for the time being.
 
It's humbling to feel my body complaining, especially when I led a relatively pain-free life for more than sixty years. But I'm full of gratitude, too, for the opportunities I have to be an "elder" with a multi-generational family who enjoy my company and adjust for the physical things, like rock-climbing and hang gliding, that I'm not up for.
 
I think the joy and fun I feel in life reach far beyond any physical "slowing down" I experience. Life is the gift you make of it, and not one of us goes through the years without some physical challenges. So far, I'm dealing with mine in the best way I know how.   
 
~Judy McCarrick
 

In Case You Missed It...
  
BUSINESS & PROFESSIONAL WOMEN CELEBRATE SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
  
Members and friends of Business & Professional Women of Nevada County (BPW-NC) gathered on August 20 to celebrate the annual awarding of scholarships to reentry women in the community. Scholarships were awarded to four recipients in the total amount of $3,450.

Nineteen years ago, members of BPW-NC observed there were many scholarships available for young women graduating from high school but very few, if any, for more mature women whose education had been interrupted and who needed to finish school in order to improve their lives and that of their children.

And so the scholarship program was born. More than $45K in awards later, BPWNC is still helping women look to the future.

Left to Right: Back Row: Tamara Fadel, Lizary Jones, Hannah Schuler.

Front: Adriana Romero.


This year's winners are: Lizary Jones, who is working toward her BS in Nursing, driving 120 miles round-trip to school while raising two teenage boys. Jones hopes to pursue opportunities in women's health or with the often-neglected migrant community. She currently carries a 3.96 GPA.

Adriana Romero, currently enrolled in Sierra College, is working toward a career in bilingual grammar school education while working as a volunteer translator for non-profits in Nevada County.

Hannah Schuler, who is studying to be a dietician and hoping to work in a hospital setting or with the WIC program. A serious hit-and-run accident late last year did not deter Hannah from her goal.

Tamara Fadel, who is working toward her Bachelors in Social Work at CSU and maintaining a 3.9 GPA. Tamara will then go on to earn a Masters in Social Work, which she intends to apply toward a career with Hospice.
  
BPW-NC congratulates these women who demonstrate resilience, perseverance and self-determination.

For more information on the Dolores "Dee" Eldridge Scholarship Award in the amount of $500-$1,500 or more, go to www.bpwnevadacounty.org/scholarship-program/ to download application forms and instructions, or contact gvlindy-scholar@usa.net.
  


BPW-NC Executive Committee
Co-Presidents
Lynn Wenzel 477-0746
Judy McCarrick 478-0677
Vice President
Shirley Zeff 273-3010
Treasurer
Lorell Maldoon 477-8401
Secretary
Gail Parle 272-2141

Committee Contacts
Membership
Shirley Zeff 273-3010
Program
Open
Scholarships
Lindy Horwitz 477-1988
Advocacy
Elaine Sierra 274-0738
BPW Foundation Liaison
Angie Lux 272-2402

Mentoring
   
Lynn Wenzel 477-0746
Historian
Gail Parle 272-2141
Newsletter
Beth Volz
831-332-0100
Website & Facebook
W: Phyllis Orzalli 265-5604
FB: Patricia Wolfe 273-0605
 

 
Business & Professional Women of Nevada County | www.bpwnevadacounty.org 

Like us on Facebook