ABWA - The Woodlands

News from The Woodlands Chapter

2008 Monthly Newsletters

January February March April May June July August

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The Woodlands Charter Chapter
2007-2008 Officers and Committee Chairs (waiting on updates)

President - Sherry Adams Vice President - Beth Royall Treasurer - Janet Perry Treasure Elect - Sharon Robertson Recording Secretary - Joanne Breshears / Laura Burns	Newsletter - Renee LeBon Programs - The Board Sunshine - Susan Thompson Audit - TBD Awards - Carolyn Stoll & Jan Brasher
Corresponding Secretary Penny Bradshaw Fundraising - The Board Hospitality - Charlotte Branham & Janet Perry Membership - Penny Bradshaw Publicity - Annette Neyman Member Education - Beth Royall & Penny Bradshaw	Annual Recognition Event - Cyndi Brandt Scholarship - Anise Flowers Raffle - Joanne Breshears Holiday Event - Monica McQueen Web Site - Barbara Fell Member Roster / Directory - Charlotte Branham & Penny Bradshaw

A Letter from our President

Dear Members and Guests …

We had a lot of interaction (and exercise) at our July 14th meeting. If you weren’t there, you’ll want to find someone that was and ask them about it!

At our meeting we gathered a lot of great opinions on what we’re doing right as a chapter, how we can improve, and the types of meetings you as members would like to have.

A complete listing of the questions we discussed and the responses can be found below in this month’s Chapter Chatter.

This past Saturday (August 2nd) Azita Reger and I attended the Houston Area Council “Back to Basics” Education Event at the Sam Houston Racetrack. It was a very well planned event covering all aspects of ABWA, including networking, recognition, board position roles, types of chapters and conferences.

I was pleased to be asked to talk about the role of the President and Vice President. Our former member, Sherry Bogus, current
President of the Bay Area Vision Charter Chapter of ABWA was also there and spoke on Spring Conferences and National Convention. It was a very interesting day and a great lunch!

There are many committees that need to be filled for next year. You all have such wonderful talents in so many different areas. Think about where you can best use your talent for ABWA – The Woodlands Charter Chapter. Our committees are:

Annual Recognition Event
Awards
Fundraising
Holiday Event
Hospitality
Member Education
Member Roster/Directory
Membership
Newsletter
Programs
Publicity
Raffle
Scholarship
Sunshine
Christmas Party

You gave us a lot of good ideas for programs for this coming year and your Board will be working to get them set up.

Our August meeting is "Simple Solutions to Get Out of the Kitchen". We have confirmed Homemade Gourmet, Pampered Chef, and Lagniappe. We’re still working on a couple other companies to be represented also. We want to give you ways to spend less time on meal planning so you can spend more time on your family, work, or yourself. Come hear the ideas and share your own.

In October, Dell deBerardinis will be talking to us about “Living Sane in a Fast-Paced World”.

Have you given Charlotte Branham or Penny Bradshaw any changes we need to make for your bio in the new ABWA Directory? They’re working to get this together as quickly as we can. It’s such a great tool to use when we need each other … and that happens a lot!

Be sure to get your reservation in for our August 11th meeting. It’ll be a good time to exchange ideas on how to streamline your time with meal planning.

See you in August,
Sherry
President 2008-2009

“Well behaved women rarely make history!"

American Business Women’s Association, The Woodlands Charter Chapter Minutes

July 14, 2008

Meeting Opened 6pm by Sherry Adams

Old Business
1. June minutes approved
2. Treasurer’s report approved.

New Business
1. Officers for the 2008-2009 year were installed:
Sherry Adams – President
Beth Royall – Vice President
Janet Perry -Treasurer
Joanne Brashears & Laura Burns – Recording Secretary
Sharon Robertson – Treasurer Elect

2. Looking for people who own businesses that help make meal preparation easier for the August meeting.

Announcements
1. District II Leadership Event – June 28 – Irving, TX
2. Houston Area Council – August 2nd – 8am-2pm
Program - Evaluation of ABWA and brainstorming new ideas to improve.

Meeting Adjourned 8:30pm by Sherry Adams

Scholarship Update

Springtime is here and that means it is time to think about applicants for the ABWA scholarship program. SBMEF has two scholarships available:

Outright Grants Program - $1200

Female Applican
Currently at least sophomore in college (completed 45 hours or more)
Cumulative GPA of 2.5 on 4.0 scale
Applicant seeking baccalaureate degree or higher
Application must be submitted to me by May 9, 2008.

Business Skills Tuition Reimbursement Program

Reimbursement for one half of tuition of coursework up to $500 award (minimum reimbursement of $50).
For non-degree tuition
Submit receipt within 90 of attending course.
Female applicant
Course at licensed, accredited, or state-approved institution
Course enhances applicant’s business objectives.

Each year, we also provide scholarships to women in the community. One scholarship goes to a woman at Montgomery College and the other goes to the Montgomery County Women’s Center.

This is a letter we received from last year’s recipient through the Women’s Center. Amber is pursuing a B.S. in Criminal Justice:

Dear ABWA,
I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you for granting me this scholarship. Going to college means a lot to me. I am very thankful for your support and financial assistance. Without your help I would not be able to go to college…Thank you for believing in me!
Sincerely,
Amber Westerman

?? Did You Know ??

This is ABWA’s Decade of Discovery

2000—2010 Decade Theme

During ABWA’s Decade of Discovery, a Ten Year Adventure, from August 01,2000
to July 31, 2010, members will discover new and exciting ways to grow personally and professionally.

Advertise for Profit

Everyone knows the importance of advertising your business. Is there a better way to get the word out than through our own ABWA newsletter?

Tell ABWA members what your business is about and let us spread the word. The Chapter Connection reaches 70+ members per month. It is economical and effective. For more information or to start your ad in the next issue, call Renee LeBon at 281-681-1323 (Ofc.).

Rates are as follows:
3-Month Ad
Business Card Size $30.00
¼ Page $55.00
½ Page $75.00
Full Page $95.00

6-Month Ad
Business Card Size $50.00
¼ Page $100.00
½ Page $140.00
Full Page $180.00

Name of Business: ___________________________________________
Member Name: ___________________________________________
Phone Number: ___________________________________________
Ad Size: ___________________________________________
Number of Months: __________
Amount Attached: ___________________(Or copy of check to treasurer)
Please attach ad copy or Business Card
E-mail to:lebongage@earthlink.net

Items of Interest

Don’t forget to buy a raffle ticket for the infomercial's. Some of our members will give a two minute commercial to tell about their business. They will then give away a prize to whoever has the winning ticket.
Invitations: If you would like an invitation sent to someone for our monthly meeting, simply let Cyndi Brandt (corresponding secretary - email:cyndibrandt3@yahoo.com Tel:(713-416-5152) know to whom you would like one or more sent.
Voice of Experience: Immediately following our monthly meetings, members of the Board will be available at the President’s table to take questions from guests, new members or existing members. If you bring a guest and cannot answer questions they may have, please stop by.
Houston Area Council: Meetings are held quarterly in January, April, July & October. Anyone wishing to attend may obtain information from Charlotte Branham or by logging onto the website. Website links are available to member’s business websites. Go to www.abwa-hou.org for further information.
Federation of Houston Professional Women: Meetings are held quarterly on the fourth Monday of the month in January, April, July and October. Anyone wishing to attend may obtain information from Barbara Fell or Sherry Adams or by logging onto their website. Website links are available from our own site at www.abwathewoodlands.com
The Montgomery County Women’s Council of Organizations: For meeting information please contact Penny Bradshaw or Sue Watkins. They will be happy to give you any information on this volunteer organization.