Members and guests of the NAPW Joplin Chapter met for several meet-and-greet networking meetings on July 18th, July 26th, August 15th, and August 23rd at Pacific Rim Restaurant. The group hosted re-cap meetings in order to ensure that members who weren't able to attend previous meetings had an opportunity to suggest ideas for the goals of the Chapter, as well as provide insight on charities they feel would be important for the Chapter to support.
Shanna Heckmaster, Joplin Chapter President, began all Chapter meetings by introducing herself, read a "welcome" letter from National, and gave members an opportunity to talk about themselves. Members in attendance at the July 18th meeting were Lori Buresh, Tonya Sprenkle, Alaina Yockey, Kelly Musick. Also in attendance were guests Sharon Mason, Carey Prater, Tina Dickerson, Tina Hallmark, Kristie Sanders, Becky Seidle, and Miranda Lewis. Tina Hallmark, from LCL Financial spoke to the group about being financially prepared.
Next, Shanna read the NAPW Mission statement, and highlighted the value of being proactive in networking with like-minded professionals, as well as making and impact in the community. She read, "Our Mission is to provide the most advanced forum for members to connect with like-minded professional women to develop innovative business and social relationships. We continuously offer our members the resources and benefits necessary to foster professional and personal success."
Shanna then opened the floor to suggestions from members regarding potential charitable endeavors. Also, the ladies discussed participation in Dowtown Joplin Association's Third Thursday, at a cost of $50. The meeting was wrapped up, as the ladies made plans to meet on July 26th for lunch to review the topics discussed. In attendance for July's lunch meeting were member women's jackets s Lori Buresh, Tonya Sprenkle, Alaina Yockey, Kelly Musick, Shanna Heckmaster, along with guests Sharon Mason, Carey Prater, Tina Dickerson, Tina Hallmark, Kristie Sanders, Becky Seidle, Miranda Lewis.
In August, NAPW Joplin Chapter met on August 15th Shanna reviewed the purpose and mission of NAPW for guests and new members. Topics included resume help, mentorship program, networking, discounts, and community wall for sharing thoughts, as well as the bulletin board of new events, free entrance to conferences, and the newsletter. After members introduced themselves to one another, guest speaker Kara Gallup took the floor.
Kara shared Jeremiah 29:11 which has been an important passage to guide her on her adventure of life. She is a Mary Kay Sales Director who just qualified for the pink Cadillac. She grew up in Lockwood on a farm with many teachers in her family and a long standing belief in one marriage. Kara earned her degree in Child Development from SMS yet did not become a teacher. She also was married and divorced within three months early in her life. She set the tone that she was not like the rest of her family. Working as a case worker for the Children's Center, she met Darren Gallup. They married 10 years ago and have two children. Dylan is a 9 year old who was born with a heart defect. They adopted Kaden when he was born and he is now 5. Kara needed to find a new path from the Children's Center and became a Probation and Parole officer for 7 years. She also inspected daycare centers for 18 months. She soon realized that she wasn't fulfilled inspecting daycare centers, and went back to working in Probation and Parole. When she decided to get out of that environment, she revisited working with Mary Kay, as she felt the desire to move away from her previous environment. After trying it out, Kara surprisingly enjoyed it. Within a year she was able to transition into working full time with Mary Kay and has been doing so for the last 2 ? years. Highlighting that she has to be on track at all times in order to earn, Kara stated that her biggest motivation attributing to her success is the desire to be financially fit.
Kara discussed the importance to "dream big", along with the significance in asking yourself "why" in order to push ahead. Referencing "windows" to adventures, she noted that she felt through these times in her life, God has been her business partner. She also pointed out that sometimes the people who are supposed to be the biggest supporters can turn into the biggest naysayers and it's important to decide for yourself to listen or not. She also said that the closer you get to your goal, the tougher it is to reach, so work hard. Her best quote of the night was,
"Sometimes we have to put on our big girl panties and our hooker boots and get it done!" Shanna talked about other ideas in supporting a charity; there was strong support for the Lafayette House as well as an upcoming Dress for Success event, where clothes will be donated for women to have professional outfits for job interviews. They also talked about other talents that they could provide in order to help women with their job opportunities such as resume writing, IT skills, make-up, or job searching.
As the meeting was adjourned, the ladies were thrilled with what was planned for upcoming events. Upcoming NAPW Joplin Chapter meetings are to be held on September 19th and September 27th, also at Pacific Rim Restaurant.
The National Association of Professional Women (NAPW) is the largest and most recognized network of female professionals. NAPW provides a forum where women can interact, exchange ideas, educate, network, and empower. NAPW Local Chapters allow members to maximize their experience through meetings, networking opportunities, and professional events.
For additional information regarding the NAPW Baton Rouge Local Chapter and/or NAPW, please visit http://www.napw.com.
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