Handclasp Jan 2016

The Newsletter of
Schenectady Business
& Professional Women
The
Handclasp
An organization supporting
women helping women
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Volume LXXXIV
Number 5
Founded in 1927
Calendar
Jan 5
Board Meeting—5:30 pm
NBT Boardroom--433 State Street, Schenectady
All members welcome
Jan 26
Business Meeting—5:30 pm
The Glen Sanders Mansion
Dinner/$32 member or $35 non-member
Women Helping Women Panel Discussion
Panelists: Nicole Snow—Darn Good Yarn Shop
Ellie von Wellsheim—Moon Catchers
Maria Kagas—Treebu Career Discovery
Socio-Media
Board Meeting— 5:30 pm
NBT Boardroom-433 State Street, Schenectady
All members welcome
Feb 2
Feb 23
Business Meeting—5:30 pm
The Glen Sanders Mansion
Dinner/$32 member or $35 non-member
Eric Flutey, Detective/Schenectady County
Sheriff's Dept. — “Drug problem in Schenectady”
Mar 1
Board Meeting—5:30 pm
NBT Boardroom-433 State Street, Schenectady
All members welcome
Mar 12
Life Unplugged—8:30am to 3:30pm
Schenectady High School
An interactive program for students to learn
about life choices for careers and money.
Mar 22
Business Meeting—5:30 pm
The Glen Sanders Mansion
Dinner/$32 member or $35 non-member
Women’s History Month—Program TBD
January 2016
MAKE IT A GREAT DAY
In 2005 , I retired the first time after 39-1/2 years of
state service. Dr. Joseph S. Gulyas, Northeast Spine and
Wellness, Chiropractor, recruited me to prepare a weekly
informational newsletter of chiropractic tips. The newsletter was distributed by e-mail to patients. One of the first
articles that appeared in the newsletter was “MAKE IT A
GREAT DAY.” Listed below are some practical tips for
making a great day.
Always think that good things will happen.
Express gratitude to people that do a good job.
Leave your complaints at the door.
Be patient with others.
Do something special for yourself like getting a massage or taking a moment for you.
Focus on each moment as being special.
Learn from your mistakes and do better next time.
Enjoy the beauty and wonder of those things around
you.
Take three deep breaths before you get mad at a
person or situation.
Get adjusted on a regular basis in order to maintain
optimal health.
Keep these tips handy. They are a good way to start out
2016. If you have tips to add to this list, let us know. Dr.
Gulyas’ office is located in Clifton Park
1741 U.S. Route 9, and 1873 Western Avenue, Albany, Telephone 371-4800
www.Dr. Gulyas.com
———Linda L. Rolfe
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
January 2016
Hi Ladies,
Happy New Year!! I hope that all of you enjoyed a wonderful time with your families and
friends during the holiday season.
We are off and running with our various projects for the coming months. This month we are
hosting a “Women Helping Women” Panel Discussion during our business meeting.
Detective Eric Fluty, from the Schenectady County Sherriff’s Department , will be our speaker
at the February meeting . His topic will be, “The Drug Problem in Schenectady.”
Kim Bellizzi and her committee have been busy planning the next “Life Unplugged.” We need
your help!! If you are available to participate, please fill out a volunteer registration form . (Even if
you have filled one out in the past, we need one for this year’s event.) It is crucial that you attend
at least one of the training meetings so that everyone is ready to help the students to have an effective and successful experience. We need people to staff the booths as well as shadows for students,
and sponsors for the booths. Talk to other professionals who might be able to help...we are in
need of quite a few adults to make this all happen. If you are not familiar with “Life Unplugged,”
please reach out to Kim or myself and we can fill you in. I promise that if you participate, you
won’t be disappointed! This program is a real eye-opener for the students and they are so engaged
and end up really appreciating that we share our time and knowledge to help them. If you are
not able to participate, please consider becoming a sponsor.
Thank you in advance for your participation and support.
With much appreciation,
Cyndie
President
Schenectady BPW
8
10
11
28
January
Lori Reffue
Tanya Hull
Bonnie Keller
Sandy Orminski
Birthdays
4
13
17
19
24
26
February
Claire Pugliese
Susan Knapik
Susan Rice
Shelle Hamil
Jill Boyd
Deb Best
Schenectady Business & Professional Tips & Tidbits
Schenectady BPW is a member of the
Women's Club, Inc.
Invites you to join us at our next business meeting
Where: The Glen Sanders Mansion
When: Tuesday, January 26, 2016
5:30pm – Meet & Greet
6:00pm – Dinner
Cost: $32.00 Members
$35.00 Non-Members
Women Helping Women Panel Discussion
Panelists: Nicole Snow—Darn Good Yarn Shop
Ellie von Wellsheim- Moon Catchers
Maria Kagas—Treebu Career Discovery
Socio-Media
Please R.S.V.P. By: January 20th, 2016
to Carolyn Sabol at [email protected]
or call Robin Quintin at 518-331-9064
Please remember that if you are a member, your reservation
is automatically made for you. If you are unable to attend,
you must contact Carolyn Sabol or Robin Quintin at the
phone numbers or Email above, so that the club will not be
charged for your dinner. Thank you for your consideration.
Capital Region Chamber of Commerce.
As a member, you are able to attend events as a member,
if you are attending as a representative of our club.
Here are a few of the upcoming events that might be of
interest.
CHAMBER NEWS
Tuesday, January 12, at the Desmond Hotel, 660 Albany-Shaker Road, Albany, 11:30 AM-1:00 PM, “Speaking
Your Truth: The Power of Authenticity.” Are you a
people pleaser and want to keep others happy so you
don’t say “no”? Dr. Suzie Mookherjee, Albany Med Cardiologist, will challenge us to explore the true power in
being authentic. Doing so allows us to balance priorities,
deepen partnerships and embrace good - not bad stress. You'll walk away from this event with tangible,
immediate action items for powerful results. Start the
New Year off right.
The chamber will be hosting its first networking event
for 2016. The event is an Open House at the new Doubletree Hotel by Hilton and will be held on Wednesday,
January 13, from 4-7 PM, 100 Nott Terrace, Schenectady. Join the chamber and Schahet Hotels, Inc. for
tours, food, prizes, connections, and a champagne toast
at 6:00 p.m.
Friday, January 15, at the Desmond Hotel, 660 AlbanyShaker Road, Albany, 7:00-9:00 AM, Hugh Johnson,
Chairman and Chief Investment Officer of Hugh Johnson Advisors, LLC, will share his forecasts for the economy, interest rates, and the global equity markets for
2016 and 2017.
To register for these events, go to the chamber web site.
http://capitalregionchamber.com/
——Linda L. Rolfe
2015– 2016 Schenectady BPW
Board Members and Directors
President—Cyndie Powell
1st Vice President—Carolyn Sabol
2nd Vice President—Kim Bellizzi
Secretary—Amanda Jeffes
Treasurer—Tammy Krisher
Directors—Christina Meier
Robin Quintin
Susan Rice
Immediate Past President—Bonnie Keller
Parliamentarian—Jane Osterhout
Member Spotlight
Jennifer Hanson
Deputy Manager/Chez Nous
Member Since 2015
The member spotlight for January
features Jennifer Hanson. Jennifer has
been a member of Schenectady BPW since March 26, 2015.
Jennifer was born at Bellevue Hospital and grew up in
Niskayuna. She graduated from Niskayuna High School and
attended Syracuse University (SU), S.I. Newhouse School of
Public Communications. Jennifer graduated from SU with a
major in TV and Film Production and a minor in Political
Science.
After graduating from S.U., she moved to Los Angeles to
work in the film industry. She worked at Universal Pictures
Marketing (during the time when the movies Jurassic Park
and Schindler’s List were released), Universal Studios Hollywood theme park, Popcorn Channel and Photo-Sonics,
Inc. After over a decade, Jennifer decided to move back to
upstate New York and returned in 2001. Since then, she has
worked at General Electric, BlueShield of Northeastern New
York, Technical Business Solutions, the Schenectady County
Historical Society and miSci (formerly Schenectady Museum
Association).
Jennifer Hanson—Cont’d
Jennifer is a member of the Electric City Food CoOp, Schenectady and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Meditation Group, Albany.
In 2014 and 2015, Jennifer volunteered for “Life Unplugged,” after which she decided to join the BPW
since she so strongly believed in the organization’s
concept and vision. She is not sure how she heard
about “Life Unplugged” – she thinks that maybe she
saw a flyer somewhere or heard someone talking
about the concept and got interested. “It is crucial for
kids today to understand how important money is and
how you need financial skills to have a successful
career and life – Life Unplugged shows teens the
basics of living life...and how much it costs. After
volunteering for two years for the LU event, I realize
how naïve kids are about money. They learn so
much in one day – I think every kid should be exposed to this eye-opening reality of how much it
costs to live life.”
Since joining BPW, Jennifer has served on the Life
Unplugged committee.
In addition to learning to play the violin, Jennifer
would like to take some art classes, make more art,
and travel to France, again.
A new French restaurant, Chez Nous, has recently opened in
Schenectady and Jennifer is the Deputy Manager. Working
closely with the owners and chef, she runs the front of the
house including taking reservations, coordinating logistics,
and ensuring the restaurant runs smoothly and guests have an
enjoyable experience of French cuisine.
Jennifer got married on June 6, 2015 to her husband, Matthew
Hamzaoui, and they live in Schenectady with our two cats,
Luna and Loki.
During her leisure time Jen enjoys the natural beauty of the
world through photography, yoga, meditation and all holistic
and sustainable life-affirming activities. She also enjoys
spending time with her husband and cats, going for walks,
being with friends, cooking, going to movies, and letting her
inner artist run wild.
Jennifer noted on her membership application that she wanted
to learn to play the violin. Jennifer’s response, “I have not
begun violin! I’m glad you brought it up because that is
something I still want to do. I’ll put it on my 2016 goal
list. It interests me because I like the sound of the violin, but
also because the violin can travel and be played. Right now I
play the piano and I cannot travel with the piano. I’m limited
in sharing my musicality. I would like to be able to pick up
an instrument anywhere and be able to play it. I also like the
cello and string bass, but again, those are not easy instruments
to travel with.”
(Continued in next column)
Scholarships/Christina Meier, Chair
We will be announcing our 2016 Scholarships soon.
Tammy is busy tabulating the Fashion Show receipts
and will let us know the amount of Scholarship
Money that will be available.
The Committee has decided to name the High
School Scholarship The Aldona Vaitulis Memorial
Scholarship.
The committee has made revisions to the scholarship
application. The corrections will be passed on to the
President for review and comments, before the application is posted on the website.
The committee and board have also agreed that the
scholarship monies will be paid out to the recipients
at the Scholarship Ceremony, rather than at the end
of the student’s first semester.
Fashion Show/Cyndie Powell, Chair
The wrap-up meeting has not been scheduled yet.
We are planning on holding it after the “Life Unplugged” program.
YWCA was thrilled with pillow donations—this
year they will be collecting shoes again.
Wrap-up/Kick-Off Meeting Date & Location TBD.
Looking forward to seeing you there.
Cyndie
Fashion Show Chair
Programs/Carolyn Sabol, Chair
The programming committee met over the summer to
brainstorm and plan program speakers for this BPW year.
Carolyn and her committee took suggestions from membership into consideration when deciding on which speakers to choose to speak at our meetings. We hope that our
membership finds the topics interesting and meaningful.
Please mark your calendars for these meetings dates.
01/26/16 – Women Helping Women Panel Discussion
- Nicole Snow, Darn Good Yarn
- Ellie von Wellsheim, Mooncatchers
- Maria Kagas, Treebu Career Discovery
Socio-Media
02/23/16 – Eric Flutey, Detective/Schenectady County
Sheriff's Dept. “The Drug Problem in Schenectady”
03/22/16 – Women’s History Month—Program TBD
04/22/16 – Autism Awareness Month, Sara Mae Hickey,
owner, Puzzles Cafe & Bakery
05/24/16 –Installation of Officers and New Member
Induction Ceremony / Guest Speaker - TBD
06/28/16 –Scholarship Awards Banquet
For more information on any of our
programs, please visit our website at
www.schenectadybpw.org
(From Left to right) Leesa Perazzo, Rayn Boncie,
Martha Jo Asselin & Susan Watson
Schenectady BPW Women of the Year 2015
and those who nominated them.
Membership/Kim Bellizzi, Chair
As of January 1st, 2016 our club has 57 members.
We are always open to new members. If you know of
someone who might be a good fit for our club, please
direct them to our website at www.schenectadybpw.org.
Welcome New Member(s)
This month we welcome the following new members:
Mary Mortka—Office Manager, Audiology Endeavors
Mary is a long-time friend of Susan Daly and has attended
many of our events in the past, including the Fashion Show.
She states that many of our members encouraged her to
join. We look forward to seeing more of Mary at our meetings and events in the future.
Woman of the Year/Jane Osterhout, Chair
Jane and her committee have chosen two well-deserving
women as our 2015 Women of the Year.
 Dr. Martha Asselin, Vice President of Student Affairs,
Schenectady County Community College
 Rayn Bonce, Founder and President, Things of My
Very Own.
Please join me in congratulating both of these ladies! We
honored these ladies at our Fashion Show and Woman of
the Year Celebration on Sunday, November 8th, 2015.
Dr. Martha Asselin
Rayn Boncie
Career Development/Elena Alvarez, Chair
This program has been postponed until the fall of 2016.
As Elena and her committee formalize the agenda, we will
be announcing the details.
Status of Women Committee
We are looking for a Chair for this committee.
It is the duty of the Status of Women committee to support
women through community involvement for women facing
hardships including, but not limited to, economic and
domestic.
If you are interested in chairing this committee, please contact Cyndie at [email protected]
\
BPW Foundation/Bonnie Keller (liaison)
Check out the Foundation’s new and improved
website at www.bpwfoundation.org
Foundation plans on the new website becoming
available after Sept 10th, 2015.
Youth Leadership/Kim Bellizzi, Chair
The next “Life Unplugged” is scheduled for Saturday. March 12th, 2016 at Schenectady High School.
Kim reported that a “Mail Chimp” email campaign
was emailed to all members and past volunteers to
relay applications and information regarding orientation meetings. The mandatory orientations are to be
scheduled for Monday, February 22th & Thursday.
February 25th. Volunteers are required to attend one
meeting. Donations from Stewarts Shops, Panera and
Freihoefers/Entemann’s have been offered, but more
are still needed. Elena Alvarez will be helping with
the fundraising by writing a few grants. Depending
on the number of students participating, they will be
split into two groups for a.m. and p.m. sessions.
When not visiting the booths, the students will be
participating in an interactive career-oriented
computer lab and will have the opportunity to listen
to a presentation by a college planner. Cyndie will
look into finding out how to create the forms in
Googledocs to be put on BPW website. The Youth
Leadership Committee needs MORE Member participation for planning and for the actual day of the
event.
You can reach Kim at [email protected]
or 518-859-8254
Among our Members/ Announcements
Thank you note from our Woman of the Year, Dr. Martha Asselin…
Dear Members of Schenectady BPW, Words could never express how deeply you have touched my heart. I
write to thank each of you for making this past Sunday such a special day for me and my family. I loved
every moment of the day. You paid full attention to every detail and made the Women of the Year 2015 and
Fashion Show absolutely perfect. Being selected for this honor, and being selected with Rayn Boncie, means
everything to me. I could not feel more honored than I do. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Cyndie
Powell, Robin Quintin, Susan Watson, Heather Peterson, Christina Meier and Jane Osterhout, who went to
every length to make me feel extremely special. I greatly appreciate the love, thoughtfulness and support.
You made the day most spectacular. Than you. This recognition is, by far, the most special award I have
ever received. I am honored deeply. I look forward to working with you all and hope to make someone else
feel all I experienced this past Sunday with all the same love you showed me. Thank you very, very much
for all that you did.
With Much Love, Martha Asselin
.
June 30, 2016
Schenectady Business & Professional
Women’s Club, Inc.
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION
Name
_____________________________________________________________
Street Address ___________________________________________________________
City ________________________________ State ________
Zip Code ___________
Birthday (MM/DD)_______Home Phone_______________ Cell Phone:_______________
Employer________________________________ Job Title_________________________
Work Phone___________________ Email Address:_______ _______________________
What would you like to gain by joining the Schenectady BPW?_______________________
How did you learn about us? _________________________________________________
People would be surprised to learn that I ________________________________________
If I had to do it all over again, I would ___________________________________________
This year, I am going to learn _________________________________________________
Who encouraged you to join? _________________________________________________
Signature ________________________________________ Date ___________________
By signing this form I am acknowledging and consenting that my contact information will be shared with other club members on the membership
roster, as well as posted in the Club’s Newsletter which will be available to the public on the Schenectady BPW website.
**********************************************************
Which committee(s) would you like to serve on? (see next page for descriptions of committees)
__ Foundation
__ Membership
__ Public Relations
__ Status of Women
__ Youth Leadership
__ Scholarship
__ Fashion Show ___ Programming
__ Fundraising
__ Career Development
**********************************************************
For more information, please contact our membership chair:
Kim Bellizzi at (518) 859-8254 or email at [email protected]
Dues - $72 per year
Please make your check payable to Schenectady BPW and mail to:
Schenectady BPW, 2215 Nott St. #117, Schenectady, NY 12309
www.schenectadybpw.org
For Office Use Only
______ scanned ______added to Roster ______added to email
______welcome email
______emailed to board ______added to Shutterfly _____emailed to Committee Chair(s)
Schenectady Business & Professional Women’s Club, Inc.
COMMITTEE DESCRIPTIONS
Foundation Committee - to promote interest in and support of the Business and Professional Women's Foundation by
reporting updates at board meetings.
Membership Committee - to promote, expand, stabilize and orient the membership.
Prepare and perform the induction ceremony of new members as needed.
Status of Women Committee - to support women through community involvement for women facing hardships, including,
but not limited to, economic and domestic.
Fashion Show Committee – to assist in the planning of our largest fundraiser of the year. All members should assume
that they are part of the planning and implementing of the various activities to raise money for our
Scholarship Fund.
Programming Committee - to plan and implement a well-coordinated program calendar.
Public Relations - to market the club through available news media, the Club website and newsletter.
Youth Leadership Committee - to encourage recruitment of young people into membership; organize and coordinate
youth leadership programs; and promote activities that involve the participation of young people.
Scholarship Committee -to allocate scholarship funds which have been authorized by the board.
a. Prepare applications and determine recipients.
b. Prepare and perform the award ceremony.
Fundraising Committee – to present ideas for fundraising for the operating expenses of the club and implement them
once approved by the board.
Career Development – to create ideas and implement continuing education for women in the club and the community to
help them to advance in careers and life.
Meeting Information for Members of Schenectady BPW
We usually hold our business meetings on the 4th Tuesday of each month, except for July and August, .Meetings are
held at The Glen Sanders Mansion. Meet & Greet starts at 5:30 and dinner is usually at 6 pm. Our hospitality committee
works with the restaurant directly and has to provide a number count for each meeting by the Wednesday before each
meeting. Please be aware that as a member, your reservation is automatically made for you for each meeting. You would
only need to contact our Hospitality Committee if you cannot make it to a meeting by either emailing Carolyn Sabol at
[email protected] or by calling Robin Quintin at 518-355-9064 by the Wednesday before each meeting. (Also, please
be aware that occasionally our business meetings will be held at an alternative location. You can check our website anytime to find out where and when the next meeting is being held.)
Our Board of Directors Meetings are held on the 1st Tuesday of each month (except July and August) at the NBT Bank
Board Room at 433 State Street in Schenectady. Only Board Members are required to attend these meetings, but all members are welcome to attend if they choose. This is when we discuss the recent and future business of the club. No reservation is needed to attend the board meetings, but do realize that if you have something to bring to the board that you should
contact Cyndie at [email protected] to be added to the agenda. (Also, please be aware that occasionally our board
meetings will be held at an alternative location. You can check our website anytime to find out where and when the next
board meeting is being held.)