New Beginnings

President's Corner

January - A New Year

First, Happy New Year to all.  May this coming year be the best year so far for each and everyone of you - and the best year so far for LOWC.

The Lake Run (LR) is ramping up quickly - permits, course definition, pricing, registration, advertising, so many details are well underway. Soon it will be time for the rest of us to roll up our sleeves and join in as well. Very soon, Kris Coder, the LR Volunteer Coordinator, will be reaching out to all of us to fill the many volunteer opportunities. Volunteer soon and volunteer often! Last year, the club embarked upon the task of doing more of the management of the Lake Run - which means that there are lots more things, big and little, to do. It's an evolving process and we are learning by doing.  

In addition to taking on this wider responsibility for Lake Run, we have also taken on a serious revision to the way that we select the recipients for our charitable donations. Starting this year, we have identified 3 charities that we will definitely support at the start of our year. This allows us to name them in our fundraising events and partner with them throughout the year…  

We still support our High School Community Service Scholarships, community projects (such as LO Reads and LO Parks), and will, funds permitting, select some additional charitable organizations to receive funds at the end of the year. But this change, means that there is work to do, to detail how this new process will work going forward.

Why do I mention all this? I just wanted all of you to know how hard your board is working this year. There are so many details to work out - especially pertaining to these new endeavors - that our board meetings have become marathon working meetings. The last two exceeded 3 hours and let me tell you that they were packed with discussion and important decisions! At the general meetings, the results and details of the board's hard work is communicated to the group, so read your minutes to find out more if you couldn't attend the meeting.

I am greatly honored to have such a hard working team - both on and off the board. It is truly amazing to see what a group of dedicated women can do. 

I really am expecting this year to be the best so far - because of each of you! Thank you for being part of this organization.

P.S.  We aren't all work!  Come to the next Happy Hour and have some fun too!

Chris Bonney

2013-2014 President

Children's Center - Thank you letter

In the coming months, as we begin to focus our attention on Lake Run related tasks, I hope none of our members lose sight of the reason we exist. Lake Oswego Women's Club was founded to bring women together to help members of our community who are in need of assistance. We help others by donating our hard-earned funds to worthy organizations such as Children’s Center. In 2010, LOWC made a five year commitment to donate $25,000 to Children’s Center ($5000 annually). I am proud of our members who have worked hard to help such a worthy cause.

In case you missed it, the following Letter to the Editor appeared in The Oregonian on January 15 (see below). It was written by Barbara Peschiera, Executive Director of Children’s Center.

As members of LOWC, please remember that you are part of the group that Barbara is recognizing in this letter. This is our motivation. This is the reason we exist.

Thank you for your commitment and your time.

Lori Malone
Children’s Center Liaison


Here’s the letter:

Dear Neighbors,

Children’s Center stands in awe of the loyalty of our donors and volunteers who are committed to helping our community’s most vulnerable young citizens. You continue to stand up on behalf of children who have suffered from abuse and neglect - children who cannot stand up for themselves.

It is only because of the support of our neighbors and friends that Children’s Center was able to provide nearly 450 medical evaluations in 2013 alone for children who were suspected victims of abuse or neglect. More than a third of the children referred were also seen for concerns of drug exposure - a rising problem in our community.

There will be many resolutions made and broken at the start of a new year. But I want you to know, that because of Clackamas County’s commitment, Children’s Center is resolved to shine the light on child abuse as a first step in keeping kids safe. Hope will continue to live at Children’s Center bolstered by the care and compassion our community shows for vulnerable children.

We are honored to stand beside each of you - friends, advocates, donors, and volunteers - as we invest in the safety, healing, and justice of our children. As Nelson Mandela stated: “Safety and security don’t just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear.”

Please feel free to contact me if you are interested in being part of our 2014 initiatives to make Clackamas County safe for all children. You can also learn more on our website at www.childrenscenter.cc.

Sincerely,

Barbara Peschiera

Children’s Center Executive Director

503-655-7725

The Oregonian, January 15, Letter to the Editor

Volunteer on February 13th for LO Reads

Mark your calendars!

LOWC volunteers needed for Lake Oswego Reads

Celebrating the Centennial of Poet... William Stafford

LOWC is sponsoring a Community Dessert Buffet for the LO Reads program on February 13th. 

We are organizing this event in partnership with the library and we will need 10-20 volunteers to:

• Purchase supplies and pick-up desserts
• Help set up at LO high school cafeteria at 5:00p.m.
• Host the dessert buffet 6:00-7:00pm
• Lecture begins at 7:00pm
• Clean up -  (our volunteers are invited to attend the lecture by Kim Stafford)

Please respond to the Philanthropy Committee email address: philanthropy@lowomensclub.org

Thank you for your participation and effort to help LOWC support the community and the LO Reads Program.

Garlinn Story
2013-2014 Philanthropy Chair

Meetings

February 20th
Nicoli’s Grill and Sports Bar
17880 SW McEwan Rd
Lake Oswego, OR 97035
7:00 pm social/7:30 pm meeting

Our next LOWC General meeting is scheduled for 7:30 pm Thursday evening, February 20th, at Nicoli’s Grill and Sports Bar. Come a little early to socialize and order a glass of wine, an appetizer, or perhaps an entrée.  LOWC will provide pitchers of water and a pitcher of soft drinks at the tables. 

Thank you Dave and Becky Nicoli for hosting the club again this year!

Special thanks to Nessa Sanders also for hosting our January meeting at The Card Bar.

Julie Lester
2013-2014 Meetings Chair

Oscar Party - Save the Date ….

Sunday evening, March 2, 2014.

The Oscars are coming to LOWC!  Please mark your calendars for a "Pajamas and Pearls Oscar Party".   Details will be forthcoming soon!

Please check your emails for an "Evite" invitation coming out on February 1st.

Fashion Frivolity For The Year

The winners of the quiz in the last blog are Chris Bonney and Minita Feldsien. Thank you all for playing and keep reading the blog and coming to meetings, happy hours, etc. for more chances to win! Each entry will be entered in the grand prize.

Since our elegant LOWC Fashion Show is only eight months away, I thought you might want to increase your fashion IQ (okay, that may be an oxymoron). Below are a few fun fashion facts you can dazzle people with at your next social event. Join our fashion ladies at Tucci between 5-8 on February 12th an you might just win a fashion frivolity prize if you can remember some or any of the information in this blog!

Preppy Crocodiles

The crocodile of "Lacoste" was the first brand name to appear as a logo on a garment. I am wondering how many of you wore Lacoste in the 60's.

Burning Bags

Louis Vuitton burns all their unsold bags at the end of the year. What a travesty! This drastic measure maintains the exclusive and high-end nature of the brand since 99% of Louis Vuitton merchandise in the world is fake.

LBD and Pearls

You can thank Coco for the LBD you wear because she invented the “Little Black Dress” in 1926.  She is also credited with popularizing the concept of “costume jewelry” in the 1920's, creating seasonal jewelry that mixed fake pearls with real stones. The modern era of perfume also began with the launch of Chanel No. 5 and that industry is a 10 million dollar industry now.

Mouse eyebrows 

Women in the 18th Century shaved off their eyebrows and then  replaced them with false ones made out of mouse hair. The mid 18th century trend for grey hair created a desire for grey eyebrows. Conveniently, mice were grey and their fur was easy to come by. I don’t think I will be doing this in the near future.

Buttons on Jacket Sleeves

No more snotty salutes..apparently Napoleon Bonaparte decreed that buttons needed to be attached to jacket sleeves to stop soldiers from wiping their runny noses on their jacket sleeves.  

So the next time you look at your buttons on jacket sleeves you know the origin!

Vintage vs. Retro

Finally some clarification ~ an item of clothing is considered vintage designer clothes if it dates back from 1920 to 1960. Anything after this date is considered retro.  Oh dear, I am trying to decide if this makes me vintage or retro!

Fish scales

Guess how many pounds of lipstick you use each year?  Six pounds of fish scales are usually used in the manufacture of lipstick called pearlescence. That means I have put almost 400 pounds on my lips, assuming I started when I was one.  LOL!

Sheri Rathbun

2013-2014 Fashion Show

Provisional Member Highlighted

Get to know Minita Feldsien

Are you married?

Yes, I have been married for 18 years now. My husband and I met in college and have been inseparable since.

Do you have children?

Yes, I have two wonderful boys.  Ages 14 and 11.

What cities/states have you lived in (in order if more than one)?

My family moved from India to the United States when I was 9 years old. My Dad got a job in Bloomington, MN (where the Mall of American is located) so that's where I grew up as a child. I went to college at the University of MN and then got my first job in Indiana. I lived there for a year and a half and then got married and moved to Texas where we lived for 17 years.  We just moved to Oregon last year and we are loving it here! The whole family wishes we had moved here sooner!

What is your favorite hobby?

I really like to scrapbook although I'm not very fast. I like anything that involves being creative and friends.  

What is your favorite book?

Hmmm.  Well, I don't have a lot of free time to read. I tend to read magazines as I can put them down after reading just a couple of articles. I have been reading Working Mother for years and Oprah for a couple of years off and on. The last book I read was The Giver (recommended by my oldest son).

What is your favorite movie?

Well, my ultimate favorite movie is Blind Side.  It just tugs at my heart strings every time I watch it.

What charity do you or would you like to, give your time to?

I like charities that help women and children so I'm happy with the LOWC's choices. I tend to volunteer through organizations such as Scouting, school, work, etc. In Oregon, we have done some work for NW Children's Center and Potluck in the Park.

Could you share your favorite recipe?

My husband's famous Minnesota Margaritas:

     2-1/2 parts Jose Cuervo Margarita Mix

     1 part  Rose's lime juice

     1 part  Tequila

     1 part  Orange Liqueur

     ice in a glass

     salt around the rim of the glass

Enjoy with caution! It's pretty strong but doesn't taste like it so watch your limit!

Thanks Minita Feldsien for letting us get to know you!