MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
LAURA BURTON
WPF President
Thank you for electing me to be your President for 2010. While we all face challenges during these difficult times, I am excited about what WPF accomplished in 2009 and look forward to a strong year in 2010. We have a vibrant Board with a mix of experienced and new faces and each member has a commitment to our organization and to the community in which we live and work. I know that every WPF member is extremely busy with work, family, and civic activities, but I urge you all to pledge in 2010 to expand your connections with WPF beyond the monthly lunch meetings. Get (more) involved; I know you will be glad you did. WPF is a group of truly amazing, inspiring women with a great deal to offer each other, so please take advantage of the opportunities whenever you can.
Exciting opportunities this year include expanded Special Interest Group (SIG) offerings, the second annual Artista Women’s Art Sale Benefiting Girls event to benefit the WPF Foundation, an inspiring line-up of speakers and topics from our program committee, and a number of oral and written four-minute specials from our members (keep those suggestions flowing to Ashley Wigglesworth). In addition, take advantage of the opportunities we have to socialize with each other—the summer social, new member socials that let our more seasoned members welcome the new class of WPF members, trips to New York and the mountains, WPF’s team for the Women’s Only Walk/Run for the Cure, the holiday bazaar, and the annual holiday brunch at Grandover, just to name a few.
Please also consider getting involved with a Special Interest Group. There are many to choose from – Anything Goes, Bennett College Mentoring, Books & Arts, Dining Out, Golf, Mothers of Young Children, Women of Wall Street, Whine Divas -- and each welcomes new members. Please consider joining one (or more); the SIGs are a great way to get to know your WPF sisters in a more leisurely setting than the monthly meetings.
In other news: Our new and improved website is up and running, with great access to information about our members, events, and organization. Many thanks to Matilda Kirby-Smith and Katrina Solomon for their success in making the website much more user-friendly. Our Foundation is ever-closer to reaching its $200,000 fundraising target. Reaching this goal will allow an even greater number of grants to be provided to groups and individuals that promote the theme of nurturing today’s girls and young women to be tomorrow’s leaders. Our May meeting is devoted to learning more about the Foundation and our grant recipients. Finally, don’t forget to send news – good and bad – about yourself or a WPF sister to Gloria Thompson, who does a wonderful job keeping us connected and supported through her “News of Our Sisters” emails. Thank you, Gloria!
We have a lot to be proud of, but there is always room for change and improvement. I encourage you to call or email me with any suggestions you may have for our group. Your Board and I are committed to making each member feel welcome and supported by WPF, but we need the help of the membership to do so. I am honored to serve and look forward to working with you all this year.
