Newsletter January 2021

Setting Our Intention to Connect

A message from WPF President, Ashley Madden

Hello, my dear WPF sisters!  Welcome to 2021!  As I write this, the first vaccinations are underway in our community, bringing glimmers of hope.  But we are still a long way from life where we can easily gather in person.   Our organization did a marvelous job last year as the pandemic worsened.  We quickly moved to a virtual format for our regularly scheduled meetings, continued to hold SIG events (virtually and in person) and even held our annual Small Group Dinners remotely.  As we start this new year, we will continue to evolve, be creative and use technology to stay connected with each other.  I am proud that our leadership is working hard to bring you opportunities for engagement in 2021.  I encourage each of you to think of how you can strive to stay connected, both to the organization and within the organization, whether you have been a member for forty years or just a few short months.    

2021 – Ways to Stay Connected to WPF

• Attend the WPF Monthly Meeting – We will continue to hold our monthly meetings virtually until we can safely gather.  Our monthly meetings will feature “Connection Rooms” before the meetings begin, informative speakers on a wide variety of topics and the always popular, “four-minute specials”.  So, I encourage you to set your intention to make your WPF meeting a special time each month – to interact, learn something new and leave inspired! If you need meeting information click here for upcoming events page on our website.

• Participate in Special Interest Groups – SIG events are open to everyone in membership.  SIG events are shared on the website, communicated in the monthly meeting announcements and highlighted in the newsletter each month.  If you have an idea for a SIG event, don’t hesitate to reach out to one of the SIG chairs so we can get even more events on the calendar!  Let’s get creative! Check out all of our SIGs!

• Read News of our Sisters – We share updates on the personal and professional achievements and challenges through the News of our Sisters emails.  I encourage you to not just read these updates but think how they are an opportunity for you to connect with those sharing their news.

• Participate with our WPF Facebook page – We welcome photos and updates that you may have to share from WPF events.  Likes and Comments make these posts even more fun for all to enjoy!  2^nd Vice President, Erica Parker, has shared the guidelines for our private WPF Facebook page with an article in this month’s Newsletter. Click here to visit/join the WPF Facebook page

• Utilize the WPF Member Directory – The Member Directory is where you provide your contact information, a short biography and a current photo.  The database allows for search capability to find members who provide business services and maybe share common interests.   It can be found through the WPF Website only through a secure login. Click here to login now (you can reset your password if you forgot it!)

JANUARY MEETING: Living, Laughing, and Loving with Valda Ford

January 13, 2021 on ZOOM, 12:10 pm Connection Rooms ~ 12:30 pm Meeting

WPF is thrilled to welcome one of our sisters, Valda Ford, to kick off 2021. Valda brings her signature program to WPF to help us all start the New Year “Living, Laughing, and Loving.”

An active member of WPF for more than six years, Valda is an award-winning speaker, Registered Nurse and Public Health expert who has worked in over 50 countries on six continents to improve health, decrease vulnerability and increase access to care. From war zones and refugee camps to isolated rural areas in the USA, Valda has worked to develop sustainable programs that help women lift their communities.

While working at one of many refugee camps in Africa and Asia between 2004 and 2007, Valda discovered that she was very good at working but she was failing miserably at living. As she watched people in the worst of circumstances, she realized that nothing is promised and planning to “do it” LATER, is a terrible idea. Sometimes there is no LATER. Motivated by the good and bad around her, she developed her signature program “Living, Laughing and Loving.” This year she has been reminded that putting self first is a necessary step to surviving trying times.

Everything You Need to Know About WPF’s Private Facebook Group

Several years ago, WPF created a private Facebook group for sharing member information about meetings, events, activities and membership.  As a private group, only WPF members are invited and approved to join the group and only WPF members are able to see group members and posts. Posts are limited to news, announcements and photos for WPF Special Interest Groups (SIGS) events and from the WPF Board.

Self-promotion, spam and irrelevant links are not permitted. Any items that do not involve a WPF event or activity will not be permitted and, if posted, will be deleted.  Not sure what should or shouldn’t be posted? Here are a few examples of posts that are not permitted on the WPF Facebook private group:

• Members’ personal or company announcements

• Notice of or information about non-WPF fundraisers

• Community events

• Requests for participation in upcoming drives, events or activities that are not sponsored by WPF

Once we return to in-person meetings at Starmount, information about non-WPF events and news may be shared with members by placing materials on the information table in the lobby at Starmount Forest CC. Should you have any questions regarding our Facebook Page please contact Erica Parker.

Engage with WPF!

Be on the lookout in your Inbox for information on upcoming membership renewals – AND – your opportunity to tell us where you’d like to get “plugged in” to WPF.

Each year we ask our members to complete our PREFERENCE SHEET, telling us if you have any interest in serving on the WPF or Foundation Board of Directors, what Special Interest Groups you’d like to receive information from, and a chance to update any of your personal contact information. This information helps us to stay connected and keep our organization going strong. Thanks in advance for letting us know each year where you’d like to engage with WPF.