connection - wccr · hosted by michale gabriel in bosques de doña rosa, cariari, belén contact...
TRANSCRIPT
WCCR Connection January-February 2016b 1
do something to “make the
world more beautiful.”
Little Alice promises that she
will. She grows up, goes to work
in a library, travels to faraway
places (she is now called “Miss
Rumphius”), and when she is old
she builds her house overlooking
the sea. It is there that Miss
Rumphius discovers that she can
fulfill her promise to her grandfa-
ther. She begins planting lupine
seeds – purple, blue and rose-
colored – “along the country
lanes and the highways, behind
the church and the schoolyard
and along the rock walls.” The
next spring there were lupines
Issue
January-February
2016
Connection
Upcoming Events ................. 3
Monthly News ..................... 4
Our Newest Interest Group .. 5
Interest Groups .................... 6
Jan & Feb Events .................. 7
New Members ..................... 8
January 30: West Social
February 6: North Social
February 11: General Meeting
March 16: March Luncheon
Mark Your Calendar
Inside This Issue
Ileana
Diane
Joan Mary Jo
Sylvia
Lisa F.
Anne
Michale
Pamela
Lisa A.
Grace
Fátima
For complete names and board and advisory positions, see page 2. Not pictured: Diana Fox and Tricia Shultz.
By Michale Gabriel
Greetings from the Prez
Hi, WCCR Members and Amigos,
The Board and Advisory are
delighted to welcome you to the
first issue of Connection for 2016!
We are excited about this year
and the possibilities that it holds
for our members and our commu-
nity.
One of my favorite children’s
books is Miss Rumphius by Barbara
Cooney. A little girl named Alice
tells her grandfather that when she
grows up she wants to be just like
him. She wants to travel to fara-
way places and when she gets old
she wants to “live in a house over-
looking the sea.” He tells her that
is all fine and well but there is a
third thing she must do. She must Continued on page 2.
WCCR Connection January-February 2016b 2
Voting Members
President .................................... Michale Gabriel
First Vice President ........................... Lisa Aspinall
Second Vice President ....................... Lisa Foulger
Treasurer ...................................... Pam Rutledge
Recording Secretary ............................. Diana Fox
Communications Coordinator .... Diane Blomgren
Vocal – Membership ......................... Joan Boyce
Vocal – Interest Groups ................. Ileana Borbón
Vocal – Fundraising .......................... Tricia Shultz
Non-Voting Members
Fiscal (Monitor) .............................. Sylvia Prince
Alternate Fiscal ......................... Grace Woodman
Advisory Committee
Elena Austermühle ................... Scholarships Chair
Mary Jo Miller ................... Scholarships Co-Chair
Anne Kreupeling ........Schoolbooks for Kids Chair
Cyndy Vorih .................. Adviser to the President
Fátima Santos ........................... Strategic Planning
WCCR Connection is published monthly by the
Women’s Club of Costa Rica.
Editor: Diane Blomgren
Contributing Writers: Ileana Borbón, Lisa Foulger,
and Michale Gabriel
Contact: [email protected]
Mission
The Women’s Club of Costa Rica
is a social and philanthropic organization
supporting personal growth
and advancement of
women and young people
through scholarships and
other educational opportunities.
growing everywhere. She had done something to
make the world more beautiful.
Your 2016 Board and Advisory with your help is
committed to making our Costa Rica world “more
beautiful.”
One way we are doing that is by introducing an
exciting new interest group, “Discover Costa Rica”
led by Board member Ileana Borbón. This group
will be hosting day tours throughout the year. It's a
great way to get to know Costa Rica, its culture and
people and each other! Look for Ileana’s detailed
description and fun-filled photos on page 5.
Our neighborhood socials are filling our January
and February months, and then on March 16th, we
host our traditional March luncheon with a new
twist and in a new location at the Wyndham Herra-
dura Hotel in Cariari. For more information see
page 3. We hope you’ll plan to attend!
In the coming months, we will be exploring new
volunteer efforts in the community which will allow
us to expand our range of impact. And of course,
we will continue our very successful fundraising ef-
forts enabling us to change the lives of so very many
deserving young people.
We are a club of extraordinary women (and
men)! Working together, we are in for an extraordi-
nary year!
The Board and I look forward to working with
you, planting seeds of possibility for the future.
In friendship,
Michale Gabriel, President, 2016
Continued from Page 1
Greetings from the Prez
WCCR Connection January-February 2016b 3
Build your own sundae and enjoy a coffee
cocktail! Bring your children and grandchildren
for storytelling and face painting!
Hosted by Michale Gabriel in
Bosques de Doña Rosa, Cariari, Belén
Contact Michale at 4702-0914 to
R.S.V.P. and request a map if needed.
Mark Your Calendar!
Upcoming Events
Wednesday, March 16th, 11 a.m.
Wyndham Herradura Hotel, Cariari
Join us for an inspirational, fun-filled garden party!
Make the world more beautiful (or outlandish!) by wearing a spring hat!
And bring a packet of seeds (flowers or vegetables) to share.
See a board member for a ticket or email [email protected].
Contests and surprises!
March Luncheon
SATURDAY, JANUARY 30th
3:00 p.m. in CIUDAD COLÓN
Please join us at Grace Woodman’s house
for the West Side Social.
West neighborhood members, please bring a
boca, some wine or your favorite drink.
Contact Grace at 2249-1208 to request a map
if needed. She’ll need to give your name
to the guard at the gate.
North Neighborhood Social
WEST NEIGHBORHOOD SOCIAL
Ice Cream Social for Members,
Their Families, and Guests
Saturday, February 6th
1:30 - 4:00 p.m. Cariari, Belén
NEW DATE Tickets:
₡ 13,000
WCCR Connection January-February 2016b 4
Beginning with our next general meeting in April,
the meeting fee will be ₡3,000 rather than ₡2,000.
This is necessary in order keep up with the increasing
rental cost for meeting spaces. At ₡2,000, we were
losing money. We hope you will agree that it’s better
not to lose money!
The 2016 Women’s Club Directory will be
available for members at our March 16th luncheon.
About the Club, Board and Members
Monthly News
The Board of Directors of The Women's Club of
Costa Rica is calling an extraordinary general meeting
to be held at the location of Casa LTG (the Little
Theatre Group) at 27 Calle Rolex in San Rafael de
Escazú (directions below).
The purpose of this meeting is:
To approve the change of the Club’s address of
record in Article II of The Women’s Club of Costa
Rica Constitution.
To approve the change of wording of Article XVII
and XIX(E), which is the composition of the Board
of Directors and duties of same.
To confirm that the Board of Directors has the
authority to sell the property inherited by the club
from the Liane Villegas estate.
Please plan to attend this very important meeting.
From Plaza Rose (where Citibank is) in San Rafael de
Escazú, go 300 m southeast. Bear left (east) at Koala
School and continue 50 m. Look for black gate on left.
There will be a watchman to assist with parking and the
gate will be open.
Adele Lurie lost her husband Juan Salinas in
late December. He was an avid biker and
outdoor enthusiast. While biking one day, he
suffered a heart attack. We send our sympathies to
Adele.
Cindy Marshall’s husband, David, who had
health problems for quite a while, passed
away in mid-December. Cindy is a native of
San Francisco and worked for the Club in two
important capacities: she was the Interest Group
Chair for several years and also headed our
campaign for acquiring directory ads. In addition
to her work for the WCCR, she is a Francophile
and was a member of Le Cercle Francophone
interest group. We extend our condolences to
Cindy.
Ellie Hughes, a former member of The
Women’s Club, passed away on Thursday,
January 21st at Hospital México. She went in to
have surgery but died of complications due to a
blood clot in her lung. Ellie was 78 years old and
will be missed. We send our prayers and best
wishes to her family.
Cate Merriman will be moving to the
United States in April. She’s selling a car,
furniture, household items. If interested,
please call her at 4031-2876.
There is no school-
book or scholarship re-
port this month because
of vacation (and lack of
space). We’ll resume in
February. A Happy Student with
Her New Schoolbook
WCCR Connection January-February 2016b 5
By Ileana Borbo n, Interest Group Leader
Our Newest Interest Group, “Discover
Costa Rica,” Visits Cerro de la Muerte
On January 13th
, sixteen WCCR members trav-
eled by private bus to El Cerro de la Muerte with
Costa Rican Sun Tours’ knowledgeable and fun-
loving guide, Pedro. We had a wonderful
time! Pedro gave us a lot of information about Cos-
ta Rica and about how the Cerro de la Muerte
communities are organized. We enjoyed panoramic
views and took lots of photos of the beautiful hum-
mingbirds.
At Paraiso Quetzal Lodge we enjoyed coffee
and homemade bread and a talk by Jorge Serrano,
who is the third generation of his family to be
working in tourism. They have promoted commu-
nal training programs to make this area a special
place to observe a variety birds and actually spot
the elusive quetzals while walking early in the
mornings.
In the Siberia cloud forest, we met Martin and
Silvia Salazar who have raised 10 children – six of
their own and four nephews. They produce black-
berry wine and cultivate shiitake mushrooms. Mar-
tin and his family have worked together to create a
successful and sustainable eco-friendly business. In
2008 a specialist from Bhutan taught Martin the tra-
ditional way the Bhutanese produced this mildly
fragrant mushroom. Martin showed us how they
grow the mushrooms by boring holes into oak
limbs, filling them with spores, sealing the holes
with paraffin wax, and then
placing the limbs in a dark-
ened shelter to grow. The
mushrooms they produce
are incredible. We enjoyed
a delicious Costa Rican
lunch with the Salazars, fea-
turing picadillo de papaya
verde (green papaya), pica-
dillo de arracache (Peruvian
carrot), and picadillo de
papa (potato) with achiote,
all lovingly prepared on a wood stove by Silvia Sal-
azar and her family.
Thanks to our tour guide Pedro, the places we
visited and the people we met, our first WCCR Dis-
cover Costa Rica interest group tour was a huge
success. All of us had a wonderful time, sharing our
common interest in people and culture. We were
happy to support the cloud forest communities by
buying some of their special products.
After this great experience, we are organizing
our next tour!
Next Tour Date:
Wednesday, March 2nd
Watch for reservation de-
tails in Connection and special
emails
Contact Ileana Borbón for
more information at:
ileana.borbon@
gmail.com.
WCCR Connection January-February 2016b 6
Contact [email protected] to learn about interests groups in general.
Interest Groups
Cinema Fans This group explores all genres of film
and it's a great way to enjoy new titles that
might have escaped your must-see list! The
group meets on the third Tuesday of the
month from 11:00 to 2:30 at the home of
Bonnie Murry in Escazú. Giselda Bazán leads the
group. For more information, please send an email to
Creative Cooking This talented group of innovative
food lovers learns to make interesting dishes
from local products that will delight your
family and dazzle your guests! You leave
every class with new recipes to add to your
repertoire. Meetings are on the first Wednesday of
each month. Leaders: Cyndy Vorih and Grace
Woodman. Call Grace at 2249-1208 for more details.
Discover Costa Rica This is our newest interest group.
The plan is to have a day trip every two
months to interesting but little-known
destinations so that members can get to
know Costa Rica – and each other –
better. Next trip will be to Sarchí, Chayote Lodge and
Cañuela Coffee Tour For more information, contact
Ileana Borbón, [email protected] or
2231-7847.
Le Cercle Francophone French speakers
from France, the United States, Canada,
Costa Rica, England, Argentina, Norway
and Morocco meet at a restaurant usually in the
Sabana area, Escazú, or Santa Ana on the last
Wednesday of each month. Please contact Ileana
Borbón for more information at 2231-7847 or
Paraiso Book Group This group of raucous, fun
-loving and dedicated book enthusiasts meets
in Cariari on the first Friday of the month from
9:45 to noon at the home of Group Leader
Michale Gabriel in Cariari, Belén. Each member takes
a turn selecting a book for the group to read and
leads the discussion. They have built a deep sense
of community by dedicating a segment of each
meeting to sharing about their lives. For more
information, contact Michale at 6099-9229 or
Visual Arts Group This group of art
enthusiasts tours local galleries and
attends art openings, and then enjoys
lunch at a nearby restaurant. Group
meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month at
11:00 a.m. On February 23rd
, they’ll be meeting at
the Weronika Nossowicz International private
gallery in Barrio Amón to see the fine art works,
discuss art restoration and see examples of
restoration in progress. Contact Group Leader
T r i c i a S h u l t z a t 4 0 3 4 - 0 1 1 0 o r
West Side Stories Book Group This book
club meets every third Wednesday of every
month at 9:30 at Mary Alice Lesko’s home
in Santa Ana. These bibliophiles often lend
books to one another, have a great lending
library, and the conversation is always stimulating.
New members are always welcome. Contact
S and ra K rau se fo r more i n fo a t
Writers’ Group This year our Writers’
Group is going to start the year with a
focus on memoir writing, so ladies,
now's your chance to put your family
memories to paper (or screen) with the support of
fellow members. The group meets the third
Thursday of every month 9:45 until noon in the
library of Verdeza, a retirement center in Escazú.
Coffee, tea and cakes are provided. If you want
feedback on other writing, please feel free to bring
it. Contact Group Leader Andrea Jensen at
[email protected] or 8706-4611 for more
details.
WCCR Connection January-February 2016b 7
January and February Events
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
24 25 26 27
10 a.m. East
Social
28 29 30
3 p.m. West
Social
31 1 2 3
Creative
Cooking
4 5
9:45 a.m.
Paraiso Book
Group
6
1:30 p.m. North
Social
7 8 9 10 11
10 a.m.
Extraordinary
Meeting
Casa LTG
12 13
14 15 16
11 a.m. Cinema
Fans
17
9:30 West Side
Stories Book
Club
18
9:45 Writers’
Group
19 20
21 22
23
11 a.m. Visual
Arts Group
24
Le Cercle
Francophone
25 26 27
28 29 1 2
Discover Costa
Rica Tour
3 4 5
Coming Soon:
March Luncheon
Wednesday, March 16th
WCCR Connection January-February 2016b 8
us with reading glasses! The new changes may
take some getting used to, but I hope you’ll feel
that they are positive.
Best,
Diane Blomgren
Editor and Communications Coordinator
New Members
Ana Vitoria Ramírez (North). Address: 125 m
south, Tres Marias, Buenos Aires, Palmares,
Alajuela. Telephone: 2452-0887 and 8886-9555.
Email: [email protected]. She is Costa
Rican and is an English teacher at INA. Her
personal interest is painting, and she would like to
help the club with the Scholarship Program and is
willing to help with translating.
Jasmine Quere (Roberto) (West). Address: Barreal
de Heredia, La Guácima. Telephone: 8367-0359;
email [email protected]. She is formerly from
France and has lived in Costa Rica for 25 years.
She is participating in Le Cercle Francophone.
Karla deBeer (Leopold) (West). Address: Hacienda
Lindora Casa #23, Santa Ana. Telephone: 2003-
0391 and 8916-0254; email: [email protected].
She is previously from Los Angeles and has lived
here for seven and a half years. She is interested in
the University Scholarship Program and the annual
major fundraising event, and is willing to help with
telephoning, registration, and greeting.
Lucinda Gray Ph. D. (David Truslow) (West).
Address: Condominio el Monasterio, Escazú.
Telephone: 2228-2041 and 8704-8395; email:
[email protected]; formerly from Los
Angeles, Lucinda has lived in Costa Rica for 10
years and is a private practice psychologist. Her
special interests are writing and she would like to
participate in a book club.
Marlene Kennedy (Joe) (West). Address: San
Antonio de Belén. Telephone: 4702-8672 and 8683-
8980; email: [email protected]. She and her
husband, Joe, have lived in Costa Rica for eight
months. Her interests are dancing and helping with
meetings and neighborhood gatherings.
Mary Floeder (West). Address: Monestara 600 m
sur, Condominio el Monasterio, Casa
#2, Escazú. Telephone: 6043-5297;
e m a i l m f l o e d e r @ gm a i l . co m .
Formerly from Minnesota, she has
lived in Costa Rica for eight months.
Her interests are reading, hiking,
cooking, wine, and travel. She’s interested in being
involved with the Schoolbook Program and is willing
to share her computer skills with the Club. She
would like to join the West Side Stories Book Group.
Pati Arauz (North). Address: De la entrada a Buena
Vista, 400m sur, Barva. She can be
reached at 2237-8788, 8406-5692,
and by email at [email protected].
She is Costa Rican and enjoys,
reading, knitting and cooking. She
has special skills in group facilitation,
translating, and is willing to help
with meeting registration and greeting, as well as
organizing neighborhood gatherings.
Joe Kennedy (Marlene). Address: San Antonio de
Belén. Telephone 4702-8672 and 8429-3987; email
I’m sure you noticed that your monthly news-
letter has a new design. It’s part of the new
board’s efforts to create branding – specific colors
and fonts that identify WCCR materials. We’ve
chosen Maiandra font for its distinctive look that’s
both attractive and readable. I’ve also tried to
keep all text 12 point size or bigger to help all of