President's Day Week

We had a very successful event at MOMS this week when the Women's Leadership Initiative from United Way came to celebrate with us at the Hearts of Chocolate presentation on Thursday. About 20 people attended, and there were tours of the facility and a lovely selection of food provided by Bigelow Grille, the restaurant in the Doubletree Hotel in downtown Pittsburgh. (Stop by for lunch or dinner sometime; Jessica's husband, Robert, is the chef.) The Chocolate event brought us a $5,000 donation from a local business owner and an opportunity for a wonderful benefit that we will be discussing at the next board meeting on March 5.

The Victorian Tea committee is off and running with plans for the April 14 event. Invitations should be sent in early March. Mark you calendar now and begin to talk with your friends about this friend raiser. The goal of this event will be to raise about $10,000 toward our match for MOMS.

There is a Highmark employee sign-up for the Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community on Wednesday, March 7. Anne will be helping to get walkers for Sojourner House at this event. Please call the office and ask Jodi for sign-up forms if you need them. The save the date cards will be mailed with the newsletters in the next few weeks. The BEST way to sign up is on the internet; go to our web site for the link. Each board member is asked to recruit at least 10 walkers. The goal of each walker is $100; and this can count toward community service requirements for students who need that. Encourage youth groups and kids organizations that you and your family are associated with to participate.

SUCCESSION:
Joanne: Did you sign the contract for D&K for the organizational assessment? Let's discuss on Monday's call.

The postings for the ED position are out, and resumes are being accepted.

Kathy will follow up with Leslie next week to see where we are in our plan and what needs to be accomplished in March.

Status: February 14, 2007

In the last week and a half several things have started to take shape.

• The job posting for the Sojourner House ED position was e-mailed to Dewey & Kaye's distribution and 5 resumes have already been received.


• The announcement letter from the joint boards is final and in the process of being copied and distributed to about 500 social service agencies within 100 miles of Pittsburgh and selected areas as far as Harrisburg.


• Leslie has provided a list of employment posting bulletin boards and sites that are frequented by candidates for positions such as ours.


• Board members and friends are being urged to forward the job posting to friends or other interested parties and have those individuals respond to Dewey & Kaye.


• Norma submitted the grant request to Forbes Fund for a portion of the fee for the Organizational Assessment.

In non-succession activities, here is the update:

• Mary J. has been appointed the event planner for the Victorian Tea with Jessica as her co-chair and Susan responsible for publicity. A conference call is planned for Thursday to review the charter and launch preparations for the event.
• A successful meeting with Mary of Citizens Bank gave us a potential grant application and a wealth of ideas and help for the Tea.
• Heather S. has received photos to create a video of last year's Tea for display at the WLI Chocolate Tasting Event on 2/22 (mark your calendars).
• The MOMS brochure is in the final stages of proofing and is ready to be sent to the printer.
• A 4-color banner is being ordered for use in the spring events.
• Rose, our volunteer coordinator, is contacting youth groups to get walkers for the Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community. A pizza party will be offered as incentive for teams raising money for Sojourner House.
• Our annual report newsletter is in draft form with graphics being added and proofing taking place. The insert information is being pulled so we can recognize donors and volunteers and report our statistics.
• The Nominating Committee is considering candidates for the open board positions left vacate by recent departures.

Plan to attend the WLI event at MOMS on Thursday, 2/22. Invite a friend.

Sign up to walk for Sojourner House in the Walk for a Healthy Community on May 19. Registration can be completed on the web site. Invite your club or youth organization to form a team and walk in our behalf. Let's make our $10,000 goal!

Work List: Week of February 5, 2007

Remember the joint Board meetings at Sojourner House MOMS on Monday night, February 5.

Food will be served beginning at 5:30; the Board meeting will start promptly at 6:00 p.m. You should have received an agenda via e-mail from Norma on Friday.

Succession Committee Activities:

Finalize the announcement letter and job description for distribution on Monday.
Pull the names and verify accuracy for the merge and mailing. (Norma & Jodi)
The goal is to have the letters in the mail by February 9.
Review the ED Search Proposal from Dewey & Kaye and accept or revise.
Review the list of sites/locations for posting the job announcement provided by Dewey & Kaye.

Special events and other aspects of business will be reviewed at the meeting on Monday evening. See you there!