Philadelphia Chapter Newsletter  
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 your recommendations for new activities.

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WELCOME NEW MEMBERS TO OUR TTN FAMILY!

Risa Granick
Leslie Greenberg
Marcy Haaz
Maryanne Noel
Renee Romagnole
Carey Roseman
Stacey Stone


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Get Involved in TTN!
Looking for a different way to get more involved in TTN?

Love making new connections with a terrific group of women and feeling like you're a part of something bigger than yourself?

Participate in a project or get involved in a committee - we have lots of opportunities  for you.

All our committees need enthusiastic volunteers, but w e  have urgent needs in 
Caring Collaborative, Communications, Events and Membership.

Learn more:
Jane Siegel
Pam Rudman 
TRANSITION PEER GROUPS
Peer Groups are small groups where TTN women connect - face to face - to explore what's next together.


Questions?  Contact Marcia Goldstein at [email protected]

SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS   (SIGs)
Find complete list of SIGs and let us know ideas for new groups.
 SIGs

CARING COLLABORATIVE
Do you know about TTN's 
"Help Insurance"?

 
IN AND AROUND TOWN
STAY CONNECTED
QUICK LINKS

*The Transition Network - National

 

*TTN Mission Statement and Core Values

 

*TTN Resource Center 

 


*Contact Us

RESOURCES FOR YOU
TTN NATIONAL
Check out our TTN National website  to

Connect  with diverse and interesting women

Discover new perspectives and opportunities

Impact your life and community

OCTOBER 2018
 

As summer winds down and we look forward to the cooler nights and less humid days, we can celebrate another season of great events, connections and many ways we spent the long summer days. 

New and prospective members enjoyed a TTN Talks introduction to our chapter, Happy Hour in Chester County, Peer Group orientation, Galleries tours and many more exciting events.  

The Chapter leadership team (Steering Committee) held their annual Planning Retreat which included welcoming the newest member Carol Cunningham - Giving Circle vice chair. The plans for the coming year were discussed and will be summarized on our website page for references in the next few weeks.

This is just a taste of what TTN Philadelphia chapter leaders and teams plan and do for our chapter. 

Please join me in thanking each and every one who takes the time and provide us with the wonderful opportunities we enjoy as the TTN Women in Philadelphia. 

I look forward to see you in many of our upcoming mingles, events, programs, happy hours and trips.

Enjoy the upcoming Holidays from all of the leadership team.

Like us on FacebookWarm Regards,                      
Chair, TTN Philadelphia  
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by Marsha Yankelev

Part of the attraction of joining an organization such as The Transition Network (TTN)  is that we get to meet and learn from women our age who have experienced a painful life transition and have come out on the other side, more resilient, transformed and willing to share their journey.

Such is the tale of TTN member, Deb Spungen, who recently published Table for One: Essays from a Widow's Journey, telling her personal experience of the pain and grief of widowhood while also describing how her journey back into the world slowly unfolded.

This is an intimate, compelling, tender and gracious account about widowhood and loss and is meaningful to anyone confronted with life's painful experiences .. which is just about everyone at some time in our lives.

 
Need space in your closet? Help is on its way! A great way to assure that your nice clothing is used for a great purpose is to make a tax-deductible clothing donation to Career Wardrobe for women and men who are entering the work force. It's fun to get your friends and family involved, find space in the closets and support other women. Bring your clothing donations to one of TTN Career Wardrobe's designated drop-off centers in October.
 
Career Wardrobe is an independent nonprofit 501(3)C, member of the National Women's Alliance with similar organizations in many cities in the U.S. The goal of Career Wardrobe is to help women who are transitioning into the workforce dress appropriately and with confidence. Work clothes are distributed to women who are preparing to interview for work. When they are offered a job, they are eligible for three additional work outfits - all free-of-charge.
 
Please donate new, clean and gently used suits, dresses, and separates, including trousers, skirts, blouses and 'casual Friday' outfits (preferably on hangers). Accessories of shoes, handbags, scarves and jewelry also are welcome. Career Wardrobe is accepting men's clothing for men entering the workforce. Men's suits, shirts, trousers, sweaters, ties, shoes and belts are appreciated. Also welcome are formal wear and dresses not appropriate for the work setting. These items will be sold at the Wardrobe Boutique to benefit Career Wardrobe.
 
More information about drop-off locations and times:
Volunteers are welcome to help at the collection locations. Please contact Pat Nelson, [email protected], if you are interested in volunteering.
Donate Books to TTN's Literacy Campaign for Philadelphia Children
TTN is holding a book drive to provide greatly needed children's books to  Historic Fair Hill , a non-profit organization in North Philadelphia that promotes literacy in local schools.   

The books donated by TTN members will go to the  Julia de Burgos Elementary School  and will also be shared with other schools in the neighborhood as needed. This book drive complements other TTN initiatives supporting  Read by 4th , a citywide program working toward the goal of all children reading on grade level by the time they reach 4th grade.

Please join us in supporting the goals of 
Read by 4th  as well as TTN's mission to make meaningful contributions to our community.

Our book drive runs from Monday, October 8, 2018, to Friday, October 19, 2018.  You can donate directly from  The Historic Fair Hill's Amazon Wish List  or drop off donated books. 

See the  TTN Volunteer Opportunities Read by 4th  page on our website for step-by-step detail on how to donate or  contact Mary Clifford,  [email protected] or Patty Kaiser,  [email protected],  to arrange to drop off books.   
 
Thank you for your help in making a difference by supporting early literacy in Philadelphia schools.
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TTN Signature Programs
Volunteer Workshop Facilitators Needed:  TTN will be offering a new program early next year called On Resilience.  This is a Signature Program created exclusively for TTN and includes a half-day Workshop, plus a series of six facilitated group conversations to increase personal resilience.  

We're creating a small team of members from the Philadelphia Chapter who are willing, capable and committed to participating in the training and leading workshops in 2019.   If you have skills and interest in the area of resilient living and would like to be a part of this team, please contact Marsha Yankelev,  [email protected].   

The next Women in Transition (WIT) Workshop is being offered in Old City Philadelphia on Wednesday October 17th starting at 3pm.  We have room for just 4 more women to explore what's next in a safe, supportive and thought provoking session to jump start actionable steps.  

We're all in the process of transitioning from something, but there are certain ones that may be more challenging to pull through.  This Workshop is for You!   More info...
Updates from the Programs Committee
Senior Scam Session Summary:   On Sept 27th, a focused group of TTN women met with Anthony Luker from the PA Office of Attorney General (AG) to explore Senior Scams and Fraud. Pages and pages of notes were taken and everyone walked away with new information and tactics to avoid becoming a victim. 

We learned that SCAMS have 4 elements that ought to raise your concern: 
  • Sudden (not expected)
  • Contact (scammer trying to connect with you personally)
  • Act Now (urgent need to respond)
  • Money or Information needed. 
In addition to do not call registries, there is a new no-more-robo call service that may be available at www.nomorobo.com (a small fee may be charged). 

And the AG Office has just launched an Alert system via text message for real time alerts and practical tips to keep you in the know and help you avoid getting scammed. Sign up here 

Join us for Healthy Brain Aging: The experts from the Penn Memory Center will share the latest evidence-based strategies for understanding what is normal brain/memory aging and what we can do to enhance cognitive resilience and p revent decline. We'll gather at the Ralston Center on Tuesday October 16th for this informative session. Don't forget to  register !

Please send suggestions and recommendations for future educational topics to Marsha Yankelev,  [email protected] .   We're curating offerings for first half 2019 and need your input to ensure our members' needs and interests are addressed.
TTN Events:  Fourth Street Fashion Stroll
If there's one thing TTN members love, it's discovering something about Philadelphia that they didn't already know. A group of 20 TTN members recently had the opportunity to explore South Fourth Street as part of one of the many unique events offered by the TTN Events Committee.

This iconic area of the city has been historically known as Philadelphia's Jewish garment district. Locals refer to the street as Fabric Row and it has been a shopping destination for fabric and materials for over a century. New boutiques, salons, galleries and restaurants have joined 2nd and 3rd generation fabric merchants to make Fabric Row one of the City's premier independent shopping strips

Our TTN members had the opportunity to explore South Fourth Street and to meet an incredible group of women boutique owners. Our stroll included a visit to four Fabric Row merchants and the chance to browse through their incredible collections of vintage collectibles and unique designs.  The owners of each boutique greeted us and shared the history of their business and how they became part of the Fourth Street experience.  In addition, each merchant generously provided our group with wine and refreshments, swag bags, merchandise raffles and purchase discounts!
We all joined TTN at a transitional time of our lives; anticipating retiring or retiring, moving, traveling, checking things off on that bucket list, having fun with growing families and also perhaps facing health changes and even losses. For many the peer group experience is a place to meet up with a trusted group of women monthly to explore what it is like to be in this phase of our lives. We laugh, we learn, we commiserate and we grapple with finding our evolving "I am..." at this stage of our lives.
 
But most groups find that they benefit from shaking things up periodically. This fall 6 of our 17 groups will be making a new beginning as they bring in 20 new women to share the peer group experience. 
And many of our long-standing groups keep trying new things. This is one group at the home of two chefs in South Philly. They spent several hours cooking up a fabulous Italian dinner including making pasta the old fashioned way (no bowl!). Cooking together, learning and then savoring the dinner was an incredible way to share an experience and expand the connectivity among the members.
 
What does your group have planned to shake things up this year? Send a story and picture to share with our chapter. 

Do you want to join a group for the first time? Just reach out to  Marcia Goldstein, [email protected], and she will make that happen . The next orientation will be later this Fall.


Transition Peer Groups are a benefit of TTN membership.
The number of Special Interest Groups continues to grow! Two new SIGs had organizational meetings in September to set up their structure. A third is hoping you'll join them to share the stories of your life.
 
Still Working , a group devoted to planning activities that those members still employed can attend, met and are going forward with plans to meet once a month in the evening. They will gather again on October 24 to set up  a calendar of events for the next few months.   Membership is still open and this group of lively, committed women would love to hear from you. Please contact Lead Raydell Fisher-Wilson, [email protected] for more information.
 
Suburban Readers , a book group that meets in the suburbs, has decided to meet on the first Sunday afternoon of the month at 
3pm in Bryn Mawr. This group is also open to new members. The Lead is Robin Rudin, [email protected]. If you're interested, jump in now and find out what the October book is!
 
Lastly, a Newly Forming SIG, Creating Your Life Portfolio, is looking for you. This group will be a supportive writers' gathering to encourage members to write their life stories. You don't need to be a writer or have had a bestseller's life. All you need is the desire to share your history with like-minded women. Joanne Bowes, [email protected], can give your more details.

Contact Joanne Bowes,  [email protected], if you have SIG questions or suggestions for new groups.  Join us!


SIGs are a benefit of TTN membership.
GC
Giving Circle: Wrapping Up and Kicking Off
The TTN Philadelphia Giving Circle began six years ago with a small group of women interested in social change and a modest goal of raising $5,000 towards that end. 

Over the years our membership has grown steadily and so has our fundraising goal. 

This year we have challenged ourselves to raise $25,000 together to donate to the organization deemed most worthy by our members.

We encourage all TTN members to join us in giving together to make a difference in our community. All donations are welcome but a donation of $200 or more will give you a voice in choosing our next grantee. Follow the link below to donate now.