Philadelphia Chapter Newsletter  
IN THIS ISSUE
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS TO OUR TTN FAMILY!
Renee Sackey
Liz Noll
Belle Stasenko
Ellen Jacob
Maureen OLeary
Jamie Fischer
Shira Kramer
Joyce Silberman
Jill Voshell
Karen Miura
Lisa DiMeo
Callista
 Chukwunenye



See a friend's name on the list?  Contact them via
ANNUAL DUES ASSISTANCE
TTN Provides a limited amount of aid to assist in the payment of membership dues for those in challenging situations.

Contact   Susan Collins, TTN Executive Director, about possible financial assistance.
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EVENTS!
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RESOURCES FOR YOU
TTN NATIONAL
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Connect  with diverse and interesting women

Discover new perspectives and opportunities

Impact your life and community

NOVEMBER 2019
 

Autumn  is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. The trees are turning, the weather's getting cooler, the days get shorter and colder and Pumpkin Spice Lattes are back-it's fall!

Announcements:
I am pleased to announce that Alice Milrod has joined the Philadelphia chapter steering committee as a Chapter Co-Chair. Alice will work with all Steering Committee chairs on realizing our future plans and improvements projects. Please join me in welcoming Alice to our chapter leadership team.

As the year winds down, there will be other changes to the SIG landscape. Joanne Bowes, who has been SIG Chairperson since July 2017, will be stepping down from this position to pursue other interests.   Sally Mazzarella, who has been assisting Joanne as At Capacity Coordinator, will be taking on the Chair role beginning in January 2020. Sally has been a member since 2017 when she moved to the East Coast from Hawaii where she lived, worked and raised 3 children. Sally has a background in Education and brings a wealth of skills to the Chair role and to the Chapter. Please be sure to welcome Sally as Chairperson.

Steering Committee Message:
I would like to take this opportunity to thanks all our members and their guests/friends for making TTN the vibrant, energetic and growing community we came to know today. Our Philadelphia  Chapter is 470+ and growing. 

Last month we announced a dues increase, first increase in the last 10 years. Today, I would like to share in more detail some of the drivers for such an increase.
  • Philadelphia chapter dues was the same for the last 10 years.
  • Our Chapter operational duties and administrative support tasks are performed solely by volunteers (Steering Committee members, event and program coordination, members activities such as SIGs and Peer Groups, etc.)
  • We are outgrowing our support resources (creating and managing SIGs, Peer Groups, participation in activities, events and programs) requiring more time and effort from our leadership teams and volunteers. All TTN chapters support the National Organization Administrative operational costs (that is a substantial percent of membership dues) to provide us with the regulatory and financial support to maintain our brand and non profit status. The National office also provide communications and website hosting and maintenance.
  • The amount of increase in the membership dues will go directly to support the Philadelphia chapter operational support. We will hire part time administrative support and invest in more automation for daily tasks. We want to offer meaningful work to our volunteers to use their passion and skills for a rewarding experience.
Please share with me your ideas, questions and concerns to help us better usher our chapter into the next 20 years. Join the National office and the Philadelphia  Chapter in making the TTN 20th Anniversary Celebration a landmark to remember.
Checkout the wonderful experiences, talent and support we have as 3,000+ members of National TTN.
 
I look forward to hear from you and discuss any concerns or challenges you may have.
 
Enjoy the renewal of the fall season. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving !!!

Like us on FacebookWarm Regards,                      
Chair, TTN Philadelphia  
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Do you have a TTN question? We have your answer! 
Check out our new Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page on TTN website under the Philadelphia Chapter and learn how and why to join TTN - everything from how to sign up for one of the many events we have to offer to what is the difference between a SIG and a Peer Group.  It's all there for your viewing pleasure.  
Take a Closer Look At Our Strong November Programs

Every good thing that has happened in your life happened because something changed.

Our LIFE is a story of TRANSITION. You are always leaving one chapter BEHIND while MOVING on to the next.

If these quotes speak to you and you'd like to learn more about the difference between Change and Transition and find more productive ways to navigate through whatever is happening now in your life, then make time to attend the upcoming TTN Women in Transition Workshop.   
 
Here are a few things prior participants have said about the Workshop:
  • "I learned many tools for going through transitions with grace."
  • "The Workshop helped me make positive changes in my life and to move forward."
  • "There are so many intelligent and educated women going through very similar experience."
 
Please join us for this half-day session. Click HERE for more information and to register.



If you currently find yourself "stuck" in sadness or grief due to a significant loss, this important workshop will help you develop strategies for coping and techniques to use pain from loss for healing and transformation. These losses can include loss of loved one, your health, career/job, relationship, financial, home, dream, relocation, and pets.

You will learn about the three tangible markers of growth and transformation following loss and how to recognize your own markers. This is a truly unique experience led by TTN member Carolyn Walter, distinguished author, professor emeritus and gentle soul with decades of experience helping others find hope, understanding and healing.

Read more about Carolyn in this TTN Article . Click HERE for more Workshop information and to register.
Special Interest Groups
As our membership grows rapidly, the number of new members who are still working grows also. To serve the needs of these new women, we are offering some new SIGs that either apply to working women directly or are scheduled for a time that's convenient for them.
 
First, Soup's on Saturday is a monthly dinner group that will meet on a Saturday evening to share a hearty soup, salad and bread while making new friends. This group is open to both working and non-working members.
 
A second SIG, Still Working, will begin as a brainstorming session that will determine what kinds of SIGs appeal to those still employed. One or more SIGs may result. A Potluck, Happy Hour or a Networking Group are all possibilities.
 
For all members - working and non-working - who may have missed the boat on our popular restaurant SIGs, a new one is forming - Supper in the City. Check it out on the website.
 
You can find more information on these new SIGs on the SIG page of our website in the Newly Forming section.
 
As the year winds down, there will be other changes to the SIG landscape. Joanne Bowes, who has been SIG Chairperson since July 2017, will be stepping down from this position to pursue other interests. Sally Mazzarella, who has been assisting Joanne as At Capacity Coordinator, will be taking on the Chair role beginning in January 2020. Sally has been a member since 2017 when she moved to the East Coast from Hawaii where she lived, worked and raised 3 children. Sally has a background in Education and brings a wealth of skills to the Chair role and to the Chapter. Please welcome Sally as Chairperson!

Also beginning in January, we will be changing the way that members are admitted to SIGs. Our membership is growing rapidly and, in an effort to make as many SIGs as possible open to as many members as possible, our process concerning new SIGs and At Capacity SIGs will be changing significantly.   There will be more details to follow in the December newsletter.

SIGs are a benefit of TTN membership.
TTN's Second Annual Children's Book Drive is a Big Success!
Many thanks to all who donated to TTN's Second Annual Children's Book Drive.  We collected over 600 books for Historic Fair Hill, a non-profit organization in North Philadelphia that promotes literacy in local schools. 

The books donated by TTN members will go mostly to the William Cramp Community School, but also to the other two Historic Fair Hill schools, John F. Hartranft School and Julia de Burgos Elementary School

The book drive complements other TTN initiatives which support  Read by 4th , the city-wide program working toward the goal of all children reading on grade level by the time they reach 4th grade.

Thank you all for your generosity in supporting early literacy in Philadelphia schools. 

See our Volunteer Opportunities page for more ways to help our community!
Transition Peer Groups: What's New
Things have been very busy for the Peer Group Advisory Committee. We just finished the Fall cycle of Orientations and Coffees. As a result, two new groups are about to get started; one in Center City and one that will meet in the evening on the Main Line. Several other women were placed in existing groups.
 
The committee will take a breather and gather energy for another set of orientations and coffees after the first of the year. If you are interested in joining a peer group be sure to contact Barbara Kessler ( [email protected]) and Amy Sabsowitz ( [email protected]) . They have started a list of women interested in the next cycle of orientations.

Although women who are ready for a group want to jump right in to the Peer Group experience, we can only place women (at least two at a time) in existing groups when the groups are ready to accept new women. We are always open to starting a new group, with the support of a partner from the Peer Group Advisory Committee, but need 6-8 women all interested in a group in the same time frame, to get started.
 
The wait can be frustrating but the outcome will be rewarding. So please get on the list and be on your way to creating a smaller community of interesting women within the larger TTN organization.
 
Marcia Goldstein, Co-Chair Transition Peer Groups

Transition Peer Groups are a benefit of TTN membership.
News from the Giving Circle
It's In The News:   Check out this recent article in the Inquirer about grandparents stepping up to care for their grandchildren as a result of the devastating opioid crisis sweeping Pennsylvania.

We are proud to see that our current grantee, the  PA SeniorLaw Center, is featured prominently as a resource for grandparents to obtain temporary custody of their grandchildren and prevent their placement in the foster care system.
 
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Giving Circle chair Carol Cunningham and members Lori Krain and Carol Greco having a ball packaging Thinking of You Cards.

The cards are sold in packages of 5 for $25 and contribute to the Giving Circle grants awarded each year to a local non-profit that makes a difference in the lives of the women and children in the Greater Philadelphia area.

These Cards are g reat for honoring those with Birthdays, Anniversaries, Graduations, expressing Sympathy and more. 

Email Lori Krain at  at  [email protected]   to reserve your cards today.

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Participants in the expert panel discussion of children's legal rights in Philadelphia held September 25, 2019: left to right:


  • Frank Cervone, Executive Director, Support Center for Child Advocates; 
  • Marsha Levick, Legal Director, Education Law CenterChief Legal Officer, Juvenile Law Center; 
  •  Maura McInerney, Legal Director, Education Law Center
  • Karen Buck, Executive Director,PA SeniorLaw Center
A Message from Giving Circle Chair, Carol Cunningham
Did you know that The Transition Network has fourteen chapters across the country, but Philadelphia's TTN is the only one that has a Giving Circle?

I hope you are as proud of this as I am, and I hope you will consider joining this amazing group of women.

What are we about? We pool our resources to give an annual grant to a non-profit dedicated to improving the lives of women and children in Philadelphia. Working together we change lives. 

Here are a few examples of our impact:

At a recent graduation ceremony at Leash for Life, inmates lined up with rescue dogs they trained for adoption, and showed how the programs had transformed their lives.

At Turning Points for Children, Jonathan, who had spent his life in foster care, said he had been "broken inside" before the organization took him under its wing.

And thanks to the Senior Law Center, grandparents who unexpectedly raise grandchildren on their own, have a place to turn for help.

We work together, learn together, and finally gather together in May to cast a final vote (a really tough choice since the finalists are all amazing) for the non-profit which will receive our 2020 grant.

And, as a member of the Giving Circle you can also be part of the grants process by serving on the grants committee. The committee reviews applications, makes site visits, and selects the finalists for the May voting meeting. If you want to learn more about the grants committee please contact Ann Lipshutz ([email protected]), the committee chair . The deadline for joining the committee is December 31 .

If you're already in the Giving Circle, spread the word! Encourage TTN members to join so we can give a larger grant this year. Or maybe two!

For those of you who are new to TTN, please consider signing on.

I have had many wonderful experiences at TTN. But the Giving Circle has special meaning in my life, and I know it will in yours.