What A Celebration!

Well, the conference is now over and the excitement is of next year is starting. If you were not able to attend, you missed a great weekend of learning, collaboration, and fun.

We had 115 attendees from all over the United States. We started off the weekend with greetings from the O'Fallon Chamber of Commerce and a ribbon cutting. Then a fun evening of snacks and a fashion show sponsored by Dillard's. There were 10 models who showed off the latest fashions in casual ware, business attire, and formal ware.

Saturday morning was the exciting auction. Because we received so many items for auction, the items were split into two actions. A silent auction as well as a live auction. Some of the items that were up for bid are on the WPEA website. There was a lot of fun trying to outbid each other on the more popular items like a beautiful quilt and the Nike Statues.

The first speaker of the day was Martha Rohlfing from the Illinois State Treasurers office. She gave us some interesting information on the new Credit Card laws that went into affect earlier this year. I know that when I was trying to pay off my credit cards I had a balance on a 0% interest for 1 year. I accidentally charged an item on that credit card. Well my payment went toward the 0% balance so I was charged extra for the higher interest balance. With the new laws, the credit card companies have to pay off the higher interest balance first.

3 Ladies that are members of the Enterprising and Professional Women - USA spoke about BPW International. It is amazing how many countries participate in this organization. The first EPW-USA conference will be held in Las Vegas September 26 - 27, 2010. Early bird discount registration end on August 16th, hurry and register and book your hotel now.

The Speaker Series Spotlight gave us an opportunity to listen to the great speeches from the speak-offs held in each state. There were some dynamic speeches on many topics this organization is passionate about.

Then there was the Honorable Susan Tungate who is always good for a laugh and gave some great information to help each State, Region, and Local organization reach their full potential. She is the kind of speaker that you can't get the full impact of her message unless you were there.

Susan Solovic has a great program to help women to start and grow their own business into a billion dollar corporation. She is a member of Women Impacting Public Policy, who are inline with IFBPW views on pushing legislation that improve woman's rights. She also has a TV show that helps women in small business.

A Panel Discussion was held to discuss the future of each State organization and how we can help each other move forward. Next years conference will be held in Minnesota - Twin City area. I hope that we see all of you there.

The Dinner Speaker and the last speaker of the day was Susan Sablan. She was an officer in the Navy when very few women were in the military. She talked about the history of women in the military and some of her own experiences. It is interesting that women were only allowed to fill supportive rolls in the military until the late 1980's. I do remember when that was a big deal and in the news for months. I was really upset that if I had only stayed in the Navy for a couple more years I would have been able to fill positions that I wanted but I was not allow to be in because they were considered combat positions.

There was a short presentation by SOY that is helping support our youth in discipline and growing their talents through music. To learn more about SOY contact Johna Whitener at 618.772.5214

We finished off the weekend with a party that lasted well into the late hours.

The official photographer for the weekend was Share The Image. To view some wonderful pictures of the weekend go to www.sharettheimage.com and click on Event Gallery. You may also purchase some of the pictures for your scrapbook.

I want to thank all of those who worked hard to put on the programs and keep everything running smoothly.

WPEA T-Shirts

Here is the first look at the back of the T-Shirts that are available for the low low price of $20.00. If you have not done so, you can still order by contacting Tina at fmetshirt@gmail.com.

For better look at the t-shirts go to www.fullmoonenterprise.com.

Auction Items and Vendors

Just thought that I would spread the news. Some really nice auction item pictures have been posted to the WPEA website. I have also posted information on the new vendors. Take a peak at all the good shopping you can do in a couple of weeks.

Advertising at the WPEA Conference

Would you like to maximize your advertising dollars with very little effort? Include a product, coupon, brochure, etc. in the goodie bags that will be given to each attendee (approximately 200 people) at the WPEA conference.

For more information go to www.wpealliance.com and go to the Vendor section.

Updated Information ont he Summer Conference (WPEA)

The long awaited agenda has now been posted on the website ( www.wpealliance.org ).

A list of the keynote speakers are:

• Kelly Lamm, Talk Show Host (Invited)
• Martha Rolfing, Illinois State Treasurer’s Office
• The Honorable Judge Susan Tungate
• MG Michelle Johnson, USTRANSCOM (Invited)
• Barbara Kasoff, WIPP (Invited)
• National Panel Discussion Collective Way Ahead

A fashion show will be held Friday evening to start off the event. Saturday morning will be the Auction. Ending the weekend with a New Year's Party on Saturday evening.

For more information and detailed schedule, please visit www.wpealliance.org.

Travel information can also be found on the website on the Home page.

Register Now. Registration fee will increase from $90.00 to $100.00 starting July 1.

PSSSSS.... There is a rumor that there may be a scavenger hunt with the winning prize a secret to be revealed Saturday evening.

I hope to see you at the end of July!!!

Mailing Checks

I know that most of you are still trying to get use to the new way of paying member's dues. I am still working on a system for my LO.

Since all checks are being mailed to the bank, please make sure that you mail paperwork or some kind of note saying what the check is for. The bank forwards all paperwork to the Treasurer along with a deposit slip. The bank does not forward copies of the check, just the paperwork received with the check. If you send a check without paperwork, then the Treasurer will no know what the money is for or who sent the check.

To make sure that members get credit for payment, please make sure all paperwork is mailed with the check. It would be great if you included the check number somewhere on the paperwork as well. This way if there is a question regarding payment, the Treasurer can contact the person submitting the check.

IFBPW State Convention

For those who were not able to attend, you missed a really good weekend. We discussed and debated and were able conduct a lot of business, but we also partied hard Saturday Night.

I don't want to give to much away, but there were a lot of decisions made over the weekend.

• We will be signing the National Foundation licensing fee
• We have updated the Bylaws and will have those out soon
• And We have updated the Legislative Platform

More information on these items and more will be sent in emails, updated on the IFBPW website and in the next issue of the Illinois Bulletin.

We also had a great time at the Workshops. It was amazing how many people increased their activity level while participating in the Active For Life program. One person even lost a significant amount of weight. For more information on this free program that can be formatted for a Church organization, business, or other kind of organizations go to Active For Life.

I also taught how to create a Google account. There is instructions on how to link your calendar with friend's calendars or organization calendars. For organizations like IFBPW, you can set up email to automatically send members a reminder for upcoming events or when reports are due. An instructors manual is on the IFBPW Region4 in the members only section. Email me if you are not able to access the manual at ilfederation.bpw@gmail.com.

One thing I did forget in the manual is that in order to set up an email account you need to use an existing email in the form. Then you have to verify the gmail account from your existing account before you can log into the gmail account. I have it on my list to update, but I may not get to it for a couple of weeks.

As soon as I receive pictures from those who attended, I will put them out on the IFBPW FaceBook page. I know we have some good pictures of all the fun.

Make sure you check out t he websites and read the emails to keep up with all the new information.