TTN/LI Chapter Newsletter
June 2019
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Hello, everyone…In this issue of our Chapter newsletter, and on behalf of the Steering Committee, I write to extend my appreciation and thanks for a job well done by Judy Brambrut, Chair, Community Volunteer Committee, and Judy Forman, Finance Chair. Thank you both for your many years of commitment and dedication to our organization. Although Judy and Judy no longer serve in these positions on the Steering Committee, each one continues to support the Long Island Chapter of TTN in various ways. Judy Brambrut will retain her role as liaison to the Brentwood Shelter under the auspices of the Community Volunteer Committee, and Judy Forman continues to serve as Vice Chair of the Program Committee.
On that note, I’d like to introduce Jeanine Breifel, who has recently been appointed as Chair, Community Volunteer Committee. Jeanine is a recent member and brings extensive experience in the arena of volunteerism as well as in the non-profit sector. She is joyfully looking forward to her new role.
It seems like Summer has finally arrived; enjoy the beautiful weather. See you soon!
Warm Regards,
Marlene Gerber, Chapter Chair
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The TTN Signature Program, Women in Transition Workshop, first presented in 2015, now has benefited over 500 attendees across the country. They have learned about the stages of transition, figured out which stage they were in - endings, neutral zone or new beginnings - and created action plans to make the most of their time in each zone. In April seventeen Long Island women participated in our most recent WIT Workshop. Their overwhelmingly positive comments included:
There are so many intelligent and educated women going through very similar experiences.
Commonality and community; I don’t feel so alone.
Organized and comprehensive material; well-run workshop.
Opportunity to reflect on where I am and where I desire to go.
The nearly instant “chemistry” that occurred between myself and any other woman I worked with today or just met at the coffee table.
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ANNUAL LUNCHEON
June 11, 2019
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Anyone attending the TTN/LI Annual Luncheon at The Mansion in Woodbury would have thought they had been transported back to the era of the Great Gatsby and the Roaring Twenties. In fact, the only person missing may have been Jay Gatsby himself. Many of the 300 TTN/LI members who attended the sold-out function arrived attired in that era’s fashions: there was lots of black and art deco gold and silver on display, along with more than a few feather boas and flapper headbands. The Mansion setting also contributed to the atmosphere of having traveled back to the heyday of the Gold Coast mansions.
Enhancing the afternoon, the weather god (or, as we prefer, the weather goddess) smiled on the attendees, and many of us took our boas and fringes outside to enjoy the sunshine that descended on us in the early afternoon. Inside, we browsed and shopped among the many vendors who displayed a wide variety of merchandise. And, of course, we all enjoyed the yummy hors d’oeuvres passed by the wait staff, and the wine bar that served cool drinks. Following the cocktail hour, we were served a full lunch in the dining room.
We sold lots of raffles, giving out prizes, of both cash and merchandise, to the lucky winners. Of special importance, the raffle sale resulted in our chapter being able to make a donation of $2,325 to a very worthy cause, the Safe Center in Bethpage, which provides services to the victims of domestic violence and child abuse. One of our Volunteer Committee members said, "The gift is especially significant because the center almost had to cancel the Girls’ Retreat this year because of lack of finances."
Thanks are due to the Program Committee, its Co-Chairs, Claudia Cohen and Joan Ayoub, and their committee members, who diligently labored for months to plan and arrange this signature event.
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A Manifesto Against Ageism
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“You look great for your age.” How many of us have been told that by some well-meaning friend and took this as a compliment? But this supposed compliment is really a form of ageism because it assumes that everyone your age (except you) looks old and looking old is bad. As speaker Ashton Applewhite told her audience of more than 100 TTN/LI women on April 16 at the Pompei Restaurant in West Hempstead, “Ageism is any judgement made about people on the basis of age” and this “ism” affects women more than men. Applewhite is the author of “This Chair Rocks - A Manifesto Against Ageism” and a frequent and passionate speaker on the subject. “Ageism enhances men and devalues women. Men and women experience ageing differently because society treats them differently.” Women buy into the societal assumption that we are not valued when we lie about our age, buy millions of dollars of anti-aging products and alter our appearance to look younger. Our age denial is expensive, futile and rooted in shame.
So how can we grow older and stay powerful? These are some of the significant points made by the speaker:
- Remember ageing brings with it authenticity, confidence, experience and perspective.
- We need to stop being our own worst critics and stress what is great about us instead of believing we are lacking because we are no longer young.
- The women’s movement taught us to claim our power. The movement against ageism will teach us to hold onto it.
- Ageing is inevitable, ageism is not.
- Insist on being seen, respected and listened to.
- It’s time to swap age prejudice with age pride!
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How many of us would be brave enough to give up almost everything and everyone familiar and dear to us to live a life of our own choosing? On Friday, May 31, approximately 100 TTN members gathered in the Jericho Library to learn about Footsteps, an organization that aids Hasidic Jews to transition from their insular community to a more secular life. To demonstrate the "cult-like" life of the Hasidic community, we watched a Netflix documentary entitled "One of Us.” Chavie Weisberger, Footsteps Director of Community Outreach, spoke to our audience describing her personal journey. She talked about the emotional, spiritual, and financial ordeal that she experienced in breaking away from the cloistered Hasidic community to lead a life in which she could be her "true self." Her experience mirrored the experience of Etty, the woman portrayed in "One of Us." We learned how you can lose your children, your biological family, and an entire community once you decide to lead a more secular life. Living in an ultra-orthodox Hasidic world separates you from the larger world, forbidding computers, television, movies, and secular books, while constantly surrounding you with members of the community who monitor your actions. Chavie’s talk was followed by a very interactive Q and A with the audience. Many of us were moved to tears after listening to Chavie's story and the story of those portrayed in the documentary, as they risked everything to make their transition to the secular world.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
- Monday, August 19: Gals’ Night Out at That Meetball Place in Farmingdale from 5:00-7:00 p.m.
- Thursday July 25: Fly Girls, a presentation about WASP pilots in WW II at the Jericho Library
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UPCOMING EVENTS:
- June 24, we will discuss “Women at the Helm” at the Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum, about Long Island women and their role in the whaling industry. After the presentation, we will be carving our own scrimshaw.
- October 4, we are offering a follow-up program by the Long Island Preservation for Antiquities at the Jayne House in Setauket.
- Ready for Halloween? On October 28, renowned author and lecturer, Monica Randall, will be telling us all about "Long Island's Most Haunted Mansions."
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Once again Connect Now hit a bulls-eye! On April 22, at the Merrick Clubhouse, TTN/LI welcomed a record 73 members, plus 53 guests, 29 of whom joined our Chapter, bringing our total Long Island Chapter membership to over 800. To help our new members learn more about the benefits of TTN membership and connect with one another, they are always invited to a New Member Tea, held at the home of one of our Committee members. In addition, we have had great success with our first two New Member Diner Meet-Ups, where new members have another opportunity to meet with one another.
As a result of our increased membership, we are currently in the organization phase of forming several new SIGS and TPGs. The Committee is seeking volunteers to be trained as Mentors to help the new groups get under way. If you think you would be interested and need more information about the role, please contact Carol I. Levatino, Membership Services Chair at 516-449-2542 and she will be happy to discuss it with you.
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Health and Wellness Council
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The Health and Wellness Council presented a workshop on Advance Directives on Thursday, May 16. Daniel A. Okrent, Attorney for Senior Citizen Project-Nassau/Suffolk County provided us with an informative and important look at how to set up our personal affairs. The women who attended learned a lot, both from his talk and the Q and A that followed.
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS:
- June 21 at Northwell: CPR
- September 17: Medical Marijuana
- Late Fall: Navigating Social Security
While the workshops are free, space is limited, and you must register on the Events Calendar of the TTN/LI website.
We welcome suggestions for future topics. Contact Leslie Fischler with your ideas at Lesbob462@aol.com.
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TTN members sorting food for Island Harvest at the 27th annual Letter Carriers' Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive.
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The TTN/LI Stitchers have completed another beautiful afghan. It will be donated to either the Veteran's Hospital in Northport or to a Long Island shelter via CareToKnit. If you knit or crochet and are interested in joining these talented ladies please contact Sue at suestan@verizon.net.
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Check our
Website
for More Info & to Register for all Events
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- "Women at the Helm" at the Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum - Wednesday June 24th
- "Fly Girls", a presentation about WASP pilots in WW II at the Jericho Library - Thursday July 25th
- "Gal's Night Out", meet & mingle with TTN friends at That Meetball Place - Monday August 19th
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Docent tour of new Second Avenue Subway Stations between 63rd & 86th Streets
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High Tea at Robinson's Tea Room in Stony Brook
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New York Historical Society & lunch at Ella's Kitchen
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Tour of new Statue of Liberty Museum on Ellis Island
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National Museum of the Native American Indian in Manhattan and lunch on Stone Street
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A visit to the Eldridge Street Synagogue. Harlem tour with visit to Apollo Theater & lunch at Sylvia's.
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Chelsea Market food tour & the Highline. At ReCreateU Terrariums in Rockville Center.
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GMAIL users: To see the rest of the newsletter, please scroll down and click on "View entire message"
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Fearless Fun Loving Feminists TPG
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FFF TPG bids farewell, at Matteo's in Huntington, To Stephanie Zimmerman as she moves to California
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Walk on the grounds of the Nassau County Museum
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Walk through Dumbo & Brooklyn Heights
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Would it be helpful to know of local employment opportunities?
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Twitter
Do you want people to listen to you? Twitter has 321 million active users who will be excited to hear your voice. You just need to google Twitter, go to the Twitter site, create an account and start tweeting. Make sure that you always include @TTNLI in your tweets so that they will appear on the TTNLI Twitter page. Together, we can make a difference for women by speaking out about issues that affect us all.
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WELCOME! NEW MEMBERS TO OUR TTN FAMILY
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Janet Adler
Ann Agranoff
Leslie Aronin
Sheila Beck
Phylis Biernick
Debra Brown
Marsha Darvin
Lynne Dinner
Theresa Dodaro
Susan DeBeau
Lea Frank
Cindi Frieder
Angela Gettens
Monica Glazer
Gale Gluck
Marilyn Goldman
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Jane Gunther
Karen Hefter
Margo Horowitz
Sandra Kant
Debra Kantor
Marcia Kasner
Jody Kleinman
Judy Komson
Elizabeth Kranz
Susan Lenner
Linda Manning
Ora Mayer
Rhona Most
Brenda Neithardt
Diane Neustadt
Randy Pine
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Carol Rogers
April Samuelsen
Kathleen Santiago
Ellen Scarpelli
Helaine Schachter
Sharon Scy
Geri Silverman
Geri Strugatz
Donna Taylor
Rita Varriale
Karen Verola
Lisa Von Frank
Millie Wagner
Bonnie Weinhoff
Susan Weisman
Nancy White
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Karolin Acunto
Cynthia Belis
Judith Berger
Linda Berman
Leslie Bienstock
Donne Bullwinkel
Teri Daniels
Rachel Heller
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Linda Herman
Susan Kalish
Marsha Kaplan
Irene Karp
Alice Langholz
MaryAnn Mingione
Mary Oleske
Theresa Scrocco
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Phyllis Simon
Anne Strassler
Mary Tabone
Joy Venegas
Gia Vitulli
Jane Walker
Annie Zaslow
Silvia Zeller
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FOLLOWING
are links to information we think you will want to know more about.
CLICK and you will be directed to the corresponding page on the TTN website:
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Check out our TTN National website for a list of relevant RESOURCES
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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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