November 2018 Newsletter
NOTE FROM SSS
Good Day,
I hope everyone had a happy and healthy November. As we gear up for the busy Holiday season, please take a moment to check out some of the exciting updates from our members and some important updates on our upcoming Grove Retreat in January.
December 15 is the last day to submit your updated Face Book bio. Please update your bio ASAP! We use the Face Book to select speakers for Retreats, to connect after Retreats, and to stay in touch, so please take the time to update your bio this year. Read below for more information.
There are still a few members who have not yet paid 2019 Membership Dues. Please remember, you are not permitted to attend any retreats (even if you have signed up for them) unless you have paid your dues. You will also be excluded from the Face Book if you have not paid your dues. If you think you still need to pay your dues, get in touch with Leslie right away!
If you have any updates you would like to share for future newsletters, please email me or Leslie Dube (leslie@belizeangrove.org). And don’t forget to share some of your favorite bumper sticker ideas here and we’ll feature in the upcoming Grove updates.
I hope to see you all in Chile! Best wishes for the Holiday Season.
Cheers,
Susan
AFM
Donate Auction Items for Adventures for the Mind Foundation (AFM)
The Grove’s Annual Retreat will be upon us soon! Won’t you make a donation to the auction to help us reach our goal, and “take us over a $million$”?
How can you do that you ask? It is easy! Identify what you want to donate, complete this quick and easy online form here (submit photos and all). If you prefer to print out, fill in, scan and email the form & photos, click here.
Please submit your donations by Dec 9, so we can get them into our new, user-friendly online auction platform!
In the next few weeks we will announce the dates of the online auction as well as details on how you can view the items we will be auctioning.
Please remember, we are looking for donations of things that an everyday person doesn’t have access to, creating a once in a lifetime experience. These could be backstage passes for a private meet-and-greet, tickets to an awards after-party, behind the scenes tour of a Broadway production, a day of cooking with a popular chef, brewery/winery tours, etc. Of course your house/vacation home by itself or in conjunction with any of the above items, as well as jewelry, gift cards and sporting event tickets are always a huge hit.
If you’d like us to send you the description of something you’ve donated before, or if you have any questions, just let Rachel (Rachelepatterson@gmail.com) know.
Because of YOU we were able to give almost $100,000 in grants supporting Salvadoran girls’ personal growth and strength (Glasswing.org) ; holistic legal and social services to immigrant women fleeing humans rights abuse (Tahirih.org) ; building an entrepreneurial ecosystem in Puerto Rico (Guayacan.org), and more in 2018!
Click here to read more about the amazing work that AFM has supported!
CHILE RETREAT
2019 Annual Retreat: Santiago, Chile
January 17-20, 2019
Registration for the 2019 Annual Retreat is NOW OPEN!
Click here to register!
The registration fee is $995.00
Please note that Room Registration is different than the Grove Program Registration, as usual. You will be required to register for both to attend the Annual Retreat.
The 2019 Annual Retreat will begin on the afternoon of January 17 after lunch, so please be sure to arrive on Wednesday January 16 or early Thursday morning (on one of the numerous overnight flights). Programming will go through mid afternoon on Saturday January 19, so you are able to plan your post trips to leave late Saturday afternoon, early Sunday morning, or explore all that Santiago has to offer!
Jose Stevens will be joining us again in Chile to give his overview of what to expect in 2019 in an optional pre-retreat session on Thursday afternoon, January 17. He will also be holding appointments with members Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. If you would like a private appointment for a reading with Jose, please contact his office at 505-982-8732 or admin@thepowerpath.com. We recommend you book in advance. BG cannot make these appointments for you.
Click here to view a draft program!
CHILE ROOM BLOCK IS OPEN AGAIN!
Due to the unexpected popularity of this Retreat, we have negotiated new spaces for dinner so we can accommodate all the members who would like to attend. We now are able to accept FIVE MORE MEMBERS! Get in touch with Deb Carr (deb@cctravel.com) ASAP to book your room!
The following room options are available:
GUEST ROOM RATES
- Standard Single- Regular Floor: USD $ 168 + 19% TAX per room per night.
- Standard Double- Regular Floor: USD $ 183 + 19% TAX per room per night.
If you are looking for a roommate for the main Retreat, or one of the pre/post trips please click here! We already have some members who are looking for a roommate!
PRE & POST TRIPS
Click here to read about and find information on how to sign up for one of the fantastic pre & post trips that you can experience while in Chile.
ST. LOUIS MINI RETREAT
Join us in St. Louis, Missouri for our 2019 Mini Retreat September 12-14, 2019
Once regarded as a forgettable city in “flyover country” – St. Louis has been selected as one of WSJ’s 10 best travel destinations for 2019.
St. Louis is more than just a Gateway to the West. Known for its famous arch, St. Louis is a lively destination in its own right; full of inviting neighborhoods, stunning parks, such as the Missouri Botanical Garden, varied night life, and restaurants that draw on the bounty of surrounding farmland and rivers. With a mix of Midwestern sensibility and southern charm, St. Louis is a city looking to the future.
We will be staying at the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark. Offering a hot tub and fitness center, a rooftop bar and restaurant, Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark overlooks the Gateway Arch and Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals. The St. Louis Gateway Arch is 1,650 feet from this fabulous hotel, while Old Courthouse is 650 feet from the property. The nearest airport is Lambert- St.Louis International Airport, 12 mi from the property.
The St. Louis committee (Laura Herring, Lauren Herring, Sharon Fiehler, and Susan Block) is already hard at work planning the event! They have already started working on their program and the exciting events they have in store for us all.
The room block is now open! 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.”
MEMBER NEWS
What the Grovers and Taras Have been Up to Lately…
–Cathy Allen is being awarded the University of Missouri Alumni Association’s 63rd Annual Distinguished Service Award
This award recognizes outstanding service by an individual whose sustained efforts and support have added to the excellence of the University of Missouri. Click here to read more!
Also, Cathy was named one of the 2018 NACD Directorship 100, the annual list of the most influential people in the boardroom and on corporate governance.
-Pamela O’ Rourke’s company, ICON Information Consultants, was ranked #1 for three consecutive years on the Houston Business Journal’s Largest Women-Owned Businesses List. Read more.
–Kathy Barclay was named one of 100 Women Leaders 2018 who work for a better Chile by El Mercurio.
–Julie Cram, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) deputy assistant administrator for education, was featured in the article Trump Administration Expands Education Funding Overseas to Faith-Based Schools. Click here to read the article.
–Trudy Coxe won the Woman of the Year award from the Rhode Island Hospitality Association.
–Lauren Anderson served as Judge for the Women’s Safety XPRIZE over the past year. The multi-phased global competition had its final rounds in Mumbai, India, in April, and the winner was announced at the United Nations in June. Here is a short video filmed by the BBC while they were in India about the competition. In the last stages of the competition, several Judges dropped out and Lauren recommended fellow Grover Phyllis Newhouse as an alternate. She served with Lauren in India for one week of the competition.
Lauren is also serving as a Judge for the Stevie Awards in their International Business category.
Lauren was interviewed for a profile on former FBI Director and current Special Counsel Robert Mueller which appeared in this month’s issue of GQ’s Men of the Year Issue.
In addition, Lauren was interviewed by many media outlets during the Kavanaugh hearings. Here is one piece with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
SELF DEFENSE TIPS
From Lauren Anderson’s Belizean Grove Self Defense Class –
Cancun, Mexico, January 2018
Be Alert, Be Fierce, Kick Ass, Repeat
At the 2018 Annual Retreat in Cancun Lauren led an informative and exciting class on self-defense and how to keep yourself safe.
Here are Lauren Anderson’s tips on how to stay alert and protect yourself every day.
2017 FACE BOOK
2019 Face Book
It’s time for us to put together the 2019 Face Book!
To view your 2018 profile, click here and use the password: facebook2018
If you are a new member or if you need to update your bio, please fill out this template and email it to facebook@belizeangrove.org
Please note that your membership directory bio on the Belizean Grove website is not the same as your face book bio, updating one does not update the other.
FILM PICKS
Films of the Month- chosen by Naomi McDougall Jones and Emily Best
Ever since Naomi first joined the Grove two and a half years ago, many of you have asked her for some kind of formalized monthly movies-by-women-to-watch vehicle. When Emily joined in Seattle and was asked the same thing, they realized the idea was too good to sit on. Here, each month, they will send you recommendations for their two favorite films of the month by a female director – one that you can watch at home and one in theaters.
Streaming
The Dark of The Night (short film – Robin Wright’s directorial debut)
Available on: Seed & Spark
Director: Robin Wright
Starring: Leslie Bibb, Sam Rockwell
Synopsis: Directed by Robin Wright (House of Cards), one dark and stormy night, a woman on her way to a job interview in Chicago finds shelter from a violent downpour at an isolated diner where shifting tensions and unexpected alliances end in tragedy.
Genre: Drama, Thriller
IMDB link: www.imdb.com/title/tt6726286
In Theaters
Widows Available in theaters- check your local listings
Director: Steve McQueen (we’re making an exception to our female director rule because this is such a great, feminist film and we want it to do really, really well at the box office; the film was co-written by Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl) and has a female producer and all lead female cast, so we’ll let the male director slide)
Starring: Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Liam Neeson
Synopsis: “Widows” is the story of four women with nothing in common except a debt left behind by their dead husbands’ criminal activities. Set in contemporary Chicago, amid a time of turmoil, tensions build when Veronica (Viola Davis), Alice (Elizabeth Debicki), Linda (Michelle Rodriguez) and Belle (Cynthia Erivo) take their fate into their own hands and conspire to forge a future on their own terms.
Genre: Heist thriller (but don’t let that turn you way, this film is incredible and so much fun)
IMDB link: www.imdb.com/title/tt4218572
COMMITTEE SIGN UP
Sign Up for the 20th Anniversary Committee!
It’s hard to believe that we are already planning the 20th Anniversary celebration, but it’s that time! The 20th Anniversary will be celebrated in Puerto Rico at our Annual Retreat in January 2020.
We strongly encourage members interested in serving on this committee to let us know via the committee volunteer page on the website (Click here to visit the website).
We will start meeting soon to start planning the 20th Anniversary event and need your help! Please consider signing up for this committee.
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
“Empowered women empower women.”