Happy New Year to you all! We have a new year ahead of us with new opportunities and challenges. It is up to each of us to make it the best year it can be!
Northern Division ended the year with a very successful Fall 2012 Conference in Rancho Cordova. This was our first one day conference. We had a packed house for an action packed day with exciting speakers. Our speakers, including our banquet speaker Congressman Tom McClintock, energized and inspired us and also helped us all to navigate the results of the November election. It was a thrill to see so many Federated women sharing ideas. Our afternoon President’s reception gave everyone a chance to relax and make new friends. I know everyone went home feeling much more positive than when they came. We are Federated Women and we don’t retreat!
I am very excited about the plans for our 2013 Leadership Workshop on January 19 in Rancho Cordova. We will begin with a President’s Roundtable Workshop on Friday afternoon, January 18, for new and even past Presidents. This will be a great opportunity to share ideas and network with club Presidents from across Northern Division. Club Presidents - don’t forget to sign up for the workshop on the Leadership Registration form. You don’t want to miss it!
The Leadership workshop on Saturday will help new club officers become more comfortable with their new responsibilities. Whatever your new club office may be, you will get insight on how to do an even better job. Our Leadership Workshop is not just for club officers. Every member is a leader in your community! Plan to attend and learn more about how we can have an even greater presence in our communities. From Caring for America projects, Achievement Awards criteria or producing an even better club newsletter, you do not want to miss this important program.
Our #ONE priority for 2013 is growing our clubs and increasing our total membership. We have lost members over the past couple of years and we don’t want to continue to do that. At Leadership you will get tips and new ideas on how to help recruit and renew members! Without members we don’t have a Federation! I am very excited that the Honorable Lynne Leach will be our luncheon speaker on January 19. There is no one who can do a better job to inspire, energize, empower and embolden us to get ready for 2013!
We have all learned over the past few years that we no longer have a free and unbiased press. We now have Pravda! So ladies it is up to us to get our message out; information and knowledge is POWER! You cannot afford to miss our Leadership Workshop to ensure that you get prepared for the work we have a head of us in 2013.
This year our Focus topic will be “Federated Republican Women Are...!”. Who we are, what are our strengths, what is our direction moving forward, who do we need to reach out to, how do we get our message out? It is time to step outside the box and go beyond our communities to show what courage and strength looks like when Federated Republican Women work together! We are very excited about the possibilities of this project for 2013 and beyond! Plan to learn more about how you can help contribute to our Focus topic at Leadership on January 19.
Some of you might still be upset about the outcome of the November election, especially if you were not able to attend the Fall Conference. Yes, it was disheartening to see that Americans chose to vote for revenge rather than vote for love of country. But we do not have the luxury to complain, cave in or give up, there is too much at stake!
The future is still in our hands. We have lost before and came back to win victory even stronger. It is our responsibility to make sure the greatest country the world has ever known remains the greatest country in the world!
God Bless America,
Roseann Slonsky-BreaultPresident, CFRW-Northern Division
