UPDATES!

The Newsletter for the North Fulton Business & Professional Women

September 2005 - Vol. II, No. 5

   Usually the signaling of cooler weather fills me with dread, since I'm truly a warm weather person. However, there are a number of exciting happenings we have to look forward to for NFBPW. Of course, our meeting/field trip to Chattahoochee Nature Center is a great change from our regular meeting.

   The Treasures & Trash Bazaar in November will be very exciting. Our committee is working hard. Please be sure to let Barbara Siebert know how you can help with this major fundraiser. Details can be found below.

Warm regards,

   Sorry I have not been able to attend the meetings lately and hoping to be able to attend again in the near future. I have missed seeing all of you. I am still having more medical problems but seem to be improving. I am hoping to be able to attend the Northern District Meeting and would love to go with some of you. Let me know if you are interested in attending on the September 17 in Decatur.
   I need to receive your committee information and activities of North Fulton BPW to get in the newsletter each month, as well as any information that members wish to provide. Remember the newsletter is for you--the members.

Earlene A. Roden, Editor

See you at the Chattahoochee Nature Center!

   Plans are finishing up for the our NFBPW field trip to the Nature Center. RSVP's were required by September 1. There will be a guided evening hike on one of CNC’s nature trails. You will also get a chance to visit with the Nature Center’s resident wildlife. The staff from the Nature Center will be available to answer questions as well as let you know how you or your business/organization can get involved with the Center.

   Food will not be provided but you are invited to bring a picnic dinner to enjoy on the grounds before our hike. The cost for the meeting will be $5.00 per person with a $20.00 cap per family. For directions or for more information on the Nature Center, please visit the website at www.chattnaturecenter.com.

POSTSCRIPT: The field trip was wonderful! Here's a link to some pictures.

Foundation - Career Advancement Scholarship Program

   The BPW Foundation established the Career Advancement Scholarship Program in 1969 to provide financial assistance to disadvantaged women seeking to further their education. Scholarships are provided to women who wish to advance in their careers, or are soon to enter or re-enter the workforce.

   The Foundation has awarded more than $6 million in scholarships, grants, and loans to over 8,000 women seeking to improve their lives. For further questions, go to bpwfoundation@act.org. There were FOUR winners from Georgia among the 2005-2006 winners. The complete list can be seen on line from the BPW USA web site. Also the application packet for 2006-2007 can be downloaded from there.

   Remember to make your contributions on line and make a difference in the life of a needy woman. You will also get a chance to win “Miss Roz Ruby” at the 2006 BPW/GA state conference. Miss Roz Ruby is a
30-inch crocheted Teddi Bear in honor of our National President Roselyn Ridgeway. Tickets will be placed in the drawing at one for $10 and three for each $25 that each individual of BPW/GA makes from now until May. Contribution forms can be downloaded or you can make contributions on line from BPW/USA web site.

Treasures & Trash Bazaar - Help Needed ASAP!

   The Treasures & Trash Bazaar Committee has met to starting things rolling, and they will need your help! The event is scheduled for Saturday, November 12, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the parking lot behind Integrity Bank next to the Integrity Bank Suites. Set up will be 7 to 8 a.m. There are 40 spaces available at $30, each including a table. Seven spaces are already gone, so if you want one, contact Barbara Siebert at bsiebert@myintegritybank.com or by phone at 770-777-0324. You can send your check to her attention the Integrity bank address. There are only 25 tables, so first come, first served.

   We have approached Debbie Fitzgerald of Fitzgerald PR to help us with a press release, and Sherrie Baird will put a free ad in the St. Johns Herald.

   Volunteers are needed in some the following areas:

LEGISLATION -
Women's Equality Day
   August 26 was Women's Equality Day, and 4ERA sponsored an event in the South Wing of the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta to recognize this important day. It is also the 85th anniversary of passage of the 19th Amendment. The purpose of the event was to commemorate the women and men who worked to get women the right to vote AND to recognize the women and men who continue to work to get equality of rights for the women of the United States. The keynote speaker gave a brief presentation of the history of suffrage in the State of Georgia. The event will be held from 1:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. and all BPW members are encouraged to attend. All Georgia State Legislators have been invited, so this is an excellent opportunity to speak with your representatives.

   On a similar note: It is Summer Recess for the United States Congress, so all BPW members are encouraged to make appointments with your Senators and Representatives while they are in their home offices. BPW’s legislative priorities are: Social Security, Violence Against Women, Retirement Security, Pay Equity and others. Discuss these issues with your representatives and ask for their support. Visit the BPW legislative update (on the BPW web page) to get the latest and greatest information and discussion topics.

Rita Bauer, Legislative Chair

ORIENTATION - National Business Women's Week (NBWW)

   National Business Women’s Week is the third week in October each year. Each local organization is encouraged to use a variety of methods to honor and publicize the achievements of working women and recognize a business that promotes and supports women during this week, and to make non-BPW Members aware of NBWW. Check out the national website for some great ideas! Let's see how NFBPW can do it up big this year!

Birthdays/Anniversaries

Happy Birthday to:

Ana Calderon 9/9

Happy Anniversary to:

Amy Darling 9/21

BPW/GA Northern District Meeting, September 17

EMPOWERING WOMEN IN GEORGIA - GETTING BACK TO THE BASICS
   You are hereby cordially invited to attend the sixth annual Northern District Meeting to be held in Decatur, Georgia at the Lullwater School. The Decatur BPW will host the session.

   Registration is from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. A continental breakfast will be served. Cut-off for voting purposes is 10 a.m. Opening Session will be at 9:00 AM. The Last Session is scheduled to be completed by 3:00 PM. The registration fee is $15 in accordance with the State Bylaws and Procedures for the District meeting and a luncheon fee of $10. The deadline for on-time registration will be Wednesday, September 7. Registrations received after this date will require an additional $5 late fee. No refunds will be made after September 7.
   Anyone from North Fulton who would like to attend can get a registration form from Rita Gray or Earlene Roden. Please mail all pre-registration checks payable to Northern District BPW and registration form to Rita Gray, NFBPW Treasurer at 3652 Avensong Village Circle, Alpharetta, GA 30004.

Regular Meeting Minutes