Eighth Anniversary Celebration,

Scholarship Awards, Great Gifts,

And an Insightful Speaker

For eight years, River City Express Network of the American Business Women's Association has been supporting women in business throughout the Richmond area. Their morning meeting on August 5, 2009, at Willow Oaks Country Club in Richmond, VA, was a celebration of their eighth anniversary, marked by many of the same benefits that they have been providing members and guests since their inception.

Gems of Wisdom

Kim Farlow, Director of Digital and Internal Communications at Altria Client Services, shared insights on "Leadership in the For-Profit and Non-Profit Sectors," including the importance of leadership communications. Kim has also served on the board of the Central Virginia Food Bank, and spoke of the process of combining two important community nonprofits, CVFB and Meals on Wheels, to create the new Community Kitchen and the umbrella organization, Feedmore.

Community Support

In keeping with River City's mission to support their local community, members and guests took part in a PB&T drive, bringing in peanut butter and/or tuna as donations to the Central Virginia Food Bank. The front table was filled with jars and cans from the generosity of members and guests. In fact, CVFB Food Drive Coordinator Brenda Miller said after the meeting, "PB&T brought in 225 pounds along with $282.25, which will provide 1,636 meals for the hungry! The generosity of the women of RCEN continues to amaze me!"

Two scholarships were presented at the meeting as well. Stephanie "Stevie" Burcham, who is attending JMU for her nursing degree with a specialty in labor and delivery, received a $1,500 Outright Grant from Stephen Bufton Memorial Educational Fund, national scholarship fund of the American Business Women’s Association. Kaitlan Lawrence, a recent graduate of Maggie Walker Governor's School, who will be studying international relations with an emphasis on politics and Russian, received a $1,000 scholarship from River City Express Network.

Models of Leadership

This meeting marked the passing of reins to the new River City Board:

President, Tena Krouse (President, Y Not Now, LLC); President-Elect, Marcia Robertson (VP Sales and Marketing, Printing Department, Inc.); Vice President – Communications, Roxi Saultz-Dikteruk (Systems Programmer, SunTrust Bank); Vice President – Finance, Cindy A. Mims (REALTOR®, Cloverleaf Realty); Vice President – Marketing /PR, Laura Pence (Financial Advisor at Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.); Vice President – Membership, Melanie Rodgers (Business Development Manager, Richmond Express Courier Service); and Vice-President – Programming, Trina Willard (Vice President, Transformation Systems, Inc.)

Another important membership award was also given out at this meeting:

The Protégé Award recognizes members of the network who have renewed for their second year of membership and who have been active participants in network activities during their first year. This year’s winners were Lisa Hazelgrove, Wellness Consultant, Nikken; Jackie Jones, Owner, JTEC Consulting Solutions; Lillian Lambert, professional speaker and author; Leah Pace, Managing Partner, Virginia Pension Consultants; and Melanie Rodgers, Business Development Manager, Richmond Express, Inc.

Gifts and Giveaways

Each item donated to the CVFB earned the donor an extra doorprize ticket for some terrific gifts, in turn donated by River City members. Prizes included six months membership to the Jewish Community Center; jacket personalized by It's a Breeze; tickets to Swift Creek Mill dinner theatre; manicures; consulting services; gift baskets, and much more. All attendees received shopping bags from Tom Leonards, filled with gobs of goodies from RCEN members

Also at the event, women had time for informal networking, enjoyed a hearty breakfast, and had formal networking opportunities at their tables. Other speakers included meeting sponsor HCA Patient Imaging, and  V Magazine for Women editor, Annie Tobey, announcing the Central Virginia Women's Sourcebook, a new directory of businesses by women and for women (www.WomensSourcebook.com).

River City Express Network meets on the first Wednesday of every month.Click here for more information.