December 2019

Join the Upper Keys BPW at our monthly meetings, the 3rd Wednesday of every month.

BPW Connection | December 2019

IN THIS ISSUE: President Message    Upcoming Events     Calendar     New & Renewing Members    Committee Chairs     Sponsor an Event     Adult Scholarship    Send an E-Blast     Feed the Piggies      Membership Drive     BPW/FL      Board of Directors Ilja Chapman, President Happy Holidays, Upper Keys BPW Members! ‘Tis the Season and we’re looking forward to seeing everyone Wednesday evening at our BPW Holiday Party hosted by Beverly Newman in her bayside home at mile marker 98. We are super excited to keep up the tradition of having the Holiday Party hosted by one of our members. Thank you for this generous gesture, Bev! Hopefully you all will join us. Please bring your spouse or a friend. The more the merrier. Bring a tacky ornament for our exchange game, and your favorite dish and drink. When looking back to the 2019 Upper Keys BPW year, we can be proud of our achievements. We grew our membership to 100 members, have several active committees and we are involved at the BPW/FL level. This year we enjoyed amazing speakers during our luncheons and our networking events helped us meet people in a fun way. Thank you for your ongoing support and we look forward to an even better 2020! This is a good time of the year to think about your Upper Keys BPW goals for 2020 and reach out to one of the board members with your ideas. Upper Keys BPW is here for you and we want to hear from you to see how we can help you further develop personally and professionally. Remember: Empowered Women, Empower Women! I wish you all a magical holiday filled with happiness and connection and hope you are ready to ring in the new decade with a bang! Festive Greetings! Ilja Chapman UKBPW President 2018-19 Tel: 305-998-8348 Join us for the Annual Holiday Party! In keeping with tradition, we will be doing the Tacky Ornament Exchange. Food is potluck, so bring a dish to share. It's BYOB, so bring a beverage to share also if you wish! Bring your spouse, partner or a friend.  And bring your good cheer and your laughter too, we want to celebrate and party with you!  It's going to be a festive good time!  Thank you to Beverly Newman for opening her home to host us.  Her address will be sent following RSVP. RSVP FOR THE HOLIDAY PARTY NOW!

bpw|CALENDAR Dec 18:  Annual Holiday Party. 5:30-7:30. Potluck and BYOB. Tacky Ornament Exchange. Home of Beverly Newman (address will be sent following RSVP.) RSVP NOW! January 15: Luncheon. 11:00A-1:00P. Key Largo Bay Marriott Conference Center. Speaker Retz Reeves from Islamorada Investment Management, who are also sponsoring the luncheon. RESERVE NOW. February 19: Evening Event. 5:30P-7:30P. Sip 'n Shop at Zero Dress Code, 82205 O/S Hwy, Islamorada. March 18: Luncheon. 11:00A-1:00P. Holiday Inn, Key Largo. April 15: Evening Event 5:30-7:30 PM. "Not Your Mother's Networking!" Speed Networking back by popular demand, at an evening event this time. More details TBA. NEW & RENEWING MEMBERS NEW MEMBERS: Wendy Cole-Keys Destination Wedding & Events Carolyn DePaula-DePaula Jewelers Soraya Lloren-SurThrive Angie Miller-Angie's Wellness Kristina Rosa Claudia Stober-Horizon Mortgage Mary Beth Harris-Centennial Bank RENEWING MEMBERS: Lucy GivenPlantation Key School Devonne HallCrystal Health & Rehab Center Trisha WoodsOcean Studies Charter School Ask us about the benefits of being a member!

Statewide Membership Drive final numbers are in!  Overall the state added 64 New Members, 26 of them from the Upper Keys!  We are thrilled with the success of our Local Organization and look forward to growing more in the new year!  Thank you to each and every one of you for your support of the Upper Keys BPW! Feed the Piggies! Have you met Wilbur & Charlotte? Look for Charlotte & Wilbur at every single Upper Keys BPW Event! Please "feed" their trough with your spare change and help us contribute to the BPW Florida Education Federation. Your contribution will help us continue the legacy of helping women achieve their goals and dreams. The Education Foundation of the Florida Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, Inc. (Education Foundation of BPW/FL) was organized in 1965 as a 501(c)(3). Its purpose is to make available to young women an opportunity to pursue higher learning. The concept was originally realized by building scholarship houses for women on Florida state university campuses. Scholarship houses provide “a home away from home” for female students who have a demonstrated financial need and outstanding academic records. CLICK TO LEARN MORE. Where are Wilbur & Charlotte Piggie spending this month? Each month, the Piggies go home with a different board member.  Charlotte & Wilbur are going to be spending the holidays with our President Elect Suzi Youngberg. Suzi says, "Our adorable piggies have made  themselves right at home here at the Youngberg's.  They are definitely getting into the holiday spirit and fit right in with our other festive decorations.  SugarBear has shown only mild interest in them so far, and they hope it stays that way!  On a funny note, my Daddy is also spending the holidays with us, and he has been seriously talking about wanting a pet pig. We'll see how he bonds with these two!" Don't forge to be saving your spare change and bring it to the Holiday Party. Charlotte & Wilbur will be attending and waiting for you to feed their trough! (Pictured below: Charlotte & Wilbur with SugarBear Youngberg.) 2019-2020 COMMITTEE CHAIRS Marketing & PR committee: Chair Jill Keuhnert.   Political Affairs: Chair Gina Boilini. Scholarship committee: Chair Gina Boilini Nominating committee: Chair Sue Woltanski Membership committee: Chair Suzi Youngberg (*Recruiting Members) Professional Development committee: Chair Jordan Budnik (*Recruiting Members) Hospitality committee: Chair Victoria Leonard (*Recruiting Members) Financial audit committee:  (*Recruiting Chair & Members)    Interested members should call Ilja Chapman at 305-998-8348. SPONSOR AN UPPER KEYS BPW EVENT! The cost to sponsor an event is $250. With the sponsorship you receive the following benefits and opportunities: Logo/branding: Event E-vite emailed three times to a database of 500 people Monthly BPW member Newsletter emailed a few days prior to event Mention at Upper Keys BPW social media One Free dedicated business E-Blast to our membership with a message your business likes to share Display table and/or hand outs to all attendees Banner display at the luncheon Two FREE entries to the luncheon 5 minute speaking time at the luncheon directed to all attendees Interested sponsors should call Ilja Chapman at 305-998-8348. Back to top APPLY FOR AN UPPER KEYS BPW ADULT SCHOLARSHIP The Upper Keys's BPW Adult Scholarship program is about women helping women!  Apply for the Upper Keys BPW Adult Scholarship and the UKBPW-Holly Given Memorial Scholarship. The specifications and applications can be found on our website. Applications are accepted all year round, and are reviewed on March 15th and August 15th annually.  Scholarships may be used for certifications, training classes, or classes and required materials for higher educational degrees.   For more information, or to download the application, click the button below.    Sending an E-Blast to Upper Keys BPW email recipients is a great way to get your message out. Members and non-members alike are invited to use this forum for events, specials, sales and general advertising. Let the Upper Keys BPW help you spread the word about your business! Our E-Blast prices are as follows: $15.00  -  Members $30.00  -  Non-Members $50.00  -  Political Ad Proceeds from E-Blasts go toward our Adult Scholarship Fund. Simply send us your print ready graphics and message, along with your name, business name and billing information to:        BPWupperkeys@gmail.com Back to top Connecting our Upper Keys Chapter to BPW Florida BPW/FL Florida Federation of Business & Professional Women's Club Inc. Annual State Conference 2020 100th Conference June 11-14, 2020 Saddlebrook Resort, Tampa Registration Begins February 2020 Advocacy & Public Policy America was founded on the principal of equality for all and derives its strength from individuals working together for a common good. This Public Policy Platform is BPW/FL’s blueprint for our work in respect, justice, and equality for working women.  Do you know what BPW's Public Policy Platform is for 2019-2020? You can learn all about it by visiting the BPW Florida website Public Policy Platform. There you can read about the 5 Core Issues that BPW focuses on:  1. Equality For All, including Ratifying Equal Rights Amendment. 2. Equal Pay  3. Safe Workplace 4. Health Care 5. Environment Women have made some strides in these issues, but there is more that can and should be done in these major areas of equality for women. CLICK to read the official BPW/FL 2018-2019 Public Policy Platform. Member Resources On the BPW Florida website you can find wealth of information about our organization and we now encourage all members to take advantage of the resources. Log in athttps://bpwfl.org/members-only-documents/ BPWInsider Congratulations BPW/FL on their E-Newsletter, BPWInsider. There is a lot of good information and the first issue gave a shout out to the Upper Keys BPW as their Highlighted Local Organization!  We thank them for their recognition and their leadership!  To read the article CLICK HERE. Breast Cancer Scholarship Fund - OUR JANUARY CHARITY! BPW/FL proudly administers a Breast Cancer Scholarship Fund, which provides $250 scholarships for men and women fighting breast cancer. Through a legislative advocacy program as well as monetary support to breast cancer patients, BPW not only makes a positive impact on the present, but on the future as well. Any BPW/FL member in good standing may request a disbursement for any person, regardless of BPW membership, who has been diagnosed with breast cancer, in accordance with the approved guidelines. Members should visit the Members-Only Login  section of the Florida BPW website.         Upper Keys BPW Board of Directors 2018-2019 President Ilja Chapman 305-998-8348 Ilja.chapman@gmail.com President Elect Suzi Youngberg 305-393-6830 suziyoungberg@gmail.com Vice Presidents Jackie Harder, Development 305-451-9295 jackie@key-dynamics.com Victoria Leonard, Hospitality 305-304-2458 victoria.leonard@fkec.com Treasurer Theresa Sutter 786-361-5404 theresasutter@gmail.com Secretary Wendy Coffman 305-896-4451 wcoffman@centerstatebank.com Directors Jordan Budnik, Development 404-434-1997 jordan@keepthemflying.org Cynthia Gneiser, Hospitality 305-323-6968 cynthiag@fsclaimsadj.com Contact your Upper Keys BPW Chapter: bpwupperkeys@gmail.com   or   info@upperkeysbpw.org P. O. Box 231, Tavernier, FL  33070t Facebook • Twitter • LinkedIn Unsubscribe