Soropti- ScoopScoop A Communique by women dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls in local communities and throughout the world. Vol. 11, Issue 7 Soroptimist International of Sequim January 2008 MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT Officers 2007 - 2008 Dear Emerging Butterflies! President: Kathy Purcell When you hear ‘sixty four’ what comes to mind? Perhaps it brings up the year you, a President-Elect: child or grandchild was born; or the year you graduated from school; or maybe the song Kathleen DeJong “When I’m Sixty Four” by the Beatles. Secretary: Heather Cerutti What’s in a word? Equal and Even may seem like they are the same, but I would rather Treasurer: get equal, than get even. Ruth Bebermeyer tells us in prose: “Words are windows, or Sandy Reed they’re walls, they sentence us, or set us free.” Assistant Treasurer: Terry Coe Words can be hurting or healing. Words that hurt might be considered violent; words that heal are non-violent. I bring this up now because we are embarking on another Season Directors: 2 year (one year remaining) for Nonviolence. It begins January 30 – the death of Mahatma Gandhi, and ends April 4 Rose Jaeger – the death of Martin Luther King Jr. Both men were proponents of nonviolence. Directors: 2 year Willadee Tallman A Season for Nonviolence is a global grassroots campaign dedicated to raising awareness about the healing and transforming power of nonviolence. This 64-day event Directors: 1 year began in 1997. It has grown into an important educational and media opportunity to bring Jan Chapman communities together, empowering them to envision and help create a nonviolent world, Directors: 1 year one heart and one day at a time. Kate Creasey Past President: In this issue of the Soropti-Scoop (page 8), you will find a brief history of A Season for Colleen Blazier Nonviolence, as well as 64 affirmations, one for each day of this special season. You Newsletter Staff may want to print out the 64 Ways in 64 Days Daily Commitments to Live By and Kathy Purcell keep it handy. Colleen Blazier Sally Sue Barry Heather Cerutti The Beatles were not my favorite group, but I’ve put together a medley of sorts, with the titles of some of their songs – there are 64 words... Do You Want to Know a Secret? I Want to Tell You, I’ve Got a Feeling, It’s Only Love, From Me to You. Along the Long and Winding Road, Come Together, Because, I Need You. Don’t Pass Me By, or be a Fool on the Hill. It’s a Good Day Sunshine. Come and Get It. The Inner Light, In My Life, Let it Be. May the Season for Nonviolence begin NOW and may it continue beyond 64 days. “The world is not a problem; Wishing you Peaceful Awakenings! the problem is your un- President Kathy awareness” ~ Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh “That’s all nonviolence is – organized love.” ~ Joan Baez SI Sequim -1 Letter from the Editor CALENDAR Dear Friends, It’s a new year – a time to look forward. The key word here is look...It’s JANUARY, 2008 been dark when Abby and I have gone for our walks these winter days. 4 BOARD MEETING One morning the dirt driveway was a bit crunchy. Jack Frost was nipping at 9 Business Meeting the ground as well as my nose. GOM Dec & Jan 11 Soroptimist Stop As we crossed the street I almost slid, the pavement was slick. I gingerly Trafficking Launched placed one foot in front of the other. The asphalt along the local stretch of in USA the Discover Way Trail was slick as well. Abby and I walked in the grass 22 Program Meeting along the side of the trail. We picked up a little speed there, because we had *27 Evening Social easier footing. Our normal walk takes us over two short bridges. FEBRUARY Stepping onto the first bridge I started to 8 BOARD MEETING slide. Whoa! It was time to slow it down 12 Business Meeting again. We continued our turtle pace (slow GOM Feb & Mar and steady wins the race), traversing the 26 Program Meeting bridge and the short distance to the second overpass. This one is over water, so I expected it to be even more slippery. However, to my surprise, the second bridge wasn’t slick at all! It was at that * EVENING MEETING time that I noticed how bright it was around me; the moon was not full, but very nearly so. I found myself staring up at it in wonderment, as we headed on to the end of that leg of the trail. My gaze was still fixed on the disk in the sky when we turned to make our return trek. All was going fine; we passed over the second bridge without incident. But when we got to the first bridge I slid again. Whoa! For some reason my thoughts went to comments about keeping your head up – look up and experience life, not down and miss it. I laughed inside, thinking that certainly did not work for me this time. Abby and I made it home safely, no worse for wear. You don't want to miss this! The next morning, remnants of Jack Frost’s visit were all around. It didn’t REGIONAL CONFERENCE bother me though, as I had been through this the previous morning. My April, 2008 wonderful four-legged friend and I made our way to the first bridge. Coeur d'Alene, ID But as I stepped on it, I got a surprise. It was NOT slippery! We breezed over it and when we got to the second bridge, there was another surprise. Today it was slippery! In the course of 24 hours, the two bridges had swapped properties. During the rest of our walk that second day, I reflected on what the bridges were telling me. It is easy to think we know how things are, and to perhaps make a judgment. But what worked yesterday, may not work today, or tomorrow. That brought to mind Soroptimist and the importance of staying aware of what is working and what is not working within our club. Existing ideas may be outdated – or not. Ideas we tried before that didn’t work, might work now. It is a new year, a time to look forward and let the past bridge “Breath is the bridge which our success, as we remain open to discover the unlimited possibilities and connects life to consciousness, continue Awakening the Dream. which unites your body to your thoughts.” ~ Thick Nhat Hanh With Gratitude and Love, Kathy Purcell, Editor SI Sequim - 2 The 10th Annual Gala Celebrate Life! Garden Show BIRTHDAYS March 15 -16, 2008 JANUARY OUR CORE COMMITTEE 3 Nan Cramer Co-Chairman Jane Manzer & Jan Chapman 6 Rose Jaeger 10 Kate Creasey Distribution Kathleen DeJong 15 Alana Schmicker Advertising/Marketing Sandy Reed &Kate Creaesy 21 Dovie Carson Raffle Mayme Faulk & Janet Wicker FEBRUARY Corporate Sponsors Jan Chapman & Jane Manzer 8 Deborth Grooesbeck 11 Missy Church-Smtih Food Concessions Sherry Schubert & Heather Cerutti 22 Jan Chapman Speakers Rose Jaeger Vendor Manager Philippa Manley-Piper Vendor Support Penny Mulcay Treasurer Leah Tuttle Set-up/Tear-down Peg Rinker (mostly tear-down) Rover Kathy Purcell Note the phone number for our Parking & Transportation Pam Caldero MEDICAL LOAN CLOSET Soropitimist Table OPEN 504-0231 We are still loooking for a volunteer to chair the Soroptimist Table Sub-Committee. If you are interested in heading up this sub-committee, please let Jan or Jane know. AREA MEETING SAVE April 12, 2008 THIS DATE Sponsored by SI Olympic Rain Forest Back in March, Kate Creasey gifted me with a book titled Women Who Dare. It is a book of postcards celebrating women – some already passed into history, other still with us – who defied expectations. In this year of Awakening the Dream, it seems appropriate to share some of these with you. ~kp Sojourner Truth (1797 – 1883) was a feminist in a male-dominated abolitionist movement and an ex-slave activist for African American rights in a suffragist movement dominated by middle-class white women. Her powerful presence and unyielding determination carried her to the moment of her “Ain’t I a Woman” speech, which electrified the 1851 national Women’s Convention, and beyond. Sojourner Truth SI Sequim - 3 Violet Richardson Award Taking Women’s Health to Heart This year’s Violet Richardson Award winners at the club Friday, February 1, 2008, is National Wear Red Day—a level have been chosen. You can meet them at our day when Americans nationwide will take women’s health February 26th Program Meeting. to heart by wearing red to show their support for women’s heart disease awareness. Last year’s winner at the Region level was Dallas National Wear Red Day is an annual event held on the Jessup who received special recognition from CNN. first Friday in February. On this day, women and men across the country will wear red to unite in the national CNN names Soroptimist Violet Richardson Award movement to give women a personal and urgent wake-up recipient Heroes finalist call about their risk of heart disease. Dallas Jessup, 16, of Vancouver, By participating in National Wear Red Washington, and a 2007 Soroptimist Day, we join The Heart Truth. The Violet Richardson Award recipient was Heart Truth is a national awareness one of three honorees named a CNN campaign to alert women about their Heroes finalist in the “Young Wonder” risk for heart disease and motivate category.