CFWC QuickBytes

January 24, 2022

Message from Jean Lash, CFWC Meeting Planner

Many ladies are asking why the Winter Board Meeting cannot be held via Zoom. CFWC is contracted with the Wyndham Hotel and, unlike when the State was shut down previously, we cannot cancel or reschedule dates with the hotel. If CFWC cancels now, it would cost $35,611 which is an exorbitant amount that we cannot afford. To help reduce your concerns, the following will be in place during the meeting:

Hotel Protocol:

We have sanitizer stations around the property – and we follow whatever guidelines are in place by the County of Sacramento, Ca Dept of Public Health, etc. as required.

As far as guest rooms, we are not doing daily maid service – if a guest wants housekeeping service they can request it through the front desk and we will go in and clean when there will be no-one in the room. The desk is also equipped with towels, linen, paper products, amenities, should guests need anything. Trash can be left outside the guest room door for housekeeping to collect. We will do a welcome letter for attendees staying overnight with what is happening at that time.

CFWC Protocol:

Masks will be mandatory - the CFWC registration desk will have additional masks if you do not have one. Hand sanitizer, cleaning wipes, gloves will also be available. Meeting rooms will be set with chairs 6 ft apart and tables during the Executive Board Meeting will have 6 ladies at a table instead of 8 or 10. If you are a speaker, disposable microphone covers will be at the podium. And, CFWC will be the only group meeting in the hotel during our dates.

Now that you will be joining us in Sacramento, you have one week left to register for this meeting -- the deadline is next Monday, January 31! You can register online by clicking here or complete the registration form in the Call and send it with a check to: Jean Lash, Meeting Manager, 39531 Almaden Circle, Murrieta CA 92563. Make sure to make your hotel reservation by this date too. Call the Wyndham Sacramento Hotel at 916 338-5800 and tell them you are with the California Federation of Women's Clubs for the special group rate of $144.00+

REMEMBER, THE DEADLINES FOR MEALS AND FOR HOTEL ROOMS IS

MONDAY, JANUARY 31, 2022

FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT

Kindness. What does kindness mean to you, personally, and in your heart of hearts? I think of kindness as a gift, one I can open each morning and one I can share with everyone I meet each day, whether I know them or not, it does not matter. Kindness is something that is felt and shared and celebrated.

This past week has been hard, yet I awoke every day with kindness in my heart and shared it openly with others. How about you? In a world where we can be bombarded by so many negative emotions and doubt, leading from a place of love and kindness is an absolute must for our daily lives. The concept of kindness seems simple in theory, but it is not. We must work on our kindness, for first and foremost: we must be kind to ourselves.

As volunteers, we sometimes forget the simplest of acts in self-care, and we place others first above our own concerns. But we need to remember that every single day we awaken, we need to be grateful and show kindness to ourselves and others. This is not a selfish act; this is a necessity! Showing kindness to ourselves and others is nothing short of a miracle. A smile, a gesture of compassion, empathy towards someone in need, a short call on the phone to someone, a simple thank-you. These are all signs of kindness towards others and us.

When we see the good in ourselves, we readily recognize the good in others and lead with an authentic kindness. Authenticity is needed when speaking any truth and kindness is a truth, for if you give kindness to yourself, you can readily give kindness to others. As I mentioned earlier, this has been a hard week, but with that said: I have not let it influence my feeling of being kind to myself and being kind to others. I still give my kindness like glitter: freely.

I know many things about people and believe me when I say people know when you are kind and when you are acting kind…you must truly be invested in kindness for it to show thought your everyday acts, words, and deeds. Share your kindness after you share kindness with yourself. Know that kindness is free and much needed to survive an authentic life. Smile, laugh, and know that we, as volunteers, must lead with kindness to ourselves first and kindness towards others second.

Humanity is screaming right now, and it screams for kindness.

Luv, Pam

A SPECIAL NOTE FROM PAM TO THE MEMBERSHIP OF CFWC

I want to thank Jean Lash for all her arduous work as the Meeting Planner in this Administration. To simply say it has been a challenge, is not enough to describe her dedication to aiding our membership and myself in the Hotel process. Please read the entire note from Jean also in this Quick Bytes Issue. It is important to understand where we are in the process of our meeting and contractual obligations with these Hotels. Jean has done her best and I am grateful, but we want the membership to know fully what we are going through, and she has explained it so well here in the article. Thank you, Jean: you are a Gem!

Luv, Pam

SUNSHINE AND SHADOWS

It is with with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Leon Herzog, husband to our CFWC past President Chris Herzog. We grieve with Chris as each of us holds space for the Herzog Family within our own hearts. Cards may be sent to the Herzog family at:

Chris Herzog

8974 Westhill Road

Lakeside, California

92040

BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN!

CFWC Convention May 2022

Are you ready for May? Are you as excited as I am? Have you cleared your schedule for the event of the Administration? Yes, yes, and yes should be your answers! The CFWC Convention is right around the corner for May 11 – 14 in Anaheim, California. The Convention Committee is working hard to get out the CALL to Convention during the first week of March and there are so many wonderful things we have planned for you! So, print out, email, share, and send the “Save the Date Flier” attached below and let’s all celebrate getting BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN for a rip roaring 2022 in-person Convention!

Printable Convention Save the Date Flier

Military & Veterans – Yolanda Petroski, Chair

The National Salute to Veterans Week will be celebrated at VA facilities the week of February 13-19. We know that VA facilities will welcome age-appropriate Valentines to be distributed during Valentine festivities at their facilities during this week. Also known as the National Salute to Veteran Patients Week, its purpose is to:

1. Pay tribute to Veterans

2. Increase community awareness of the role of the local VA Center

3. Encourage visits to hospitalized Veterans

4. Encourage volunteerism with the VA

Almost 100,000 Veterans a day receive treatment at a VA facility. To locate one closest to you, call the VA central number, 800-827-1000. Then, ask to speak with the Voluntary Service representative at your nearest facility to determine how you can help. There’s plenty of time to participate in bringing smiles to these special people

Save the Date - Shot@Life’s 2022 in-person Champion Leadership Summit will take place virtually on Monday, February 28 and Tuesday, March 1, 2022. Attendees will learn from top global health experts and their peers about how to make a difference as an advocate for global childhood vaccination programs during these critical times for vaccine progress in a pandemic. There are also webinars about Shot@Life’s ongoing mission. Please use Shot at Life.Org for all information regarding mission and upcoming programs this spring.

RED Cross – Why Donate blood platelets? This article is from News and Notes (GFWC’s weekly newsletter) and written by Beth Smith, GFWC Health and Wellness Community Service Program Chairman, my counterpart at GFWC. “As we enter another year of the pandemic, there continues to be a shortage of blood and platelet donations. Patients deferring care due to COVID-19 has increased, resulting in a higher demand for blood donations at hospitals. How do we convince people to become donors? Let me share one GFWC member’s story. Kim Overman, 7-year member of GFWC Ossoli Circle, first experienced that blood platelet donations were lifesaving when seeking treatment for her young son’s sinus infection, which wouldn’t go away. When the doctors found a tumor, a diagnosis of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) soon followed. Chemotherapy is the main treatment for children and teens with NHL, because it can reach all parts of the body and kill lymphoma cells wherever they may be. But Kim’s son experienced blood clots from chemo and ultimately needed a transfusion of blood platelets to continue the lifesaving treatment. After seven months of chemo, Kim’s son was in remission. He’s now 28, and his blood has not shown signs of cancer yet. Then Kim herself needed a transfusion about 15 years ago. Kim had uterine fibroids, which caused complications that many women don’t experience. Kim became anemic after her red blood cell count dropped too low before a much-needed surgery to address other health concerns. Today, she’s also in good health. Kim’s personal experience is one of many and it illustrates why a personal appeal to potential platelet donors is so important.” It necessitates the need to promote a community blood drive. For tips on hosting a blood drive, download the tip sheet in the Member Portal’s Digital Library, located within “B” resources. Every two seconds, someone is the U.S. needs blood. Save a life today!

Our CFWC Communications Team Chair, Sonja Hults, graciously invites any member to join her on Sunday afternoons. Please email: cfwcsonjahults@gmail.com for codes.

EDITOR'S NOTE Information on the Young Musicians' Scholarships and the Website Contest has been moved to "QuickDocs" for your reference until the deadline for their entries has passed.

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