Dear CWR Friends:
In the interest of keeping you informed, the CWR Board of Directors shares highlights of our monthly meetings. The Communicators for Women Religious Board of Directors met in a videoconference on Tuesday, Aug. 4. Jennifer Kaminski and Stephanie Manseau were excused.
Here are the highlights of that meeting:
The meeting opened with a prayer shared by Sister Beth Kress.
July Board meeting minutes were approved.
Executive Team
Chair Eileen Dickerson and Sister Beth Kress will be exhibiting for CWR at the LCWR Assembly in Houston in August. Eileen expressed thanks to the Marketing Committee for their work on the CWR exhibit materials.
Eileen informed the Board that four members have volunteered to fill the openings on the 2016 Board: Sarah Jenkins (Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia, Kansas), Rochelle Cassella (Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities, Syracuse, New York), Dave Eck (Sisters of the Precious Blood, Dayton, Ohio) and Jean Merry (Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi, St. Francis, Wisconsin). Jean Merry previously served on the CWR Board.
Hilton Grant Study Committee
The committee continued work on next steps related to the Strategic Plan that was created as a result of the Hilton Grant study. They are in the process of researching what would be necessary to implement elements of the proposed plan and are preparing a presentation for the full membership at the annual conference in Albuquerque.
Conference 2015
CWR Conference 2015 will be here before you know it! As of Aug. 1, we had 126 registrations! Our room block at the Hyatt is full, and the block at the DoubleTree is 80 percent filled. So, if you are planning to attend but haven’t reserved a room yet, we encourage you to do that soon. Seventy-one members have downloaded the conference APP. We have invited Allen Sanchez, CEO of Catholic Health Initiatives St. Joseph Children, to join us for lunch on Wednesday during the conference and we will also be inviting the Bishop of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe so they can tell us more about Sr. Blandina Segale and the cause for her sainthood. CHI St. Joseph Children petitioned the canonization and is also a major sponsor of this year’s CWR conference. We are looking forward to the presentation!
CWR Conference 2016
Conference logo options were shown to the board with slight variation. The board decided to let the Committee choose, as the differences were minimal. Two presenters are on board: Nancy Sylvester, OSF and Pat Wittberg, SC (Pat is co-author of New Generations of Catholic Sisters). The two evening event options are: Indiana State Museum Tour and Dinner and a tour of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The committee will have a flyer to promote the 2016 conference at this year’s conference in Albuquerque.
Membership Committee
The CWR Membership Committee is seeking help with the 2015 Conference Orientation. Hosts/hostesses assume a “meet and greet” role at the orientation as well as facilitating small group discussions. If you are planning to attend this year’s conference in Albuquerque, have attended at least one previous conference, and would like to help out as a host/hostess, contact one of the Membership Committee Co-Chairs to volunteer: Sister Paulette Gardner, SSA (spg102@hotmail.com) or Paula Schultz (pschultz@ssc2601.com).
The Development Committee has so far raised more than $6,000 from sponsors, exhibitors and advertisers for our 2015 Conference, and continues to pursue leads. There are a few more weeks before the Sept. 1 commitment deadline. If any CWR members have any more suggestions, contact Kate Martin at develop@sanrafaelop.org. And, it’s not too soon to think about joining the Development Committee for the 2016 Conference. Contact Kate if you have any questions about what is involved.
The next Board videoconference meeting will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 15.
Please remember that the benefits you receive as a member of CWR are made possible by an ALL VOLUNTEER Board. CWR can thrive and grow as long as our members volunteer their gifts through Board service.
CWR Board of Directors
Eileen Dickerson, Chair
Sister Angela Szczawinska, CSFN, Vice Chair
Sister Beth Kress, PBVM, Treasurer
Sister Paulette Gardner, SSA
Kathy Gatliff
Julie Gilberto-Brady
Stephanie Hall
Jennifer Kaminski
Stephanie Manseau
Kate Martin
Paula Staisiunas Schultz
Annemarie Sanders, IHM, LCWR Liaison
Carol Schuck Scheiber, NRVC Liaison