Soroptimist International Corona 
Soroptimist International of Corona
October / November 2008
In This Issue
Birthdates and Anniversaries
SI Corona Attends Golden West Region Fall Meeting
Committee Updates
A Salute to Our Chairs
F.M. Doss
Executive Board Members
2008 - 2009
 
Seema Lechner
President
 
Tracy Mauser
President -Elect
 
Paola Ringer
1st Vice President, Service
 
Irena Leigh Norton
2nd Vice President, Ways & Means
 
KimTaylor
Recording Secretary
 
Dana Prehctl
Corresponding Secretary
 
Debbie Miller
Treasurer
 
Deanna Andrews
Assistant Treasurer
 
Marcy Decato
First Year Director 
 
Shawn Dredla
Second Year Director
 
 
Ex-Officio Board Members
 
Beth Groves 
Delegate
 
Valerie Rucinski
Delegate
 
Frances Armenta 
Alternate Delegate
 
Debra Murphy 
Alternate Delegate
Quick Links
 
Birthdates and Anniversaries:
 
 
Birthdays:
 
October
1. Kristi Kenney
15. Jean Easum
18. Tracy Mauser
27. F.M. Doss
28. Patricia Miller
     Shawn Dredla
 
November
6. Julie Fredrickson
13. Ellie VanDoornum
15. Rachel Rola
20. Jennifer Livingston 
 
Anniversaries:
 
October
17. Alice Contreras
18. Lou Sanderson
19. Frances Armenta
25. Antoinette Piscetelli
 
November 
13. Shelly Davis
15. Teresa Costa
24. Leeza Villagomez
 
 

Ten of our SI Corona members attended the Golden West Region 2008 District 1 Fall Meeting This November 7. The theme this year was "Walk the Red Carpet" and they had the coolest idea to nominate members of each club on various categories. Here are SI Corona winners:
 

Most Vibrant:
Frances Armenta

Early Bird:
Paola Ringer

Gives 110%:
Debbie Miller

Most Dramatic:
Leeza Villagomez

Miss Congeniality:
Judy Horan

 
CONGRATULATIONS LADIES ;)



President's MessageSeema Lechner


It has been a busy couple of months.  We are off to a speeding start of the new club year.  There have been many meetings and functions, including our award winning Chocolate, Wine, and Jazz. 
 
Our year was started with a touch from Taiwan. We shared tea and cookies from Taiwan during our first meeting.  We have had some excellent speakers arranged by Tracy Mauser, such as Deborah Sutton from CASA, Diana Wagner, a Health Information Manager, and Chris Miller from Thomas Miller Mortuary.  What great information they all shared with us.
 
This was the first year we partnered with The Foundation for Community and Family Health in the Women's Health Awareness Day.  We had several ladies from our own club, Joyce Pavez, Leeza Villa Gomez and Susan Glen who did presentations on topics for the attendees.  Thank you to all the members who helped at the event and to our chairwomen Debra Murphy and Valerie Rucinski.
 
We were recognized by Alternatives to Domestic Violence by Kim Taylor at their 30th Anniversary Luncheon.  SI Corona received a beautiful trophy in recognition of the support by our club.    Joyce Pavez, a founding member of ADV, spoke on the inception of the program.  These dedicated ladies felt a need in our community and started this program that helps so many each year.  Karen Spiegel explained how the program has grown over the years.
 
Inspire Life Skills Training had their 3rd Annual Auction in mid October.  It was a lovely night of food and fundraising!  Soroptimist of Corona was recognized for their contribution to the Inspire family over the past few years.  Recently, our club really came together for the girls in monetary and material contributions after their apartment was destroyed in a fire.  
 
I had my first induction! Andi LaPointe has joined our group of fantastic women.  We have several others that are interested in joining just as much as we are interested in having them!
 
The highlight of the last 2 months was our Chocolate, Wine and Jazz, (CWJ) held on Oct 25.  What a wonderful evening it was.  The atmosphere, food and music were a delight.  The restaurants and the wine were a hit with our guests and the band was fantastic as usual.  There is a lot of time and energy that goes with planning such an event and without our own members this would not be possible.  I thank all the members who made Chocolate, Wine and Jazz such a success and especially a big thank you to our chairwomen, Debra Miller.
 
I trust the next few months will be just as exciting as the past few. 
A fellow Soroptimist wrote to me, "put on your roller stakes and get ready for a fantastic year!"  How true that has been so far!
 
Seema Lechner,  SI Corona President 2008 - 2009
 

Women's Health Awareness Day - 2008 

Health Walk

Committee(s) Updates
Chocolate, Wine & Jazz Festival Update:
  
DataTel-A-M-CCongratulations!  Another wonderful Chocolate, Wine and Jazz Festival is in the bag!  Once again, this is the event to top in our community.  Great job. 

As we all knew, this year was going to be particularly difficult with the economic conditions, we face throughout the community.  Although it was not the money maker of past years, we had a wonderful event to showcase Soroptimist International of Corona and all the great things we do for women and girls in our community and around the world. 

As we discussed today in our wrap up meeting, we will probably start the committee a few months earlier in order to combat some of the challenges that we will inevitably have in the spring and summer next year.  In the meantime, enjoy the fruits of our labor, put your thinking caps on for new sponsorship opportunities for next year and let's enjoy our service projects for the coming months.

Members of Soroptimist International of Corona, it's been a pleasure once again to serve as chair of the committee.  On behalf of the whole committee will see you next year for another great event!

Debbie Dematteis-Miller, CWJ Committee Chair
 


A Salute to Our Chairs
By Paola Ringer - 1st Vice President Service

DataTel-A-M-COur Soroptomist Service Programs are the heart and soul of our club.  It is through the various areas of service that we assist many women and young girls in our community thus contributing to their well being.
 
Heading the many service projects this year are our favorably known Chairs. It is with great pleasure that we highlight these courageous members and praise their hard work.

 
Earlier this year, Debra Murphy and Joyce Pavez were essential in involving our club to partner with the Foundation. The Health Fair Symposium was attended by approximately 100 women who took part in a series of nurturing workshops throughout the day.
 
Geri Molner's experience with the Violet Richardson Awards makes her a great asset as Chair this year. The VRA award is a recognition program for young women ages 14-17 who are involved in volunteer work within their community.
 
Directing our Women's Opportunity Award are Amy Ladika and Laura Janik. This program is designed to aid women, who as primary wage earners for their families are rebuilding their lives by gaining skills to upgrade their economical status.
 
We are fortunate to have Judy Horan as the chair for this year's MADFW (Making a Difference for Women) which will take place in March of 2009. This event acknowledges women who, through personal and professional activities work to improve the lives of other women and girls in the community.
 
Dreams and Decisions is our signature Full day of Service. Our brave co-chairs are Kristi Keeney and Lou Sanderson. This program takes place the first Saturday in March. The goal of this event is to provide education to our Junior High School Girls and 9th Graders in the Corona Norco School District.
 
Our Scholarship program is being lead by Ellie Vandoornum and Sylvia Fleming. Our chairs will be orchestrating this process and will honor the recipients of these grants at a special luncheon held in May 2009.
 
Inspire liaison and chair for this year is Antoinette Piscitelli. Inspire is a local non-profit organization which helps transition foster children into adulthood by providing residence and support.
 
As director of ADV(Alternatives to Domestic Violence) Kim Taylor is the most suitable facilitator for this cause. As a club, we are committed to collaborating to their annual Holiday Store and yearly financial grant.
 
The STOP Trafficking Campaign is under the tutelage of Marcy Decato and Karin McGee. While this is more of an international endeavor, our chairs will be bringing public awareness to this devastating abuse of women and how we can collaborate on a local and national level.
 
Our success as a club is owed to the hard work, efforts, and talents from our Service Chairs. We want to encourage all our members to contact these facilitators as needed for guidance, questions and information. We also want to offer our help and services as we continue our mission to help women and girls in our local community and throughout the world.

F.M. Doss
 
 DataTel-A-M-C

Life member F.M. Doss passed away in October of this year. F.M. Doss joined SI Corona in 1964 and she served as president of the club in 1970-71. F.M.'s major claim to fundraising fame was the Corona Trivia Game project, first done in 1982-83.
 
F.M. worked within the Corona-Norco UnifiedSchool district for many years, at both Norco and CoronaHigh Schools. She was a physical education teacher and then later moved into counseling. She was the founder of the "S" club at both high schools during the 1970's, a Soroptimist sponsored organization for youth. During her career in education, F.M. was a mentor for many younger teachers as they moved into the growing Corona-Norco area from all over the country, often hosting dinners and pool parties to help them feel at home.
 
For all her accomplishments as a Soroptimist and a service woman in this community, SI Corona named the OrangeGroveHigh School in her name.
 
Our deepest sympathy goes to her family and friends.
 
Treasurer's Report
By Debbie Miller - Treasurer
 
As a reminder to all members, the lunch fees are $50.00.  Please pay for fees each month by check as it is easier to apply the payments correctly. 


If you are in need of Soroptimist items, they can be purchased directly through the SIA website.  This is a new feature to the website that I am sure all of you will enjoy using.


Monthly fees are charged for all regular members each month who are not on leave of absence.  Please process your formal leave of absence request through Marcy Decato, Membership Chair.  She will notify me once it has been approved through the board and I will make note of the dates of the leave of absence.


Life members are charged $12.50 based on attendance. (Checks are preferable)
 
Getting To Know...
by Beth Groves 
 
Beth Groves"Getting to know..." is designed to help SI Corona club members get better acquainted with each other.  The feature is based on a series of questions asked by club member, Beth Groves, and put together in this format.  Enjoy!
 

 
 
 
Dana Prechtl

Dana PrechtlDana has been a member of SI Corona for 4 years.  This year she is serving on the Board as corresponding secretary.  Currently self employed, she owns City Florist of Norco. She has been a floral designer since the age of 16.  In 1991, she was awarded "Designer of the Year" by FTD and Teleflora.   Recently, she was published in Flowers & Magazine for her award-winning bridal bouquet design.  Dana says she thrives on creativity and is always trying to come up with new ways to use fresh flowers.
 
As a resident of Norco for 11 years, has owned and showed horses before opening the store 5 years ago.   Her "one and only hobby"  is fishing.  "I love getting into my waders and hopping into a stream in the high Sierras.  Once in a while I get the opportunity to go out on the ocean," she said.    "From the time I was able to walk, I was fishing with my dad."
 
She was born in Inglewood, but graduated from Magnolia High in Anaheim with 2 art scholarships.  In between, she lived a few years in the Imperial Valley on her dad's 20 acre ranch.  "That is where I started my appreciation of horses, " she said.  "I was involved in FFA, hunting, fishing and girls flag football.  (I was a brute)  Not too many boys wanted to date me because they were too afraid to approach me.  (I found this out at my 10 year reunion)."  
 
Besides being a member of SI Corona, she is also a member of Lions International and a board member of Norco Horse week which is a group that puts on a week long celebration recognizing the rural and equestrian lifestyle of the old west.
 
Dana and her husband have been married for 23 years and have two  kids (ages 22 and 20).   She says she is not the most avid reader, but does love biographies because she is fascinated with people and the paths they chose."  She recently read "Elizabeth" about Liz Taylor. 
 
"I became a Soroptimist member after getting to know Rachel Rola and Denise Hammer.  They have always spoken highly of our club and once I got involved, I soon found out why." she said.    "My favorite part of the year is scholarship interviews.  I enjoy getting to know these young girls and love learning about their hopes and dreams.  I think in today's society, our girls today desperately need a focus and encouragement to go forward with their dreams."  
 
 
 
Tracy Mauser
 
Tracy MauserTracy is currently serving as President-elect for SI Corona.  She has been an active member of the Club for the past four years.
 
As the Director of Development for Peppermint Ridge, Tracy spends her professional days visiting with parents and supporters seeking financial commitments to fill the funding gaps between what the State provides and what the true costs of care and services are for the developmentally disabled clients the Ridge serves.  Tracy is also a regular presenter at area service organizations sharing the mission of Peppermint Ridge with others.
 
Born in Oceanside, she has been a resident of Corona for nine years.  She loves to refinish furniture and travel.   Tracy is single, has 3 pet parakeets,  and comes from a family of eight children (she is the youngest).   

In addition to her work with the Ridge, she is also a supporter of Umbrella Ministries.  It is a Christian support ministry that serves moms who have lived through the death of a child.  Tracy's five-year-old son passed away suddenly in 2005.  She is a co-leader of a chapter of the group in Huntington Beach.  She credits the support group with helping her "gradually live with a "new normal" and turn mourning into joy."
 
Tracy says that she's a Soroptimist because she  believes in the mission and enjoys giving back to the community.    She especially likes working with SI Corona because of the focus on women and girls.  "All the Service clubs in the area do things to make Corona a better place," she said.
 
The last book she read "for fun", was "The Winter Lodge" by Susan Wiggs.  It is the second of four books in the Lakeshore Chronicles.  She describes them as "very entertaining romances that are not smutty at all." 
 

 
The Quote of The Month
Submitted By Judy Horan
 

Judy Horan 
 

Five Birds and Good Intentions
 
Five birds are sitting on a telephone wire. Two decide to fly South. How many are left? Most people would say three. Actually, all five are left. You see, deciding to fly isn't the same as actually doing it.
 
If a bird really wants to go somewhere, it's got to point itself in the right direction, jump off the wire, flap its wings, and keep flapping until it gets where it wants to go.
So it is with most things. Good intentions are not enough. It's not what we want, say, or think that makes things happen; it's what we do.

I frequently think of writing thank-you, birthday, and congratulatory notes. Unfortunately, only a sad few of these good sentiments ever make it to paper. Still, if I don't look too closely, I can delude myself into thinking that based on my good thoughts I'm a gracious and grateful person. A truer and less admirable picture of my character is drawn by my actions.

In the end, we either do or don't do. We either make the time to do the things we want to and should do, or we make excuses. As Alfred Adler said, "Life happens at the level of events, not of words. Trust movement."

What do you want to do? Do you want to take a course, change your job, lose weight, make new friends, or spend more time with and appreciate more the ones you have?
What's stopping you from jumping off the wire and flapping your wings?

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
 
http://charactercounts.org


 

ADV 30th Anniversary

 
Jokes
 
Submitted by Seema Lechner 

The Loyal Wife.....

There was a man who had worked all of his life, had saved all of his money, and was a real miser when it came to his money.

Just before he died, he said to his wife, 'When I die, I want you to take all my money and put it in the casket with me. I want to take my money to the after life with me.'

And so he got his wife to promise him with all of her heart that when he died, she would put all of the money in the casket with him.
  
Well, he died  . . .
He was stretched out in the casket, his wife was sitting there in black, and her friend was sitting next to her. When they finished the ceremony, just before the undertakers got ready to close the casket, the wife said, 'Wait,   just a minute!'

She had a box with her, she came over with the box and put it in the casket.

Then the undertakers locked the casket down, and they rolled it away.

Her friend said, 'I know you weren't fool enough to put all that money in there with your husband.'

The loyal wife replied 'Listen, I'm a Christian, I can't go back on my word. I promised him that I was going to put that money in that casket with him.'

'You mean to tell me you put that money in the casket with him !!! ?'

'I sure did' said the wife. 'I got it all together, put it into my account and wrote him a cheque. If he can cash it, he can spend it.'

Moral of the story: Females are clever than Males.....
 
 
Girlie Wisdom
 
Women over 50 don't have babies because they would put them down and forget where they left them.

A friend of mine confused her Valium with her birth control pills... she has 14 kids but doesn't really care.

One of life's mysteries is how a 2-pound box of chocolates can make a woman gain 5 lbs.

My mind not only wanders, it sometimes leaves completely.

The best way to forget your troubles is to wear tight shoes.

The nice part about living in a small town is that when you don't know what you are doing, someone else does.

The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight because by then, your body and your fat are really good friends.

Just when I was getting used to yesterday, along came today.

Sometimes I think I understand everything, and then I regain consciousness.

I gave up jogging for my health when my thighs kept rubbing together and setting fire to my pants.

Amazing! You hang something in your closet for a while and it shrinks 2 sizes!

Skinny people irritate me! Especially when they say things like...'You know sometimes I forget to eat!' .....Now I've forgotten my address, my mother's maiden name and my keys, but I have never forgotten to eat. You have to be a special kind of stupid to forget to eat!

I read this article that said the typical symptoms of stress are eating too much, impulse buying, and driving too fast. Are they kidding? That's my idea of a perfect day!



LIVE SIMPLY.....LAUGH OFTEN....LOVE DEEPLY  
 
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Soroptimist International of Corona | P.O. Box 381 | Corona | CA | 92878