Getting Ready for a New Year

It's August, and we all know what that means. Even if you aren't in school anymore, it's still back-to-school time. Maybe you have kids, or siblings, or friends who are still in school. Maybe you work at a school. Or maybe your life has nothing to do with school of any sort- but I bet you still get that urge to shop for new clothes, restock your home office supplies, and other activities associated with going back to school. August also means that it's almost time for the Kansas City Alumnae Chapter to start meeting again. Our first newsletter of the year will come out in the next few weeks. If you haven't ever received our newsletter, email us as soon as possible so we can get you added to the list. We mail four newsletters each year: the first newsletter of the season goes out to the entire area's mailing list provided by International. It's approximately 500 women. Because of the expense in mailing this, however, the remaining three newsletters are sent to a smaller list of of women. Our alumnae group gets together to go over the list, which includes any woman who has shown even a glimmer of interest in the group. Perhaps they paid dues a few years ago; maybe they came to one meeting last year; or maybe we only see them at Founder's Day. If you've received our fall newsletter in the past but then never received another, let us know if you'd like to be added to the year-round mailing list. We're happy to add you! Our Vice President of Programs, Jenny, has put together a fantastic lineup of activities this year with help from the board members. Instead of the typical Monday night meeting once a month, we have a variety of things going on at different times in an attempt to appeal to a wider group of women. We still have plenty of activities on Monday nights, but we've added mom-and-kids playdates, girls' night out on a Friday, a night of scrapbooking, and ballgames for the family. Our Monday evening get-togethers will include things from making mosaics to financial planning. And of course we still have the traditional Monday luncheons once a month. We've also been trying to reach out to new women in new ways by taking advantage of the technology world. We've searched inCircle for women in our area and personally emailed them. We've done the same thing on MySpace. And this blog has helped as well, we think. So what are you waiting for? If you've ever thought about becoming involved with the alumnae chapter, now is a great time. We'd love to add new faces and new ideas to our group!