Philadelphia Chapter Newsletter  
In This Issue
Welcome New Members to our TTN Family!
 Marjorie Cobin
Linda Kanaly
Donna Kolman
Patricia Nelson
Xenakis Sioux
Sandra Takai
Laura Wall
 
See a friend's name on the list?  Contact them via  TTN Member Directory .
In Memoriam


Gloria Zucker

Books on Transition
Check out TTN's Transition Resource Center for a list of recommended books on Transition!   
Chapter Events
Look at our up-to-date
Events Calendar to see what's coming up.

Register quickly to reserve your spot.  
Special Interest Groups (SIGs)
Access our newly renovated SIG Page!  
Find complete list of SIGs and let us know ideas for new groups.
 SIGs

Calling for New Event Ideas and Leaders!
Our members are the eyes and ears in the community.  You're in touch with what's happening in the Delaware Valley and what is thought-provoking, interesting, unusual and just plain fun!  

Please take a minute to submit suggestions for new TTN events,  esp. events outside Center City.

 Also looking for Volunteers to get the ball rolling and help to make it happen.

All ideas welcome.  Contact Jean Brubaker via email at [email protected] .
In and Around Town
Stay Connected!
Quick Links

*The Transition Network - National

 

*TTN Resource Center 

 


*Contact Us


March 2016
          

The Philadelphia Flower Show with its magn ificent displays and colors are an ea rly peek into Spring. This is also the time when we celebrate our TTN PHL Chapter's birthday by gathering together to recall and reignite the friendships, connections, discoveries and great times we have as chapter members.  This year our Chapter is seven years old, same as my grandson! I look with amazement at the number of wonderful women who are driving the Chapter forward and building the path for more great things to come.
 
This year's Birthday Celebration on Wednesday March 23 will start at 6PM with relaxed mingling with TTN members and guests, drinks from the cash bar and hors d'oeuvres.  The evening continues with a sit-down dinner and entertainment by pianist and vocalist George Sinkler.  After dinner, we celebrate our anniversary with desserts and a group sing-along, recalling a few highlights from the past year.
 
On behalf of the Philadelphia Steering Committee, I look forward to greeting you personally and celebrating our 7th Chapter Anniversary! 

Register now by clicking this Link    

Warm regards,
Fatima Class
TTN PHL Chapter Chair
[email protected]                                     
What do Peer Groups Talk About??
Marcia Goldstein and Joan Applegate
Article submitted by Marcia Goldstein 

Peer Groups talk, talk, talk.... But about what?

Women considering joining a Transition Peer Group often ask, "What do you talk about?" or "How do you decide what to discuss?"  They hear the groups offer stimulating conversation and mutually supportive exploration, but wonder what that really means.

An example of what one group recently shared sheds some light on the process.  They described the evolution of a topic in this way:  Our focus last month was on how we deal with conflict at this stage in our lives -- with some thought as to whether we are more likely to "stuff it in" or explode.  We all seemed to feel our dealings with conflict have evolved due to increased confidence or increased awareness or just by learning how to recognize conflict. Some are better at letting things roll off as they age, and some are more likely to take a stand at this point in life.  Interestingly, the discussion centered a lot on how we experienced (or didn't) conflict in our early years.  That led us to think about past generations and what we carry in our DNA.  One member got us thinking in that direction when she highlighted the PBS program "Finding Your Roots".

The idea for the next month evolved easily from there. We are going to think about our roots by focusing on life with our siblings.  We'll start with a simple go-around establishing the nature of our family, i.e. the number of siblings, birth order, sex of siblings, etc. That will give us context as we share what we got from or wish we got from, or wish we didn't get from our siblings. Some members are a little reluctant to go there and others are rubbing their hands in anticipation of a chance to tell their story.  As always, we respect whatever each of us cares t share.

If you talk to women currently in one of our 15 Peer Groups, they might say at times it is easy to find a topic and that one topic flows to the next.  But at other times groups struggle to find the next topic.  To help get the creative ideas flowing, the liaisons from each Peer Group meet twice a year and share ideas regularly via email.  There is a "topics exchange" as part of that meeting, where the liaisons share topics that were most meaningful, and perhaps, those that didn't work out. Our next liaison meeting is in late April and I'm sure the give and take at that meeting will provide the seeds to stimulate groups when they reach that moment where they say, "What's Next?"

If you are interested in joining a Peer Group, contact Joan Applegate at [email protected].

Click here to access additional Peer Group resources to keep your group energized, stimulated and functioning smoothly.
Caring Collaborative Announces Orientation Session 


19106 Zip Code Event 

It's always a good idea to have "help insurance"!

Since mid-February, over 8 PHL Caring Collaborative Zip Code Events have been conducted or scheduled from Center City to the Main Line to Bucks/Mercer counties. These sessions provide the opportunity to meet your TTN neighbors and to learn about our new PHL Caring Collaborative initiative. 

At the gatherings, our members asked "What do I have to do to participate?".  Answer:  You must attend an Orientation Session!   Our first session is detailed below:

    Date: Thursday, March 31, 2016
    Time: 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
    Place: William Penn House Community Room, First Floor, 1919 Chestnut Street, PHL
    Cost: Members Only:  FREE
  
Another question frequently asked is:  "How much time will I have to give?"  Answer:  As much or as little as you would like .  We all have different interests and skills. Someone might be willing to pick up a prescription for a fellow member, someone else may offer to water a member's plants while she's recuperating from an illness, or even walk the dog when the doctor orders bed rest. 

Click here for more information and to register for the March 31st Orientation Session.

Questions? Email us at  [email protected] .
Member Spotlight:  Barbara Shaiman at Encore 2016
Our very own PHL TTN member, Barbara Shaiman, recently spoke at the  Encore.Org 2016 conference in San Francisco, a gathering of 405 encore career movement activists, advocates and ambassadors from over 14 countries.  

Her presentation, "Charting Your Encore Journey Workshop" focused on helping people reflect on their passions, interests and skills to create projects for social change and add greater meaning and purpose in their lives.  Barbara also spoke about multi-generational service and the importance of sharing knowledge and experience to create this type of collaborative model.  

Check out the outstanding  write-up about Barbara's workshop published on  NextAvenue.org.  The blogger, Nancy Collamer, attended Barbara's session hoping to pick up a few new strategies to help "ordinary" encore seekers get out of the starting gate.  The article recaps the top 4 takeaways from Barbara's presentation and her book  "Live Your Legacy Now:  Ten Simple Steps to Find Your Passion and Change the World".

Click on the highlighted links to learn more about Barbara's work and access additional encore-related resources.

Contact Barbara at  [email protected].
SIG Corner:  Three New SIGs Forming
Article submitted by Alice Milrod

TTN Members keep coming up with great ideas for ways to connect and pursue new interests.  Check out these 3 additional SIGs Forming!

Another Book Club:
Why are TTN book clubs different from other book clubs you may have joined?  Most TTN book clubs limit participation to a dozen members. Unlike other clubs with large lists of participants who drop in when they feel like it or when they like the book, TTN members choose the book by consensus, are expected to read the book and attend unless they are out of town.  This creates an environment where people feel comfortable speaking from the heart, get to know each other and form strong relationships.  People love their TTN Book Clubs!  We're ready to start another.  So if you like to read and want to give it a try, please join Another Book Club!
 
WOW (Watchers of Weight) Potluck:  There are three potluck SIGs that focus on cooking, sampling new recipes, experimenting with new cuisines and enjoying a meal shared with friends. Now, in response to a member's request, we are starting a potluck that does all that with a special focus on healthy eating and cooking.  If you've hesitated to join a potluck because you don't want your diet to run amok; if you would like to learn delicious new recipes that are health-oriented; if you might welcome support in you battle of the bulge from some TTN friends, this SIG may be for you.

Fashionistas: Here's something different. How about a group to discuss trends in fashion?  This SIG will blend outside speakers on topics like seasonal fashion trends (adopted to women over 50), makeup tips, etc., with visits to museum exhibits, fashion shows, etc.  If you've been secretly reading your Vogue, come out in the open and enjoy it with friends. 

We are also looking for a few more interested members to launch the Montgomery County Potluck and the Let's Go to the Movies SIGs!

If you interested in joining any of these new SIGs, please contact Alice Milrod, PHL Chapter SIG Chair at [email protected] .  

Click here for PHL SIG webpage.
Sign Up for MANNA Volunteer Opportunity




Article written by Moya Kinnealey, Community Impact Co-Chair

PHL  Community Impact Committee is offering a new group volunteer opportunity to TTN members. TTN member Marie Klaer, a long time volunteer at MANNA, initiated the first group volunteer day at MANNA. It was such a success that we have scheduled monthly volunteer days.

MANNA is a non-profit organization that provides healing food with medically modified menus for 11 different diets to people with life threatening illnesses. It was founded in 1990 to provide a source of nourishment and support during a time of medical crisis. They deliver 75,000 meals each month to people in the Philadelphia region and Southern New Jersey. Three meals a day, 7 days per week, 52 weeks per year.

I attended the second  TTN volunteer day. We were given an orientation on the history and mission of MANNA by the head of volunteers.  After suiting up to work with food, we were assigned places in an assembly line packaging meals for delivery.  We next moved on to ladling soup into containers and stacking for shipping. We enjoyed getting to know each other, working, laughing and chatting together while working on an important and worthwhile project.

To Volunteer:   One volunteer day per month will be posted 60 days in advance on the TTN Philadelphia Events Calendar. The time commitment is from 10AM - 1:00PM. You must register for the event. Ten people are needed per shift. Sign up is on a first-come basis. MANNA is located at 2323 Ranstead Street , off 23rdSt. in Philadelphia  (between 30th Street and Suburban Stations)

  Click here to register for next MANNA date on April 20.  
 
For more information, contact Marie Klaer at   [email protected].