October 2007

Dear Sisters,

Autumn has officially dawned on Europe (although for some it might have felt as if this hit in early August already!). It might not be warm outside anymore, but at least the leaves on the trees are turning into all sorts of beautiful colors. Autumn always seems to be a busy time for everyone, and for the EAC, this seems to be especially true at the moment!

Fond Farewell

Deborah Bronner-Westerduin, our EAC Co-President, has decided to take on a new job in Corpus Christi, Texas. This wonderful opportunity for Deborah and her husband Wouter will require them to move in mid-November, a few days after she returns from the Annual Meeting! Deborah will fortunately still be in attendance at the Annual Meeting after all the energy she has put into planning the weekend’s events. She will also remain an active member in the chapter from stateside. A personal message from Deborah will be highlighted in the winter edition of the SKattered Sigmas newsletter.

Paris, here we come!

Preparation for our milestone event in Paris is currently at its high point, with plans being made for the content of the meeting and the ceremonies, weekend logistics, and meal choices, to name just a few things. On Friday and Sunday we will be with a recordbreaking 37 ladies (!), and on Saturday, 33 sisters will be attendance. This is an amazing turnout for our 10th Anniversary Celebration and we cannot wait to see everyone there. To finalize a number of details for the event, both attendees and non-attendees of the weekend can expect a number of e-mails, and have in fact, already received some Annual Meeting related mail from us recently. Please keep a look out in your inbox for EAC mail and please respond to us in timely fashion. We would very much appreciate it.

Paris non-attendees can expect requests/information on the following:

• Proxy assignments (sent 25 Sept., reply due 21 Oct.)
• Input request for meeting discussion topics (sent 30 Sept., reply due 6 Oct.)
• Slate of Officers 2008 (sent 8 Oct., reply due 14 Oct.)
• Membership List updates (sent 8 Oct., reply due 21 Oct.)
• E-voting items / proxy confirmation (will send ASAP, reply due 21 Oct.)
• Spirit of Sisterhood Award (will send ASAP, reply due 21 Oct.)

Paris attendees can expect requests/information on the following:

• Input request for meeting discussion topics (sent 30 Sept., reply due 6 Oct.)
• (Pre-) Annual Weekend attendee information (sent 30 Sept., reply due 6 Oct.)
• Slate of Officers 2008 (sent 8 Oct., reply due 14 Oct.)
• Membership List updates (sent 8 Oct., reply due 21 Oct.)
• Annual Weekend information pack (will send mid Oct.)
• Spirit of Sisterhood Award (will send ASAP, reply due 21 Oct.)

Upcoming EAC Events

Day Trip to Hampstead - Hampstead, England (October 20 or 21, 2007)

Wander through Hampstead Heath with Jaime Flamand and Jean Pedigo. Both sisters in Hampstead have offered to host a Saturday or Sunday wander through this historic area, followed by lunch at a local pub with outdoor seating, weather permitting.

Please e-mail Donna de Wick at donna.dewick@gmail.com if you are interested with your preference for dates.

Annual Meeting and 10th Anniversary Celebration - Paris, France (November 9-11, 2007)

As everyone is aware, the EAC Annual Meeting and 10th Anniversary Celebration weekend is only one month away! Just so that you know, it is not too late to sign up! You can still join other Sigma Kappas for this celebration of sisterhood! Interested? Please contact us; the final deadline is Sunday, October 21st, 2007. Further specifics on the weekend are being mailed directly to those sisters who will definitely be in attendance.

Christmas Market Magic - Strasbourg, France (December 2007)

Crystal White is planning a trip to a French Christmas market this year, in the first or second week of December. Crystal is hoping to take us to the beautiful city of Strasbourg (near the French-German boarder)! The Christmas market in Strasbourg is one of the largest in France, and in its 431st year, one of the oldest. The setting of the market, in front of the Strasbourg Cathedral, is said to be beautiful! A specific date still needs to be determined, but those interested can already e-mail Crystal.

Jingle Bell Rock - Christmas Party in London, England (December 2007)

In December there will a Christmas party in London hosted by Donna de Wick. Location, date and time are still to be determined. All ladies interested in joining in on the Sigma Christmas spirit should e-mail Donna.

Recent EAC Events

Weekend in the Venice of the North - Bruges, Belgium (September 15-16, 2007) In mid September, Tessa Visser, Crystal White, Teri Centner, and Deborah Bronner- Westerduin spent two days of (chocolate) shopping, eating and sightseeing in the “Venice of the North”! Crystal writes: “Although there were only four of us in attendance that just meant more fun for the people who were there! And, luckily, everyone was willing to go with the flow, nothing seemed to keep to the original plan, but the beautiful scenery was enough to keep all of us engaged.”

Philanthropy: 5k Run through Hyde Park - London, England (September 16, 2007)

Donna de Wick and Athena Tsiokris participated in the Flora 5k Run through Hyde Park on September 16th. This was to replace the London Memory Walk (which supports the Alzheimer’s Society in the UK). They had a great time and great weather while working hard towards one of our sorority’s main philanthropies. Athena even wore a Sigma Kappa shirt! Good job ladies!

As we mentioned in our previous message, September 21st marked World Alzheimer’s Day. The slogan this year was ‘No time to lose!’ This slogan was chosen with the aging populations around the world in mind, as dealing with the diseases that are most common in old age is becoming more and more urgent. How we as the EAC can be more involved in this important cause is one of the discussion topics for the Annual Meeting in Paris.

Sigma Kappa’s Here and There

On September 22nd, Gina Wills and her husband Tim celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary at their home in Italy with 100 of their closest friends. Congratulations on this milestone Gina, and here’s to ten more years of marital bliss!

Alisa Jordan, Jaime Flamand, Athena Tsiokris and Liz Burke met up on September 25th in London’s Leicester Square for dinner and to see Liz’s husband’s band play at The Comedy. Sounds fun!

Lindsey Jones and Neil Lewis got married during a small wedding ceremony on the island of Kaua'i in Hawaii on October 6th! Their reception will follow later this month. We wish the newlyweds - Mr. and Mrs. Lewis - all the best!

Nikki Camhout recently returned from Washington D.C. where the global Air Chiefs Conference took place. Nikki is on the Executive Board of Directors for the Arnold Air Society/Silver Wings, which met in conjunction with the Air Chiefs Conference. As a side note, Nikki is proud to report that her husband, Kevin, has recently been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel of the United States Air Force.

Last weekend Meredith Wank took part in the Twin Cities Memory Walk. Meredith writes that she participated “with several ladies from the newly formed Sigma Kappa TC Alumni Club (we are not a chapter yet). I thought I'd send along a picture from the walk, to prove we actually exist. Over 3000 people participated and I think we raised something like $150,000 for Alzheimer’s.” Great job, Meredith!

Sigma Babies!

Congratulations to Wendy Thresher who had a baby boy – Wil Jameson Schultz – on August 2nd. Wendy says: “I am slowly getting the hang of this motherhood thing, I am a rookie for sure, but I am learning a lot everyday. I have some great books that have really helped.” We wish Wendy and Wil all the best! Below is a picture of Wil resting with mom after his first bath.

Stephanie Sarles would like to share with her EAC sisters that she was recently in the hospital for a week because her new baby wanted to greet the world a bit prematurely!!! Stephanie must now have bed rest until October 17th, after which she will be able to give birth to her daughter, Lanie. Stephanie writes that Lanie will be fine, despite that she will be born a few weeks earlier than expected. We wish Stephanie and her husband all the best the next few weeks.

On October 18th, Missy McCurry’s first baby is due! Best wishes to Missy as she counts down to the big day!

Amy Philips – our Alumnae District Director – is expecting her second child on October 26th! Good luck Amy, with the last few weeks of your pregnancy!

Fall News from Delta Psi

Elizabeth Leeman, the VPAR at Delta Psi, recently sent us the following:

“Greetings from the Delta Psi Chapter! We are off to another semester, and a busy one at that. We have just finished fall recruitment and have received a great group of 20 new members. The interest parties we held all turned out amazing. We did a Beach theme where we all wore Sundresses, tropical prints, sarongs. Another party was a "Sig Kap Cookout", which was Very Causal, wearing jeans, summer dresses etc. Our last party was a Tinsel Town (Old Hollywood Glamour) theme and we all wore black dresses and fun jewelry. Bid day was this past weekend. We had a big picnic outside and luckily we had beautiful fall weather. I hope all is well with the European Alumnae chapter and give our regards to everyone.”

Newsletter Requests and Submissions

Magi Boogaard, our Newsletter Editor, will be moving back to the United States at the end of the year. Fortunately, it looks like she will be working on the last issue of SKattered Sigmas before she goes, as she is currently on the lookout for pictures and other Newsletter ideas!

Magi kindly requests the following:

“Please send us pictures, pictures, pictures!!! There are lots of festivals around Europe taking place at the moment, like Oktoberfest. Also, Sigma Spottings are getting national attention… so keep them coming!”

The next newsletter is due to go to press after the Annual Meeting, so there is still time to submit any items to Magi.

Membership List Updates

Our VP of Membership, Gina Wills, is trying and update our membership list (sent with this message to members only) before the Annual Meeting. Gina writes the following:

Dear Sisters,

We want to make sure that our membership list is as accurate as possible in time for our November meeting. To further this purpose, please mail me back at gina@pollyglot.it with the following information about yourself:

Name:
Address:
Phone number(s):
E-mail address:
Personal website [something new!]:
Year you pledged Sigma Kappa:
University:
Birth date:
Year you became an EAC member [something new!]:

Please get back to me regarding the above information by Sunday, October 14th. Thank you for your help and I am looking forward to seeing all of you in Paris!

UK Panhellenic News

UK Panhellenic is still seeking a new President. If any UK Sigma Kappas are interested in the role, please contact us ASAP at eac_president@yahoo.com This is a great chance for a lucky lady to plan London events and meet many interesting people in the area, as well as show Sigma Kappas strong involvement in the group! This past year, Panhellenic activity has unfortunately been somewhat low key. The group needs a new President who will bring some new life into the group and to kick things off again!

Donna de Wick will be hosting an evening of UK Panhellenic envelope stuffing at her home in London on Wednesday, October 10th. The event will begin at 7 pm and pizza will be served!

On Monday, November 19th there will be a Panhellenic meeting. This will be held at the home of Dena Lee Crooke, Alpha Chi Omega, in Kensington (London) at 6.30 pm.

Sigma Sisters’ Birthdays

Happy Birthday to…

Gina Wills - Italy (Oct 16)
Kelli Orrela - Finland (Nov 6)
Liz Burke - England (Nov 8)
Debby Hogg - Belgium (Nov 16)
Donna de Wick - England (Nov 17)
Sigrid Skvorc - USA (Nov 21)
Erica Helstrom - Sweden (Nov 24)

Calling all Officers!!!

At the Annual Meeting it will time again to elect new EAC officers for the 2008 year! The 2008 slate has been sent out with this mail so that you can see who has already expressed interest! If you would like your name added to the slate for any of the officer positions, please notify us by Sunday, October 14th.

Just in case you haven’t heard…

In last month’s Virtual Violet, the following exciting news regarding the Sigma Kappa Foundation was presented:

“What if the Sigma Kappa Foundation earned a penny every time you searched the Internet? Well, now it can! GoodSearch.com is a new search engine that donates half its revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. You use it just as you would any search engine, and it's powered by Yahoo!, so you get great results. Just go to www.goodsearch.com and be sure to enter Sigma Kappa Foundation as the charity you want to support. Follow the instruction to add GoodSearch to your browser's tool bar, and make it your search engine of choice! Just 500 of us searching four times a day will raise about $7300 in a year without anyone spending a dime! And, be sure to spread the word.” The EAC Co-Presidents have already added this as the standard search engine on our PC’s… at home and at work!

Also, for those of you who may have missed it… in the Simply Sisterhood section of the Virtual Violet, two of our members are mentioned. Donna de Wick is listed under ‘Sigma Kappa Kudos’ for winning her award at Total (Note: Donna can also be seen under the section entitled: Meet the Alumnae Team). A photo of Donna and a description of the award she won are displayed. Teri Centner submitted a photo from her trip to Italy with Crystal White and Gina Wills (of Birkenstock sandals with hearts on them), which can be found under ‘Symbol and Sister Sightings’.

And finally…

The next monthly message to the chapter will be sent after the Annual Meeting weekend, providing a wrap-up of the events and important highlights! For those of you who sadly will not able to join us, please know that you will be very much missed and that we will be thinking of you. We wish you all a wonderful Founders’ Day!

Love in Sigma,

Deborah Bronner-Westerduin & Tessa Visser
European Alumnae Chapter, Co-Presidents