Welcome to BPW 2021-2022

 "Never Stop Dreaming"

Greetings, Sisters. I trust you all made it through the holidays without too much difficulty this year. I know many of us are still grieving the loss of loved ones, and that always makes the holidays tough.  There's such a benefit of being a member of a sisterhood like BPW which in essence is a family. And as family we all take care of each other. Every one of you will always remain close to my heart, and I will always be there for you as well. #BPWsistersrule

I have some good news to share! The Member Directory is almost done! I'll be so glad when that is finished! It has been an albatross around my neck. And as the poem goes...."he prayeth best who loveth best, all things great and small. It'll be a great thing for that small thing to be done. I'll be emailing out the membership list soon so you can check it to make sure I have your personal information correct. So keep an eye out for that. 

It's nominating time again and we will be needing volunteers for that committee. Please let me know if you would like to help with that. And if you would be interested in being a board member or committee chair please let me know as well. There are also state positions open. I'd like to get some of the newer members involved with the IFBWC, especially since I'll be president next year. 

I'd like to share with you the response we had about changing the meeting location. Thank you to everyone who took the time to answer the email and share your thoughts. I took everyone's suggestions and concerns very seriously and right now we are scheduling on a month to month basis. Here's a breakdown of your responses: We had 13 ladies respond to the email. We had 11 who wanted to rotate locations to be able to support other businesses in town (including the Elks) which would also get us more exposure. We had 2 who were not in favor of other locations. EVERYONE was in agreement that we have been long supporters of the Elks and they have been extremely good to us for many years. We certainly do not want to damage our relationship with them. As with everything else, COVID has made it difficult for everyone and businesses have had a hard time with staffing. The Elks is no exception. In addition, I want you all to know that moving the locations for meetings is something that has been talked about since COVID first began in 2020, so this is not something new, or permanent. That being said, we will be having our February meeting at Fairways at Greenview. We have asked them to spread out the tables and only seat four per table. Hopefully this will make it easier to move around and be safer for everyone. We will be ordering off the menu and you can RSVP by Sunday to Stephanie House, (auntsteph04@gmail.com), if you are planning on eating. And thank you, Stephanie, for taking care of that  this month. 

I want to send a huge thank you to Cary Day and the committee on the success of Trivia Night. Everyone seemed to enjoy it and we raised a lot of money!! So congratulations to everyone and thanks to all the members who attended too! 

Finally, we have been asked to network with the Red Cross and the Elks for a blood drive. All we would need to do is share the information on social media regarding the dates, times and need. They are hoping that with the three organizations working together we can reach more people. According to the Red Cross the blood situation in our area right now is dire. So mark your calendar for March 14th 10am-2pm at the Elks, and keep an eye out for updates on the event. I'd like to see a big turn out from BPW!

Considering the storm we just went through (which knocked out my internet so I had to finish this on my phone!) I will again quote "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"...."The ice was here, the ice was there,. The ice was all around: It cracked and growled, and roared and howled,. Like noises in a swound.." Hopefully next week won't be as snowy and icy as it is now! I hope to see you all at the meeting next week, and for those of you who can't attend, I'll be thinking of you. 

Until we meet again, 
Carrie Perkins-Schnicker, President