New Jersey News

The second convention of the 2021-2023 biennium and the installation of the 2023-2025 state officers signals the imminent close to my biennium as the DKGNJ State President. This convention was a success due to all the work put in by our Convention Committee and Program Planning Committee. These ladies make it all look so easy, but the behind-the-scenes work goes on throughout the year. I am thankful for the opportunity to have worked closely with Sue Davis, Jan Paxton, and Carol Schwartz (our steadfast Convention Committee) and for Irene Maskaly’s leadership in putting together an outstanding group of workshops for all participants. My thanks also go out to each chapter for their willingness to complete their assigned tasks to make the convention complete.

During my time as your state president, I’ve had the opportunity to visit many DKGNJ chapters to learn about what is near and dear to the heart of the chapters. I learned about your service projects, your programs, and most importantly about your members. Getting to know so many members has been a memorable experience. I’ve enjoyed attending meetings to install new chapter leadership and to induct new members, both vital parts of our organization.

Let’s never forget about the international aspect of our organization. This summer International Conferences will be held in Phoenix, AZ and Detroit, MI in July. Attending an International Conferences shows you the depth of our organization and I encourage everyone to attend, if not this summer perhaps another year. Learning and growing with the organization is part of the journey!

As I close my final newsletter message, I would like to thank the 2021-2023 state officers, Irene Maskaly, Annabelle Boehm, Dianne Papadinec, Gail Starr, Ellen Hahn, Barbara Glazewski, and Ingrid Williams, for their support and help during this biennium. They have been the wind beneath my wings for these two years and I appreciate everything that was done to support and guide me. I look forward to my continued work with DKGNJ as Immediate Past State President and vow to support our incoming state officers in any way possible. Always remembering the words of our founder, Annie Webb Blanton, Forward Moving Ever!

All my best to everyone,

Nora

The DKGNJ Convention 2023 embraced our membership with fellowship, creativity, teamwork, smiles, and laughter. The program planning committee was pleased to present a varied array of workshops and book discussions this year. Ten of the workshops were presented by our talented members and the attendance at all the workshops/book discussions was outstanding! Variety truly is the key to successful programming, our DKG presenters offered workshops in wellness, stress management, history, and music, as well as hands-on experiences in scrapbooking and classroom experiences & strategies. Based on the workshop evaluations, people enjoyed the presentations and often suggested we have the speaker return for future workshops.

As per the membership survey request for more fellowship time, a luncheon event highlight was a group trivia quiz with three tables winning! The last bit of trivia was explained as the yellow rose was a symbol of the women’s suffrage movement. A yellow rose favor was presented to all for its symbolism of friendship which we value highly!

A special note of thanks to our convention planning team, the program planning committee, all our presenters, and of course, all our workshop facilitators!

Thank you to all attendees who returned their evaluations. The many thoughtful responses and suggestions will be the springboard for planning programs for the DKGNJ 2024 Convention.

Looking ahead, share your knowledge with our members. Every DKG chapter has a personality and energy of its own. Our state organization is continually looking for people willing to present innovative workshops to inspire and motivate our members. Consider sharing your chapter’s interests with our membership. If you have any chapter projects you would like to share, keynote speaker recommendations (it is helpful to provide contact information) or would like to present at a DKGNJ State convention, please reach out to me, Irene Maskaly at dkgnjvp12023@gmail.com.

I will pass this information on to our incoming 1st Vice President Cathy Fortunato. A workshop 2024 proposal form will be posted shortly on our DKGNJ website. Remember, as a team, we all grow stronger with diverse ideas and support from one another!

Thank you again for all your support and attendance in making our 2023 convention a memorable event.