June 2019 Newsletter

NOTE FROM SSS

Good Day,

July is a very active month for the Belizean Grove! Registration for the St. Louis Mini Retreat is still open. We have only ten rooms left in the St. Louis room block, so if you are planning on coming, book your room soon! We are also excited to announce the room block for the 20th Anniversary Annual Retreat in Puerto Rico is now open! We will begin collecting 2020 Dues in the next few weeks, so look out for an email in Mid-July. The Tara/Grover Membership Committee will have one more meeting before the St. Louis Mini Retreat, so be sure to submit your nominations as soon as possible. The AFM Board will also be meeting in July, so there is still time to have an organization you support submit their grant application!

Read below for more news on the upcoming Retreats, updates, and information on 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

Welcome New Nyomis

Please help give a warm Belizean Grove welcome to these amazing New Nyomis! Click on the names to read more about each new member.

Carla Fernandez
Sarah Hendren

Join us in St. Louis, Missouri for our 2019 Mini Retreat

September 12-14, 2019 Registration is now open! Click here to register for the Mini Retreat

The Mini Retreat fee is $650.00
Please click here to view a draft of the agenda.
Here’s a look at some of the fascinating panels:

• Forward from Ferguson
• Female CEO’s Leading St. Louis
• Virtual Medicine changing the Rural Landscape
• Improving the World Through Creative Conservation
• Rebuilding the St. Louis Fashion Industry and its Impact on St. Louis
• Creative Medicine

We are also thrilled to announce we will be having a keynote address by Jackie Joyner-Kersee on Thursday evening at the historic St. Louis Arch.

Jackie is an American retired track and field athlete, ranked among the all-time greatest athletes in the heptathlon as well as long jump. She won three gold, one silver, and two bronze Olympic medals, in those two events at four different Olympic Games.

Jackie has defined her post-athletic career as a philanthropist, a dynamic public speaker, and a tireless advocate for children’s education, health issue, racial equality, social reform and women’s rights.

St. Louis has consistently been rated in the top 10 of cities to visit, so plan on coming early and staying late! The STL committee recommends staying an extra night or two in the Hilton Ballpark so you can explore all the exciting things St. Louis has to offer. Gather some friends and go to multiple restaurants featuring James Beard Award Winning chefs. Visit the #1 rated Pasty Chef, Madison Reed! Stay after the event and visit the St. Louis Art Museum, Museum of Modern Art, Soldiers Memorial, the Hills of Cahokia, and more! There is plenty to do right in the city! Eat at the famous “The Hill” restaurants and experience some of the best Italian food anywhere. See the First Cathedral West of the Mississippi then head to the St. Louis Basilica in the Central West End, the most beautiful Mosaic Cathedral in America, Stay and enjoy. All are just a LYFT ride away!
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.
Pre & Post Tours

St. Louis Zoo Tour- Sept 12
Missouri Botanical Garden Tour- Sept 12
Architectural St. Louis Tour- Sept 14
Winery Tour- Sept 14

Click here for more information on the tours. Click here to register for any of the tours. The registration deadline is Wednesday, August 28.

The room block is still open! We only have a 10 rooms left, book ASAP!

Click here to reserve your room

Guests are welcome to start booking reservations using the link or by calling 1-800-445-8667 and referencing your group code “BEL.”

Puerto Rico 2020
Our 20th anniversary retreat will be held in 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.

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 street from the Vanderbilt. La Concha features pristine beaches and pools, fitness center, spa, Casino del Mar, and Fifty Eight—the hottest oceanfront night club, 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
781-449-686

Bring your Grove photos!

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

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.

Save the Dates

Fall 2020 Mini Retreat: San Antonio, TX (September 24 & 25)
Winter 2021 Annual Retreat: Argentina (late January or early February)

MEMBER NEWS

What the Grovers and Taras Have been Up to Lately…

-New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham appointed Joanna Prukop to the New Mexico State Game Commission, which oversees the NM Department of Game & Fish. She made history as the first woman to be elected chair of the commission. Click here to read more.

–Veronica Gray will be exhibiting her photography this summer (June 28 – September 1) at Laguna Beach’s Sawdust Festival. For a preview, click here.  You can also follow Veronica on Instagram @veronica.m.gray or visit her website at  http://www.veronicagrayphotography.com/

-BMO appointed Shannon Kennedy as Global Head of the BMO Family Office. Click here to read more.

–Joan Herman has been appointed to Ionis Pharmaceuticals’ board of directors. Click here to read more.

-Princeton University establishes Sonia Sotomayor (former Grover) 1976 Scholarship Fund. Click here to read more.

–Kathleen Mason was appointed to the Board of Directors and Special Committee of GWG Holdings, Inc. GWG recently merged with Beneficient, and is a leading provider of liquidity to consumers and investors across the U.S.

Are you currently writing or have you written a book recently?

We are working to create a new page on the Belizean Grove website to share information on books written by our members, an area to share best practices for aspiring authors, marketing tips and ideas, and other information new authors might need to know. If you have written a book, we want to hear from you!
Please fill out the form here to share information on your book, ways to purchase the book, and any other best practices you would like to share. If you would like to help create this page for the Grove website, or any feedback for the website that you would like to share, please contact Leslie Dube.

BOOK NEWS: Betrayed: A Survivor’s Guide to Lying, Cheating, & Double Dealing
Susan is very excited to announce the new book that she co-authored with Elaine Eisenman- Betrayed: A Survivor’s Guide to Lying, Cheating, & Double Dealing- is going to print today!
It is currently available for pre-order on Amazon hereand will be available for purchase on July 2 for $19.99.
Learn the lessons of survival from those who lived through the depths of betrayal in business, marriage, families, and friendship.
Delve into over 50 true stories to master the art of successfully handling the trauma of setbacks, releasing your anger, overcoming the urge for quick revenge, deciding if forgiveness is possible, and, most critically, tapping into your power to set the path for a positive future.

-A corporate manager in the veterinary world to be a top creative in the national veterinary rollup to be based on the east coast.
-A CEO or COO of a school transportation company based in the mid-west with operating also on the east coast.
Please send appropriate resumes to Susan Stautberg at partnercom@partner-com.com.

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

In Theaters
The Chambermaid
Available in theaters – check your local listings
Director: Lila Avilés
Starring: Gabriela Cartol, Teresa Sánchez
Synopsis: A look at the working environment of a chambermaid in one of Mexico City’s most luxurious hotels.
Genre: Drama
IMDB link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8331988

Streaming
Everything is Fine!
Available on: Seed&Spark
Director: Emily Best (Nyomi)
Synopsis: Six of comedy’s rising stars come together for one witty, rollicking and real hour of stand-up. Get your LOLs, then get to know Lianna, Katrina, Amelia, Leah, Riley and Heather more with exclusive behind-the-comedy episodes.
Genre: Comedy special
IMDB link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8974884

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’!”