FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT
Well, we had another whirlwind month of meetings to complete our required business for the California Federation of Women’s Club. And what a month it was…I want to thank all of you that participated and the many portions of what we call the CFWC Winter Executive Board Meeting.
Over a 19-day span of February we held a total of 15 Meetings via Zoom to conduct our many portions of the California Federation Committees & Executive Board work. I am tired and will take a day of rest for Sunday, but we are back with a Workshop bright and early March 1st!
The biggest news to share is that we will be hosting our 118th CFWC Annual Convention via Zoom this May! Open to all Members of Federation the CALL to Convention will be sent via email to all California Federation Club Presidents and the CFWC Executive Board members on or before March 12, 2021.
Our wonderful Convention is themed: METAMORPHOSIS, and is scheduled between May 12 – 15, with the formal Call to Order on May 13.
The cost is FREE this year for all festivities, so mark your calendars now to attend. The Convention Committee has planned so many fun things for all of us to enjoy from our homes, including a special Guest: GFWC 2nd Vice President, Wendy Carriker who will be with us for the entire event!
I hope you will want to come and be part of the change in California’s Federation. Each Club plays a vital part in Convention with their Delegates and we will be letting each Club know with their CALL just how many Delegates they may send to Convention. Of course, you need not be a Convention delegate to attend, remember it is Free and I am sure you want to be part of the festive days we have planned for you.
Lastly, I want to commend all the LEADS Candidates that participated in last week’s LEADS Training. A marvelous group of leaders from up and down our State were present for 3 full days of activity and training by some of our current leaders. It is always gratifying to see that we are indeed passing on our leadership knowledge from one to another. Congratulations to All!
Luv, Pam
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LEADS, LEADERSHIP EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT SEMINAR
I was lucky enough to be able to peek in for a bit during the two-day LEADS Workshops for CFWC on February 24 and 25.
I was so impressed by these members sent to represent their Districts and just want to give a shout-out to each of them at this time:
Kim Brain Sutter District
KC Burek Mount Diablo District
Terry Cook Sierra-Cahuenga District
Tamra Feito Tierra Adorado District
Berenice Hooper San Juaquin Valley District
Joanne Miller San Bernardino District
Pattie Pierce San Gabriel Valley District
Sandi Phoenix Southern District
Marlon Carrier DeAnza District
Thank-you ladies for your participation and dedication to following your Leadership Path! I congratulate each of you on a well-spent two-day seminar and look forward to hearing back from Tamra Feito of TAD on her experience in Atlanta at the GFWC International Convention.
Luv, Pam
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MARCH MADNESS WORKSHOPS
The meeting information Zoom reservations and passwords for the March Madness Workshop Series, have been sent! If you asked to reserve a spot and did not get your password and confirmation email, please resend your information to: reservationscfwc@gmail.com
Again, I want to thank Lynne Youngstrom, CFWC Color Guard Chair, for stepping in to handle the many reservations that have been sent for registering for the 10 March Madness Workshop Series. Lynn has also volunteered to see to the reservations for our monthly CFWC Open Houses.
Due to the tremendous amount of email involved, we have dedicated a NEW EMAIL to send all requests for the March Madness Workshop Series to. Please do not contact Lynne or Pam via their private emails. The new email to register is:
10 one-hour workshops were open for Registration beginning February 1, 2021, we can register the first 300 participants only!
See the updated flier Attached for details on these ten hour-long Workshops and we hope to see you there. Sure, to be a lot of fun for all of us, bringing us closer together via Zoom until we can meet again in-person.
Registration for each Workshop will close 7 days prior to the presentation, so get your requests in early to the NEW Email.
Currently Closed are reservations for the following:
March 1: Zoom…the Why and How
March 4: Procedure Books & their Importance for Memberships
March 7: Trash to Treasure Pandemonium
You may still request your reservations for the following Workshops. We have provided the DEADLINE date below for your convenience. Registrations will close at 5 pm on the following dates:
CFWC Finance Team Tips: March 5
So, You Want to Start a Cyber Club: March 9
Journaling for Goal Setting & Leaders: March 11
Social Media Communication Tools for Members: March 13
CFWC Executive Committee Recipe Share: March 17
Smart Phone Tips for Photos & Videos: March 19
CFWC State Brag Hour: March 23
Get those requests in early to the new email and see you there!
Luv, Lynne & Pam
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NEWS OF THE GFWC INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION 2021
A lovely note from GFWC International President, Marian Simmons-St. Clair:
I’m very excited to inform you that the 2021 GFWC Annual Convention has been rescheduled for Saturday, August 28, to Monday, August 30 (Monday is added, but otherwise these dates were previously scheduled for the August Board of Directors Meeting). Additionally, a Board of Directors Meeting, the 2020 and 2021 LEADS training, a 2020-2022 Installation, and a Celebration Banquet “Gateway to the World,” will be held on Friday, August 27. The location will be the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, 265 Peachtree Center Avenue, Atlanta, Georgia. There will be no tours offered by GFWC but individuals are free to make private arrangements. The hotel room block extends from August 25 to August 31. King and Double/Double rooms are priced at $129 per night, plus taxes and fees.
The contract between GFWC and the Marriott includes provisions to make the event as safe as possible. GFWC will continue to monitor the national situation and make prudent decisions for the well-being of members.
There may be some changes in the final Call to Convention, which will be posted on the GFWC Website before the end of March.
I’m thrilled to send you this news. I hope that by delaying until August, all members will have had the opportunity to be vaccinated. It’s vitally important that we take every precaution, so we remain safe and can enjoy the much-anticipated and successful event we are all wishing for.
Finally, thank you for all you do and for supporting GFWC during this challenging time. I am truly grateful.
Yours in Living the Volunteer Spirit!
Marian
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MONTHLY OPEN HOUSES ON ZOOM
Scheduled during “Happy Hour”, I do hope you will join us for 5 – 7 pm on Tuesday, March 16, 2021 to share with friends, have a laugh and smile! Bring a drink if you want, I am sure others will and let us just celebrate knowing that we each belong to such a fabulous group of volunteers. On the 16th of every month in 2021, until we are able as an entire State to meet in person, we will hold our Open Houses for any member wanting to attend!
Registration is open for March until 5 pm on March 13, 2021
This is a time to reach out and be with one another, albeit electronically. Remember we can only hold up to 300 of you, so registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Invites will be sent bi-weekly in the order they are received.
For your invitation, just send me your name and email address with the date or dates you want to attend. I can be reached at:
The only business is monkey business for these get-togethers; see you there.
Luv, Lynne & Pam
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CFWC Convention Virtual Art Show
Mary Lou Benzel, Chair
This past weekend, the Executive Board of CFWC voted for a virtual Convention in May. This changes how we will be able to display our Art Show items, so while I have updated our forms for the next year, (attached), we are still planning a Virtual Show. Attached is what I have come up with for this year to include the “Virtual” Show and contest.
The categories remain the same as do the forms but we will only accept photographs of the artwork. Our idea would be to display them at the Convention and have members vote on their favorites in each category announcing the winners on Friday afternoon May 14, 2021.
With Metamorphosis as our theme for the 118th Annual CFWC Convention, we are certainly evolving how we can continue to show our Art. Enjoy and look for more information to be sent to the Districts directly.
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We thank Peggy Baumann, CFWC Inspirational Values Chair for sharing the Inspirational she gave a the recent CFWC Board Meeting
SIMPLE FORMULA FOR LIVING
Live beneath your means.
Return everything you borrow.
Stop blaming other people.
Admit it when you make a mistake.
Give clothes not worn to charity.
Do something nice and try not to get caught.
Listen more; talk less.
Everyday take a 30 minute walk.
Strive for excellence, not perfection.
Be on time. Don’t make excuses.
Don’t argue. Get organized.
Be kind to unkind people.
Let someone cut ahead of you in line.
Take time to be alone.
Cultivate good manners.
Be humble.
Realize and accept that life isn’t fair.
Know when to keep your mouth shut.
Go an entire day without criticizing anyone.
Learn from the past. Plan for the future.
Live in the present.
Don’t sweat the small stuff.
It’s all small stuff.
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Leadership Minute
It's here....the latest Leadership Booklet! Click on the photo
Dori Kelsey, CFWC Leadership Chair
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CFWC Health and Wellness Program
Myrna Binford, Chairman
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Do you know who the “hidden homeless” are? They may be a single individual or a family. Are they really hiding? No, they are hiding in plain sight! They have lost jobs, homes, and many, their dignity. They are living in cars, vans, RVs, and campers so you won’t find them in shelters or on the street. Since the pandemic started, it has doubled as the housing crisis has worsened. Chances are, they are undercounted in a census and so the state receives less money for services for all its citizens. It is estimated that 1 in 500 Americans are homeless, but it could be more if the “hidden homeless” are counted. Vehicle residency is one of the fastest growing forms of homelessness.
Some of these people do have unemployment benefits and can get food stamps, but they also depend on Food Pantries for food. Many families are afraid to go to a shelter as they don’t want Family Services to get involved or are afraid their children will be exposed to unpleasant experiences. An uptick to vehicle living is there is less exposure to the coronavirus than in other homeless living in shelters or on the street.
The main problem is that there are few places these people can stay without getting a vehicle towed (which then costs money). A few churches, non-profits, and local governments have created overnight parking lots with portable toilets and showers, but these are few and far between as funding has dwindled. Of note is that California is one of the states that has stepped up to create Safe Parking Programs. Other states seem to be taking the cue.
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We thank Yolanda Petroski, CFWC Civic Engagement and Outreach Chair for sharing the poem she read at the recent CFWC Board Meeting
THANK A VET
William A. Predeau
Many people travel to our shores
To escape their world of strife
And leave their troubled lands behind
To enjoy our way of life.
But our way of life in America
Didn’t come easy, so don’t forget
If you love what we enjoy today
Be sure and thank a Vet
They shed their blood on foreign shores
To help keep others free
And many never came back home
To their wives and family.
Many fathers, sons and daughters
Still battle in distant sand
May they never be forgotten
Nor the fight they have at hand.
The bells will toll in their honor
As long as we never forget
America is what it is today
Thank God, and thank a Vet.
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And Yolanda's QuickBytes article for today.....
In reading the 94 reports received in this program, I was dismayed to see clubs under-reporting their efforts. Since we have almost a whole reporting year ahead of us – one that will hopefully be much better than 2020 – please keep the following suggestions in mind. One example: in knitting or crocheting scarves, please note the dollar value of the yarn used as an In-Kind figure. Also, guestimate the time spent in creating the scarves to report in Hours. These were often left blank. Other examples would be baby showers for expectant military moms-to-be and the Buddy Boxes so many of our clubs donate. Record the dollar value of the items donated as an In-Kind figure. Even if items were purchased on sale, record the regular price of the yarn, baby gifts, and items in the Buddy Boxes. If it happens that the hours and dollar value are reported elsewhere, then the above doesn’t apply, of course. Wherever your projects are reported, be sure to give your efforts the appropriate credit.
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Editor's Note: While some of the following forms will eventually be moved to the CFWC website, these are remaining for a while at the request of the chairmen posting them,
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Just a thought ......
Always! That is the dreadful word ...it is a meaningless word, too.
Oscar Wilde
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