 November 2008
Update
Greetings to Each and All,
Although I cannot believe it is time again to be officially grateful, it is. And even though it has incredulously zoomed to November, we welcome this time of year and the opportunity to pause, and think of, and appreciate, all we have.
So we start with you. The global people. The people who invite international strangers into their homes for dinner, or to stay for three weeks. The people who drive visitors to their meetings. The people who renew their membership year after year after year. The people who sit on our boards and guide us. Each and all of you. Thank you.
Last year we sent out a thank you to all of our 594 experts, vendors and DC partners who helped us help our visitors have a great experience while they were with us.We’re doing it again this year.
Also this year we are closing out the calendar with a big, fun member and non-member gathering. Will we see you on December 4th at Tree Tops Room at the Zoo to honor the entire continent of Africa??? Why Africa? Because one delegate from Africa reported that he had met an American while here who was amazed they had buildings in Africa….oh dear. The ignorance touched me. Thus, Africa.
The plan is to have a great time being with each other, listening to African drumming, learning from our expert on Africa, and not bringing a present. This time we shall give to Africa instead of each other. The mosquito net orders are growing daily and we’re looking for your RSVP in the mail.
May the spirit of this season of gratitude radiate from your heart to all you meet.
Grateful for each of us and the work we get to do together,
Cath DeStefano
Executive Director
Contents
1. Holiday Gathering!
2. NEW: Board Members
3. HELP: Intern Looking for Work
4. PENDING: Member Survey
5. POSSIBLY PENDING: Speaker for June 2008 Annual Meeting
6.YEAR END
Holiday Gathering! MUST RSVP by November 26th!
NEW: Board Members
We appreciate two of our CDCSD members who volunteered to join our Board of Directors. At our November meeting we welcomed Dr. Shahrzad Kamyab, worldwide education consultant to colleges and universities, and Galina Shekhtman, investment real estate agent. (As a side note: Galina brought Olga Mazhar to us who has turned into one of our favorite Russian interpreters.)
On January 20th the entire board meets for an Orientation and social get together and then again on January 31st to think strategically together. New board members are always welcome. Contact Cath@CDCSD.org with your interest.
HELP:
Intern Kristina Leano has helped us, now we can help her.
Kristina is one of our best interns ever and we would hire her without a minute’s hesitation, but no budget for that, so instead we ask your help in helping her find a job.
She has just completed a Master of Arts degree in international relations at Alliant University and has a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration from Cal State San Marcos. Kristina is fluent in Spanish.
In addition to her academic experience, she has volunteered with the campaign office for Congressman Bob Filner, and has work experience as a contractor with the United States Navy, and as an administrator for a property management company.
Please contact Cath@CDCSD.org if you know of any open positions for a highly talented, detail attentive, hard worker! You wouldn’t be sorry.
PENDING: Member Survey
We hope you will be willing to complete a takes-less-than-three minutes Electronic Member Survey we will send you in early December. We here in the office just keep going along doing what we do which is fine. But we are ready for feedback from you about what you like and don’t, what you want and don’t, etc.
POSSIBLY PENDING: Speaker for June 2009 Annual Meeting
We have extended an invitation to Sherry Mueller, the executive director of our National Council of International Visitors in Washington DC to be the speaker at our 2009 Annual Meeting. Hope she says yes.
YEAR END Think Ahead Please
In our year-end mailing to you there will be two opportunities. One will be to give generously to this Council and receive a tax deduction. The other opportunity is to gift a membership to someone you know who shares the same international soul as us. Be thinking on this please. We welcome your generosity.
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