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Soroptimist International of Corona
April - May 2008
In This Issue
Birthdates and Anniversaries
Conference Dates and Locations
The Latest
Treasurer's Notes
Making a Difference
SIA Corner
Executive Board Members
2007-2008
 
 
President -Elect
 
Leesa Villagomez 
1st Vice President, Service
 
Tracy Mouser
 
Recording Secretary
 
Frances Armenta,
Corresponding Secretary
 
Treasurer
 
Assistant Treasurer
 
First Year Director
 
Second Year Director
 
 
Ex-Officio Board Members
 
 
Delegate
 
Alternate Delegate
 
Alternate Delegate
Quick Links
 
Birthdates and Anniversaries:
 
 
Birthdays:
 
April
13. Judith Horan
13. Laurie LoFranco
21. Denise Seinturier
23. Amy J. Brown
24. Lou Sanderson
25. Sylvia Fleming
27. Jeannie Nugent
 
May
3.  Valerie Rucinski
11. Karen Spiegel
21. Linda Holmes
21. Anita LaVelle
 
 
Anniversaries:
 
April
 
4.  Cyndi Monroe
8.  Ellie VanDoornum
10. Kristi Kenney
25. Anita LaVelle
 
May
6.  Karin McGee
8.  Kim Tayloy
19. Deanna Marie Andrews
 
 

Conference Dates and Locations

 
 

June 5-7, 2008

Spring Conference is at the Wild Horse Pass Resort in Phoenix, AZ, co-hosted by SI Big Bear Valley, Inc., SI Kachinas, Inc., and SI Happy Valley. The Conference Chair is Carole Reid from SI Big Bear Valley, Inc.
 
 
2008 Leadership Training
June 27-28, 2008 has been set for the 2008 Leadership Training in Phoenix, AZ. The location will be the Embassy Suites (44th St.) in Phoenix, AZ.
 
 
SIA 40th Biennial Convention
July 16-19, 2008
Taipei, Taiwan
 
 
2009 Spring Conference
May 14-16, 2009 Spring Conference is at the Hyatt Regency in Albuquerque, NM, hosted by SI Albuquerque.
 
 
2010 Spring Conference
May 20-22, 2010 Spring Conference is at LaQuinta Resort & Club. SI Palm Springs and SI Palm Desert-Sunrise will co-host the conference. The Conference Chair is Pam Field from SI Palm Desert-Sunrise.
 
Plan now to attend them all!
 

 

 
 
 


President's MessageSpring Conference

This year is going so fast... and it is exciting to see how much we are doing at our club. We just had another two months of a very full and interesting program. On February 13th Baxter Miller from BMLA (Baxter Miller Landscape Architects) gave us a very informative presentation on environmental issues: workplace recycling programs, how to reduce water runoff, how to use energy efficiently, he also gave us residential quick tips to save water and energy and left us with great resources to learn more about this subject: (www.bewaterwise.com, www.epa.gov, www.discovercorona.com, www.energystar.com, www.wm.com, www.usgbc.org) you can also visit www.bmla.net
 
On February 27 we had an excellent 61st birthday at TAPS planned by 1st year Director Shawn Dredla. Her theme was "Tiptoe Through the Tulips", all the way from the invitations, the program, the center pieces and the cake we saw the beautiful red tulips, we were all dressed in red, black, and white. Beth Groves gave us wise words of inspiration which you must read if you were not there (click here). Cyndi Monroe entertained us with a humorous story, the food was yummy and the highlight of the event was the presentation of Marsha Calvert's President and Life Member pins to Joyce Pavez. Joyce was happily surprised and overwhelmed. (Birthday Photos)
 
Now let's go to our signature service project, Dreams and Decisions workshop on March 1st, Hey Girl What's Your Dream? "XDREAM Makeover Edition" was the title of the workshop this year, and what a turnout that was, we had close to 300 girls. With Teresa Costa and Julie Fredericksen's innovation and use of multimedia they moved this event to a more modern level that the girls appreciated. We had various presentations throughout the day on topics such as: My Space, Healthy Relationships and Taking Good Care of Me. The panelist gave the girls a pretty good idea of how the different choices affect your future drastically, and among the new items incorporated this year we had the workshop for moms headed by Judy Horan which it was a huge success; the new logo designed by Teresa Costa, Mark Costa and Paula Montanez, and the new web site that I developed so the girls can go there over and over to learn more about different topics related to their age and growing process (click here to visit the D&D web site). Congratulations and thank you to everyone who participated and volunteered on this day.
 
On March 5th we dedicated our meeting to the International Day of the Woman. Irena Leigh Norton prepared a presentation about the plight of women and children in Sierra Leone and Kenya and I presented the information on The Global Resources and Opportunities for Women to Thrive Act (GROWTH Act). As a result of this presentation we have a volunteer, Jane Lavin, studying the documentation on The GROWTH Act to participate in it. Thank you Jane. (click here to see the presentation).
 
MADFW and Women of Distinction Award Luncheon was on March 26th and again, Corona was impressed with our service to this community. Co-chairs,Valerie Rucinski and Karen Spiegel where able to surprise the recipients and you could see and hear through the room the tears, the laughter and all the emotion displayed this day. (Photos).
 
On April 2nd we had a visit from Gowri R. Rocco, M.D. who spoke about menopause and shared great information. You can contact Dr. Rocco at 951-351-1346.
 
Just last week on April 9th we had our Spring Auction where we met our goal of $1000. Not only that, but with Cyndi Monroe as the auctioneer, this was nothing but laughs and a great deal of fun. We had a great turned out of items from our members plus, we also received five cute summer outfits with gorgeous matching jewelry from the DIVAS for a CURE and a very nice set of books from the 100 Mile Book program.
 
See how busy we have been? But I am not finished with my report yet. Here is some bragging...and no, I am not paying $5 for it!  We received several certificates from SIA: On Soroptimist Celebrating Success! 2008, we are one of the three finalists in the Fundraising category, one the three finalists in the website category and a semi-finalist in the Membership Enhancement/Retention category with our E-Newsletter. YEAH Corona!!!!
 
We have also inducted six new members since our last newsletter: Anita LaVelle (sponsored by Judy Horan), Laura Janik, Antoinetter Piscitelli and Deanna Andrews (sponsored by Sylvia Fleming), Karin McGee (sponsored by Shawn Dredla) and Melissa Cutter (sponsored by Cyndi Monroe).
 
I know this seems like a long report, but how do I summarize so much fun?
 
Thank you for reading and for making this newsletter a success.
 
Marcy Decato,  SI Corona President 2007 - 2008
 

The Latest - by Marcy Decato

 

At our Soroptimist birthday party in February, Ellie VanDoornum broke the wonderful news about her pregnancy, and guess what? It's not one, she is expecting two!

 

Amy Brown got us a great fundraising opportunity: SI Corona was invited to be one of three charities to benefit from a pre-opening fundraiser party at The Counter.  The Counter opened at The Promenade Shops at Dos Lagos and on Saturday, March 1st hosting a "training party" as a practice run for their employees.  They used this party to also raise funds for three non-profit organizations, United Way, Fender Museum and Soroptimist International of Corona. Thank you Amy!

 

On April 23rd Debbie Miller will be receiving an award from NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners) as Soroptimist International of Corona "Woman of The Year". Congratulations Deb!

 

Judy Horan scared us a few weeks ago when she got hospitalized with supposedly a congested hart failure. This week Judy gave us the great news that the diagnostic was wrong and nothing is wrong with her hart. As I told her that day; her only problem is that her hart is so big it doesn't fit in her body.

 

Matti Ameli is coming to visit from Spain! She will be here from July 25th to August 15th. I will inform you of where and when we are getting together to welcome her.

 

We have a new grandma at SI Corona! Lorie LoFranco just came from visiting her daughter in Arizona who just had a beautiful baby girl. Little Jordan weight 3lbs. 2oz.

 

Our upcoming president Seema Lechner spent two weeks in India visiting her family. Unfortunately she lost her 97 year old grandma who had a great life. Seema had the opportunity to visit with her family whom she had not seen some for decades. God has ways to put us back together one way or another, don't you all agree?
Treasurer's Notes...DataTel-A-M-C 

If you had been searching for the "finest business women's club" in the area, I believe you have found it at Soroptomist Int'l of Corona. With an average attendance of 33 ladies on Wednesdays, and 11 new members (thank you Shawn!), we can confidently say, "We are having a record-breaking year".  
 
Our commitment to a fiscally strong SI Corona club is ongoing. As we are head towards the latter part of our fiscal year, it is of utmost importance that we remain attentive to our monthly membership dues. Our new system of "invoicing" per month seems to be transitioning effortlessly.  Also, in just a short time, you will be receiving our annual dues of $155.00  for our upcoming year. Please address them immediately as they are due no later than May 30th. . If Kim and I can be of help, please do not hesitate to call on us.
 
Now, imagine escaping to beautiful Phoenix and attending our 30th annual Spring Conference June 5th-7th at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort! We currently have 10 ladies attending. If you would like to be a part of a great educational and fun experience, you will want to sign up by April 18th.  
 
As always, you allow me grace when it is needed, and are supportive to keeping our Club strong, healthy, and wealthy.
 
Paola Ringer

MADFW Awards Luncheon - by Valerie Rucinski

MADFW 2008 Awardees
 

Well our MADFW program is over for another year. What a great day it was. The house was full and we did surprise a lot of beautiful women.
 
And the winners are:

~ Making a Difference for Women: Kristi Camplin

~ Advancing the Status of Women: Divas For A Cure
 
~ Women of Distinction:
     *Economic & Social Development: Barbara Barker
     *Education: Sharon Martinez
     *Government: Jerilyn Medina
     *Health: Kara Lubin
     *Human Rights Status Of Women: Bette Schultz
     *International Goodwill & Understanding: Linda Siems
 
I want to thank everyone that helped with the program; it takes all of us working together to make our programs work. Next are the Scholarships, so help Lou out!

SIA Corner:
Sierra Leone - family
Soroptimist International
2007 -2011 Quadrennial Project
 
Project Sierra is a four year partnership between Soroptimist International and Hope and Homes for Children that will transform the lives of deprived women and children in Sierra Leone, West Africa.
 
Meet Our Members
 
 
DataTel-A-M-CRegular Member:
Shawn Dredla
Shawn Dredla was born in sunny Southern California and grew up in Alta Loma (now Rancho Cucamonga) and graduated from Alta Loma High School in 1980.  She attended Chaffey Community College and obtained an Associate's degree in Administration of Justice.  As she was working on her degree, she was offered a position as a Police Cadet at the Corona Police Department in 1982.  She worked for one year as a police cadet and two years as a dispatcher.  In 1984, she was old enough to attend the Riverside County Sheriff's Academy.  She has been a police officer for 23 years and has been a sergeant for 18 of those years.  She has had various assignments in the department including:  patrol, detectives, family services, and personnel and training.  Shawn has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Administration and is currently in the last year of a Masters program at California Baptist University in Counseling Psychology.  She hopes to use her degree to help law enforcement/fire personnel through grief and trauma. 

Shawn has been married for 21 years to Jeff, a Riverside City Fire Department Battalion Chief.  They both have very much in common.  They have two beautiful children, Allyson, 16 years, and Adam, 13 years.  They enjoy spending time together as a family, going RVing in their new motor home, being in the desert and at the river.
 

DataTel-A-M-CRegular Member:
Margaret Little
Margaret was born in Edmonton, Alberta Canada on a hot summer July day.  She received degrees in Canada: a Bachelor of Education with a Masters in Administration.  She worked as an Assistant principal in Canada, and taught 1 and 2nd grade for a total of 25 years.
 
She opened her own business, the only after school program in the desert.  She also served as Executive Director of Variety children's Charity of the Desert where she helped put on a Michael Bolton Concert,  the Variety international convention at the Hyatt Grand Champions in Indian Wells, a radio thon which raised enough money to purchase a van for Angel view and 564 bikes and helmets to give to local children in need. And of course the bike party to give them all away.
 
She wanted to be a teacher forever, and says "my 2nd grade teacher was my mentor."  She loves to travel and has many stories to tell of adventures tutoring celebrity children around the world.
 
She currently has a tutoring business here in Corona.  She loves to read and spend time with her fiancé, Tom.   Margaret has two grown children: Brian, 25, lives in Fontana and commutes to LA everyday. Daughter Jennifer is attending UNLV and will be graduating this year with a Bachelors degree in business.
 
Margaret was attracted to SI Corona by sharing the core values and mission, and with her teaching background feels she has a lot to offer.  She is drawn to the Dreams and Decisions program, and interested in working with Leeza on the scholarship committee.  Margaret says: "I will lend a hand to all those that reach. I describe myself as responsible, caring, good listener, problem solver, willing to go the extra mile, a leader and fun".
 
 
 
Joke
Submitted by Seema Lechner
 
ALL PUNS INTENDED
 
1. Two antennas met on a roof, fell in love and got married. The ceremony wasn't much, but the reception was excellent.
 
2. A jumper cable walks into a bar. The bartender says, 'I'll serve you, but don't start anything.'
 
3. Two peanuts walk into a bar, and one was a salted.
 
4. A dyslexic man walks into a bra.
 
5. A man walks into a bar with a slab of asphalt under his arm, and says: 'A beer please, and one for the road.'
 
6. Two cannibals are eating a clown. One says to the other: 'Does this taste funny to you?'
 
7. Patient: 'Doc, I can't stop singing 'The Green, Green Grass of Home'.'
Doc: 'That sounds like Tom Jones Syndrome.'
Patient: 'Is it common?'
Doc: 'It's not unusual '
 
8. Two cows are standing next to each other in a field. Daisy says to Dolly, 'I was artificially inseminated this morning.'
'I don't believe you,' says Dolly.
'It's true; no bull!' exclaims Daisy.
 
9. An invisible man marries an invisible woman. The kids were nothing to look at either.
 
10. Deja Moo: The feeling that you've heard this bull before.
 
11. I went to buy some camouflage pants the other day, but I couldn't find any.
 
12. A man woke up in a hospital after a serious accident. He shouted, 'Doctor, doctor, I can't feel my legs!'
The doctor replied, 'I know you can't - I've cut off your arms!'
 
13. I went to a seafood disco last week...and pulled a mussel.
 
14. What do you call a fish with no eyes? A fsh.
 
15. Two fish swim into a concrete wall. One turns to the other and says, 'Dam!'
 
16. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too.
 
17. A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel, and were standing in the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an hour, the manager came out of the office, and asked them to disperse 'But why,' they asked, as they moved off. 'Because,' he said, 'I can't stand chess-nuts boasting in an open foyer.'
 
 18. A woman has twins, and gives them up for adoption. One of them goes to a family in Egypt, and is named 'Ahmal.' The other goes to a family in Spain; they name him 'Juan.' Years later, Juan sends a picture of himself to his birth mother. Upon receiving the picture, she tells her husband that she wishes she also had a picture of Ahmal.   Her husband responds, 'They're twins! If you've seen Juan, you've seen Ahmal.'
 
19. Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail and with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath.  This made him .... (Oh, man, this is so bad, it's good) . . A super-calloused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis
 
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Soroptimist International of Corona | P.O. Box 381 | Corona | CA | 92878