Message from the executive director
See You In September
September 2011
I love fall – a time when life gets purposeful again after a relaxed summer, and we reconnect with colleagues and friends. After saying “see you in September” for the past couple of months, we have the pleasure of getting back together.
Coming events in September 2011 showcase The Transition Network at our best – as thought leaders, role models and women who continue to add to our resumes. Our Expand Your Horizons conference is just 2 months away – and our early registration deadline ends September 9th. 70 women from 12 chapters are registered already! If you’re looking for community, inspiration and information, join the vibrant women of TTN in DC from November 4 to 6th.
TTN’s innovative Caring Collaborative program, offering peer support and information during health crises, will be the focus of major articles in The New York Times¸and one of AARP’s publications. Thanks to a New York State Health Fund grant, the CC developed manuals on Creating a Caring Community, Creating a Vertical Village (for those living in apartments) and How to Manage Hospitalization – Before, During and After. A small team lead by TTN co-founder and Caring Collaborative founder Charlotte Frank is making those manuals available to organizations interested in developing their own programs, as well as to websites offering health resources. That effort showcases TTN’s thought leadership and raises our visibility. Read more about the Caring Collaborative.
Our Houston chapter has a September milestone, as well. Its collection of members’ transition memoirs, Coping With Transition: Men, Money, Medicine and Magic, will be published by Texas Review Press this month. Member Susan Briggs-Wright, an author and writing coach, challenged Houston members to form a peer group to write and publish their memoirs…and a year later, it’s at the printer. We’ll let you know as soon as it’s ready for sale – the memoir will make a great gift for friends facing their own transitions.
We’re also optimistic that our long-awaited new website will debut in November- - will keep you posted on our progress.
Before we declare summer at an end, though, I have a few stories to share...
While most of us were floating in the ocean or doing a few laps in a pool, 61 year old Olympian Diana Nyad set out to swim from Florida to Cuba (without a shark cage), swimming 12 hours a day to prepare. While she didn’t reach Cuba, she was in the water for 29 hours and blew away assumptions about women over 60. To counterbalance negative headlines suggesting she had “failed”, member Toni Albanese drafted our response to The New York Times, noting that Nyad’s effort was a “triumph of perseverance and will.”
Continuing our “role model” theme, Atlanta co-chair Rhoda Margolis retired in July from a 35 year career at Jewish Family & Career Services, where she headed the clinical social work department. The agency honored Rhoda’s contributions in many roles by establishing a scholarship fund for training graduate-level social work interns. Click here for an article profiling Rhoda Margolis’ career and her involvement with The Transition Network. New York City member Karen Gens, who had a long career in financial services marketing, was accepted as one of six New York City Encore Fellows in the first year of that program. Karen will hold a stipended half-time position at a NYC nonprofit, which will give her the experience to continue her marketing career in the nonprofit world.
And the memorable cross-country connections continue - NYC member Phyllis Haberman spent an August weekend in Columbus, and got together with five members of the central Ohio chapter for a tour of the Botanical Garden and lunch. Many thanks to the Ohio team for hosting the visit, particularly Suzanne Kull, who volunteers at the Garden. Let that story be an inspiration to make the most of your TTN membership as you travel across the country!
Back in October...and in the meantime, don't miss these other highlights in September:
- Tell us your story
- Generations United – Grandparents Week
- Refer a friend to TTN this fall and get your free month’s membership
