April 2024 Connect

Excite. Elevate. Envision.

Ah, Spring… that confusing, tentative time in every Wisconsinite’s life when we’re faced with the inevitable annual struggle: When is it safe to pack away the winter clothes? Mark Twain once said, “In the Spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours.” I’d like to think he was very specifically referring to Wisconsin.

Spring is also that time of year we like to use for that infamous chore we procrastinate during every other season: Cleaning. Ugh.  Just the thought makes me think it’d be easier to brick up the entrance to my basement & have it sealed off forever until a brave archaeologist decides to unearth it a century from now.

Of course, cleaning shouldn’t be limited to just the physical objects that clutter your house & over-fill your closet. You should also remember to de-clutter your mind. I’m sure you’re all thinking, “Listen, if it was just so easy to dump pieces of long-term memory, I’d start with that time I cut my own bangs.” Well, it is said that nothing worthwhile is ever easy, but that doesn’t mean we can’t start with baby steps.

Journal: Take 10-20 minutes each day to write your thoughts, feelings, & experiences down. Write a letter to 8-year-old you or letters to your grandkids to have when they turn 18. Write down your dreams (especially the ones where a clown is chasing you).

Vent: Seriously? Yes! Find that best friend who’s great at listening & doesn’t mind helping you polish off a bottle of wine or a few sleeves of Oreos… or both! Letting things out is a great way of letting things go.

Exercise: Hitting the gym is so 2015. There are a multitude of alternative forms of exercise at your disposal. Even things you do every day or every week, like housecleaning, laundry, cooking, yard work, & home repair can burn calories. Not fun though, right? How about this: Did you know that 1-hour of in-store shopping can burn as much as 260 calories? That Target by your house ain’t gonna shop itself.

Be 5 again: Wait, this is an option? OK, you’re not literally going to become 5, but how about figuratively? Get one of those adult coloring books, the best colored pencils you can buy (no, not the 12-pack; YOU DESERVE THE 72-pack) & spend 30 minutes just nurturing that inner child. Enjoying a juice box & some Teddy Grahams with your quiet time is completely optional.

Of course, I could keep going. The internet is full of suggestions on how to take quality time for yourself. So, while you make it your mission to finally organize the garage this spring, don’t forget that your brain deserves a little love as well.  

Respectfully,

Laura J. Poll

Chapter President

Date: March 5, 2024 - Semi Annual Business Meeting

Buckatabon Tavern & Supper Club

The March Business Meeting was held in Wauwatosa at Buckatabon Tavern and Supper Club. The invocation was delivered by Tina Braley. Our special guest, Heike Heemann, shared "The Power of Connection and Personal Branding" on LinkedIn. Following Heike's presentation, Laura Poll led the business portion of the meeting.

Date: April 2, 2024

Urban Ecology Center

The April meeting began with the invocation by Susan Chipman and provided a tasty meal from Mission BBQ (we do love BBQ). The members then received some hands-on training from Shannon Vick, personal trainer, self-defense instructor, and owner of Iron Fist Fitness. Shannon demonstrated and helped us practice some basic self-defense techniques in a fun and engaging manner!

Our current member stats are as follows:

• Member Firms: 16
• Total Members: 21
• Representatives: 17
• Chapter Life Members: 1
• Sustaining Members: 2
• Individual Members: 1
• Member in Transition: 0



New Member Postings:

• Smart Moves
• Copper Equine Bodyworks

"Work, Grow, and Succeed Together"

Charlie Rosenquist, EWI Corporate President

If you're looking for recruitment tools, look no further than the handy, downloadable documents provided below. Feel free to distribute these to any prospective members who are interested in learning more about EWI. Be sure to have them contact Retention & Recruitment Director, Tina Braley, if they have any membership questions.

And, of course, please continue to invite guests to meetings!

Proud to receive the EWI Chapter of Excellence Award

Let's do it again in 2024!

Tuesday, May 7, 2024

Membership Meeting

5:15 - 8:30 pm

Note the extended time

Wisconsin Club

900 W. Wisconsin Avenue

Firm Recognition Night

Silent Auction

Literacy Award Winners

As always, if you have any ideas for venues or speakers, please email Kimberly Wolverton.

Important Dates for 2024 LCAM in Arizona

Early Bird Registration Now Open

Early Bird Pricing Expires: June 30, 2024

Save $100 on your LCAM Registration

Keynote Speaker: Elizabeth McCormick

www.ewiconnect.com

WHAT IS LCAM?

That is an amazing question. LCAM is 4 days packed with networking events, professional development, & thought-provoking speaker presentations. It is your chance to meet & mingle with EWI members from other cities & states. LCAM also includes a formal award ceremony where exceptional chapters & members are recognized for their achievements & contributions. LCAM concludes with an Annual Meeting where important corporate business is discussed & voted on.

EXPENSES

Of course, there are expenses to consider for LCAM & how those items get paid is up to you & your executive. Expenses include the registration fee, hotel, airfare, & incidentals like any meals not included during the conference. We always encourage attendees to share hotel rooms to lower those costs. When you go to your executive & present your case for attending, it’s good to have a well-thought-out justification for expenses. Please consider using THIS DOCUMENT for help in putting your case together.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Once again, the chapter hopes to offer full or partial scholarships to cover some of the LCAM expenses. Stay tuned for more information on that in the coming weeks.

LCAM RAFFLE BASKET

Every LCAM, each chapter has the option of donating a basket to raffle off to attendees. These baskets often include firm-branded marketing “swag” or promotional items like pens, T-shirts, tumblers, mugs, etc. Chapters may also choose to do more “theme” type baskets based on the city or state the chapter is from. If you have firm items to donate or would like to purchase & donate an item to our basket, please let Laura Poll know. Here is a list of ideas if you were so inclined to purchase items for donation.

Digital Wallet Scam Alert

Accidental deposit scams are on the rise. These scams occur when a cybercriminal “accidentally” sends money to a user’s payment app like Zelle or Venmo. They then message the user, asking them to send the accidental payment back. If the user does interact with the scammer and sends the money back, they might become part of the scammers money laundering scheme where they use these payment apps to take money from hacked bank accounts. Users should resolve these issues with the payment company’s customer service instead of interacting with the potential scammer.

Learn more about our past activities by clicking on the links below. Share with your networks, so they can see first-hand the good work that EWI Milwaukee does for the community.



Volunteering & Philanthropy

ASIST & EWISP

Literacy Initiatives

Operations Fundraising

Also, be sure to check out MyEWI for handy information you can start using NOW in your committees, like their Tool Kits (login required).

We'll also be updating the MyEWI Milwaukee Chapter Group page (login required) with news and resources, so be sure to visit there often. Members can also add their own posts to the chapter page, so you can keep the chapter abreast of what's going on in your world and your committees.

We also have an updated 2023-2024 Roster!

April 17th - Mary Caye Smith

April 19th - Rocky Theisen-Kapp

April 24th - Lori Skerencak

April 25th - Julie Frey

June 6th - Missy Wahlen

June 9th - Missy Monsoor