April 2021 Newsletter

A Note from SSS

Good Day,

Our 2021 Face Book is off to the printers and will be in the mail to you in the next several weeks! Information on now to take advantage of your last chance to sign up to receive a hard copy is below.

We hope you are all having a great start to your spring! The Belizean Grove offices have been busy with meetings and planning our upcoming events, both virtual and in-person. The Grove membership committee will also be meeting in May to approve the next round of new members, if you would like to volunteer to be a Grove Guide to one of these new members, read below for more information on how to sign up.

The Belizean Grove has some exciting things planned for the years ahead – be sure to read everything below and visit our website as we are constantly updating and making new additions to the content.

If you have any updates you would like to share for future newsletters, please email me or Leslie Dube (leslie@belizeangrove.org).

Cheers,

Susan

The Five Votes of Confidence.
Today is a new day. Hence:
1. I refuse to be shackled by yesterday’s failures.
2. What I don’t know I will no longer allow to intimidate me. I will instead view it as an opportunity.
3. I will not allow others to define my mood, my method, my image or my mission.
4. I will pursue a mission greater than myself by making at least one person happy that they saw me.
5. I will not tolerate self-pity, gossip or negativism- from myself or from others.

What the Grovers, Taras, and Nyomis have been up to lately….

-NeoGames S.A., a technology-driven provider of end-to-end iLottery solutions, announced the appointment of Lisbeth McNabb to its board of directors as a Non-executive director. Lisbeth will serve as chairperson on the board’s audit committee and a member of its compensation and nominating and corporate governance committees. With the addition, the board expands to six members. Ms. McNabb has deep experience as a creative strategist and operational leader skilled in developing solutions to meet competitive, customer and business objectives in environments spanning emerging business models, market share expansion and industry transformations. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Nexstar Media Group and is on the audit committee and former Audit Committee Chairperson. Click here to read more.

–Evelyn Farkas authored article, Putin is testing Biden on Ukraine. Here’s what will keep him in check for The Washington Post. Evelyn was deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia/Ukraine/Eurasia from 2012 to 2015. She is a board member of the Project 2049 Institute, focusing on Asia Pacific security issues. Click here to read.

–Aliza Knox, an AUW Mentor, has organized a GoFundMe campaign for a young woman named Humaira Faizi. Humaira received an 80% scholarship to American U in Afghanistan; however, her family cannot afford the rest of the tuition. Please click here, if you’d like to contribute. They are very close to making their goal and they would be immensely grateful for any help you can give.

–Andrea Meditch is an Executive Producer of a new film. She has been working for many years with Drew Xanthopolous, an extraordinarily talented young filmmaker, and is are delighted that his latest film FATHOM is about to enter the world. FATHOM will premiere in competition at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival in mid-June; the festival has described the film as:

"a visual and aural wonder of a documentary—an immersive and sensorial film that follows researchers working to finally decode the communication and culture of humpback whales. With Dr. Michelle Fournet and Dr. Ellen Garland." 

It will have a limited theatrical release and begin streaming on Apple TV+ on June 25th. Click here to view the trailer.

In Memoriam

Dear members,

It is with a heavy heart I report to you the passing of Dr. Marta Rendon (Grover.) Marta Rendon was a caring mother, loving spouse, and a world renowned Dermatologist who advanced medical knowledge as an educator, global lecturer, and pioneering researcher. She fought courageously with pancreatic cancer for the past 4 years with the support of her family, while making the most of every moment by continuing her travels, philanthropy, and mentorship.

If you’d like to support the fight to beat pancreatic cancer, please consider donating in Marta’s name at letswinpc.org/donate.

We send our deepest sympathies to Marta’s family.

All my best,

Susan

Upcoming Virtual Table Topic

Weaving DEI into the Future of Work + Beyond

With Diane Ashley and Jaime Klein
Thursday, May 68:00 PM ET/ 5:00 PM PT

As Grovers, we show up as leaders in many areas of our lives: workplace, volunteering, relationships, and beyond.  The future will be led by cultures fostering inclusion and belonging. Modern leaders are going beyond creating the business case for DEI —to underscore the human case.  This is the kind of stakeholder capitalism that is necessary to survive the pandemic and emerge stronger on the other side.  
Our session will discuss:              

• Quantifying the human case.             

• Advance leadership commitment to DEI in the workplace and beyond.             

• Discuss how to establish a culture of inclusion, belonging, and respect.              

• Increase awareness of common biases.             

• Strengthen communication to reduce bias. 

Sign up to become a Grove Guide

The first group of Grove Guides have met their new members are areAs we begin to plan for the future of the Grove, we would like to invite you to join us and volunteer to become part of our new Onboarding process as a Grove Guide. Grove Guides will take the place of the former Big Sister program, and will serve as a 12-18 month program to welcome our new members into the Grove.

Click here for more information on what to expect as a Grove Guide.

The Onboarding Committee has created a number of new ways to make our newest members feel more included and have a warm welcome into our wonderful group of women. The Committee is developing a process that includes several touch points for a new member before they even attend their first retreat in order to form lasting friendships that everyone will cherish.Each new member will have at least two Grove guides, one being her sponsor and the other being someone she does not yet know. We want that Grove Guide to be YOU! Even if you sponsor someone else, you can still volunteer to become a Grove Guide to another new member.

If you are interested in becoming a Grove Guide, please join us and answer the following questionnaire below:
Click here to fill out the form and become a Grove Guide*
*Filling out this form does not guarantee you will be called for service.

Save the Date

2022 Annual Retreat in New Orleans- January 27-30, 2022

Our New Orleans Annual Retreat Committee is already hard at work planning the in-person retreat in New Orleans in 2022!
We will tour the World War II Museum, explore the local culture and music, eat at restaurants owned and run by female chefs, and experience all the Big Easy has to offer. The cocktail was invented in New Orleans, so we will be sure to also do our historical research while there.
More information on this retreat will be sent out in the coming weeks.

2021 Face Book

To view a digital copy of the face book please click here.
We will be sending out printed copies soon. If you would like a printed copy, please fill out this form if you have not done so already.