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Women in Focus™ FORUM
Mentoring Women and Men in Business, College Students and Teens

SPRING E-NEWSLETTER | VOLUME I | ISSUE IV | MARCH 20, 2004

UPDATES IN THIS ISSUE

President's Message
Highlights from the NAFE National Conference (New York, NY)
April 3rd National Tele-Meeting featuring "Connie Award Winner," Linda Coleman-Willis
Register Now! WiFF 2004 Weekend Leadership Retreat (Arcadia, CA)
Women's Leadership Exchange Conference (Long Beach, CA)
WiFF Member News -- Welcome & Congrats!
Calling All Women Business Owners ...
A Message from the Women's Alliance (Miami, FL)
In Rememberance ...
About Women in Focus™ FORUM

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Greetings Members & Supporters:

Spring is here, bringing forth an ambiance of "weeding, shedding, planting, watering, nurturing, budding, sprouting, blossoming, gathering, brightening, growing, presenting and overflowing" -- what a way to milk a metaphor! Much as the flowers, fruits and vegetables in our gardens this spring, we should be growing in harmony with them.

GROWTH in 2004? Yes, more growth in multiple areas of your personal life, within your family, in your business and the communities where you live and contribute. Yes, more growth in your personal development and commitment to being the best you can be. Remember, every increment of growth = SUCCESS! Take nothing for granted.

Women in Focus™ FORUM intends to deliver on its promise to continually maintain an atmosphere where people can Come to Our Place and "Experience a WiFF of Success!" As you grow, we grow!

In the Spirit of Service,
Jonnetta Chambers, M.A.
Founder & President

Highlights from the NAFE National Conference (New York, NY)
The NAFE 2004 Conference was both inspirational and educational -- in synergy, service, speaker expertise and surroundings: Synergy -- this sell-out event hosted over 700 guests during the conference and dinner gala combined; power networking took place; women from the top 30 companies who hire and support women of color gave success tips to the audience; and the silent auction hosted by The Women's Alliance raised a record-breaking $10,000 to support low-income women in entering the workforce. Service -- the event ran timely, featured professional corporate vendors such as OfficeTeam.com, Mutual of Omaha, Working Mother Media, and Intel's Digital Cafe; plus excellent customer service by both the Roosevelt Hotel staff and the NAFE team; not to mention exotic food and beverages; top it off with great items in the NAFE Tote Bag from companies such as Oil of Olay, IBM, Macy's, WellPoint, Advanta Business Cards, Lands'End, Liz Claiborne, Scholastic Books and Avon. Speaker expertise -- All speakers were of prime quality, receiving rave reviews from attendees from session-to-session; WiFF had an opportunity to listen to the following speakers: CAROL FROLINGER: "All The Right Moves" ... discussing leadership success for women, five key challenges, and how to navigate and negotiate to keep your place at the table ... (visit: www.theshadownegotiation.com); JUANITA McCORMICK & SUSAN COOPER: "Money Matters for Women of Color" ... shared resources regarding 15 financial myths, discussed basic financial planning components ... (visit www.AXAonline.com); NANCY MICHAELS: "Marketing on the Cheap" ... discussed key secrets of no/low cost marketing for business ... (visit www.impressionimpact.com). Surroundings -- The Roosevelt Hotel is a gem within itself ... it commands the words, "excellent, extraordinaire, and quality;" the people were warm spirited, fun, professional, and eager to experience the full amenities of the event. Next year, be there!

APRIL 3rd NATIONAL TELE-MEETING featuring "Connie Award Winner," Linda Coleman-Willis
WHAT YOU WILL EXPERIENCE & LEARN: Meet participants from diverse backgrounds; Introduce self to motivated people; Eavesdrop on a live interview with Linda! Get an overview of the "WSP System"; Learn the importance of writing well with proven techniques; Hear why it is best to seek support in writing your book; Find out the best resources available to support you in book writing; Learn how you can achieve your dream of becoming a published author. DID YOU KNOW? Guest speaker, Linda Coleman-Willis, originally sold over 40,000 copies of her first book, "Loving Yourself First" in less than 18 months; Linda has worked with self-publishing guru's such as Dan Poynter; She is a National Speakers Association Connie Award Winner, the eigth person inducted to the elite group of professional speakers, among the 4,000-member organization!.Click here to read her full bio online at http://www.lindaspeak.com/about.htm. WHAT WE EXPECT OF YOU: Register early. Call-In on time. Show-up with an open mind and positive attitude. Be prepared to introduce self to participants. Participate in the call with an intent to give and receive. HOW TO PARTICIPATE on Saturday, April 3rd | 10 - 11:30 a.m. (Pacific Standard Time) | PLACE: Wherever you are with an accessible telephone | (tele-meeting includes information, education and relationship-building activities) | Cost to Attend: $10 (phone charges from your carrier may vary, depending from where you call) | Click here to register or register-by-phone with your credit card or check by calling (909) 873-5055.

WiFF WEEKEND LEADER RETREAT
Only 14 spaces left. R.S.V.P. Now! Don't Miss our Weekend Leadership Retreat: June 25 - 27, 2004 in Arcadia, CA. Embassy Suites Hotel is our Official Site. Early Bird Rate saves you $50. Register now and incorporate this event into your plan for success! WHO SHOULD ATTEND: Women/Men currently in leadership roles (or who aspire to be) wanting to: Learn or re-acquaint self with the qualities and skills one needs, before (s)he can effectively lead self, projects and other people; Recognize, identify, mobilize and capitalize from your personal leadership strengths and challenges; Increase and improve personal leadership performance skills and escalate the impact/affect you have on self, projects, situations and other people. BENEFITS TO THOSE WHO ATTEND: Gain in-depth knowledge about self, leadership style(s), approach to leading self, projects, situations and other people; Create and discover life parallels and realities of your perceptions, decisions and actions to help re-align leadership style(s) and achieve desired personal outcomes; Formulate strategies to shape your leadership approach, performance, results, response and support. For more detailed information click here.

WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP EXCHANGE (WLE) CONFERENCE
DON'T LIMIT YOUR BUSINESS TO 4 WALLS. Founded by successful women entrepreneurs, Women's Leadership Exchange's sole purpose is to connect you with the knowledge, tools and people you need to grow. On Tuesday, August 3rd, WLE will offer a full-day conference at the Hyatt Regency in Long Beach. Network with other business leaders, participate in b-school-style seminars and hear top women leaders like Pernielle Lopez-Spears, president North America, IKEA Services, LLC; Frieda Caplan, founder and Chair of Frieda’s Inc; Marie Wilson, co-founder and president of the White House Project, president of the MS. Foundation, Author of Closing the Leadership Gap and Co-created “Take Your Daughter to Work Day;” and Janice Byrant Howroyd, CEO, Founder and Chairman, Act.One in Torrance, CA, plus many more. For more information, visit www.womensleadershipexchange.com.

WiFF Member News -- Welcome & Congrats!
Welcome New Member, Ms. Monique Thomas. She works for the County of San Bernardino in the Performance, Education and Resource Center as a Communications Assistant.
Congratulations to WiFF National NAFE Award Nominees: Dr. Letitia Wright (Entrepreneur Category), Michele Broad (Rising Star Category) and Millie McGhee (Community Service Category) -- results still pending with NAFE, and to be announced during the next fiscal quarter.
Congratulations Monica D. Isles on a successful new business start-up. Her Mentorship Match Program Goal has began to pay-off. Visit her new web page at http://www.wifforum.com/mdisles001.htm and learn about her new secretarial/administrative/desktop services company at Ready-Set-Type!
Congratulations to our new Mentorship Match Program inductees: Monique Thomas, Gwen Crawford, Chameka Crawford, and Michele Broad.
Congratulations to Melinda Sewer Muganzo on a successful Women's Conference!

Calling All Women Business Owners (WBO's) ...

CALLING ALL WBO's -- LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD! Whether you own a public entity with employees, operate a virtual/tele-commute business or a strategic home-based business, we want to hear from you. NAFE is seeking information from WBO's to (1) help bring and keep current challenges/issues at the forefront, and (2) provide resources, responses and strategies to address such issues via its magazine, events and alignment with Women Impacting Public Policy (WiPP). But it all starts with YOU using your entrepreneurial voice. Please send an e-mail to WiFF at WBO@wifforum.com, so that we can include your feedback in our summary report and call for action to NAFE. Deadline: Thursday, March 25, 2004. Thank you.

A Message from The Women’s Alliance (Miami, FL)
Join forces with Oxygen’s Oh! Get the Money & Build Your Own Business Initiative -- Only 2 Weeks Left to Get the Money! How’s this for a capital idea: Oxygen wants you to have your own business and is willing to ante-up – to the tune of $25,000 – to make it happen. If you’ve got a head for business, or just have a great idea, now is your chance to get the money. Whether you’re looking to set up shop or want to expand and existing enterprise, now’s the time to build your own business with Oxygen. From March 1 – 31, go to oxygen.com and tell us your idea for a chance to win big! 3 grand prize winners get:
• The money - $25,000
• A trip to the winners workshop in New York City
• One-on-one mentoring from small business experts

For more information and resources, go to www.oxygen.com/getthemoney

In Rememberance ...
It has been 2 1/2 years since the tragic 911 event in New York, NY. Additionally, this month marks an entire year our soldiers have been in Iraq. As we continue to engage in our day-to-day business, please let us stop and take the time to remember and humbly honor the multitudes of people who have lost their lives (and their families) during these tragic, historical events. If you have never been to the World Trade Center site, please get there -- it will change your life. If you haven't written a letter to a soldier, or helped assist the family of one, please do so. REMEMBER, "unity" is the strength of our community.

ABOUT WOMEN IN FOCUS™ FORUM
DID YOU KNOW? ... Women in Focus™ FORUM is solely a Mentoring Group for women, college students & teens -- men and young men are welcome too! So, get on board. GET SERIOUS. Improve your life. Enhance the life of someone else. It's all about success with support! Join us today.

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