Welcome Message:
Message from Angela
Happy first day of October! - a month filled with fun and excitement at NOVA!

We kick off the month with our annual staff retreat on Monday, October 4th at St. Cyril's in Jamison. The morning part of the retreat will be a presentation by Simpatico Studios, NOVA's marketing consultant, where they will be revealing the new brand and logo to staff. Following the presentation will be lunch (make sure to place your order by clicking HERE) and a Wet Canvass Painting Party. If you are unable to attend the presentation by Simpatico have no fear! We will be recording the session so staff can view it, and we will also be holding an brand/logo info session for NOVA volunteers on Tuesday, October 19th that staff are welcome to attend. You will also be able to pick up your swag bags in the development office (more info about this will be emailed out after the retreat).

Mid-month we will be celebrating NOVA Thrift Shop's 20th Birthday and recognizing our amazing thrift shop volunteers and staff for the $1.1 million they helped to raise last fiscal year. October 8th - 14th we will be recognizing our volunteers and staff with a week long celebration with treats, cheers for peers, and some surprises! October 15th - 17th we will be celebrating the Thrift Shop birthday with treats and prizes for our shoppers and donors. If you are able to volunteer to help with either event, please let me know!

We will wrap up the month with our first Planned Giving mailing. Planned Giving (sometimes called Gift Planning or Legacy Giving), enables philanthropic individuals to make larger gifts to charitable organizations, such as NOVA, than they could make from ordinary income. Planned gifts allow us to secure NOVA's future, today. If you want to learn more about Planned Giving and how it helps NOVA, check out this short video from Akron Community Foundation, or stop by and see me!

Until next time....
Angela
Newsletter Roadmap
In this edition, we will cover:

  1. Message from Angela
  2. Roadmap (You are here!)
  3. Business in the Front
  4. Committee Corner
  5. Party in the Back
  6. Meet the NOVA Team!
  7. Meet the Staff!
  8. Meet the Board
  9. Let's Celebrate YOU!
  10. The Results Are In! September Contest Recap
  11. Suggestions
  12. Art Highlight

Committee Corner:
The Latest and Greatest From Our Committees
No committee updates this edition, so please enjoy this picture of a dog.

#NOVANewsBites
Meet the NOVA Team!
Highlighting NOVA Staff and NOVA Board Members
Let's learn more about Sierra!

If I could purchase 5 things to eat for the next 10 days:
Pasta, pasta, and more pasta! not sure if I could funnel down to 4 other foods but pasta is definitely #1!

Fun fact: I found a recent love for fishing over the last 2 years as my boyfriend and I fish year-round for all differently species! My favorite type of fishing has to be ice fishing (as long as you can brave the cold). I've even camped out on the ice for a weekend!

Favorite movie: Avatar (And no, not the air bender!) Avatar was about those blue dudes fighting humans on their planet. Very sci-fi but the cinematics of the film is so good it's crazy how detailed things are! Has action, sciency things, etc. just a good all-around movie!

Welcome to the team, Sierra! We are so happy you are here and can't wait to see all that you can contribute.
Let's learn more about Bill!

What was the most unusual, weirdest or interesting job you’ve ever had? 
Unusual - I had a position for a year in a cancer research lab right after college where it was my job to stand in the OR and wait for tumors to be removed so they could be rushed back to the lab. You see all kinds of crazy things in an OR when there are emergency surgeries, and as long as I stayed on my designated blue square on the floor, they didn't even notice me, let alone kick me out, because they were so focused on saving the patient. 

If you could snap your fingers and become an expert in something, what would it be? 
Bluewater sailing. Meaning I'd like to know how to cross an ocean. I have a bucket list item of sailing around the world one day. 

Where did you go to college? What was the major you went to college to pursue? Have you followed this career path so far in your career? If not, what major(s) did you complete? 
University of Virginia, majoring in Biology, and focusing on genetics and immunology. I used it at first in my career doing the before mentioned cancer research and then managing clinical trials. But eventually transitioned into finance and now run my own financial planning firm. 

Thanks for all that you bring to the team, Bill!
Let's Celebrate YOU!
This month, make sure to wish a big "Happy Birthday!" to:

Stephanie Shantz-Stiver
Victim Advocacy
Oct 8

Tiffani Lanza
Counseling
Oct 14

Brianna Dion
Victim Advocacy
Oct 20

Penny Ettinger
Executive Director
Oct 25

Mary Sine
NOVA Thrift Shop
Oct 30

Nancy Heacock
Prevention & Training
Oct 31



We appreciate you and your time with the NOVA team. A big thanks to:

Susan Romano
Prevention & Training
3 years

Hayes Honer
Prevention & Training
3 years

Denise Bauer
Administration/Finance
13 years

Tiffini Lanza
Counseling
1 year

Maria White
NOVA Thrift Shop
14 years

Maria Nye
CAC/Counseling
4 years

Elyse Hoekstra
CAC
2 years

Courtney Barnes
Victim Advocacy
5 years
The Results are In!
Recap of September Staff Contest
For last month's staff contest, I asked the NOVA staff to submit a book--whether it was an old fave or the book sitting on their nightstand. Thanks to everyone who participated!

This month's winner is Frank! Frank's book was The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown. A classic! Frank has won a $50.00 gift card to the Doylestown/Lahaska book store. Congratulations Frank!

Want to see everyone else's recommendations? I sure do! Here they are--who knows, maybe you'll find YOUR next fave!

Make sure to keep your eyes peeled for October's contest in the October 15th edition.
What topics do you want to hear about?
Do you have suggestions or ideas for the staff newsletter?
 
We want to hear from you!
Click the button below and share your thoughts in our virtual suggestion box.
This week's featured artist and illustrator is Kat Schneider (@katschneids). Kat's art romanticizes everyday activities-- encouraging readers to find happiness and serenity in the small moments. Check out Kat's work on instagram or patreon!