WICT Greater Ohio
Inside Look
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Volume 3 | October-November 2021 |
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Jeannette Richardson
President
WICT Greater Ohio
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Welcome to FALL, my favorite time of year. We have a host of articles as we have consolidated October and November so we have a lot to talk about. Each year we acknowledge Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM) in October, an annual campaign to raise awareness of the disease. The National Breast Cancer Foundation provides breast health education, early detection screenings including mammograms, and a supportive community.
This year we will celebrate Veterans Day Thursday, November 11th. On November 11, 1946, General Dwight Eisenhower supported the proposed “National Veterans Day 1947” presented by Raymond Weeks, with Senator John Sparkman. To honor those who served, WICT GO will be hosting our annual 5kRun Walk from November 11th through November 14th. Please join us.
The holidays are fast approaching. I love Thanksgiving for many reasons-family, friends and food are just some of my personal favorites. I like Thanksgiving for the lessons it has for us-gratitude and the focus on the present. Take some time this holiday to think about everything that you are grateful for in your life. As Brené Brown once said, “I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness, it’s right in front of me if I am paying attention and practicing gratitude.”
In addition to the above articles, we will also talk about cyber bullying that takes place over digital devices and the common places that it occurs. Peek at our recipe corner and learn how to make pumpkin spice cookies for the holidays. November 20th is National Adoption Day. In partnership with WICT Midwest and Rocky Mountain, we will run an article on adoption reaching a wide net of our readers to consider adoption as well as get the word out. What a difference that makes for waiting children!
We are looking for new members to join our team. WICT gives you the tools to define your career journey. This alone will better enable you to develop valuable connections with industry peers and leaders while gaining access to members-only resources and professional development programs at national and chapter events throughout the country. Come on and JOIN our winning team!
Until next time, have a safe and joyful holiday season.
Regards,
Jeannette Richardson
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Upcoming Events/Opportunities-Save The Date
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Veterans Day Virtual 5K Run/Walk: Thursday, November 11, 2021 to Sunday, November 14, 2021
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WICT Greater Ohio End of Year Gala: Wednesday, December 1, 2021
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Our very own WICT Greater Ohio Chapter Ambassador Kim Tolliver submitted a nomination for the Spectrum Employee Community Grant. Your passion for community service, knowledge and experience does not go unnoticed. Congratulations to Bethany House Services!!! |
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Our Tech It Out 2021 Event was a success. Thank you to our wonderful guest speaker, for their encouragement, wisdom and knowledge. Thank you to our members and guests who attended. We hope that you all pulled some valuable information from this event, and will come back next year. |
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Cyber Bullying
On line learning does shift the style of instruction but does it keep kids safe from the threat of school bullies, too? There’s certainly less opportunities for bullies to do their bidding face to face, but parents shouldn’t let their guard down entirely. Experts say that with the increase in screen time, cyberbullies may find new, covert ways to pick on their targets. With online learning, bullies are not only deprived of those in-person opportunities to pick on other students, they’re being supervised most of the time. Unless the teacher allows students to engage in small group breakout rooms without supervision, students are rarely alone with their peers in most circumstances. And many students are at home with parents or guardians who can keep a closer watch on their kids. However, parents who talk to their children about cyber bullying and keep a close eye on what is posted are less likely to see issues pop up by nature.
To nip any form of bullying in the bud, parents should keep the lines of communication especially open with their children, Check in with them often. Ask how remote learning is going, and let your child know you are there to support them. Explain to them what a healthy remote school environment looks like, and what kind of behavior to watch out for.
If bullying is occurring on school platforms (Google Classroom or Class Dojo, for instance), talk to a teacher or administration. School handbooks usually have a section on bullying policy. A best practice If your child is being bullied on an ongoing basis, print or screenshot the behavior for documentation, she added.
In person bullying over wearing a mask.
Masks have become a polarizing political issue, and it’s possible these disagreements will spill over into schoolyards. For those living in states where masks at school are optional, students may feel peer pressure to either wear or not wear masks. Have a conversation with children to roleplay their position on why they are or are not wearing a mask. If you child reminds the peer that they have a loved one who is high risk they may back off. However this may not work in every instance so your child may need to report any issues as they arise to a teacher or trusted school official. Bullying is a significant problem, with one in five student reporting it each year. Research from the Annenberg Institute at Brown University suggests in-person interaction drives both face-to-face and cyberbullying. Prior to the pandemic, the rate of cyber bullying rose from 11.5% to 15.3% between 2015 and 2017, according to the U.S. Department of Education. A report published in April 2020 also found abusive and toxic online content and hate speech between young people went up 70% in the early months of remote learning. Some schools are choosing to be proactive and addressing this issue head on which does seem to negate some of the stigma. It may be worth contacting your local school board to see what else can be done to support your child.
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In honor of November being National Adoption Month, I hope you’ll enjoy learning more about adoption from fellow WICT member, adoptive mom, and USOA Mrs. Ohio – Marcy Bursac.
Did you know there are three adoption options?
- Foster care adoption – adopting a child who was in foster care and will not be returning to their biological family
- Domestic infant adoption – typically when a birth mother selects an adoptive family
- International adoption – when a child from a different country is adopted
One in four adults have considered adopting.
Many who desire to adopt dismiss the thought thinking it is too expensive. But as you can see below, adoption can be affordable.
My husband and I were led to adopt as a result of my husband’s grandfather being orphaned at age 7 and never being adopted. Our goal was to find someone older like Grandpa Sam and be their forever family. We ended up adopting a sibling pair, big brother and little sister who were preschool aged.
3 WAYS TO KNOW IF ADOPTION IS RIGHT FOR YOU
1. TALK ABOUT IT
Deciding to adopt is a personal and heavy decision. For some, like me, adoption is Plan A. For others, the desire to adopt occurs after raising biological children into adulthood or as a result of infertility.
If you are interested in adopting, first be sure you and your significant other are on the same page. Oftentimes one person in the relationship will be eager and the other will be reluctant. Hear how my husband warmed up to the idea on The Forgotten Adoption Podcast “Meet Nathan” episode.
2. RESEARCH RESOURCES
Many employers offer adoption benefits like financial reimbursement and paid leave for adoptive families. Ask your employer if they offer adoption assistance. Columbus-based Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption provides a free Adoption Benefits Proposal template which I used to present the adoption benefits I wanted to my employer.
3. LEARN FROM OTHERS
Hearing stories and insights from other families who have adopted can be both eye-opening and fear-crushing. Take time to ask a friend or colleague more about their adoption journey or listen to stories of adoptive parents and adopted children on The Forgotten Adoption Option Podcast.
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About Marcy Bursac
Adoption was Marcy’s Plan A.
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Can you guess the answer?
I have wings and I have a tail, across the sky is where I sail. Yet I have no eyes, ears or mouth, and I bob randomly from north to south.
What am I?
*reply your answer on our IG or FB post
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WICT Greater Ohio Chapter Event
Virtual Event-- Complete your 5k anywhere
The second annual WICT GO Veteran's Day 5k is a walk/run event that honors those who have served!
To comply with COVID-19 safety guidelines, this event will be held virtually. Complete your 5k anywhere!
Taking part is easy - Sign up today!
Thursday, November 11, 2021 at 12:00 AM EST through Sunday, November 14, 2021 at 11:55 PM EST
Thanks in advance for registering for our event.
We need your support! You can share with friends, family and co-workers
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INGREDIENTS YOU WILL NEED
·Eggs: Large, room temperature eggs.
· Vanilla Extract: a cookie isn’t a cookie without vanilla.
· Sugar: You will need granulated sugar for the cookie dough.
· Pumpkin: You will need canned pumpkin for this recipe. You can use pumpkin pie filling if that is all you have but you should reduce the extra spices in the recipe since pumpkin pie filling comes pre-spiced.
· Flour: We use all-purpose flour for these cookies.
· Baking Powder: to help create a soft cookie with a little bit of rise.
· Salt: for flavor.
· Spices: just like pumpkin pie you will need cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger.
· Nuts: If you like a little crunch to your cookies, you can add chopped pecans or walnuts to the cookie dough but this is optional.
HOW TO MAKE THE PUMPKIN SPICE COOKIE DOUGH
1. In a mixer cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Then add the eggs and pumpkin and mix well.
2. Add the baking powder, salt and spices together and mix until combined.
3. Add the flour one cup at a time and mix just until blended.
4. At this point you can add the nuts if you like. We did not.
Drop a spoonful of the cookie batter (about 1.5 oz.) onto a cookie sheet and use a spoon to flatten it out a bit. Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for approximately 12 minutes. Here are the Pumpkin Spice Cookies straight out of the oven. Super cake-y and pumpkin-y. Mmmm … mmm … good. Allow the cookies to completely cool (Two Sisters).
FROSTING FOR THE PUMPKIN COOKIES
Add 8 oz. of softened cream cheese and 1/2 cup of softened butter to the mixer. Then add 2-3 teaspoons of vanilla. Start with 2 teaspoons now and then add more at the end if needed. Mix the cream cheese, butter and vanilla just until it is fully incorporated. Add 4 cups of powdered sugar. Mix the powdered sugar on low for 30 seconds to break up any large lumps. Add more vanilla if desired for a smoother consistency. Ice with a knife or spatula and sprinkle with cinnamon (Two Sisters).
Reference
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WICT Online Learning Library and Free Online Learning Opportunities |
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During this uncertain time, many of us are facing new challenges such as working remotely or having to self-quarantine. Just like this Forbes article reminds us, while we cannot completely control what is happening during this pandemic, we can look for opportunities to engage our communities in positive ways.
To help you with this effort, the WICT Online Learning Library is open to members. Not a member? Join today and access this benefit and more!
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There are many different ways you can continue to increase your knowledge and learning.
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WICT Greater Ohio Chapter Board Member Openings
On behalf of the WICT Greater Ohio Chapter, we are issuing a call for nominations for the positions on our 2022 Board of Directors.
Roles and responsibilities for the open positions can be found on the WICT GO website link below:
- Marketing and Communications Co-Chairperson
- Community Outreach Chairperson
- Sponsorship/Fundraising Chairperson
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2021 WICT Global Events Calendar |
Click the link below to stay up to date with programs and events.
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Are you on LinkedIn? Check out and follow our group page.
Keyword Search: WICT Greater Ohio
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Remember to bookmark the WICT Global and WICT Greater Ohio websites
for up-to-date news and events!
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