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Crown Jewels of Canada Society Newsletter
September 2010
Our 14th Newsletter
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Greetings!
My goodness there is so much news again this month. Grab a coffee ladies, there's lots to read! If you don't have time, read it on the plane!! Some have written telling me they love being kept "in the loop" and knowing all that's going on and some say the newsletters are too long. Truth is we're growing and there's a lot happening and lots of information to share and the newsletter is the only way we can reach you. Therefore, I am editing this newsletter to "try" to keep it short but it's still going to be a lot of information. I'm tired, and in a rush - it's the last minute push to make sure everything is ready for your arrival. My head's spinning. The baby is supposed to arrive early! Please no! I can't head off to Alberta this week!!! Many of our Jewels are packing to head to Kelowna. I haven't even had time to think about "what to pack!!" Yikes! Meanwhile, the excitement here is mounting and we can't wait to meet you! We hope that if you're unable to attend you will seriously consider joining us on either our Mexican Riviera cruise or at next years convention in Brandon Manitoba as they celebrate "Fall Harvest." Start saving your pennies! Need transportation? Coast Capri Hotel Shuttle Service - complimentary - operates
5am to 11pm and (as I suggested months ago) - BOOK EARLY! There is only one van.
SHUTTLE - www.kelownashuttle.com - (250)
448-5670 calls accepted only from 8am-6pm $19
per person according to their ad
TAXI
- - Kelowna Cabs http://maps.google.com/?cid=18339502964502240800s=6016231569427874421www.kelowna.ca -
(250) 762-4444 $30 for 2 from airport
to Coast Capri Hotel
TAXI - Kelowna Star Taxi www.kelownastartaxi.com -
(250) 491-5678 Please note, I have received notification from the owner, Michelle that her web site (that we've advertised on our web site) "www.shopredhat.ca" is no longer in business. Someone sent me this web site and I wanted to share it with you... hopefully you're not like me, but I often tend to spill something on my tops, especially if they're new! Check this out for information on stain removal: http://web.extension.illinois.edu/stain/index.cfm It might help! We'd love to hear from you with your chapter news! Either by posting information on the member web site, send it to us for inclusion in one of our monthly newsletters, or post it on the Jewels Message Board. We're always fascinated when a new chapter joins as some of your names are quite unusual so I plan to share with you some background on how they came to have their name. They are quite interesting and I've got a really unusual one coming in October!
Communications with our members is EXTREMELY important to us at the Crown Jewels. Our goal is to be able to reach every member with our monthly newsletters either via direct email or by their Queen printing it out and giving copies to members, or reading all the information at their next gathering. Cooperation at your end is important too! As we enter our second year the Board is making some improvements which we hope will help with communications etc. It's both sad and frustrating when we hear about Queens who don't share our information with their members. Women talk - word gets around. If a Queen withholds information from her members and they hear about it through the grapevine it does cause resentment. We hope we've found a solution.
As we approach our first Anniversary on October 1st I would like to say a huge, from the heart, THANK YOU to each and every one of you for your patience and understanding as we've struggled to put together this wonderful organization. We've made it! Our first year is behind us and it's onward and upward ladies! .... we are women - hear us roar! Give yourselves a pat on the back as without each and every one of you we wouldn't be where we are today! If you're planning a special anniversary celebration don't forget to send us photos and post some on the web site (pick your best 10 to post)!
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IMPORTANT INFORMATION RE FORMS - PLEASE TAKE NOTE
As we enter our 2nd year we're making major changes to our forms which we hope will improve communications with our members and enable them to be more informed. Please do not use any of the older forms. No longer will we accept applications on the older form. We now have just ONE form that works for all: new members, renewing memberships and adding new members.
It's been quite a learning curve for us this first year and we've made some errors and done some great things too. The most important thing is to thank you, our members, for your patience when we do something wrong. We hope, by the use of this new form, to improve communications with our members. All chapters should have received a welcome and a list of your chapter's membership numbers and an invitation to the member's web site, when you joined. If for some reason you didn't, please contact our office. Something you can do yourself is to read through past newsletters as there is a wealth of information in them. Please also feel free at any time to contact your local Provincial Representative for assistance too.
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MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS - 2010 memberships expire December 31st, 2010
2011 Membership fees are due January 1st, 2011 and are valid until December 31, 2011.
In order to reach SNOWBIRDS who will soon be leaving for the south, we will be emailing the membership forms soon. We will now require that each member complete her own membership form. Although it will mean more work for us, we hope it will be of great benefit to our members by improving communications. This should also help chapters who's Queen is a Snowbird and while away may not have access to email to forward the forms and information to her members.
Just a reminder that all libraries do have computers available and it's easy to open a free email account using yahoo, hotmail, gmail etc. (Our local public library where we vacation has 60 computers!) It's our hope that EVERY member will have access to an email address where she can receive our monthly newsletters so that no member is left out and unaware of what is going on within the CJCS.
We now require that each member complete a membership form and that each chapter send ALL the forms and ONE cheque when joining or renewing. We are not set up for individual cheques nor do we have the man(woman) power to do that amount of work Your cooperation is greatly appreciated. |
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NEWSLETTERS - IMPORTANT INFORMATION I feel like a broken record but: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not hit UNSUBSCRIBE or SUBSCRIBE on the newsletter. If you do you will block yourself PERMANENTLY from ever receiving any emails from us at that address. (I know - I accidentally blocked my own email and there is no way to "undo" it. The address we have on file in our data base is where your newsletters are sent. If you are not receiving the newsletter we may not have the spelling correct as often we can not tell a 1 from an L or if you meant - or _ in your email address. Our email communications to our members is done by an automated software program which uploads our data base prior to every mailing. Therefore ALL address changes must go through our office.
If you're the Queen of a chapter, it is your responsibility to ensure that every member of your group is aware of and receiving our monthly newsletters and passing on the information from our mailings to your members without email. We've received some complaints from members that their Queen is not sharing CJCS information with them, including their membership number, about the AGM proxy etc.
Your Board of Directors has been working hard how to improve communications and as a result the new form which we hope will be a major improvement for 2011.
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The Three C's Board Member and Saskatchewan Representative Mary Huber sent this and I thought it worth sharing: The Three C's
CONSIDERATION: (and respect of others)
COMMUNICATION: (sharing information and, discussing issues calmly, in a respectful manner)
CO-OPERATION: (by all to make things work)
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SOMETHING TO SHARE from Vivienne in Nanaimo B.C.
For attractive lips speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure share your food with the hungry.
For poise walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.
People even more than things have to be restored,renewed revived reclaimed and redeemed'
Never throw out anyone.
If you ever need a helping hand you will find one at the end of your arm.
As you grow older you will discover that you have 2 hands!
One to help yourself with and one for helping others. |
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PLANNING AN EVENT THAT IS OPEN TO CHAPTERS
OTHER THAN YOUR OWN?
Please
use the members web site: http://cdnjewels.ning.com That is what it's for ladies, to share information
on a multitude of things including events. Please post a major event (such as a
Provincial event or something open to ALL members across Canada (such as our
CJCS Cruise) under the EVENTS tab. Please
also post your event under the appropriate GROUP for your province if it is
open to any chapter other than your own. If you need to send invitations to other chapters, please contact your provincial representative. She has the master list for her province and can send the invitation for you if it is for all chapters, or provide you with the contact information if it is for just a few of your local chapters. This way if it is for the entire province, it will be coming from the Provincial Rep and therefore be more "official" furthermore, prior to sending the mailing, your Provincial Rep can check with our office to ensure she has the most up-to-date mailing list as we have new members joining daily/weekly and the list is ever-changing. Our office is also here to assist you and the Prov. Reps with mailing to members. |
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Promoting our Orangization is encouraged... but please follow these guidelines:
- Never ever give out your own personal information. Provide only the name of our Society and the web site for general information.www.crownjewelsofcanada.com
- By sending ladies who are interested in our Society to the web site, they will learn something about us before they ask for information, which helps them to know what to ask for. They will have to complete the form on the site to request information. This form asks questions, for information we'd like to know, such as: how they heard about us, who referred them if anyone (so we can thank the member for the referral), etc. By doing this they will know what information to request: info on membership, insurance, ordering pins, etc.
- When hosting a local event, remember to contact your local paper well in advance. Also seniors paper/magazine etc. Tell them the nature of the gathering, the name of the Organization and the name of your chapter, as well as the time, date and location of your gathering. Ask if they will come and take a photo or do a story. (If they do, please send a copy to our office for our archives! Thanks!
- If the media is interested in doing a story ask if they would like a copy of our press release material. If yes, have them contact our office. If you're being interviewed, please don't refer to red hatting in any way. We are not "red hatters". I recently saw an article about us which got totally messed up as the reporter obviously was confused and it was titled "red hatters." This could get you (and/or us) into some hot water with the group south of the border if we are appearing to be calling ourselves red hatters. We are Fun loving JEWELS! |
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JOIN THE JEWELS ON THEIR FIRST CRUISE - Mexican Riviera
The Jewels are setting sail to the Mexican Riviera March 12th, 2011 for 7 days of Fun at sea. We have quite a number of Jewels who are already booked and we're hoping you'll be able to join us!
Contact our office for details. Prices starting at $649. |
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AS WE COME TO THE END OF OUR FIRST YEAR:
It's been quite a ride! As the Director for Saskatchewan, Mary Hubert stated to me recently:
"Yes, we've had some growing pains to get to where we want because after all we are just a year old and look how far we've come! It can only get better as we learn from each other and experiences. Rome was not built in a day and "hiccups" are expected. So what, we must remember to lighten up and not be so serious as this is all about Fun and a chance to laugh at ourselves if we "slip" a little here and there." .
Thank you Mary and thanks to all of our Jewels who've supported us through our first year. Sure we've had some hiccups and maybe slipped up more than we'd wanted on a few things but overall it's been a great year. We've watched as our membership far surpassed our expectations and we've now spread all across Canada with members from British Columbia to Nova Scotia. Some of us have had days of pulling out our hair and then someone phones and says something that makes our day extra special. Just yesterday a Jewel in Penticton called and couldn't say enough wonderful things about what the Crown Jewels means to her and how much she appreciates what we've done for Canadian Women. Thank you for your notes, emails and phone calls showing your support!
It's an unfortunate part of life that we must lose some members along the way too. One member was so proud to be a Jewel that she had us mentioned in her obituary. Another was so proud of the Jewels and spoke so highly of us that her daughter started a chapter in memory of her recently deceased mother, and she and her Jewels in Revelstoke are coming to the convention.
If we bring just a little happiness and Fun into someone else's life, if we can make them laugh and have Fun surrounded by friends, then we've done our job!
Last night lying in bed unable to sleep I thought of my own mother. In her younger days she was movie star beautiful. In my mind she resembled Veronica Lake with dark hair. If only she had something like the Jewels in her life. She died a lonely old woman with a bottle as her friend. I'm not sure if she would ever have been able to find that inner child again and let her out so that she could laugh and have fun. I don't ever intend to be like her "when I'm old" (I've no idea when I 'll ever believe that I AM OLD!!!) Life is for living and my life is all about helping other women so that we can all have fun together!
Yes it's been quite a year - because of you! I thank you with all my heart and send you best wishes for a healthy happy life full of Fun... let us never get old!
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CHAPTER NAMES - Explanations of interest - Do you have an interesting story behind the name of your chapter to share with us?
~ THE STEEPED STELLAS: Well after 4 vodka
coolers you end up with a name like the Steeped Stellas! Tim Hortons was
running this goofy ad where the mom thought saying "steeped" was another way of
saying "cool" or "far out". So we liked that. Said it a lot
in conversations. When we had to change our name we tried to work that
into it. We also believe that "steeped" meant aged or perfected. Plus we
all like to drink tea. Then we stuck the Stellas on the end. Then closer
to the end of the vodka coolers we decided to give each individual member a
"Stella" name.
I ended up with Sloppy Stella. It was going to be "Stupendous Stella" but
the night had a few mishaps thanks to me and the girls changed it on me.
Sloppy Stella (me)
Shopping Stella (Bev - has been known to take a bullet and keep on shopping)
Smirnoff Stella (Karen - what can I say.... Our advisor on wine/spirits/shooters)
Smart Stella ( Alice - does all our calculating as to who owes what - can also
sniff out a bargain within 300 metres)
Sparkly Stella (Penny - just like a crow - will automatically go to anything
that sparkles or shines)
Sassy Stella ( Lesley - our resident keep them laughin with oneliners)
Short Stella ( Mary - although she denies it - she is the shortest)
Snowbird Stella (Alma - we lose her every winter to Phoenix)
Stunning Stella (Shirley - bakes, creates, sews and always stuns us ).
That's the story..... We have had a lot of laughs with our names, but when you
share the same name you sure hang in there together.Jewels having Fun & sharing good times.
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~ Queen Pat reports that ther chapter's
name is: THE ROYAL RUBIES OF CANADA, SUMMERLAND ......(A.K.A.- The RROCS) She and her VQ Sadie both have birthdays in JULY. Our
birthstone is RUBY, and we both like to
ROCK (PARTY). Queen Pat
~ Erith is the Queen of the Amazing Pacesetters. She reports that "a group of ladies and I attend a fitness
program for seniors called fitness for the pacesetters. When I joined this
fitness class I belonged to another group. The ladies in the
fitness class wanted to form their own group and persuaded me to be queen. As
we think of ourselves as pacesetters and we are all amazing. The name came
naturally."
~ We were
discussing names for our newly formed group, and someone mentioned that their
favorite stone was opal, and then one of our ladies with quick wit and a
good sense of humor, blurted out Hopeful Opals. We all burst out in
laughter, and everyone seemed to love it. We had a couple of
other names suggested, voted, and "Hopeful Opals" was
unanimous. It is a real tongue twister!
~ Queen Delphine tells us "Our chapter name is "Mecca
Marvelous Mamaz". The community scholl in our area is called Mecca Glen,
thus the Mecca. We thought we were all pretty marvelous, thus Marvelous (nothing
like blowing your own horn). We are all mother's, thus Mamaz".
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CONNECTING WOMEN ACROSS THE COUNTRY
- You never know who'll you meet, where, when.
- At the first convention hosted in Kelowna in 2006, member Jeanette was on stage when suddenly someone in the audience recognized
her. Jeanette's best friend from high school was also attending the
convention. These two gals hadn't seen each other since their cheer leading days
in high school, we were all witness to a very exciting reunion of two middle
aged ladies laughing and jumping up and down and shrieking with excitement.
- I received a notice from a local
travel agent offering a weekend package to a convention in the USA. I
recognized the name but wasn't sure if that was the agents maiden or married
name but I took a chance and contacted her, asking if she was originally from Toronto.
Interestingly as soon as I asked, she had a hunch it was me! Sure enough it was
a friend I used to ski with 40 years ago! We'd lost contact when she moved
west.
- Just recently a Crown Jewels
in my own chapter was on the Jewels member's web site checking out the members
celebrating birthdays that day when she saw a familiar name. Gail contacted me
asking if I knew this person or where she was from. She had a funny feeling it might
be her pen pal from 50 years ago! It was! I managed to put these two ladies in
touch and they were so excited. Judy told Gail she thought she still had a
photo of them together. The girls were so excited as they both were planning to
attend the Kelowna convention. Unfortunately, Gail had to cancel as she's out of the country and unable to return in time for the convention. Maybe they'll
connect on the cruise or in Brandon in 2011?
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MESSAGE BOARD/FORUM
We are trying the forum/message board on our member's web site. We hope you will stop by and try it out. Let us know if you think it's necessary. Presently we can already message each other on our member's web site which is 100% secure and private. If you like it and use it we'll keep it, otherwise we will delete it. Unlike our web site It is NOT private. Postings can be read by "outsiders" (similar to QMB2) if they should happen to stumble across it so do not post personal information such as your email, phone number, real name or location. We will review the usage and make our decision October 1st. |
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OUR COLOURS AND WHAT THEY MEAN
Red is the warmest of all colors. In China, red is the color of prosperity and joy. Red roses symbolize passionate love.
Red has strong symbolism as life and vitality. It brings focus to the essence of life and living with emphasis on survival.
Put some red in your life when you want:
- increased enthusiasm and interest
- more energy
- action and confidence to go after your dreams
- protection from fears and anxieties
White means kindness and enthusiasm.
White is considered to be the color of perfection.
White means safety, strength, and cleanliness.
The color white heals the body, mind and spirit at all levels.
White represents openness and truth.
White represents new beginnings, fresh starts.
Put some white in your life when you want:
- to clear clutter and obstacles away
- to start a fresh beginning
- to bring about mental clarity
- purification of thoughts or actions
Purple is the color of good judgment. It is said if you surround yourself with purple you will have peace of mind.
Purple has been used to symbolize royalty.
Purple in nature symbolizes delicacy and something precious.
Put some purple in your life when you want:
- to use your imagination to its fullest
- to re-balance your life
- to remove obstacles
- to calm over activity or to energize from depression
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Sending you all warm Royal hugs,
Lynda Millard,
Queen Blabalot, QM of the Divas 'n Diamonds of Kelowna
Founder, President & CEO: CJCS
Contact Information
CROWN JEWELS OF CANADA SOCIETY
P.O. Box 29012,
Okanagan Mission RPO
Kelowna B.C. V1W 4A7
Phone: 250.870.2410 (9-5 PST Mon-Fri.)
E.mail info@crownjewelsofcanada.com |
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