by Dee Dee Vickers, New Member #200 –
To coin that tired old phrase, “You’ve come a long way, Baby,” Seeds of Strength has indeed come a long way since the spring of 2009, when 55 women came together to donate $55,000 to five local nonprofit agencies. On April 11 of this year, just six years after those ladies met, 29 of the 55 new members for 2015 gathered in the home of Carole Burke to meet other new members, as well as the officers and committee chairs. With the addition of these new members, SoS now has a total of 201 members! And on April 30, after the 2015 grants are presented, SoS will have awarded over $650,000 to local nonprofits. What a fantastic “long way” SOS has come!
On that recent Saturday afternoon, Christine Hightower, Seeds of Strength Chair, welcomed the guests and then turned the presentation over to Linda Foster-Smith, Membership Chair. Linda asked each member to introduce herself, and as an icebreaker, tell the name of her favorite flower. As new and old members shared information, we learned a lot about each other just from learning the flowers they liked and why.
Next, the Committee Chairs, or their representatives, gave brief presentations about the various committees and encouraged new members to get involved in areas that interest them. The committees include Membership, Grants, Contract Compliance, Communication, Events, and SoS…Next Gen. Next Gen is Seeds of Strength’s exciting new initiative in which members are working with a group of Georgetown high school girls to teach them about philanthropy and to instill the spirit of giving in these young ladies.
Aside from the fact that the officers and the committee chairs first seduced us with rich Texas Chocolate Cake, I think I speak not only for myself, but for all the other new members present – we left feeling that we have committed to a wonderful rewarding experience in our lives. I look forward to being part this wonderful group of ladies in Seeds of Strength for many years to come.