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Women in Transition (WIT) Workshop
Registration Still OPEN
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There's still a few days to register for the next WIT Workshop!
For women 50+ exploring new
possibilities, rethinking your life and/or work, contemplating changes in your lifestyle or wanting to expand your networks.
Wednesday, May 25th
4:00pm to 8:30pm
Trianon Apartments
Bala Cynwyd
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Welcome New Members to our TTN Family!
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Kelly Dungee
Joyce Krain
Susan Labowitz
Adrienne Polonsky
Helen Reese
Chris Stevens
Sharon West
Nancy Whinnery
Carole Wilder
Patricia Williams
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RESOURCES FOR YOU
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Check out our TTN National website for a list of relevant RESOURCES on topics like:
Seniors Pump Iron, Live Longer
Thriving at Age 70 and Beyond
Aging in Place
Your Brain is Plastic & That's Really Cool
And so much more!
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Chapter Events
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Look at our up-to-date
Register quickly to reserve your spot.
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Special Interest Groups (SIGs)
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Access our newly renovated SIG Page!
Find complete list of SIGs and let us know ideas for new groups.
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In and Around Town
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Check out more seminars and events of interest in and around our great city.
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Stay Connected!
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Membership dues come to about $8/month or $2/week....less than the cost of a latte! What a bargain!
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| Rittenhouse Square |
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As we all wait for another sunny day in May, the Philadelphia
One of our goals is to have each Committee Chair present their detailed plans to the group. At our April meeting, we had three presenters: Alice Milrod, Chair of Special Interest Groups; Chrissa Merron, Chair of Leadership Engagement & Development; and Lorraine Gordon, Finance Chair. We reviewed planning progress and discussed how to engage more members in the various activities.
Recent PHL Chapter highlights include:
- We now have 30+ successful SIGs and wonderful leads in many areas such as Book Clubs, Pot Lucks, Theater Arts, etc.
- The Women in Transition Workshop is scheduled for May 25th and will be facilitated by Beth Weinstock, Meredith Betz and Tess Waldman. We are still accepting new registrations and hope to see you there.
- Please check the newsletter article below for the exciting Giving Circle grant award announcement to "New Leash on Life" and all the associated publicity.
I will continue to provide in-depth descriptions of each Steering Committee structure and plans, and a summary of our monthly meetings.
Have a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day Weekend.
Warm regards,
Fatima Class
TTN PHL Chapter Chair
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| 2016 Giving Circle Grant Goes To "New Leash on Life" |
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| On May 20, members of the TTN Giving Circle awarded Marian Marchese, New Leash on Life CEO and Founder, a $10,000 check for the Second Chance Companion Dog Program. The ceremony was held at The Philadelphia Foundation, the organization that administers our TTN Grant. |
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Article submitted by PHL Community Impact team
Always looking for ways to expand the impact of member donations, TTN's Giving Circle has awarded its 2016 grant to an organization that saves the lives of shelter dogs, while helping female inmates learn skills they can use to gain productive employment.
New Leash on Life's Second Chance Companion Dog Program provides 12 weeks of obedience training and socialization to shelter dogs who live in cell blocks with their inmate/trainers. Previously implemented with male prisoners, this unique program will equip women inmates to obtain paid internships with New Leash partner programs at the end of their prison terms.
Please click on the links below to see the great TTN and Giving Circle publicity generated by this grant announcement!
Click here for press release from The Philadelphia Foundation
Click here for more photos from award presentation
Combining donations of its members and friends, the Giving Circle has awarded a grant of $10,000 to a nonprofit organization each year since its inception in 2013. This year the Giving Circle received 54 applications from nonprofits to improve the lives of women or children in the Greater Philadelphia area. Giving Circle Grants Committee members scrutinized applications, identified those that most closely matched its criteria, conducted site visits, and submitted applications of four finalists to the Giving Circle membership to make the final selection.
We are organizing for the 2017 grant cycle. Interested in learning more? Please contact Susanne Kaplan, Chair, TTN Giving Circle at
Kaplan.sd65@gmail.com
or 917-575-5403.
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| PHL Caring Collaborative Off To A Great Start |
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The
Caring Collaborative
Committee has concluded our first round of Orientations for those who wish to join this fast growing group. We now have a total of 80 participants from Philadelphia, Montgomery and Bucks Counties. W
e are planning additional Orientations this summer for new members, and for those who were not able to attend the spring Orientations.
Members of the
Member Information Exchange (MIX) component have been sharing their doctor references and experiences with various medical procedures.
Those in the
Special Service Corps have successfully found someone to answer their requests for help.
We thank you for your positive feedback and collaborative spirit that you have taken to heart. We are so encouraged by the great reception we have received from the Philadelphia Chapter.
Stay tuned for the next phase:
Caring Collaborative sponsored health-related programs in the Fall.
The Caring Collaborative Committee:
Karen Kanter, Chair
Susan Levin
Maureen Marcus
Lynda Meshkov
Donna Root
Beth Simonowitz
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TTN Member Spotlight: Carolyn Walter
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TTN Philadelphia Chapter member, Carolyn Walter, PhD, LCSW, is a professor emerita at Widener University's Center for Social Work Education. She has authored several books, including "Grief and Loss Across the Lifespan: A Biopsychosocial Perspective", as well as numerous journal articles. Since retiring, Carolyn has been actively involved in the Positive Aging movement via the Life Planning Network, Community Education and serving on the TTN Peer Advisory Committee. In her spare time, she enjoys the company of her nine grandchildren, and "dabbling!"
Here are a few perspectives from Carolyn as she reflects on her own transitions from full-time work to retirement and relocating into Center City. This conversation took place on May 5, 2016 between Carolyn Walter (CW) and Marsha Yankelev (MY).
MY:
You've gone through several life transitions in the past few years. What are some insights you've personally gleaned?
CW:
Transitions at our age include so many different life experiences. It's important to know that grief and loss are not limited just to death. Whether its divorce, relocation / home, job, or illness, every transition involves some kind of loss. Transitions also include the opportunity for potential growth, if you work on it with intention, dig deeper and make meaning from it.
Like any learning experience, new transitions involve lots of fits and starts, a little bit of turmoil, not a lot of time to figure things out. Every month, year seems different. It is not a linear process.
About a year and a half ago my husband and I moved from the suburbs to Center City and I needed to reshape this phase of my life. I went through loss - letting go of Delaware County, the house where my kids grew up, my first husband. I was caught off-guard, surprised by deep feelings of grief. I did not anticipate the degree of loss and learning that leaving this part of my life would bring. The first year was tough, very disorienting.
Just know with any transition there will be anxiety, feeling uprooted. Let yourself go with it and don't be too frightened. You need to take that first year and go through all the seasons to feel more rooted. But I also found this was a great time to build new memories and traditions and an exciting time to be alive.
It's really important to have a support system. When I retired and during my relocation, I was grateful to have TTN to find needed support, a safe environment for building friendships with other women going through similar transitions. We need support - and not just from our spouse, partner, long-time friends. We need to build new friendships with like-minded women who want to go on this journey together. Sometimes, in order to move forward, you may need to leave old friends who may not get what you're currently experiencing.
MY:
What about women who say they don't know what to do next?
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SIG Corner: New SIGs Launching!
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- A new Book Club, Fictionary, held its first meeting on May 13th. They read (what else?) fiction and their first choice was Wallace Stegner's "Crossing to Safety". If you are interested, please contact the SIG lead, Andy Levin.
- The Vegan Social Club is off and running. If you follow a Vegan lifestyle (or something close) and you want to meet with like-minded women to discuss restaurants, recipes and general information (e.g., how do you get enough protein?), then this group is for you. The first meeting is set for July 20th at 4 pm. For location, or to indicate an interest in joining, please contact the SIG lead, Cindy Benamy.
Two new SIGs about to launch:
Organizational meetings for
Let's Go to the Movies and
Fashionistas will be held in the next 2 weeks. If you are interested, there's still time to get in at the planning stage. Contact
Alice Milrod, PHL Chapter SIG Chair, for more details.
For more information, check the SIG section of the TTN web page.
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| Peer Group Volunteers at Ronald McDonald House |
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| Members of Center City Peer Group cooking for Ronald McDonald House residents |
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Article submitted by Marion Immerman, Center City Day 2 Peer Group.
On May 10th, our long-standing Center City Peer Group prepared and served dinner at the Ronald McDonald House next to St Christopher's Hospital for Children in North Philadelphia. When Joan Applegate suggested the idea, most of us eagerly jumped on board. We are an agreeable group and had no difficulty deciding on a date or the dinner items each of us would prepare. We were so organized that we were even able to hold our monthly PG meeting that same morning without interruption.
We carpooled to Ronald McDonald House late afternoon, food in hand, and arrived with plenty of time to tour the house, set up the dinner tables and do the final cooking of our meal. The kitchen was well stocked with cooking and serving ware and we had a good time putting the finishing touches on our dinner. Residency varies and we were prepared to serve 40 people; we served even more than night! What appeared to us to be huge quantities of food was consumed ravenously and appreciatively.
When the residents streamed through the doors at 6PM after what I am certain was a trying day at the hospital, they were greeted by our delicious buffet featuring everything from ribs and lasagna to chocolate cake and rice crispie squares. The deserving families seemed delighted by our nurturing and our peer group couldn't have been more delighted to make this small contribution to their difficult lives. We all agreed we would be eager to do this again!
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| Staying Connected with TTN: Your Member Profile |
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The
TTN Member Directory is a valuable "Members Only" tool for you to reach out to fellow members and help others easily connect with you, whether across town or across the country.
Periodically review your Member Profile
and update email address, phone number, photo, home address, profile description (bio). There is also a section for business/organization/ professional directory information.
Note that the email address in your Member Profile is what is used for sending TTN Chapter and National communications such as newsletters and notices.
If you fill out the Business Directory Information section in your profile, it will appear on
TTN's Member Business Cards webpage. You can search this section by business category, and control if you want your Business Card visible only to Members or on the TTN public website.
To update your Member Profile, simply:
- Go to the TTN Philadelphia website
- In Upper Right corner, log into your TTN Account with your username and password and press SUBMIT.
- If you do not recall your log-on information, click the button to request this information.
- Next, press Go To Your Account to update your member profile.
- Once completed, scroll either to the Top or Bottom of the profile and press SAVE.
Thank You!
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