'Tis the Season

Happy Holidays LOWC! 

Happy Holidays LOWC!

Here is hoping that this edition of the LOWC News blog finds you and your family well!

The Holidays are here. I hope you are taking time for yourself as well as your family. We would like to ask you to also take time to make Merry and be of good cheer with us Thursday, December 13, 2012. There is time to still purchase your ticket. We hope to see you there. The cost is $10 per person and you can mail your check, payable to LOWC, and mailed to: P O Box 1434, Lake Oswego, OR 97035.

The Lake Oswego Women’s Club has begun a year of change and one of the many things we will address is the club’s need to construct business policies for everyday practices. We want to thank those of you who were able to attend the Fundraising Policy Meeting that was held Monday, November 26. For those of you who couldn't attend, we want to let you know that a team has been formed to develop written policies and a fundraising model that attractively packages sponsorship and donation options for business partners while still adhering to the strict requirements of our Bylaws. The team is looking forward to ironing out the details and will update you as progress is made! Thank you for all the various ways you support the LOWC!

The LOWC Board is in need of individuals that have an interest in leadership. WE currently have the board/chair position open for Public Relations. This very important committee has members in place. Although this is the middle of our club year, it isn't too late for someone to begin chairing PR, training will be provided.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is a not an act, but a habit.” ~ Aristotle

Until the next time,
Denise Smith
2012-13 LOWC President 

Phone Bank Reminder

Children's Center is launching their first ever year-end appeal phone-drive and Children's Center would love to have some help from Lake Oswego Women's Club.

Below is the volunteer request from the Children's Center Volunteer Newsletter - 

Phone Bank Volunteers: Help raise awareness and share our mission as we call donors who are looking for that charity of choice to make their year-end contribution to. During the first week of December we plan to call as many people as possible to ask them for their support. Volunteers will be provided a script, list of donor names and PIZZA!

Duration:  December 4th, 5th, and 6th. 5:30 pm-8:00 pm.

Please note: As of Monday, Dec 3rd, Children's Center expressed particular need for volunteers for Thursday, Dec 6. If you are available, please contact Brooke Johnson at brooke@childrenscenter.cc.

Here is the link to the FULL December Children's Center Volunteer Opportunities Newsletter.

Lori Faris
Children's Center Liaison

Holiday Party

Ladies,

If you have not already put it on your calendar, plan to join us for the LOWC Holiday Party on Thursday the 13th of December at the Oswego Heritage House from 6:30 to 9:30.  It will be a potluck with a nominal $10 cost.  Bring a guest and relax with food and wine in the beautiful historic building that has been decorated for the holidays!  If you have not already mailed your check, plan to bring it to the door with you!!  Remember, this is a great opportunity to bring a friend as a guest too!  Check the calendar at www.lowomensclub.org or contact Lisa Rainer at vicepresident@lowomensclub.org for more details.

Click this link for a festive flyer with all the details!

Come Mingle and Be Merry!

Lisa Rainer
Vice President

General Meeting January 17 (New location)

Our first General Meeting of 2013 will be held at LOWC member Traci Greenberg’s home.

This is a different location than is listed in the directory. 

Originally Lisa Rainer was scheduled to host in January, but stepped in last minute to have the November meeting/potluck at her house. Traci will have coffee and pastries for the morning meeting. Please join us at 9:30 am for the social followed by the meeting at 10:00 am. Traci’s address is 2880 Upper Drive Lake Oswego 97035.

Julie Lester
Meetings Chair

Philanthropy News

There are so many wonderful non-profits in our area providing critical services to those in need. One of the philanthropy committee's objectives is to raise the awareness within our Club of some of the small, local charities doing great work in our communities. At each of our General Meetings we invite a speaker who represents a local non-profit and each month we'll feature a non-profit in the newsletter. This will give us all an opportunity to learn about organizations that are new to us, and connect again with some we already know. At our October meeting we heard from Shauna Lugar of The Children's Center and in November Greg Pace from Good Deeds addressed the group. Below is the first of our newsletter "Charity Spotlights" for this year. 

Virginia Rubin
Philanthropy Chair

December Charity Spotlight:
Hayden's Helping Hands

By Zie Zie Senzaki

A dear friend shared a story of a mother’s tragedy of giving birth to a stillborn child at 32 weeks of gestation. I couldn't fathom what that experience would be like for the mother and the family. 

This mother did not grieve silently. She used her strength to start a foundation to help others. Hayden’s Helping Hands was created in memory of her daughter. It is a non-profit foundation that helps families in the midst of the trauma of a stillbirth by paying for a portion or all of their hospital delivery medical expenses. Hayden’s Helping Hands is solely supported by donations and sponsors. 

More than 26,000 babies are stillborn in the United States each year. These deaths are unpredictable, and there are no identifiable risk factors. They cut across socio-economic classes, races, religion, body types, and maternal age groups. No woman or family is immune. The delivery medical expense for a still birth can cost upward of $10,000 without insurance. 

While Hayden’s Helping Hands cannot lessen the family’s heartaches, provide answers to the confusion, or diminish the anger, it can relieve the financial stress from the tragedy, allowing the family to focus on healing. 

Additional Information:

Founded: Dec 2010

Founder: Rebekka Hauskins

YTD: has helped 11 families, 12 babies

To Donate:
Hayden’s Helping Hands

PO Box 2041

Clackamas, OR 97015 

Website: www.haydenshelpinghands.com

Philanthropy wants your Input

The Philanthropy Committee is moving into high gear with the Grants Process for 2012-2013. Please send us your suggestions of small, local charities you think LOWC might want to support through a grant, a donation drive or a work party. As in previous years, our priority is to partner with charities that provide services to women and children.

Send your input to grants@lowomensclub.org by December 12th so that any charities you recommend can be considered in our grants process for this year. 

Lake Run Update

We have started our committee and WOW you should all be jealous! We have a brainstorming, super-charged, ready for action team in place! The ideas for the Family Festival are off the charts this year. But the best part..it's going to happen! The ladies of the Lake Run Committee are just that committed to seeing this through. So I hope you will all do your part and support this wonderful group of women who are doing their part to make a difference. 

Here are some of the ideas: HS Football players taking kids through a course, face painting, clowns, balloon animals, bean bag toss, and more. We want this year's Family Festival to be the best one yet! More fun, more things to do, and more KIDS! 

More next month… 

Diana Del Garbino 

Lake Run Chair 2012-2013