August 2019 Newsletter

By bzgadmin | August 30, 2019 |

NOTE FROM SSS

Good Day,

We are two weeks away from the St. Louis Mini Retreat in September and have over 130 members already signed up and we know there are more who need to register! Remember that the registration deadline is September 1st so don’t miss your last opportunity to sign up! Information on the Mini Retreat, a draft agenda, and exciting news on unofficial Grove events can be found below.

Remember, dues must be paid by September 30, 2019. You still have a few days to receive the $100 early bird discount (available until August, 31)! Read below for information on how to pay your dues. Remember, if you do not pay your dues, you cannot attend Grove events, will not be included in the 2020 Face Book, and will be removed from the Grove.

Read below for some important news on the upcoming Retreats, and what our members have been up to lately.

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

Cheers,
Susan

DUES

Don’t Forget to Pay Your 2020 Dues!

The Dues Emails went out earlier this month with a link to register and pay your 2020 Dues.
Take advantage of the $100 Early Payment Discount and pay now! The last day to receive your discount is August 31, 2019.

Grovers: click here to pay your 2020 dues.
NEW Grovers: click here to pay your 2020 dues.

Taras: click here to pay your 2020 dues.
NEW Taras: click here to pay your 2020 dues.

Nyomis: click here to pay your 2020 dues.
NEW Nyomis: click here to pay your 2020 dues.

2019 MINI RETREAT

St. Louis Mini Retreat 2019
The Mini Retreat will be September 12-14.

Registration is still open! Click here to register for the Mini Retreat The Mini Retreat fee is $650.00.
Unofficial Pre-Party
Unofficial Pre-party at the residences of Laura Herring (Grover) and Susan Block (Grover), located in the historic residences at the Chase Park Plaza. This regal building is home to a celebrated history dating back to 1922. It has hosted celebrities and luminaries from Frank Sinatra to Jimmy Carter, and now, the Belizean Grove!

Click here to register for the pre-party. There is a $20.00 contribution fee toward the overall cost of the party.

The Residences at the Chase
232 N. Kingshighway
Units #1701 & #1702
St. Louis, MO 63141

It’s a 10 minute Uber or Lyft ride from the Hilton.
Lyft codes below:
BELIZEANSTL19 – Existing Users
20% off 2 rides up to $5.00 per ride
BELIZEANSTL19NEW – New Users
$10 off your first ride

Heavy hors d’oeuvres and drinks will be served from 6:30-10:00 PM. (If you already have dinner plans, still plan to either come before you go to dinner or after!).

Program
Please click here to view a draft of the agenda.
Events and times are subject to change.
We have a lot of exciting and noteworthy speakers as well as visits planned to some of St. Louis’ most iconic locations.
Also, be sure to review this member curated health tips sheet to help you stay in tip top shape while traveling.

Ask Jackie!
If you have a question you would like to ask our keynote speaker, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, please submit your questions ahead of time here.
Our time with Jackie is limited, so in order to utilize her speaking time, we are collecting questions ahead of time for Jackie to answer during her fireside talk.
Click here to read Jackie’s bio.

Pop Up Shops
The following pop up shops will be featured during retreat check-in on Thursday from 1:00-5:30 PM:
Sasha Nicholas
Lux & Nyx
ReFash Studios
Claire Flowers
Trio Bedding

Save the Date: Pre-Retreat WCD Event
As you are making your travel plans to attend the 2019 St. Louis Belizean Grove Mini Retreat, please save the date for a special evening that is being planned by the WCD St. Louis Chapter for a WCD chapter event:
September 11. 2019
Time: 6:00 pm – 6:30 pm
Networking Reception: 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Dinner & Program Location:
St. Louis Woman’s Club
4600 Lindell Boulevard
St. Louis, MO 63108
314-367-0700
http://www.stlwomansclub.org
WCD will send an invitation next week with further details and an RSVP.

2020 RETREAT

Our 20th anniversary retreat will be held in San Juan, Puerto Rico in January 23-27, 2020! More information will be coming soon!
The room block for Puerto Rico is now open!

We are once again working with Deb Carr, with Cleveland Circle Travel-American Express, to book rooms at the hotel. Deb is also able to book flights for members.

BG is not taking room reservations.

To book your room, contact Deb Carr (deb@cctravel.com), with the below information:

1.Name as it appears on driver’s license or passports
2.Date of Birth
3. City of origin / Preferred Carrier or Flights (if booking flights) We are offering a 10% discount on American Airlines flights through July 31st
4. Arrival Date and Return Date
5. Resort requested – Condado Vanderbilt or La Concha
6. Room type desired
7. Roommate if applicable – please provide arrival date and departure date of your roommate
8. Cell phone number
9. Credit card for hotel guarantee – you may call this in to Deb
10. Billing Address

We were able to secure two hotels this year to ensure we have a plethora of rooming options to choose from. Both of these hotels were featured in the Forbes article The 6 Best Hotels in Puerto Rio.
Rooms are available at the luxurious Condado Vanderbilt, where the majority of our morning sessions will also be held. The Condado Vanderbilt is majestically perched above the Atlantic Ocean and is a premier oceanfront hotel in Puerto Rico. It features deluxe amenities, including a private beach club and pools, where you can book exclusive cabanas and chaise lounges, with a personal Pool and Beach Butler, a spa and fitness center, access to the Casino del Mar at La Concha, and access to world-class golf just 30 minutes away.
Condado Vanderbilt Room Rates:
Heritage Queen/Queen – $329/night
Heritage King – $319/night
Tower City View King – $329/night
Tower Ocean View King – $339/night
Tower Ocean View Queen/Queen – $349/night
All rooms will have also have the additional fees: + 11% Tax, 18% Resort Fee, $5 baggage fee, $2/day attendant fee.

We also have rooms available at the trendy La Concha, located directly across the park from the Vanderbilt. La Concha features pristine beaches and pools, fitness center, spa, Casino del Mar, and Fifty Eight—one of the largest bars in Puerto Rico, where you can experience vibrant performances, dancing, and music! Guests are also able to access world-class golf just 30 minutes away at the Bahia Beach Resort.
La Concha Room Rates:
$269/night + 11% Tax, 18% Resort Fee, $4 baggage fee, $2/day attendant fee

We expect this to be our biggest retreat ever! So book soon to ensure you have a spot at this exciting retreat! We cannot guarantee that we will be able to get more rooms, so once they are gone, they are gone!

Deb Carr’s contact information:
deb@cctravel.com
781-449-6864

20th Anniversary Jewelry
Angela Moore will once again be making her signature Belizean Grove necklaces and we are working on one to mark our 20th Anniversary. If you have an idea of a bead you would like to see, please contact Leslie (leslie@belizeangrove.org).

Bring your Grove photos!
Do you have photos or mementos from past retreats and get-togethers? Please bring copies of them with you to the retreat, or send them to Leslie ahead of time!

20th Anniversary T-Shirt Suggestions
We’re thrilled to celebrate our 20th anniversary in Puerto Rico and we would love to have shirts to commemorate our 20 years of friendship.

If you have any fun slogan or design suggestions, please fill out this form.
Some slogan examples:
-Boss Babe
-Me talking to myself: “Good point!”
-Sometimes I wrestle with my demons. Sometimes we snuggle.

MEMBER NEWS

What the Grovers and Taras Have been Up to Lately…

-Susan Stautberg was interviewed for KUNM on how her book Betrayed: A Survivor’s Guide to Lying, Cheating, & Double Dealing explores How To Bounce Back From Betrayal. Click here to listen.

-Several of Veronica Gray’s photographs were selected for “The Aging as Art Photography Show” and displayed at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana from July 23 – August 4, 2019 and at the Newport Beach Central Library from August 5 – September 9, 2019. The Aging as Art Photography Show depicts the diversity, dignity, and challenges of what living a long life means today. https://www.coasc.org/events/aging-as-art/ One of the selected photos is of Grover Sherri Bovino and her mother, click here. The other three selected are here.

–Paige Arnof-Fenn, founder and CEO of Mavens and Moguls, discusses the influence of brands on social causes and whether or not they actually help in interview Advertising Activism with The Lisa Show. Click here to listen.

-The Houston Business Journal has recognized Pamela O’Rourke as a 2019 Women Who Mean Business honoree. Click here to read more.

–Dawn Sweeney, President and CEO of the National Restaurant Association, sat down with Dr. Amit Sharma to discuss a wide range of topics dealing with food and the restaurant industry. Listen to the interview here.

-Sharon Fiehler and Beth Chesterton have officially launched their website and an Instagram account for ABC to CEO. Here is a link to our website and to Instagram. They have great content for girls, young women and even the adults who are active in the lives of young girls and young women. They also have begun creating amazing podcast conversations with a variety of CEOs.

–Diane Danielson was recently featured on the cover of a Real Estate Investment magazine. Click here to read more.

SAVE THE DATE

Save the Date!

Dates to be determined still, but the locations for future retreats have been decided:
Fall 2020 Mini Retreat: San Antonio, TX (September 24 & 25)
Winter 2021 Annual Retreat: Argentina (late January or early February)

OPPORTUNITY

Opportunity- Women4Impact

From Thursday, October 31 to Monday, November 4, 2019, her HRH Sonam Dechan Wangchuck, Princess of Bhutan, and President, JSW Law, and Ambassador Melanne Verveer, Executive Director, Georgetown Institute of Women, Peace and Security will convene a small group of women and men to discuss gender equality and the role of women in enabling and accelerating peace, democracy, equality and sustainability. These two extraordinary women will host the gathering, entitled Women4Impact, in Bhutan. It is an invitation only event that brings together women and men from multiple sectors and functions from across the world. The invitees for this inaugural gathering are referred from existing networks and many are bringing their sons and daughters to include them in the discussion about philanthropy.

Maggie Hanson-Muse volunteered and she is honored to serve as an Event Ambassador for Women4Impact. The planners selected Bhutan for the event location because of the country’s enlightened and selfless leadership, its Gross National Happiness (GNH) sustainable development model, and its commitment to measuring prosperity (success) in terms of enduring happiness for all.

In summary, Women4Impact is an opportunity to learn, reflect, and connect on a topic of great importance, to do so in one of the most beautiful and inspiring destinations on earth, and to make a difference in the lives of young women through our very participation.

If you are interested in learning more, please contact Maggie Hanson-Muse- mhansonm@hotmail.com
**Special Note – As a US government employee, she is prohibited from receiving any benefit or compensation from this program; this is a volunteer project for her because she supports quality education, meaningful work, and economic growth for all and especially for women.
There are opportunities for pre and post extension trips. Please hurry. Space is limited.

UPDATE YOUR PROFILE

Haven’t updated your profile on the website yet? Not sure what to do?

Watch this short video for step-by-step instructions. (NOTE: To make the video larger – click the small “4 arrows” icon at the bottom right of the video – to the right of the HD.)

HOW TO EDIT YOUR PROFILE

Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible’!”

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