Greetings from Ann:
     April is upon us and, thankfully, the flood has not been the worry that it was last year.  We are steadily moving into longer days and warmer weather. It is a busy time of the year for Beta Chapter, with our regular meetings, seeking new members, and filling the Slate of Officers for the 2010-2012 Biennium.
     Building our membership is an important goal this year. Three excellent candidates for membership were recommended at our March meeting.  Please bring additional Recommendations for Membership and perspective members to the April meeting. An informational meeting for perspective members will be part of this meeting.  Forms can be accessed at http://www.deltakappagamma.net in the Forms/Applications section, under General Society Forms. The April meeting will include a tour, light brunch and business meeting.218-291-4211.
     On May 1, our meeting will be at the CHARISM Stonebridge, 3350 35th Avenue South, Fargo, ND,  701-241-8569. In honor of May Day, we will fill May Baskets (laundry-size) with supplies for the YWCA Women’s Shelter.  Judy Gunkelman, the Charism Director will give us a tour, we will initiate new members, and install our new officers. Our State President, Karen Walz, will participate in our initiation, and Chapters Tau (Wahpeton) and Zeta (Mayville) Chapters will be invited to join us.
     Please offer your thanks to the Nominating Committee: Verna LaBounty, Ginger Dietz, and Jo Cavins, and to the members who agreed to be nominated. The Slate is listed in Chapter News.They are able leaders for our chapter.
     Verna LaBounty has graciously agreed to continue moving us into the digital age by creating a blog for our chapter. It will be an interactive site for Beta Chapter members and will be accessible via the Internet. It will be fun to have this additional method to communicate with and learn about each other.
     Sharon Miller, talent specialist at the NDSU Research & Technology Park, gave an interesting presentation on “Finding Your Passion in Today’s Job Market” in March. I learned that her daughter, Molly, age 9, is interested in fashion design. Molly and Sharon plan to visit students in my Pattern Design class on April 21. Hopefully, my students will help Molly continue to develop this passion.  
     I’ll leave you with the theme that Sharon Miller stressed in her presentation, “work to be happy at work, and continue working toward happiness. Make work a vital part of the very passion of your life.”  

                        Ann W. Braaten
                        Ann.Braaten@ndsu.edu


04/06/2010