MISSION STATEMENT www.wipgroup.org

The Women of Infinite Possibilities (WIP) is dedicated to touching the lives of a thousand women in a powerful way by providing opportunities for women to build relationships, learn about and support community needs, and explore the ideas and options of their own personal infinite possibilities.

Meetings WIP generally meets on the Third Thursday of the month.

Meeting Place Christwood Retirement Community – 100 Christwood Blvd., Covington, LA 70433 is located south (towards Madisonville) of the River Chase Target Center on Highway 21. Look for the Christwood sign on the left side of Highway 21. Christwood is located at the end of the street.

Cost Members pay $5 at regularly scheduled monthly meetings to cover the meeting costs.  Guests are welcome to attend the first meeting for free. Please come and bring nonperishable food for the Food Bank! Annual membership is only $30! Contact Membership Director Cathy Reams at 985.264.0576 or by email at womeninfinitepossibilities@gmail.com

Standard Meeting Agenda               10 a.m. – 12 noon                   Snacks are provided!

Networking                                                 10-10:30

Business Meeting and Introductions          10:30-11:00

Sponsor and Speaker presentations          11:00-11:45

Q & A and Networking                                11:45-12 noon

Monthly Meeting Sponsor: Our meeting sponsor fee is $25. The sponsor’s name is included in all WIP meeting promotions and the sponsor is encouraged to place promotional materials on each chair. The sponsor also has the opportunity to tell us about her business for five minutes at the meeting! Contact Legacy Director Becki Martin at bionicbecki@gmail.com for details and to sign up!

June Meeting: Thursday, June 16, 2011 10-12

Speaker: Bill Warshauer, WHW Consultants, LLC; Topic: Professional & Business Branding, http://www.bwconsults.com/

Sponsor: Cookie Baxter – Nikken Wellness Consultant

JULY MEETING: Reaching for the Stars Second Annual Women’s Day Out! See special handout!

Thursday, July 21 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Cost: WIP Members – $30 and Guests – $35

August Meeting: Thursday, August 18 – Liz Williams, Founder & President, Southern Food & Beverage Museum in New Orleans!

We are looking for a new Program Director to join the board! Please let a board member know if you’re interested! Dian Lusher: THANKS for bringing us so many wonderful speakers!

Adventures: WIP members attend fun, informative events frequently!

Friday, June 24 @ 8PM – Free Flix Friday! 675 Lafitte St. in Mandeville For more info, visit http://mandevilletrailhead.org. Schools out for summer! Let’s celebrate with a free movie, friends, and fun at the Mandeville Trailhead Amphitheater. Bring chairs and blankets to enjoy the outdoor movie. Refreshments are available for purchase. If you have some ideas, please contact Adventure Director Tina Paretti at 985.710.2565 or tinaparetti@yahoo.com.

Order your WIP T-shirt at the Welcome Table!

Fund Raising Table

Legacy “WIP is involved in giving back to the community!”

Contact Becki Martin at bionicbecki@gmail.com

Keep Mandeville Beautiful Adopt-a-Block: Watch for details about our Fall Clean Up Effort! The director of KMB (Keep Mandeville Beautiful) is looking for volunteer PUPPETEERS to participate in environmentally themed puppet shows. Artists and craftsmen are also needed to build the two puppet stages. This is a fabulous opportunity to give back to the community. We are so excited and hope you can join us in this creative process! Please contact Becki if you’d like to get involved!

Children’s Advocacy Center Hope House: WIP members volunteer at events like the Mad Hatter Tea!

Covington Food Bank: WIP members bring non-perishable food to each meeting.

Recycling: WIP educates members on recycling and recycling efforts throughout St. Tammany.

Safe Harbor: WIP contributes time and money to the domestic violence haven for families in St Tammany.

Membership

Membership is $30 annually and $5 per meeting. Members are advised of additional fees for adventures and events. Contact Membership Director Cathy Reams at 985.264.0576 or womeninfinitepossibilities@gmail.com

Personal Empowerment Group (PEG) PEGs are just one of your many membership perks!

Gratitude Empowerment Group, led by Mary Maciasz & Ann Loomis, started on Tuesday, June 7 (6 – 7:15 p.m.) at Christwood. Sign-up sheet is at the Welcome Table.

To lead a PEG, contact Jax Frey at 985.377.3324 or jaxart@charter.net

The Wipette May 2011

MISSION STATEMENT The Women of Infinite Possibilities (WIP) is dedicated to touching the lives of a

thousand women in a powerful way by providing opportunities for women to build relationships, learn about and support community needs, and explore the ideas and options of their own personal, infinite possibilities.

Meetings - WIP generally meets on the Third Thursday of the month.

Meeting Place is located south (towards Madisonville) of the River Chase Target Center on Highway 21. Look for the Christwood sign on the left side of Highway 21. Stay on Christwood Blvd. until you reach the retirement center. Parking is available near the front entrance and along the driveway. The receptionist will be happy to direct you to the WIP meeting in the Garden Room.

WIP generally meets on the Third Thursday of the month. Christwood Retirement Community – 100 Christwood Blvd., Covington, LA 70433

Cost Members pay $5 at regularly-scheduled monthly meetings to cover the meeting costs. Guests are welcome to attend the first meeting for free. Please come and bring canned food for the Food Bank! Annual membership is only $30!                     Contact  Membership Director Cathy Reams at 985.264.0576 or by email at womeninfinitepossibilities@gmail.com

Standard Meeting Agenda 10 a.m. – 12 noon Snacks are provided!

10-10:30          Networking

10:30-11:00          Business Meeting and Introductions

11:00-11:45           Sponsor and Speaker presentations

11:45-12 noon      Q & A and Networking

Monthly Meeting Sponsor: Our meeting sponsor fee is $25. The sponsor’s name is included in all WIP meeting promotions and the sponsor is encouraged to place promotional materials on each chair. The sponsor also has the opportunity to tell us about her business for five minutes at the meeting!

May Meeting: Thursday, May19,2011 10-12                                                           Speaker: Maureen “Moe” Clary -” Why Not? It Can’t Eat You” Sponsor: Leslie McGoey-Backyard Printing

June Meeting:     Thursday, June 16, 2011 10-12                                                   Speaker: Bill Warshauer, WHW Consultants, LLC; Topic: Professional & Business Branding Sponsor: Cookie Baxter — Jewelry and Other Wonderful Treasures Do you have an idea for a future WIP meeting? Contact WIP Meeting Program Director Dian Lusher at dynelinc@gmail.com

Adventures: WIP members attend fun, informative events on a regular basis!

Bike Ride on May 21st at 10:30 a.m.: Meet at the Kickstand Cafe parking lot in Mandeville and bike the Trace to Abita Springs, have a light lunch there and bike back.

Covington Rocking the Rails Concert on May 25 from 5 – 7:30 p.m.
Bring a chair and join us. Wear your WIP shirt if you have one! (Place your
order for a WIP shirt at the Welcome Table!)
Contact Adventure Director Tina Paretti at 985.710.2565 or tinaparetti@yahoo.com

Fund Raising Table
WIP members are allowed to display a few items for sale at general meetings on our Fundraising Table. 10% of sales are donated to WIP for Community projects. To sign up for a turn at displaying your wares on the Fundraising Table, Contact Legacy Director Becki Martin at bionicbecki@gmail.com

Legacy: “WIP is involved in giving back to the community in a number of ways.”
Adopt-a-Block: WIP members maintain the East Causeway Approach in Mandeville from the Shell Station to City Hall and keep it litter and trash free. We have four scheduled WIP Clean-Up Days each year!
Children’s Advocacy Center Hope House: WIP members volunteer at events like the Mad Hatter Tea!
Covington Food Bank: WIP members bring non-perishable food to each meeting. Recycling: WIP educates members on recycling and recycling efforts throughout St. Tammany.
Safe Harbor: WIP regularly contributes time and money to the domestic violence haven for families in St Tammany. Contact Legacy Director Becki Martin at bionicbecki@gmail.com for more info

Membership

Membership is $30 annually and $5 per meeting. Extra activities’ fees are paid by members when they attend events or adventures. Contact Membership Director Cathy Reams at 985.264.0576 or womeninfinitepossibilities@gmail.com

Personal Empowerment Group (PEG) PEGs are just one of your many membership perks! PEGs are small groups led by qualified facilitators. WIP currently has several PEGs in progress. The content of the PEGs varies, but generally focuses on self-development. Information about PEGs is provided at each monthly meeting. Contact Jax Frey at 985.377.3324 or jax- art@charter.net

*** Save the Date – WIP Second Annual Retreat, Thursday, July 21 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. ***

Reach for the Stars WIP Retreat

See Flyer

Cost for WIP Members is only $30 and non-members pay $35. A limited number of vendor tables are available for $15 each.

Women of Infinite Possibilities – Join the Fun!

www.wipgroup.org & Facebook P.O. Box 2424 Mandeville, LA 70470

Great news! I just got accepted into the Pepsi Refresh Contest and now have a chance to win $250 thousand dollars to build a gym for those who are mentally and physically challenged! The plan is to build the gym on the site of the home I lost to fire exactly one year from the day this contest begins…January 3.

The title of the project is “From Ashes to Hope”.

Even getting an application in is a huge accomplishment since Pepsi only allows 1000 applications per month to enter. All slots literally fill up in TWO seconds!!! Once submitted, the project then has to be reviewed and approved. (which just happened today!)

Voting is one month long and begins tomorrow! (starts at 6 AM EST)

Here’s how you can help:

Please vote for this project as many times as you can (up to 10 times a day) during the month of January. You can vote at www.refresheverything.com/

Another BIG way to help is to pass this e-mail on to EVERY one you know and ask them to vote for “From Ashes to Hope”. Please ask them to forward this e-mail to everyone they know as well!

You can view my You Tube video

Thanks in advance for your time and consideration and, of course, your votes! – smile

Of course if you have any suggestions on how to get the word out, or votes in please email me at tina007@gmail.com.

Warmly,
Tina

–
Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. – Goethe

A limited number of Members of the W.I.P. are allowed to display a few items for sale at general meetings on our Fundraising Table. 20% of sales are donated to the W.I.P. for Community projects. To sign up for a turn at displaying your wares on the Fundraising Table, contact Welcome Committee Director , Becky Martin, at
bionicbecki@gmail.com

Member to Member Special Discounts

Serenity Home & Gifts
Owner Kim Mancini says that if you tell her that you are a member of W.I.P., you can receive 10% off purchases at either her Mandeville or Abita Springs store!
www.serenityhomesandgifts.com

Art by Jax
If you would like a painting from Jax ‘s website or a specially- commissionned painting of your home, vacation spot, etc – Jax-style(!), mention that you would like the W.I.P. discount to Jax and receive 15% off of your order. www.artbyjax.com

Body Works Massage and Wellness Center                                       Ellen LaRocca, LMT, is offering W.I.P. members a $15 discount on first hour massage session with Ellen.Please email: ellenbodyworks@yahoo.com for an appointment

Linda Strickland, offering member discount of 10% off for 1st time visit. Visit: info@avivamassage.com

Skip N Whistle
Wips members will receive a 10% off of online purchases only. 
Discount code: WIP
skipnwhistle.com

2. Recycling protects our health and environment because it removes harmful substances and pollution from the waste stream, which is all of the waste or garbage in our community. Did you know that one quart of motor oil can contaminate one million gallons of water?

3. Recycling conserves our natural resources because it reduces our need for raw materials. For example, if we recycle paper we don’t have to cut down as many trees.

4. Recycling saves energy. When we make new paper from old paper, we use 60% less energy than making it from virgin timber.

5. Recycling saves $$$$$$$$$. We throw away 27 billion glass containers each year. Glass is 100% recyclable and can be used over and over again. The process of making new glass from old glass is very efficient and produces hardly any waste or unwanted byproducts.

6. Recycling cuts back on global warming. Our planet is starting to feel the effects of global warming already—and we need to do whatever we can to lessen the impact. Production of certain materials from scratch can release significant amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere. Aluminum production is a prime example—producing new aluminum creates 95% more CO2 than recycling old aluminum cans. In addition, recycling paper saves trees—for each ton of paper recycled, 17 trees are saved. Each of these trees can extract around 250 pounds of carbon dioxide from the air in a year.

7. Recycling makes us more energy-efficient. It often takes a great deal more energy to create something from scratch than to recycle it. For example, it takes twice as much energy to burn plastic as to recycle it; it takes 64% more energy to make paper than to recycle it; and recycling just one pound of steel can save enough energy to run a 60-watt bulb for one day.

8. Recycling improves the quality of our groundwater. The garbage in landfills is usually not treated in any way—it’s simply thrown in a big hole and buried over. Much of this garbage is not environmentally friendly or readily biodegradable—and it’s no surprise that contaminants can get into our water. Rain and other runoff from landfills gets into our streams, rivers, lakes, and other waterways, damaging fragile ecosystems. It’s also a major reason why it’s not safe to drink from streams and rivers when you’re hiking and camping—even when it looks like you’re in a pristine environment. Recycling reduces the trash in landfills, and the more we recycle, the more our water systems can start becoming as pure as they look.

9. Recycling reduces air pollution. Many factories that produce plastics, metals, and paper products release toxins into the air. Recycle these materials, and there will be less need for companies to manufacture new materials—saving on the amount of pollution dumped into our atmosphere. In addition, disposing of certain recyclable materials can also produce significant pollution. For example, plastics are often burned in incinerators. Plastics are made with oil, and that oil is released into the atmosphere when the plastic burns—creating serious greenhouse-gas emissions.

10. Recycling creates jobs. From manufacturing to processing, from collection to invention—it’s no secret that recycling is a growth industry, earning billions of dollars annually. Our need to recycle is only going to grow more urgent as populations grow and as technology changes. Recycling creates far more jobs than landfills do—enough jobs to make a big difference in a small town.

11. Recyling adds to property value. It’s obvious that a landfill near your home can decrease your property values significantly. Recycling reduces the amount of land needed for landfills. This reduces the number of houses near landfills, keeping property values up and homeowners happy. The more people recycle, the fewer landfills we need—and if enough people pitch in, recycling should pay off for everybody.

12. Recycling is good business. Industrial factories and processing plants save plenty of money on energy and extraction strategies when they use recycled materials instead of virgin resources. They also ensure that basic resources don’t become a scarce commodity, keeping demand and prices down and ensuring that their business can continue for decades to come.

The the truth is that small acts of recycling make a big difference. For example, recycling just one large newspaper would save around 75,000 trees. On average, each person in the U.S. produces around 1,600 lbs. of waste each year. If you recycled all of that, you could save around 1,100 lbs. of waste per year—that’s over half a ton—just by yourself!

Recycling is sort of like exercising: we all know we should do it, but not all of us do it as often as we should—and some of us don’t do it at all. However, as you can see, there are lots of reasons why you should make an effort to recycle as much as possible.

If you haven’t been diligent about recycling your garbage, here’s how to start: The Sierra Club has posted a spreadsheet of where you can recycle on the Northshore.

With that spreadsheet in mind, go down to Home Depot or Big Lots or Target or whatever and buy a few of these big plastic tubs. Label them (newspapers, aluminum, plastics & misc) for your family and start collecting your recyclables.

Plan on bringing your recyclables in every two weeks when you go to the grocery. Just throw the whole bin into your car and head off. It’s easy! It’s just a habit we need to cultivate for everyone’s benefit – including your own family’s future.

One person CAN make a difference!