WINGS
Women Executives for Community Service June 2014 Visit us on Twitter

Dear WE Members,
So much is going on as WINGS continues to grow and develop into its full-potential. Thank you for helping to make this growth possible through your ideas, your service, and your financial support. As the WECS board starts a new year, we adopt a new them: "Our Vision. Our Promise. Our WINGS future." We want WINGS to be your organization. As WE members, this is your WINGS..."Our WINGS." This theme will be integrated into our work this year and our communications. Stay tuned. 

Since our last WINGS newsletter, so much has happened:

  • On the evening of May 6th we held a very successful Inaugural WINGS Leadership Celebration at the home of UNC Charlotte Chancellor Phil and Lisa Dubois, thanking our leaders and volunteers and generous donors for their on-going support (See full story below).
  • On the morning of May 6th WINGS was featured in an interview with Chancellor Dubois and myself on WBTV "Bounce" highlighting the upcoming WINGS graduation celebration.  Click here to see the clip of the interview.
  • On May 22nd WE celebrated our 19th WINGS Graduation with 7 accomplished graduates, over 150 guests and media and and key note remarks from UNC Chancellor Phil Dubois. (See full story below.)
  • WINGS has recently activated new on-line donation software, so you can easily make your donation through our website or in-person at WE meetings with a credit card. Click here if you would like to make a donation. 
  • Joanna Thevaos, 2011 Queens University WINGS graduate, has agreed to serve as our first WINGS Graduate Ambassador. In this role Joanna will be the voice of the WINGS graduate, will help to communicate with our graduates and gather valuable input for the WECS board.
  • WECS welcomes four new board members:  Lori Vaccaro, At-Large/Strategy; Wendy Laxton, WE-President Elect; Judy Green, Scholar Events Chair; and Laura Yeager, At-Large/Assistant Treasurer.  We also have two long-time dedicated individuals who have completed their terms who are rolling off the board.  Thank you Toni Freeman and Katie Porier for your dedication and hard work in making WECS/WINGS what it is today.
  • This spring we welcomed 7 new WINGS scholars, making 19 our total number of active scholars across our four partnership schools! Thank you to the mentors, the selection panel members, and those on the board and committees for making a college degree a reality for these deserving women.

WINGS needs your help in making more dreams possible...
As you read the stories of our WINGS scholars and graduates, you realize that it is because of you, our WE members - your time, talents and generosity - that women like La'Tosha and Jeanette can accomplish their dreams of graduating from college. (See stories on the right).

The WECS board continues this summer to work on our 5-year strategic plan which we expect to roll out this fall.  The board sees a future with a lot of possibilities, a lot of need, and wonderful synergies of new ideas and powerful women putting it all together.  With our now 76 graduates, 19 active scholars and a bright future of partnerships, scholar events, mentoring pairs and many new graduates on the horizon, we need your help to continue this legacy.

Please Click here to make a donation to support our scholars in the present and the future.  If you would like to talk to someone about some of the finer points of making a leadership gift or leaving a legacy donation, please reach out to Deb McWilliams, WECS Development and Planned Giving Chair, debmcwilliams1@gmail.com.

Stay tuned as we move forward on making WINGS even more impactful in the future. Thank you all for your support in making WINGS what it is and what it can be.

Warmly,
Cindy Quinlan, President, WECS Board 2013-2015  cindycquinlan@gmail.com


Anne Doss Scholarship
It's been almost a year since we lost our dear friend Anne Doss, and we still miss her terribly. Those of us who knew Anne, whether through WE, through Wells Fargo or otherwise, carry with us the memory of the many ways she impacted our lives.
 
Through the generosity of her husband Herb and children Kristin and Brenton, along with others who knew and loved her, we recently announced the preliminary details of a WINGS scholarship program in Anne's honor. While we are still working on exactly how this will look, we anticipate it will be a beautiful reflection of some of the things Anne valued most education and supporting women. This scholarship is another way Anne will continue to impact our community.
 
This year, all three of the scholars selected from Central Piedmont Community College will be "Anne Doss Scholars."  Our message to the recipients you may not have known Anne, but she was a strong, compassionate, driven woman, and we hope you will be inspired to get your degree and do great things knowing Anne Doss believed in the WINGS program and in YOU.
 
I will be working closely with Herb and the family this year to more fully define the scholarship.  Women Executives is privileged to remember Anne in such a powerful way.

Pam Pearson, WECS Board Vice President


WINGS Graduation 2014

On Thursday, May 22, WE members celebrated the achievements of our seven graduating WINGS scholars at the "Celebrating the past, Envisioning your future" graduation celebration.  The room was filled with beaming scholars, proud family members, media representatives and the WE family who generously give and serve in support of WINGS.  Our keynote speaker was UNC Charlotte Chancellor Phil Dubois who touted the great partnership between UNC Charlotte and WINGS as well as the tremendous value of obtaining a college degree. In an especially poignant moment, the family of the late Anne Doss was recognized and the new Anne Doss Scholarship was announced. 

The program concluded with the reading of the benediction by Joanna Thevaos, 2011 WINGS Graduate from Queens University, and recently appointed WINGS Graduate Ambassador.  The benediction, by Marianne Williamson in her book A Return to Love, was a favorite of Anne Doss who read the prayer at WINGS graduation programs in previous years.  It reads as follows:

 "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."


WINGS Leadership Celebration...What A Magnificent Evening!
Tuesday, May 6 found WINGS scholars, graduates, donors and WINGS leadership at the home of UNC Charlotte Chancellor Philip and Lisa Dubois for a very special evening celebrating all things WINGS.  Chancellor Dubois shared a favorite quote about the significance of achieving an education, "A college education is like gravity...it is not optional and it works."  He touted the great partnership between UNC Charlotte and WINGS and was delighted to receive the inaugural "WINGS Founders' Award" given in recognition of the having the vision to help found the first WINGS scholarship in 1995 and UNC Charlotte's strong on-going support of our WINGS mission. 
 
WINGS graduate Christina Taylor shared her story of always hoping to realize her dream of an education despite several setbacks.  She had to put her dream of an education on hold several times but "the dream was never lost" and she is proud to have graduated from UNC Charlotte in 2006. Christina ended her remarks with an appeal to WE members to continue supporting WINGS scholars.  She added that, "my dream wouldn't have been made possible without you...and I thank you."


"Hold fast to dreams,
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird,
That cannot fly."
-- Langston Hughes

 
Being a mentor to a WINGS scholar has been an incredibly rewarding experience.  My scholar, Jeanette Martinez, is a student at CPCC and has been working very hard to prepare herself for dental hygienist school.  Over the last two years she has obtained her Dental Assistant Diploma and has added many preparatory classes that will allow her to reach her dream of becoming a dental hygienist. As a banker, I know little about the field of dentistry.  My knowledge is probably the same as most of you; we all know that we really don't like going there!  And, we like it even less if we have to schedule that unplanned return visit!  For Jeanette, going to the dentist is a dream.  She has toiled through algebra, chemistry, and other courses I cannot even pronounce.  She has practiced techniques on plastic molds of teeth and logged many hours in the CPCC library in deep study.  Last summer, it was time for Jeanette to find employment.  As her long term unemployment benefits ended and PELL grants became scarce, she was forced to find employment to support her two children and mother.  Naturally, it made sense for her to seek employment as a dental assistant with her newly minted diploma and state exam passed successfully. 

As Jeanette embarked on this new journey, she found that working in a dental office was very different from the corporate background she once knew.  A small business is not always able to offer full time hours or benefits, but of course it offers great opportunity to learn a new trade.  Jeanette struggled to find the right fit, but was at last successful!  As many of us know, finding employment is not the end game, but only the first step in new beginnings.

Jeanette began asking questions about her new profession I could not answer.  But, WE had an answer.  With the help of the WECS leadership team, we determined that one of our own, Dr. Lori Pappert, could possibly help Jeanette by being available to talk about the field of dentistry.  Lori and I sat with Jeanette for two hours at the YMCA talking about Jeanette's dream.  We discussed strategies for if and how she should let her new employer know she would be applying for dental hygienist school the following spring.  We discussed the goals she should set for herself as she now gained practical training to supplement her academic studies.  We listened as she described her love of helping people and watched her confidence grow as our coffees were finished. As Lori and I walked to the parking lot that night, I thanked her profusely for her time and willingness to lend an ear to our scholar.  She said, "I thank Jeanette for reminding me of my dream".

Jeanette is still working on being admitted to CPCC's very competitive dental hygienist program.  She continues to hold fast to her dream and provide for her family. 
- Submitted by Niki Simmons, mentor to Jeanette Martinez from 2012-2014

WINGS 2014 Graduation
   

      

WECS Board of Directors
2014-15
President

Cindy Quinlan
Vice President
Pam Pearson
Secretary
Emily Pusic
Treasurer
Jenny Apker
WECS Past President
Claire Lawrence
Scholar Selection and Renewal
Debbie Enna
Mentor Chair
Lindsay Daniel
Internal Communications Chair
Dean Thompson
Scholar Events Chair
Judy Green
Partnerships and Grants Chair
Frances Queen
Governance Chair
Nichelle Levy
Publicity Chair
Lisa Bell
Development and Planned Giving Chair
Deb McWilliams
Scholar Relations Chair
Monti Becker Kelly
WE President Elect
Wendy Laxton
At-Large
Lori Vaccaro
At-Large
Laura Yaeger


The Mentor/Mentee Relationship - Vonda and La'Tosha's Story
Vonda
When I agreed to be a mentor for WECS, I agreed reluctantly.  Having listened to the stories at a recent graduation ceremony, I totally bought into the mission but I worried about the time commitment.   But I felt very drawn to do it,so I signed up.  The day of the interviews at CPCC I was running late, and feeling disheveled.  But the interviews began and I immediately fell in love with the sweet spirit of La'Tosha Wilfong. 
I was nervous for our first meeting.  But, we started talking and couldn't stop.  As I turned out, we had so much in common:  faith, concerns about health, priorities for family, etc.  We, of course, talked about school and the importance of that.  We talked a lot about La'Tosha's health.  There's a lot of diabetes in her family and she has seen what that can do.  She wanted to get healthier, lose weight and have more energy.  THIS is something I knew about!
- Vonda Huss, WE member and Mentor of 2014 WINGS graduate La'Tosha Wilfong
  
La'Tosha
I have spent the last couple of years of my life thinking about my overall health. I knew that I wanted to get healthier and I was not sure how I was going to do that. After being awarded the WINGS scholarship and finding out that my mentor was totally into fitness I was super excited. She shared her nutrition and exercise plan and I was scared.  But, we are all capable of so much more than we think. When she suggested doing a triathlon together, my knees began to shake and I was at a loss for words. After reading up and talking to Vonda more,  I signed up.  I didn't even know how to swim, but I signed up for lessons. I know that this is just a start to a better me. I am looking forward to the bonding time that I will be redeeming with Vonda as we embark on this journey together. Most people never scratch the surface of what they're capable of. September 21, 2014 I will not only scratch the surface but I shall touch the surface. 
- La'Tosha Wilfong, 2014 CPCC WINGS Graduate
  
The Relationship
La'Tosha and I have our regularly schedule lunch meetings and she attends an occasional WE meeting with me.  At our lunch meetings, we talk about and set goals.  We continue to ensure she is staying on track with studies and meeting application requirements to Queens for nursing school.  And, we set a goal of completing a triathlon together.  We live on opposite sides of town from each other so training together is not an option.  She joined the TriItForLife triathlon training groups that supports women through their first triathlon. She has lost 19 pounds and is building endurance for the race.
I travel a lot, so our mode of communication in between meetings is mostly via text.....but it WORKS!  One day when I was out of town, she texted me to ask about my day, I responded by saying "I'm a little off my game this week...it's not a great week."  I was tired from too much travel and it was starting to get to me.  She asked if I had been reading the daily devotional book she gave me for Christmas....I had NOT.  But I started the next day when I got back to Charlotte.  The very first daily devotion had the exact message I needed to get me back on track.  I thought to myself..."Who is mentoring who?"  As it turns out, we are mentoring each other in different ways.  We text each other almost daily to check in on how our swim/bike/run training is going and on the impactful part of our daily devotion.  We are supporting each other.  And on  September 21, we will complete the triathlon together, supporting each other along the way.


"Bloom Where You Are Planted" Scholars Event
"Bloom Where You Are Planted"  - The WING Scholar Event Sunday, February 9 found over fifty WINGS scholars, graduates, mentors, community leaders and members of WE on the campus of Queens University of Charlotte for a "career cafĂ©" event.  Attendees visited various "career stations" to network with WE members and WINGS graduates from a number of fields including healthcare, education, nonprofits, human resources, as well as those involved in entrepreneurial endeavors. Facilitator Lori Vaccaro closed the session by challenging those in attendance to "bloom where you are planted" and to continue networking with WE members and fellow WINGS program participants throughout one's career journey. She shared that as WE members, we are here to support our scholars adding, "Ask for what you need...our arms will be here to support you."