Upcoming Events
May 28, 2010
The Inn at Ragged Gardens
5:30 - 8:00 p.m.
July 20, 2010
Power of the Purse Luncheon
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Greetings, High Country Women!
May has been
a fantastic month for HCWF. We enjoyed seeing all the smiling faces at our HCWF Spring Social at Boone Golf Club on May 5. The Mother's Day POP Shoppe was a huge success with record numbers of guests and volunteers. Thank you to everyone who came out for this wonderful event. Mark your calendars, the Power of the Purse Luncheon is July 20, 2010. Invites will be sent out in two weeks! RSVP soon as the space is limited!
Sincerely,
High Country Women's Fund
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Power of the Purse Luncheon- Volunteer Opportunity
| | POP is BACK!
Save the date: Tuesday, July 20, 2010
The work of the High Country
Women's Fund is supported by donations and fundraising events. The major event,
the Power of the Purse Luncheon, is scheduled for July 20, 2010 at the Blowing Rock
Country Club from 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. The proceeds from the event will be allocated to local area
agencies through grants.
Do you want to help? Where do YOU fit in? Give us a call or send us an email! We will be addressing invitations June 7, 8 and 9 and would love YOUR HELP. This is a fun way to get involved and to get to know other women working for our cause.
There are three shifts each day from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.; 12:00 - 4:00 p.m.; 4:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Join us at the Appalachian Enterprise Center if you would like to help.
Appalachian Enterprise Center:
130 Poplar Grove Connector
Boone, NC 28607
Please email us at info@highcountrywomensfund.org or call 828.264.4007 if you have questions or would like to sign up for a shift.
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Mother's Day "POP" Shoppe Service Project
| | Saturday, May 8, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
at the Unique Boutique
On Saturday May 8, 2010, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.,
the High Country Women's Fund sponsored its third annual Mother's Day POP
Shoppe. Clients from local area agencies and their children were invited to the
Unique Boutique in Boone for a day of shopping. Approximately 2,000
items were donated for the event, and the Doncaster Outlet of Boone provided
the space to store the items during the collection period. Each invited guest
received a voucher for three outfits for herself and her children. All the
clothes, bags and jewelry were donated by members from High Country Women's Fund and
the community. While the parents shopped, the children were entertained by
volunteers and by the Children's Council's learning mobile learning van, Myrtle
the Turtle. The children were also encouraged to make a Mother's Day card, as
well as pick out a present for their moms from the secret gift table and take
it to the wrapping station. Some children who were too shy to do that were
helped by volunteers.
During the course of the day, the moms and their children, along
with members from High Country Women's Fund and associated agencies, expressed their gratitude
for the fund. Kelly, one of the moms, said that "she was looking forward to
opening her gift on Sunday." When asked what he thought of the selection of
Mother's Day gifts, the 17-year old son of another mom predictably said:
"cool." Bobbi, one of the
volunteers said that for her the event was special because "the children get a
chance to give." Robin, from one of the agencies, noted that the women's fund
help her agency pay for childcare while the moms studied for their GED. All in
all, the POP Shoppe and Mother's Day event allowed the members of the women's
fund, the invited guests and their children, along with the members of local
area agencies to enjoy a carefree day in the sun.
(An excerpt from an article by Rosemary Horowitz: used by her permission.)
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Upcoming events: The Inn at Ragged Gardens
| | WHEN: Friday, May 28
TIME: 5:30 - 8:00 p.m.
WHERE: The Inn at Ragged Gardens
Join us THIS FRIDAY at The Inn at Ragged Gardens in Blowing Rock for a night outside on the lawn. The Harris Brothers will be setting the mood for a relaxing experience outside. There will be a cash bar and a lawn menu for the guests. Bring a chair or a blanket and have some fun!
A big THANK YOU to Rob Dyer, owner, who has invited HCWF to be present during this event and share our mission with other guests. The evening begins at 5:30 and will end around 8:00. Join us to show your support and enjoy a beautiful evening outside!
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Radiating Generosity - Another story of success
| Sharon Malone is an extraordinary woman. She comes from
Delaware originally and replanted herself in our mountains some four years ago. Shortly after her move, both of her parents passed away. She was having
emotional stress coping with those losses, which in turn created stress in her
marriage. She decided to bring her three children to the High Country believing
she had a place to rent from a dear friend. It turned out it had already been
rented. She found support from OASIS and stayed in the shelter for about six weeks
until an apartment opened up in March of 2007.
In July 2007, Sharon was accepted into the Lees-McRae New
Opportunity School for Women, a three-week program supporting women in developing
empowerment skills and researching possible careers. When they asked her what
she wanted to do with her life, she stated she desired to work outdoors. The
program brought in a representative from Caldwell Community College who shared
information on the Associate of Applied Science Degree where she could choose
to major in Landscaping Gardening. She applied, and was accepted.
Jane Lentz, the financial counselor for Caldwell Community
College at that time, recognized that Sharon would benefit from financial
support. She discerned that funding from the
High Country Women's Fund would provide the opportunity to
contribute to her summer classes for two semesters so that she could
complete her degree in two years. She was on a roll and felt stimulated to move
forward. Sharon completed her degree in December 2009 and is in deep gratitude
to the High Country Women's Fund for supporting her in reaching her educational
goals.
Since completing her Associate's Degree, Sharon has chosen
to continue her education. She is working towards her Environmental Educator
Certificate. One of the requirements was to plan and implement a community
project educating others as part of the implementation. She serendipitously met
the director of the Kwanza Family Inn, a shelter in Lenoir for homeless women
and children.
The director invited Sharon to plan and implement her garden
at the Kwanza Family Inn, teaching both the women and children staying there
how to garden. They started by collecting soil samples to evaluate the nutritional
status, built eight raised beds, ten feet by four feet in three days and then
planted tomatoes, squash, potatoes, strawberries, cucumbers, corn and green
peppers. Those living at the Inn will continue to maintain the garden and reap
the harvest. If families residing at the Inn find a home, they are welcome to
return and gather the produce as well.
During the six-week period Sharon worked, she often times
brought her three children, ages 17, 15 and 13 to help with the project. They
also wanted to give back to the community since they had been supported by OASIS
during their six-week period of homelessness. They helped the children paint
rocks and seashells to add to the garden décor.
Three years ago Sharon was emotionally and financially
stressed, had low energy and was working in dead end jobs. Today, she is
reunited with her husband and supporting him in obtaining his GED. Her son,
fifteen at the time, became inspired by his mother when she made the choice to
get an AA Degree; he entered the auto technical program and is currently
attending Caldwell Community College through the Watauga High School Program.
Sharon is a member of the National Honor Society. In her
last semester she made straight A's. She shared, "I'm not so stupid after all."
Sharon has not only learned from her academic classes, she has also learned
from her experiences. During an internship, she was told that she is able to see what is needed ahead of time and
to simply do what is necessary to
get the job done. She has learned that it is okay to ask for support and also how to receive it
graciously. She also knows the value of education and is passing that on to the
rest of her family.
One of the most important lessons that Sharon recognizes is
the value of giving. As she says, "I love to give." She has donated items to
the Sexual Abuse Shelter in Lenoir and taken part in a community educational
program about sexual abuse. She just returned from Honduras where she
volunteered with other Trio Program members, a support program for first generation
students that helps build houses by placing mortar on handmade bricks.
Sharon Malone is high energy, is very enthusiastic about
her future and in gratitude for all the support she has received along the way.
May we all be inspired by her radiating generosity.
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...from the inside out
| by June
Windle Bare
Enjoy life
from the inside out.
It works far better
than casting about
to find some spark
in fun or fame,
or look for joy
in all the wrong places,
when all the time
it's mine to claim.
Indeed, it is
a gift of graces.
Such joy is not
what I create.
It grows within
to radiate
when all is dark
and burdens grow.
I have a joy
that may not bubble,
but yet it's there
and then I know
it supersedes
my time of trouble.
This gift is never
mine to hoard,
nor cover it up
to be ignored.
Perhaps my trademark
joy could be
if I'd share my joy
with some sad brother
so he could smile...
his sorrow flee
as we share joy
with one another.
"Enjoy life from the inside out." From article by Teri Wiggans
in All About Women, May 2010; used by permission.
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