July 2019 Newsletter

We are gearing up for a fantastic Mini Retreat in St. Louis in September and 130 people have already signed up! Remember that you must register by September 1st so please don’t delay! Information on the Mini Retreat, as well as a draft agenda can be found below.

Dues are now officially open! Dues must be paid by September 30, 2018. 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.

Keep reading below for some important news on the upcoming Retreats, dues, 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.

WELCOME

Welcome New Members!

Please help give a warm Belizean Grove welcome to these amazing new members! Click on their names to read more about them.

GROVERS:
Andrea Muller
Matrice Ellis Kirk
Jennifer Estabrook
Karen Webster Parks

TARAS:
Rachel Gordon
Nina Resetkova
Diana Sonis

–Ivy Ross is listed #9 on Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business 2019. Click here to view the list.

-GWG Holdings announced Kathleen Mason’s addition to its Board of Directors.

–Rebecca Boenigk was honored with WIPP President’s Award. Click here to read more.

–Cathy Allen was named one of the Top 25 Women in Cyber Security by Cyber Defense Magazine. Click here to read more.

-For Board Options Inc, Elaine Eisenman led 15 Board members in a discussion of a case: The CEO Confronts a Rogue Trader and an Uncooperative Board: What Would You Do? Click here to listen to the discussion and click here to read the case.

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

Registration is now open!
Click here to register for the Mini RetreatThe Mini Retreat fee is $650.00.

Plea for Roommates!
We have a few members who are currently on our wait list for rooms at the Hilton St. Louis Ballpark – including new members who have just joined the Grove!

If you are interested in sharing your room, please contact Leslie (leslie@belizeangrove.org) as soon as possible!

We also have a group of members who have booked rooms at the Drury Plaza Hotel St. Louis at the Arch, located across the street from the Hilton (where our conference will be held). While we do not have a room block at the Drury, if you still need a room and would like to join this group, the link to book is here.

Program
Please click here to view a draft of the agenda.

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.

St. Louis has consistently been rated in the top 10 of cities to visit, so plan on coming early and staying late! Click here to learn a plethora of wonderful information about things that make St. Louis so special and unique. It also includes links to their most recent destination video, along with a video and information about their up and coming food scene.

Register for Pre & Post Tours
Click here to register for any of the below tours. The registration deadline is Wednesday, August 28.

Have you written a book recently?
The St. Louis Committee will be featuring pop-up shops during registration and cocktail hour on the opening evening of our Retreat and would like to invite any member who has recently published a book to join!

In order to reserve your space, you must contact Leslie ahead of time. We will not be able to accommodate any member who has not confirmed participation ahead of time. Members are expected to sell their own books, the Belizean Grove will not sell them for you, and be present with your books during the time you are selling them. There will also be a time for book signing and selling from 2pm-4pm. You are invited to join for any or all of that time!

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.

Films of the Month- chosen by Naomi McDougall Jones and Emily Best

In Theaters
The Farewell
Available in theaters – check your local listings
Director: Lulu Wang
Starring: Awkwafina, Tzi Ma, Diana Lin
Synopsis: A Chinese family discovers their grandmother has only a short while left to live and decide to keep her in the dark, scheduling a wedding to gather before she dies.
Genre: Comedy/Drama
IMDB link: www.imdb.com/title/tt8637428/

Streaming
The Farewell Party (aren’t we cute??)
Available on: iTunes, GooglePlay, YouTube
Director: Sharon Maymon and Tal Granit
Starring: Ze’ev Revach, Levana Finkelstein, Aliza Rosen
Synopsis: Residents of a retirement home build a machine for self-euthanasia in order to help their terminally ill friend, though they are faced with a series of dilemmas when rumors of the machine begin to spread. (It may sound serious, but it’s one of the funniest films we have EVER seen)
Genre: Comedy/Drama
IMDB link: www.imdb.com/title/tt3163304/

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)

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