The Smith College Club of Philadelphia

Annual Meeting Announcement

Don’t forget to get in your RSVP for the Annual Smith College Club of Philadelphia Meeting ASAP.

Where?
New Century Trust

1307 Locust Street,

Philadelphia, PA 19107

When? May 29th at 6:00pm

Cost:

$20 for members.
$25 for non-members.

Send your registration along with your annual dues and get the members’ rate! Payment can be made by check made out to “Smith College Club of Philadelphia” and mailed to “SCCOP Treasurer, 822 S. 9th St., 3rd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19147” or through Paypal:

 

The annual meeting is an opportunity for club members to socialize as well as conduct club business, including the election of new board members. Are you interested in joining the board? Do you know someone who is? Nominations for board members can be sent to the club in advance or made at the meeting.

This year’s event takes place at the New Century Trust in Center City Philadelphia, an organization with roots going back to the Women’s Pavilion at the centennial exhibition in 1876. The Trust was active in Pennsylvania’s women’s suffrage movement and in providing both vocational training and social events for women. Today, the Trust continues to run programs to support it’s mission of improving the status of women and girls, preserving their landmark building, and educating the public about the Trust’s role in women’s history.

We’ll enjoy a tour of the Trust’s building, a National Historic Landmark, and learn more about this trailblazing organization. Register today! Email us at phillysmithclub@gmail.com to RSVP and let us know how you submitted payment.

Call for Board Members

Our annual meeting is coming up, and we will be voting on new board members! All skill-sets and interests are welcome, but we are particularly looking for people interested in the following areas:

• Communications
• Treasurer
• Current student outreach
• Event Planning

 

Our monthly event in May will take place at the Sister Cities on Sunday, May 18th at 2:00pm. Join us for good company and fun in the outdoors. The park boasts a beautiful water fountain and a cafe which offers snacks and lunch. When you’re done eating and ready to explore,  there’s a boat pond and a “Children’s Discovery Garden. Inspired by Philadelphia’s Wissahickon Valley, the garden’s winding pathways and meandering stream provide a setting for discovery and imaginative play. Children can hike the trail, summit the “mountain” and enjoy the view, while connecting with the natural and man-made environments surrounding them.” I don’t know about you, but we are not of elementary-school age and we think this sounds fun!

Sister Cities Park

18th Street & the Benjamin Franklin Parkway

Google Maps Directions

2:00pm

See you there!

Our monthly happy hour in April will be at the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Art After 5 event!  Join us on Friday, April 18th at 5:30 pm to enjoy great music and cocktails. The performances are scheduled for 5:45–6:45 p.m. and 7:15–8:15 p.m.

Where: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19130

When: Friday, April 18th at 5:30 pm

Admission: Admission to the museum is $20 for adults, and $14 for students (with valid ID). There is no additional charge for performances or guided tours after Museum admission (select galleries are open Friday evenings).

How to find us: One of our wonderful board members will be on the steps inside Great Stair Hall with one of our table tents (see below)

The Smith College Club of Philadelphia will be sending a bundle of cheer to current students to help them get through their final exams! If you’d like to help the club arrange the care packages, we will be gathering at the home of a board member in the West Philadelphia area on Thursday, April 24th at 5:45 PM. Please email Susie Kwon at susiebkwon@gmail.com to RSVP, and she will send you more details!

When: Thursday, April 24th at 5:45 PM
Where: West Philadelphia area (email Susie Kwon (susiebkwon@gmail.com) to RSVP and receive a further information)

For our February “On the 18th” event, we have been invited to attend a special panel discussion: Educating Girls: The Path from Poverty to Leadership, organized by WIL (Women’s International Leaders) on Tuesday, February 18th from 5-7:30 pm. Several Seven Sisters alums (including Smithies) are involved with this organization, and they have opened this event to Philly Seven Sisters alums free of charge.

Only one in every five girls in the developing world finishes primary school, and the gap is even wider in secondary education. This interactive program features speakers from two successful and innovative programs that partner to overcome these challenges and support girls from elementary school through secondary education. Click here to learn more about the program and panelists.

When: Tuesday, February 18th, 2014 from 5-7:30 pm

Where: KPMG, 1601 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102

Registration required: Register here, and select the free “1st time member’s guest” option (no charge).

Local Smithie Catherine Renzi, ’86, was recently featured in the Fall 2013 Alumnae Quarterly (pg. 32) as part of a group of Smithies working in small-scale, sustainable agriculture. We are thrilled that she has invited our club to visit Yellow Springs Farm on Saturday, April 26th, 2014.  Yellow Springs Farm is a Native Plant Nursery and Artisanal Goat Cheese Dairy, founded by Catherine and Al Renzi, located in Chester Springs, PA. We’ll be visiting with the goats (including the new babies!) at 4 pm, followed by wine and farm-made cheese from 4:30-6:30 pm.

When: Saturday, April 26, 2014 4:00 pm – 6:30 pm

Where: Yellow Springs Farm, 1165 Yellow Springs Road, PA 19425 We are hoping to do some carpooling for this event. When you RSVP, please let us know if you need a ride, or if you are driving and would have space for a few more!

Cost: $10 for members; $15 for nonmembers. Information on membership is available here.

RSVP: RSVP with payment required by 4/15. Please reserve your spot via Paypal, below (in the “Notes to Seller” area, please indicate “Yellow Springs,” and provide your name, class year, and number of guests) or by mailing a check made out to “Smith College Club of Philadelphia” to Lindsey Allen, Treasurer, 822 S. 9th Street, 3rd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19147.

Join the Philly Smith Club at Philabundance on Tuesday evening, March 18 for the opportunity to give back to our community by helping sort and pack food that will be distributed through a network of almost 500 food cupboards, emergency kitchens, and shelters.

Philabundance is the largest hunger relief organization in the region, working to meet the needs of the one million people people in the Delaware Valley who face hunger on a daily basis. Philabundance addresses hunger through direct service programs and a network of 500 member agencies, as well as contributes to a broad spectrum of social services through food cupboards, emergency kitchens, shelters, daycare and senior centers and beyond. If you’re interested in learning more about the problem of hunger in our region, check out the interactive Hunger 101 game that Philabundance has created.

RSVP required (see below). Volunteers must be 14 or older, and will need to wear closed-toe shoes and comfortable casual clothing (bring a jacket in case you end up working in one of the refrigerated areas).

When: Tuesday, March 18, 6:00-8:30

Where: Philabundance Hunger Relief Center, 3616 S. Galloway Street, Philadelphia, PA 19148 (near the sports stadiums, just a little further down Pattison Ave). There is parking available for Volunteers at the Hunger Relief Center. Please do not park in the Truck Parking only section. Note: Philabundance is located near a nut processing facility, so if you have nut allergies please be aware of the possibility of allergens in the air.

RSVP: Space is limited to 15. Please RSVP on the Philabundance website, following these instructions:

1. Visit http://philabundance.volunteerhub.com.
2. Click “Sign in” in the upper right hand corner and follow the steps as instructed.
3. During this step, you will be asked to enter our group’s join code: 216992
4. Once you return to the main page, scroll down until you find the date of our event (3/18).
5. Click the “Sign Up” button to the left of the “Event Name.”
6. You will receive a confirmation email with further instructions.

Our “Smith Through the Decades” event last year was such a hit that we’re doing it again! The Smith College Club of Philadelphia invites you to afternoon tea at the Beaumont retirement community on Sunday, March 2nd. Alumnae from a wide range of class years will be sharing stories about Smith during their time there. What was it like to be a Smith student during World War II? How did day-to-day life at Smith change in the 70’s as the Women’s Movement grew? What’s on the minds of today’s Smithies? Alumnae from the days of FDR through the Obama era will share and compare personal memories of their college years during nearly seven decades of tumultuous change. Enjoy delicious refreshments and great company as we explore our shared history!

We are currently looking for alums from the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s to be a part of the panel discussion. Email the club at phillysmithclub@gmail.com if you’re interested!

When: Sunday, March 2nd at 4 pm 

Where: Beaumont at Bryn Mawr, 601 N Ithan Avenue Bryn Mawr PA 19010. Click here for directions.

RSVP required: To reserve your space, please send an email to phillysmithclub@gmail.com and please provide your name and class year (attendance is free but space is limited.)

Start the new year off on the right foot! Colleen DelVecchio, Associate Director for Alumnae Engagement, will be in the Philadelphia area in late January to offer free career development programs for Smith Alumnae.

Sunday, January 26, 2014, 3-5 p.m.
Negotiation Skills – Ask for What You Deserve!
Many women have difficulty negotiating without feeling overly aggressive. Worse, in an effort to be perceived as nice, women often give up our power by not asking for what we really want. Whether you are striving for your next promotion, salary increase or buy‐in for a new idea, good negotiation skills are critical to your success. Learn tips on preparing for negotiation, developing the courage to ask for what you want, knowing when to push and when to back off, building your credibility before and during a negotiation and when and how to get support from others in achieving your goals.

Monday, January 27, 2014, 7-9 p.m.
Getting Ahead in Your Career
Make a plan or someone else will make one for you. This was never truer than when it comes to your career advancement. Join us to learn how to define the professional trajectory that you want. We’ll cover the key elements to include in your plan, tips for negotiating development opportunities within your company and how to apply these strategies for moving forward with intention, purpose and control.

These events are free, but space is limited and you must register. Please RSVP to Colleen DelVecchio at cdelvecchio@smith.edu. Both events will be held in Center City at the home of an alumna. Exact directions will be emailed to those who register.

To check out more on-campus, off-campus and online career workshops click here.

January 18th falls on a Saturday, and we’re planning to go skating at The Piazza from 2-4 pm. Bring your family and friends (kids very welcome) and let’s practice our triple salchows… or maybe just staying upright!

When: Saturday, January 18th, 2014, 2-4 pm

Where: The Piazza, 1001 N. 2nd St, Philadelphia. It’s a short walk from the Girard station on the Market Frankfort Line. For directions, parking and public transportation, check out this website: http://www.skateatthepiazza.com.

Cost: $5 for adults and $3 for children, plus $1 skate rental.

To find us: Look for board member, Liz Balcom, in her Smith hat!