THE BLUEVIEW
Julie Thermidor ñ 978-828-4970 ñ jthermidor@gmail.com
Carolyn Rooney ñ617-680-0865 ñ cgrooney@comcast.net
Greetings,
In the spirit of 'Thanksgivingí and in the words of William Blake, "Gratitude is heaven itself." Our board appreciates you, and we are grateful to you all. This monthís newsletter is dedicated to each and all of you! Thanks to all!
You are a group of kind, giving and precious people. We are women, wives, and mothers.ÝWe are also daughters, sister and friends, and we are constantly spread thin. To top it all off, you take time to contribute to our community, donate and give more of you. Thanks to everyone who volunteer, and or show up for any and all of our events, as well as giving contributions and donations. Your mere presence alone, at an event provides boundless support. Having said all that, please take a moment to admire and appreciate you. We sincerely praise you.
New and Prospective Members Social was held on Thursday, October 16th at our clubhouse on Reedsdale Road. It was a huge success! We had quite a show of new friends, existing and "seasonedî members. Thank you to all who invited a friend, neighbor or extend an invitation to someone you thought might be interested. Additionally, our sincere appreciation to all the members who brought in appetizers and wines for the evening. Most importantly, thank you kindly to our Membership Committee members who worked tirelessly to ensure the nightís success. Please know that we are still looking for a "few more good women.î So, if you know of anyone who is interested in joining the club, but were unable to attend the New Member Cocktail Party, please have them contact our new Membership Committee. If you are a member and have not yet paid your dues for the year, YOU MUST SUBMIT PAYMENT BY NOVEMBER 15TH TO CONTINUE TO BE INCLUDED IN FUTURE EMAILS AND HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND ANY MJWC EVENTS. You can pay dues using www.bigtent .com or you can mail a check to MJWC *P.O. Box 344 Milton, MA 02186.
The Community Service Committee has been hard at work on the Dove Drive, the Milton Community Food Pantry Drive, as well as coordinating many other opportunities for you to stuff bags and donate much needed items to charitable and worthy causes.
Our gratitude to all members who contributed craft items and help with the October DOVE drive. ÝLots of non-perishable food items were collected for the Milton Community Food Pantry again this year. Donations were dropped off at the homes of many of our members through October14th. We are indebted to you for opening your homes to gather all the donations. On October 24th, at the home of Martina Connelly, a group of our members gathered together for the annual coffee hour /food drop off event. Thank you, yet again for your generosity.
Our first fundraiser, organized by Mary Beth Grant and Amy Masferrer, the Pumpkin Sale, was held on October 19th at the town common and gazebo from 10-2pm. Despite the cold and nippy day, a huge success! Jack-O-Lantern and craft size pumpkins were offered. A bake sale and pumpkin-decorating table with crafts made the delights of children and parents alike. All proceeds from the sales will directly benefit scholarships & grants. Thank you to all the members who volunteered, showed their support, donated materials and baked goods, and (or) also donated 'their husbandsí for the heavy lifting (hope you had them back in one pieceówink, wink). You ensured the success of this sale, and we thank you tremendously. Mary Beth Grant and Amy Masferrer, thank you for all of your hard work and dedication to this great event!
Our Fundraising Committee is also working hard to bring back Comedy Night once again this year. Those of you who attended last year know what a terrific night this was with lots of laughs. We hope to be able to offer this great event again but it requires a TON of volunteers. Please contact Amy Masferrer or Mary Beth Grant if you are interested in helping out.
November 1st, we had our Holiday Photo Event with our very own Kimberly Zieselman. It was a gorgeous day and we know Kimberly captured some great shots! We are most fortunate to have Kimberly-thank you!
An Evite has been sent for the much loved and anticipated Toy Box Night on November 9th, which many of us are looking forward to. Hope you have already responded to secure your spot!
The first food and wine event of the season is a Tapas Cooking Class to be held on Thursday, Nov 20th, at the Lighter Fare Restaurant in Milton-there are still openings for this so please email Kerri Sullivan if interested at keri.sullivan@pioneerinvestments.com
As always, we welcome any and all feedback and/or ideas on how to better serve the community and improve the operations of the club, so please do not hesitate to share them with us.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Julie & Carolyn
Note Regarding Our New Treasurer:
The new treasurer for the 2008-09 year is Kathy Keyes. Kathy is employed full time and is also co-chair of the Road Race Committee. As a result, free time is a bit limited between MJW activities and family responsibilities. In an effort to address the club membersí need for reimbursements, Kathy will set aside time once a month to cut checks for members' expenses, on or about the 15th of each month. Please email Kathy at KLKeyes@msn.com for an expense form to be filled out when submitting your receipts. Receipts and expense forms should be enclosed in an envelope> and dropped off at her home at 30 High St., inside the porch in the wicker mail basket. Your check will be left for you in your envelop in the same basket, with an email to you letting you know that the check is there for you to collect. Urgent matters will of course be addressed as timely as possible. Urgent will be defined by the co-presidents.
Click on an event to get to that section of the newsletter
|
Saturday, November 1 |
|
|
|
|
|
Wednesday, November 6 |
|
|
Saturday, November 8ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Sunday, November 9 Saturday, November 15 |
Food Pantry bag stuffingÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Programs Toy Box Event Cradles to Crayons @ Cunningham HallÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ
|
|
Sunday, November 20 |
Food and Wine * Tapas cooking class
|
To View the Calendar on the website click below.
http://www.miltonjuniorwomansclub.com/calendar.html
Aliesha Jilani ñ 617-322-1004 ñ ajilani23@yahoo.com
Beth Plunkett - 617-851-3408 - mailto:bethplunkett@hotmail.com
All club members are invited to attend the bi-monthly business meetings. This is a great way to learn more about the club and get more involved. The next business meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 6th 7:30pm at Carolyn Rooneyís house-48 Walnut Street
Allison Anderson- 703-403-6203 ñ ali70@aol.com
The Blueview Newsletter is sent monthly via email instead of regular mail. It saves us time and postage! If you are not currently receiving your newsletter via email, or if your email address has changed, please send a note to ali70@aol.com sign up.
Patti Dobrindt ñ 617-298-8822 -patti@dobrindts.com
The Book Club began this past October the 8th. The upcoming meeting will be Wednesday, November 5th at 7:30 PM at the home of Heidi Graf. The club will be discussing "Those Who Save Usî by Jenna Blum. If you have already read the November read, and would like to move forward to the month of December, the book club we will be reading "All Soulsî by Michael Patrick MacDonald, and this time the club will meet at the home of Joanne Achin on Tuesday, December 9th. Anyone interested in attending and/or being added to the email list, please contact: Patti Dobrindt at patti@dobrindts.com
Laura Conway - 617-696-6329 - lpconway@comcast.net
The Community Grants Application Period will open the beginning of December. Any tax-exempt organization that assists Milton residents or enriches the community is invited to complete a simple grant application> and submit it to MJWC by January 20, 2008. The club will review all applications and grants will be awarded to organizations by the end of March. Grant amounts typically vary from $250-$2,000.Any member interested in assisting with this committee should contact Laura Conway at lpconway@rcn.com.
Chair: Lori Humphreys ñ 617- 698-4648 ñ lorijhumphreys@yahoo.com
ÝJane Busconi ñ 617-298-6035 ñ janeberry@htberry.com
ÝKimberly Zieselman ñ 617-698-6913ó KZieselman@comcast.net
Jeannine Reardon ñ 617-698-6194 ñ jreardon119@gmail.com
Audrey Gavin ñ 617-696-4217 ñ audrey_gavin@yahoo.com
Martina Connelly-617-696-2538 MartinaConnelly@comcast.net
ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Patti Hoff ñ(617) 980-9042 patti@moveitwithpatti.com
Meals Coordinator
Courtney Affanato ñ 617-696-1249 ñ caffanato@comcast.net
The Community Service Committeeís goal is to assist the community through volunteerism and donations/drives.
As always, if you know of a member who recently had a baby or is struggling with medical issues, contact Courtney Affanato, our meals coordinator.
ÝAlso, please contact Courtney at the number or e-mail above if you would like to be on the list to make a meal.
FOOD DRIVE
As in past years, we will be doing a food drive to benefit the Milton Community Food Pantry. ÝI think we can all agree that this year, it is more important than ever to help. The drive kicks off this week and ends mid-November. The food pantry is in need of: baked beans, jams and jellies, spaghetti sauce, peanut butter, and condiments.
ÝIf your children would like to create a "neighborhood drop siteî, there is a flier attached that they can circulate. In the past, the children that participated really felt part of a wonderful cause, and realized that they can make a difference.
All food pantry donations are gladly accepted through mid November at the homes of Martina Connelly at 20 Cary Ave, Lori Humphreys at 34 Hoy Terrace, and Kimberly Zieselman at 52 Ridge Rd.
We will be volunteering at the food pantry on Saturday, November 8 from 9-11 stuffing bags for their Thanksgiving distribution. The Food Pantry is located at the Parkway United Methodist Church at 158 Blue Hills Parkway. If you are interested in this event please RSVP to Jeannine Reardon @ jreardon119@gmail.com or (617) 698-6194. Space is limited.
Our Holiday bag stuffing is scheduled for December 5 from 3-5. This is a great way to involve your children! We can accommodate a lot more people for this event, but please RSVP to Jeannine Reardon if you are interested.
Milton Family Volunteer Day for Cradles to Crayons is on November 15 from 10-2 at Cunningham Hall. ÝYou and your children ages 6 and up can help clean toys, sort clothes, etc. Additionally you can donate any toy or childrenís clothing items for this drive. All donations can be dropped off at Cunningham Hall on Friday November 14 from 1-4 or on Saturday during the volunteer day. Please contact Martina Connelly at 617-696-2538 or MartinaConnelly@comcast.net if you would like to participate in this event.
Once again, many thanks to all members who contributed craft items for the October DOVE drive. ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ
Keri Sullivan ñ keri.Sullivan@pioneerinvestments.com
Leila Mitchell ñ Leila.Mitchell@neoscape.com
The first food and wine event of the season is a Tapas Cooking Class to be held on Thursday, Nov 20th, at the Lighter Fare Restaurant in Milton. Attend and learn how to make some fun new dishes just in time for the holidays! Upon arrival, a glass of sparkling wine will be served, followed by a demonstration by Connie Spiros on 4 different Tapas dishes. There is still space available for this event. The cost for this event is $35 dollars and it includes a $10 gift card to the Milton Market. RSVP to Keri at keri.sullivan@pioneerinvestments.com. Payment is requested before the event, please mail to PO Box 344 or drop at 16 Wood Street.
Mary Beth Grant ñ 617-322-1182 ñ mbhg@comcast.com
Amy Masferrer ñ 617-322-1093 ñ amy@masferrerlaw.com
The fundraising committee is
a newly created committee for the club, focusing on bringing in additional
sources of fundraising to the club through special events. We are always
looking for new members and new ideas!
PUMPKIN SALE:
We just wanted to send out a special thank you to all of you who braved the cold weather and came out to support the pumpkin sale. Thanks to the hard work of our volunteers we were able to raise $1,445.75. ÝWe were a little shy of last year- but given the chilly day we are happy with our result. The remainder of the pumpkins were donated to the Monster Dash- a very worthy cause. ÝSpecial thanks to all of you who baked and put so much time and effort into packaging everything. ÝWe doubled our money on the bake sale. ÝLots of love to the ladies who held down the craft table (literally) while everything was blowing away.
COMEDY NIGHT:
We have had lots of requests from members and members' husbands to bring back comedy night. ÝWe cannot do it without your help! ÝWe are in the process of organizing subcommittees and are in need of volunteers. ÝA few gracious members have stepped up to chair the subcommittees. Below is a description of each committee. If you can help out, please contact either Amy Masferrer (amy@masferrerlaw.com) or Mary Beth Grant (mbhg@comcast.net). ÝWe will have our first meeting the week of November 17th. ÝWe will compare schedules and set a date. This is a great, fun way to get involved with the club.
Comedian Selection Committee
Chair: Beth Plunkett
Ý
Volunteers will assist in the selection and booking of the comedian.
Ticket Sales;
Chair: Carolyn Rooney
Volunteers will be in charge of organizing the tables for sale and ticket
distribution.
Refreshment Committee:
Co- Chairs: Laura Boynton and Betsy Crowley
Volunteers will be in charge of procuring the beer, wine, and other beverages sold at the event. ÝThis includes soliciting donations and negotiating rates for purchase of liquor. As well as arranging for the delivery of all the refreshments
Ý
Decoration/ Food Committee:
Decoration: Amy Masferrer & Mary Beth Grant
Food: Keri Sullivan with assistance from Food & Wine Committee
Volunteers will be in charge of soliciting donations of appetizers and desserts from members. ÝAs well as set up the day of the event. The decorating committee will be in charge of organizing volunteers to set up the event the night before and day of and procuring any decorations needed.
Publicity:
Chair:
Volunteers will be in charge of creating the mailing to club members announcing
the event.
Ý
Sheila Paolucci - 617- 698-9338 - jsp350@comcast.net
Patty Facy ñ pattyfacey@comcast.net
Joan OíBrien ñ justjoanb@aol.com
Susan McNeely ñ laraavery@comcoast.net
A gentle reminder***If you have not already done so, we kindly ask you to forward your annual dues of $40 to the MJWC. You can send your check to P.O Box 344 Milton MA, Pay Pal through Big Tent (www.bigtent.com) on or before November 15, 2008. Thank you! We are also encouraging you all to sign up for Big Tent if you havenítí already done so. We are planning on encouraging/pushing all members to utilize the many benefits (calendar of events, contact lists, classified ads) that the site has to offer the MJWC.
Still, if you have any friends who have moved to Milton recently, met any new neighbors this summer or a new mom at the playground, the MJWC is always looking for new members to join our club and take part in all of the fun and charitableÝactivitiesÝthat go on throughout the year. They can join our greatÝactivitiesÝthat the MJWC has to offer and make some new friends.
Laurie Diblasi - 617-296-2529 ñ lauriediblasi@yahoo.com
Maggie Kessler ñ 617-698-0565 ñ finn_maggie@hotmail.com
Come join us for a Playgroup Social on Friday, November 14th from 9-11am at Houghton's Pond. It is a great way to enjoy the fall weather, catch up with friends and meet new people. And, of course, your kids will enjoy it!
Playgroups are just starting to get up and running - anyone else who is interested please email us with the age of your child and your availability. If you have multiple children but are looking to be paired with a specific age group, please let us know.
Sue Caponigro ñ suecaponigro@comcast.net
The Pre-School story hour Fall Session is currently underway. The program started on October 8. This program runs for 6 weeks through November 12. Story Hour is held on Wednesday mornings from 9:30-10:30 at the Church of Our Savior at 11 Babcock Street and is open to children 3-5 years of age.
We are also planning the spring Session and will let everyone know when registration begins. We will send out a confirmation email for registration very soon. Any MJWC member who registers a child must volunteer one hour of time to help either at the story hour or in prep work for the class. We look forward to getting started and hope you will join us!
Eve Nightingale ñ 617-696-5370 ñ e_nightingale@yahoo.com
Julie Ritchie ñ 617-291-4742 ñ jritchie011@comcast.net
Michelle Schweitzer ñ mich_dev76@hotmail.com
Heather Resnick ñ heatherraymond@yahoo.com
Dates for some of the events are still being worked out, Life Gate Acupuncture and Cedar Grove. The annual Toy Box Event is set for Sunday, November 9th. Friends, wine, food and TOYS!!!
The Toy Box will be hosting a private shopping party just for the MJWC members. The Toy Box will offer 20% off savings on all toys and of course complimentary gift-wrapping and free home delivery. This is always a great event that fills up quickly.
The Programs Committee is working hard to get these exciting events up and running for our members. All members will receive an Evite, at which time you will need to respond. Each event has limited availability and memberís space must be reserved in advance at the time of the Evite.
Eve Nightingale ñ 617-696-5370 ñ e_nightingale@yahoo.com
Kathy Keyes ñ 617 -696-9170 - KLKeyes@msn.com
OFF TO A GOOD START: The Road Race Committee kicked off the fall with a great start, having had several organizational meetings in September and early October. On Tuesday (10/28/08), we officially launched into the 2008-09 season. So far the committee consists of Eve Nightingale, Kathy Keyes, co-chairs, Jenny Kunkle, returning committee member, Kristin Cain, former co-chair and returning committee member, and new this year to the committee are Bethany Bonner, Kimberly Gill, Maire Gordon, Lisa O'Toole and Kama Wien. We're excited to have the new committee members and still invite other Juniors who might be interested to join up!
CALL TO ACTION FOR CLUB MEMBERS: The RR Committee is turning to club members to solicit the following marketing opportunities for companies that you and/or your spouse own, or for companies that employ either of you. Specifically, we are seeking a Presenting Sponsor for this year's race and our hope is to solidify a presenting sponsor by mid-December. We thought we'd look in-house before cold-calling companies. As Presenting Sponsor (for a $5,000 donation), the company name is included in the race title and in all event publicity and mailings as well as on the road race banners, mile markers, and on t-shirts. Or, if your budget is more restricted, you might consider a $1,000 gold sponsor level, which includes the company logo on a mile marker, road race banners and top tier of t-shirt; $500 silver sponsor level, which includes logo on middle tier of t-shirt; and finally $250 bronze sponsor level which includes the company name on the lower tier of the t-shirt. Sponsors above the bronze level are allowed an opportunity to have a table at the road race to promote their business. Last year, the committee was very grateful for the following club affiliated companies/employers for stepping up:
1.Turner Construction $5,000- presenting sponsor (Jenny Junkel's husband's
employer)
2.GKR Residential $500 - silver sponsor (Co-Vice President Carolyn Rooney's and
husband's company)
3.PJ Kennedy $500
4.Braintree Plumbing $500 - silver sponsor (Denise Queally's and husband's
company)
5.Pinkerton Consulting & Investigations $250 ñ bronze sponsor (treasurer
Kathy Keyes' employer)
6.The Toy Box - $250 - bronze sponsor - for supplying product and staff to
entertain the kids on the day of the race (Julie Ritchie's company)
As you can see, the club benefited from six club member-owned companies and/or employers to the tune of more than $7,000!! With more than 100 members in this club, we know that our strong network can boost that contribution level just by turning to our own available resources. We're hopeful that companies that employ our Juniors or spouses including, but not limited to, Regan Communications, Pioneer Investments, Boston College, Hertz, Time Inc., Cushman & Wakefield, Wellington Management, to name a few, will be able to help the club's cause in this road race fundraising initiative. Most companies support it's employees community volunteerism efforts. Please check with your employer and/or your spouse and see if they would like to consider being a sponsor - especially at the Presenting Sponsor level. We appreciate your much-needed assistance. Please contact Eve Nightingale or Kathy Keyes with your sponsorship information or with any questions. Thank you so much! Remember, all proceeds from the race fund the club's Scholarship and Grants programs.
Mary Scott ñ 617-696-3169 ñ memscott@comcast.net
Amy Farley ñ 617-322-1068 ñ amykf426@hotmail.com
Shelia Argyle ñ 617-696-7085 ñ argyles@comcast.net
The scholarship committee is looking forward to another great MJWC year!
Joanne Achin ñ joanne@achin.com
Betsy Crowley ñ 617-273-5607 ñ Ýbetsycrowley@gmail.com
Big Tent is a great website that we will continue to use as a tool to connect members online, post events, important club info, etc. It is a completely secure site, so please feel confident in sharing your information. If you haven't already paid your dues, you will be prompted to do when you log in. If you have any questions, please contact Betsy Crowley, Big Tent Coordinator at 617-233-4397.
The Milton Shuffle is a great way to communicate to other club members about anything going on outside the club. If you know of other volunteering opportunities, fun kid activities, fairs, yard sales, or even if you need a babysitter or want to sell your bike ñ we can put a note in the Milton Shuffle! Just send an email to ali70@aol.com.