LOWC Member NewsBlog: Happy Holidays!

Holiday photos at the end of the blog!

I wish you all Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!

Denise and Lisa

A great Holiday party!

The LOWC kicked off the Holiday Celebrations in Grand style! We played Who am I?, enjoyed sumptuous food and wine, and listened to some of the braver members and spouses/dates sing Karaoke! Thank you to all that were able to come and the fantastic dishes you shared – we had a great showing of membership support. Thank you to Lisa Rainer, Jerri Parrott, Julie Lester and Johanna McCormick for their time in party planning, decorations, arrangements and execution for our Holiday party. It was perfect. Also, thank you to Tracey Freeman for taking pictures!

Do you want to have a Party in your Pajamas?

Yes! Our next LOWC party will be a pajama party, to participate for $25 at Lauren Retzlaff’s home January 18 at 7pm. It isn’t a sleep-over but a night of fun in your PJs, for LOWC members only. We hope you can come. You can reserve your spot by mailing checks payable: to LOWC to our PO Box 1434, Lake Oswego, 97035.

Business planning for LOWC

LOWC Meeting attendance

The months of June through December 2012 has been spent planning and organizing what we need to successfully complete during the months of January through May 201, please be mindful to continue attendance of our general meetings and your committee meetings. Attendance usually drops significantly after January and significantly hurts the clubs ability to be a viable working club. This organization is as good as our weakest link, so please be the strong link and continue to attend all meetings.

Open Committee chairs, By-Law, and Policy planning committee

Soon we will begin the process of looking for office and chair leads for the 2013-2014 Board officers and Committee chairs, if you are interested in leadership for next year please contact me now. I am still looking for chairs this year 2012-13 for Sponsorship, and Public Relations, until then I will be acting as lead for both committees. If you have any needs concerning either Sponsorship or PR, please contact me.

The year of 2013 we will be amending our By-laws, as well as for the first time writing policies and procedures for our club.

It is very important to address the by-law amendments and policies because it will empower our leadership, general membership and future decisions. The times, membership levels and the amount of income for funding may have changed but our mission has not. We now find the need to incorporate these factors into our by-laws and policies for daily procedures and practices in our club. We will be addressing some very basic changes such as: listing Electronic mail, changing the club name (LOJWC to LOWC), and the like. Lori Malone will Chair the committees for By-Law amendments and Policy writing, thank you, Lori for chairing. If you would like to participate or if you have questions and/or concerns to address about this process please contact Lori M. or me. I will be giving more information about why this process is necessary and our time frame for it at the January 17, general meeting.

Take a break and then save the date(s)!

Thank you for your commitment to the LOWC! I appreciate your wish to help others, sharing your time and your friendship. Together we will have a successful 2013.

To all of our members, it is my hope that you all take time to enjoy your family and friends, to relax and slow down from your busy schedule. One of the reason’s you may have joined the club is to impact someone’s life through your actions. I hope you were able to reply to the email that Philanthropy sent asking help to determine which charities we should focus on this coming year. Until then, please take time to remember others and perhaps perform a random act of kindness for them. It will make you smile and will be the best present you can give yourself!

I look forward to seeing you next year, during the Board meeting at 7 pm, Tuesday, January 8 and our first General meeting of 2013, at 9:30 am, Thursday, January 17 at Traci Greenberg’s home.

Wishing you all Happy Holidays and a Healthy, Safe and Happy New Year!

Denise Smith,
LOWC President, 2012-13

LOWC Board Meeting January 8
(Date Change)

The board voted for a date change at the last board meeting. Please make note of the new date for the January board meeting. The location is at Lisa Rainer's home at 7:00 pm.

LOWC General Meeting January 17
(Location Change)

Don't forget to make note of the January 17th LOWC General Meeting location change when you update your calendars for 2013. Traci Greenberg will host the meeting at her home - check the LOWC directory for her address. We hope you will join us at 9:30 for coffee and treats and the meeting at 10:00 am.
Happy Holidays!

Eve on the Lake - Fundraiser - Dec 31

Please note: This is not a Lake Oswego Women's Club event. We are happily sharing the news with our members in hopes of supporting a local event aimed at assisting those in need.

Kick up your heels and celebrate with us at an elegant New Year’s Eve party on the lake in Lake Oswego! Tom Grant and Shelly Rudolph will be opening up the evening, followed by DJ Event Team Entertainment.

All event proceeds will be donated to the American Red Cross for Hurricane 2012 relief efforts. We will be “dressing up” the Brewery to create an elegant evening for those who would like to stay in town for the night. Join us for an amazing night of dancing, hors d’oeuvres, a photo-booth a champagne toast and surprise celebration at midnight.

For more information visit www.loeveonthelake.com or view event details on Facebook.

Happy Holidays Ladies!

Karaoke anyone?

For those of you who weren't able to join us for the Holiday Party, we had a wonderful time getting to know each other and some of our sustainers a little better. The party was light and casual, but with plenty of food and drink. It was 'just what the doctor ordered' for this time of year. We even pulled out the karaoke machine for a few extra laughs. We will see you all in 2013!

Enjoy your family and friends a little extra this holiday season. We are all lucky to have the ones we love so close in our hearts. The time we share with them is so precious.

Lisa Rainer
Vice President

Get Social with LOTS of Upcoming Events!

I, for one, am enjoying the Holiday season and all the business that comes with it. Our Holiday Party was so much fun and we had a nice turnout between old and new members with some sustainers coming as well. One of my most favorite things to do and see is Karaoke but since my husband Brad is allergic to it once
he saw the machine and heard a few songs we were out of there.... Next time I'll send him home and get a ride because it looked like they were just getting started!

We have quite a few social events in 2013 and I just want to bring them to your attention and hopefully you'll put them on your calender.

First we have a Happy Hour coming up on Jan. 9, 2013 5 pm at Oswego Grill.
Their happy hour starts at 3:00 regularly and they fill up quickly so I will plan on getting there a bit earlier than 5pm to get a table. I know I am planning on having Brad stop in to say hi since his office is not to far away and hopefully you can arrange to have your SO stop on by as well.

We have a few party boards and I am very excited about all of them!

Lauren Retzlaff is hosting another one of her Pajama Parties on Jan 18th, 2013 at 7 pm
The cost is $25 per person and you just know it is going to be a fantastic evening with lots of yummy food, wine, laughter and tons of fun!

On Feb. 23rd 2013 7 pm I am hosting another Poker Night because last years was so much fun!
The men can teach us (or try to) how to play Texas Hold'em and when they get tired of that (or exasperated) they can go play pool, darts or watch sports all the while making sure our drinks are filled and we aren't hungry! This is $20 per person.

April 6th, 2013 plan to be at Megan O'Toole's home for a night of exceptional food and wine tasting.
Throw in a little chocolate and you've got a party. This will be a wonderful evening to mingle with friends old and new. Bring a bottle of wine and $10 and you're good to go.

We are planning a movie night at a beautiful lake front home and I am still working on the dates but will keep you informed. I'm hoping this will be in March or May.

Look for all of these party boards at the next general meeting to sign up or if you'd like you can email me and I will add you to the list.

Remember 100% of all proceeds earned from the parties will go to your LOWC Operational Fund.

Have a very blessed Holiday season. This is the perfect time of year to reach out to those we don't talk to very often, extend a helping hand to people in need and to hold those we cherish tightly and let them know how much we love them.

See you in 2013.

Jeri Parrott
Social Chair

Children's Center Phone Bank a Success!

The Children's Center launched their first ever year-end appeal phone-drive on the evenings of December 4th-6th. 14 volunteer callers contacted hundreds of supporters during three evenings and raised $5,725. The staff members at the Children's Center were so grateful for the LOWC's participation in this fundraising event. A huge "thank you" goes out to the following members who helped the Center raise funds: Maureen Dunham, Lori Malone, Caren Korabek, Johanna McCormick, Chandra Terry, Susan Ziegler, Tracey Freeman, Lori Faris.

I'd like to share a quote from Shauna Lugar, who said it best :

"Because of your efforts, your smile while you dialed, and your commitment to our kids, you collectively raised $$$5,725! We are humbled by your passion for our children and your willingness to go above-and-beyond for their health, safety and healing. Many of you already give towards the Center's mission but your added generosity in donating your time is absolutely priceless.

Happy Holidays to you and yours.

With gratitude,

Shauna Lugar
Development & Communications Director
Children's Center "

For more information on the Children's Center, please visit their website: www.childrenscenter.cc

Lori Faris
Children's Center Liaison

Children's Center Phone Bank Photos!

Photos courtesy of Tracey Freeman

Please note: These photos are from Wednesday night only. There were other hard-working volunteers on Tuesday and Thursday night. The omission of their photos in no way diminishes their hard work and contribution. (PS. If someone has photos from Tuesday and/or Thursday, please submit them and I will add them to the blog!)