The Sturbridge Host Hotel
Official Call to 35th Conference
April 27, April 28, and April 29, 2007
The Sturbridge Host Hotel
Sturbridge, Massachusetts
Joan Merritt, Governor
Pat Brown, Conference Chair
Improving the Lives of Women and Girls
Dear Soroptimist Members & Friends,
Our Spring Conference is fast approaching. It is with pride and excitement that I ask every member to join us in Sturbridge, MA for this opportunity to celebrate our achievements. Conference Chair Pat Brown has worked hard to make this a very special weekend for you. We have so much to celebrate including increasing our Region membership to over 315 members for the first time in 10 years. This is an exciting time for the Northeastern Region. Come and share the enthusiasm!!
On Friday evening we will learn how to center our energy with an interesting workshop called Rock Your Chakras. This will be an evening filled with friendship and fun.
On Saturday we will have two very special Federation guests. Director, Alice Wells from the Golden West Region will update us on what is happening on the Federation level. Fund Development Council member Rosemarie Burton will tell us about exciting plans for Fundraising at the Federation level. They will share their knowledge and enthusiasm for Soroptimist and give us a preview of the International Convention in Glasgow.
Playwright, Deborah Lake Fortson will tell us about her mission to create community awareness about teen prostitution and child exploitation. She will speak at 11:15 on Saturday so invite a friend to join us for lunch to hear her important message. You will not easily forget her reading from her play, Body and Sold!
The Middletown Club has an inspiring luncheon program that will leave our guests with the feeling that joining Soroptimist may be right for them!! We will recognize our Women’s Opportunity Award Winner, Violet Richardson Award Winner and our Making a Difference for Women Honoree.
I hope that you will attend the entire Conference. If this is not possible, it would be wonderful to see you all there on Saturday for the business meeting, Awards Luncheon and the Saturday night Banquet. The Greater Hartford Club has planned a night to remember with entertainment and fellowship.
This is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about Soroptimist International while enjoying the company of members from other clubs. I hope to see you all there. Don’t miss this opportunity to renew your energy and make new friends. We promise to inspire you to be the best for women.
Thank you for all you do,
Governor Joan
Northeastern Region
Official Call to Spring Conference 2007
Imagine the Possibilities
When:Friday April 27, Saturday April 28, and Sunday April 29, 2007
Where:Sturbridge Host Hotel
Sturbridge, Massachusetts
Registration:Friday April 27 4:00-6:00 PM
Saturday April 28 7:30-8:25 AM
Delegates:Three elected delegates or alternates must be regular members. Any alternate elected by the club Board of Directors to fill a vacancy in the club’s representation shall present a statement signed by the club secretary showing that she was duly elected and giving the date of such election and certifying that she is a regular member.
Delegates must be seated prior to opening of the business session.
Credentials:Presidents must fill out credential form and mail to Pat Brown.
Voting Body:Northeastern Region Bylaws Section 10: The voting body shall be the members of the region board and the accredited delegates of each attending club in good standing.
Non- Delegates:All Soroptimists and guests are encouraged to attend.
Registration Fee: $45.00
First Time Attendee$30.00 registration fee
Late Fee: A $15.00 late fee will be imposed on registrations
postmarked later than March 30.
Delegate’s registration will be paid by club. Each club will pay a $135 for 3 delegates even if they do not attend.
Room Reservations: Must be made directly with the Sturbridge no later than
March 30. Call 508-347-7393
$92.00 per single or double room
Download all forms and get updated information:
Hostess Club Willimantic Goodie bags, city welcome, assistance to conference chair
Protocol Joanne Blake Advise Governor Joan on Soroptimist Protocol
Registration Providence Print badges and open registration table
Credentials Waterbury Verify credentials and file report with Secretary
Fundraiser Greater Bridgeport Goal to raise $1,000 for Laurel Society
Program Governor-Elect Pattie Shea Secures Speakers
Luncheon Connecticut River Valley Print program and provide decorations
Event Planning Haverhill Saturday afternoon activity
Banquet Greater Hartford Print program, decorations and banquet entertainment
First Time Attendee / Memorial Service Director Deirdre Green
All clubs should bring a basket for raffle to benefit Laurel Society All
All Presidents will give up to a 6 minute presentation highlighting
club membership, programs, fundraising and public awareness.
Clubs are encouraged to bring display items that highlight club activities. If you have a scrapbook, please bring it. Share your fund raising and membership ideas, and your program and public awareness successes. Please continue our tradition of sharing ideas and memories. A prize will be given to the club with the best visual display that portrays how your members are helping women to Live their Dreams.
Business attire for all business meetings.
Dressy for Saturday Banquet.
Enclosures:
Cover Letter
Call to Conference and Tentative Agenda, and Speaker Information
Registration and Meal Reservation Form, Menus, Directions
President’s Checklist:
- March 1 - Share Call to Conference via email or mail and encourage members to come
- March 30- Make your room reservation directly with Sturbridge Host Hotel
- March 30- Return following forms to conference chair Pat Brown
- Delegate credentials form and check for $135
- Personal Registration and Meal Reservation Form and check for $135
- Club Fundraiser Registration Form with check for $15
- March 30- Return First Time Attendee Recognition Form to Director Deirdre Green
- March 30 -Return Memorial Tribute Form to Director Deirdre Green
- March 30 -Return Soroptimist of the Year Nomination Form to Governor Joan Merritt The last three forms can be emailed to Deirdre and Joan
- April 15 - Prepare a written outline of 6 minute presentation for Region records
Northeastern Region Spring Conference
Tentative Agenda
April 27 - April 29, 2007
Sturbridge, Massachusetts
Friday April 27, 2007
4:00 PMPre-Conference Board Meeting
4:00-6:00Registration
Mini Mall Open
6:00Social and Dinner
8:00Opening Ceremonies: Presentation of Colors
Anthem and Pledge of Allegiance
Welcome and Introductions Governor Joan
Welcome by City Official
Announcements and Appointment of Tellers
9:00-10:00Rock Your Chakras Cheryl Roby Shake off your stress with an hour of movement that will leave you more balanced and alive. Music will guide you to find your own inner rhythm. Dress comfortablyand have fun.
Saturday April 28, 2007
7:00-8:00 AMBuffet Breakfast and Mini Mall Open
7:30-8:25Registration
8:30Opening of Business Meeting
Credentials Report and Delegate Roll Call
Official Correspondence Secretary Barbara
Adoption of the Official Program
Reading of Standing Rules Parliamentarian Shirleyann
Saturday April 28, 2007
8:40 AMRecognition of First Time Attendees Director Deirdre
Appointment of Readers
9:00Financial Report Treasurer Michele
9:15-9:30Club Reports (Hartford & Haverhill)
9:30-10:30 Federation Report Alice Wells
10:30-11:00Club Reports (Meriden, Connecticut River Valley,
Southeast, Willimantic)
11:00Business Meeting Recessed
11:00-11:15 Break
11:15-12:25 Body and Sold Deborah Lake Fortson
The trafficking of American Children
12:30-2:30 Awards Luncheon Hosted by Connecticut River Valley
Member Recognition Governor Joan
Honoring our Soroptimist of the Year Governor Joan
Women’s Opportunity Award Chair Vera
Violet Richardson Award Chair Lydia
Making a Difference for Women Award Chair Heidi
2:45-4:00From Good to Great: SIA DirectorAlice Wells
Making the Renaissance Campaign work for you in getting and keeping new members. An interactive workshop where participants will learn why women join an organization like Soroptimist. Learn why they stay and why they leave? Learn what you can do to make a difference in your club.
6:00 PMCocktails and Conversation
7:00Celebration Dinner Hosted by Greater Hartford
8:30Entertainment and Celebration
Sunday April 29, 2007
8:00-9:00 AM Breakfast Buffet and Mini Mall Open
First Time Attendees have reserved seating with Governor Joan and Governor-Elect Patti
9:00 Memorial Service Director Deirdre
9:30-9:45Business Meeting Resumes
Credentials Report
9:45-10:00Fund Development Council Report Rosemarie Burton
10:00-10:20 Break
10:20-10:45 Club reports (Waterbury, Bridgeport, Farmington Valley)
10:45-11:00 Laurel Society Basket Raffle
11:00-11:25 Club Reports ( New Haven, Providence, Boston)
11:25-11:45Closing Remarks GovernorJoan
11:45-12:00Soroptimist Pledge
Adjournment and Retiring of the Flags
12:15-1:00Post-Conference Board Meeting
I pledge allegiance to Soroptimism and to the ideals for which it stands:
The Sincerity of Friendship
The Joy of Achievement
The Dignity of Service
The Integrity of Profession
The Love of Country
I will put forth my greatest effort to promote,
uphold and defend these ideals,
for a larger fellowship in home, in society,
in business-for Country and for God.
Alice Wells
Board of Directors,
Soroptimist International of the Americas
A charter member of S.I. of the Kachinas, Inc. in Litchfield Park, Arizona, Alice has been actively involved with Soroptimist since 1980 starting off as charter vice-president of her new club. It didn’t take long for Alice to catch “Soroptimist fever”, wanting to serve beyond the club level. When she was first asked to run for a district director’s position, she didn’t hesitate; however, she didn’t even tell her husband, Dave, because she knew she would not win, being so new to the organization. Much to her surprise, she did win and loved her time serving on the regional board working with clubs in Golden West Region. Alice served as Governor from 1992-1994.
She has also had experience presenting to club presidents and Soroptimist members and guests at Region, Federation, and International conferences and conventions. Being a former educator (teacher, curriculum coordinator, and principal), teaching is still her passion and presenting information to others is part of that love. Alice was elected to the Foundation Board of Directors in 2000 and served as chair of the Fund Development Council in 2004. She was elected to the SIA Board of Directors in 2005.
In her professional life, Alice recently retired from McDougal Littell Company, a division of Houghton Mifflin Co. She was the Regional Manager for the Northwest part of the country. She supervised sales representatives in nine states in the northwest, working with school districts in those states with their textbook selection process.
In her personal life, Alice and Dave have been married for 41 years….not a record, but close, she says! They love getting to finally spend some quality time together and are looking forward to baseball season when they will be going to AZ Diamondback games. They have three sons: Mike (a computer systems analyst whiz), Tobin (a corporate pilot and flight instructor); and Zach (a chiropractor and CEO of a practice management group…and SINGLE). Two joys in Alice’s life are her two grandchildren, Gaelan (15) and Sabrina (12), both of whom live in the Phoenix area. Alice and Dave will have a brand new grandchild joining the family in August.
When you ask Alice about Soroptimist and why she loves it, she will tell you it’s because of the friendships she has made throughout the years. There is rarely a city you can visit without a Soroptimist connection. Yes, we all join for different reasons: service, networking, making a difference for other women, etc., but we stay in Soroptimist for the differences this wonderful organization makes in OUR lives and the lives of women and girls in our local areas and throughout the world.
CHERYL ROBY
Cheryl retired from her career leading multimillion-dollar technology projects for a major financial services company to pursue her interest in personal transformation and energy healing. Cheryl is a Rieki Master and a graduate of the three-year energy healing program at the Institute of Healing Arts and Sciences. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from UConn. Her studies of Rieki and other energy healing modalities led her to Kripalu Center in Lenox, Mass., where she fell in love with their DansKinetics classes. She followed this love and completed training as a Kripalu DansKinetics Instructor in 2006. She is the author of the Roby Chart, a colorful graphic of the human body, showing the major organs and the chakras related to them.
The mission of Cheryl’s business ROCK YOUR CHAKRAS, is to balance energy and raise consciousness through dance, workshops and individual healing sessions. She offers DansKinetics classes and workshops on a variety of healing subjects. She offers individual energy healing sessions on the mind/body connection.
To learn more log on to
DEBORAH LAKE FORTSON
Deborah Lake Fortson, artistic director of THE BODYSOLD PROJECT, has been making plays for twenty-five years. In 1994, she wrote The Yellow Dress, a play about abuse in a teenage dating relationship that results in the death of the girl involved.
In 2000, Fortson formed Tempest Productions with two long-time theater collaborators, Meri Jenkins and Andrea Petersen, to create and produce works that would deal directly with cultural issues that affect women and girls.
In 2002 Fortson saw an exhibition about girls in Nepal who had been trafficked into prostitution. Fortson traveled to India to hear those girls’ stories firsthand. She visited shelters that rescue girls who have been sold into prostitution against their will. Back in Boston, she formed a multicultural ensemble to create a theater piece based on the two stories.Body and Sold, Part I: Southeast Asia tells of two real-life girls that were lured by false promises and abducted to Bombay and sold to a brothel. In doing her research she learned about victims in the United States. Body and Sold, Part II is based on interviews with former victims in Boston, Hartford and Minneapolis.
BODYSOLD is creating a network of theaters and social agencies, who, acting together, will raise the national consciousness about the intertwined issues of child abuse, runaways, and child prostitution. “It is our goal to link the excitement an audience finds in theater with a course toward action that works for change in society. With the involvement of teens and local service organizations in the BODY & SOLD project, we have a vehicle to raise awareness and move towards grass roots action on behalf of young people at risk.”
To learn more log on to sold.org
Soroptimist International Northeastern Region
Spring Conference 2007
Registration and Meal Reservation Form
Mail this form ASAP to Pat Brown
16 Cindy Drive, Coventry, CT 06238
860.655.1645
Name ______
Address______
Telephone______
Club Name______
Check here if you are a first time attendee ( ) and deduct $15.00______
Check here if you are a delegate (__ _) (Registration fee will be paid by club)
Registration fee: $45.00
Meal Reservations:
Friday Dinner $30.00
Saturday-Sunday Package $105.00
Includes: Saturday Breakfast, Luncheon, Banquet and Sunday Breakfast
Total registration and full weekend meal plan $180.00
Late registration fee if postmarked after March 30 $15.00
Additional Guest Meal TicketSaturday Luncheon $30.00
Saturday Dinner $45.00
Total Enclosed ______
Make checks payable to SI NE Region Conference
Meal reservations cannot be cancelled after April 10.
FRIDAY DINNER CHOICE CHICKEN______PORK______
SATURDAY DINNER CHOICE SALMON______BEEF______
Dietary Restrictions
Meal Offerings for Soroptimist Northeast Region Conference
Friday Dinner
Fresh Seasonal Fruit Salad
Choice of:
Stuffed Boneless Breast of Chicken Herb Bread Dressing w/ Sauce Supreme
Roast Pork Loin with Maple Bourbon Glaze
Warm Rolls and Butter, Chef’s Selection of Starch and Vegetable
Chef’s Selection of Dessert, Coffee and Tea Service
Saturday Breakfast
Assorted Fruit Juices, Fresh Sliced Fruit
Variety of Breakfast Tea Breads, Breakfast Bars, Muffins, Yogurt, Granola
Coffee, Decaffeinated Coffee and a Selection of Teas
Saturday Luncheon
Minestrone Soup
Antipasto Display
(Consisting of Garden Greens, Imported Cheeses, a variety of
Italian Meats, with Tomatoes and Kalamata Olives)
Garlic Bread
Tri-Colored Tortellini Alfredo
Chicken Marsala
Chef’s Selection of Desserts
Coffee and Tea Service
Saturday Banquet
Tomato, Mozzarella & Basil Bruschetta
Choice of:
Petit Filet Mignon with Brandy Peppercorn Sauce
Grilled Salmon with Cucumber Dill Relish
Warm Rolls and Butter
Chef’s Selection of Starch and Vegetable
Chef’s Selection of Dessert, Coffee and Tea Service
Sunday Breakfast
Assorted Fruit Juices/ Sliced Fresh Fruit Display
Breakfast Tea Breads, Scrambled Eggs, French Toast
Home Fried Potatoes
Bacon and Sausage
Coffee and Tea Service
TRAVEL DIRECTIONS TO
THE STURBRIDGE HOST HOTEL & CONFERENCE CENTER
BOSTON, MA:
MA Turnpike (I-90) West to Exit 9 onto Rte 84. Exit 3B brings you to Rte 20 West. Hotel driveway is approximately 1 mile down on right, between the McDonalds & Burger King.
CAPE COD CANAL BRIDGES:
Rte 495 North to MA Turnpike (I-90) West to Exit 9 onto Rte 84. Exit 3B brings you to Rte 20 West. Hotel driveway is approximately 1 mile down on right, between the McDonalds & Burger King.
HARTFORD, CT:
Rte 84 East to Exit 3B brings you to Rte 20 West. Hotel driveway is approximately 1 mile down on right, between the McDonalds & Burger King.