General Meeting: Tuesday, July 25, 2017, at 10:00 a.m.

General Meeting: 4th Tuesday of each month (except August & December) at 10:00 a.m.
Trinity Presbyterian Church, 1416 Bolton Street, Winston Salem 27103
(just off Silas Creek Parkway via the Bolton Street exit) 

General Meetings are a time to welcome visitors, hear guest speakers, and discuss club business. Women who are new or established residents of Greater Winston Salem are invited to join.

Visitors are welcome to attend two meetings or activities before joining and paying dues.

For more information contact our Membership Manager, Pat Titus, at 336-771-4422.

Annual dues are $35 – renew each September (depending on the month, dues may be prorated)

July Program:

Food Bank Garden Strives to Curb Hunger with Nutritious, Fresh Food

Speaker: Ellen Kirby

Our July program features the location of an upcoming Newcomers & Neighbors service project, the Betty and Jim Holmes Food Bank Garden. The garden is a mission-oriented community garden that grows nutritious and fresh food to meet emergency needs of people challenged by hunger in the eighteen counties served by Second Harvest Food Bank. The garden is located at 1001 Reynold Road, on the campus of Children’s Home. 

The all-volunteer organization grows 16 different crops, including tomatoes, peppers, squash, green beans, cu-cumbers, melons, and corn. Last year, the garden produced 6,038 pounds of food. Everything grown in the garden goes to Second Harvest Food Bank for distribution to food pantries, centers for children, seniors and homeless shelters, among others. The garden strives to grow the healthiest possible food while practicing conservation methods, including soil and water conservation, cover cropping, beekeeping, and intensive planting of flowers for pollination.

The idea for the garden, which began in 1998, emerged from a conversation between James Holmes, Jr., who had previously served as chairman of the Children’s Home board, and his son, James Holmes, III (Jim). Jim remembers driving past the Children’s Home property and his father’s musing about the possibility of cultivating some of the property to provide food to poor people. Jim, who was already participating in several volunteer programs, connected his Dad with people who helped get the garden off the ground. Over the years, four generations of the Holmes family have been involved in garden activities. The volunteer base includes members of local churches and synagogues, student groups, businesses, and individuals. The garden now covers three acres. 

Our Speaker: Ellen Kirby is president of the Board of Directors of the Betty and Jim Holmes Food Bank Garden. Ellen grew up in Winston Salem and, after graduating from Meredith College in Raleigh, moved to New York City for graduate studies. She worked on the professional staff of United Methodist Women for 24 years before following her love of gardening to become the founding director of the community horticulture program at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, a position she held for 13 years. She retired in 2006 and moved back to Winston Salem, where she became a fulltime volunteer at the food bank garden. Ellen is a certified horticulturalist and has expertise in vegetable gardening, landscape design, and garden conservation. She is co-editor of the book Community Gardening.

Calendar of Events: July 2017

Please RSVP for all events. Non-members who wish to attend one of our events should contact our Membership Manager, Pat Titus, at 336-771-4422 for additional information or email wsnewcomers@gmail.com.

Mah Jong: Wednesday, July 5, at 1:00 p.m.

Evening Cards: Wednesday, July 5, at 7:00 p.m.

Dinner Out: Saturday, July 8, at 6:00 p.m.

Book Club: Monday, July 10, at 10:00 a.m.: Summer Book Review – Participants can discuss books they have found interesting.

Board Meeting: Tuesday, July 11, at 10:00 a.m.

Bridge Club: Thursday, July 13, at 1:00 p.m.

Travel Talk: Thursday, July 13 at 6:30 p.m.

Day Trip Gals: Friday, July 14, at 10:00 a.m.

Mah Jong: Tuesday, July 18, at 1:00 p.m.

Lunch Bunch: Thursday, July 20, at 11:30 a.m.

Dinner & Play: Friday, July 21, at 6:30 p.m.

General Meeting: Tuesday, July 25, at 10:00 a.m.

Day Cards: Thursday, July 27, at 1:00 p.m.

 Newcomers and Neighbors - Website: http://www.wsnewcomers.blogspot.com & Membership Coordinator: wsnewcomers@gmail.com

General Meeting: Tuesday, June 27, 2017, at 10:00 a.m.

General Meeting: 4th Tuesday of each month (except August & December) at 10:00 a.m.

Trinity Presbyterian Church, 1416 Bolton Street, Winston Salem 27103

(just off Silas Creek Parkway via the Bolton Street exit)

General Meetings are a time to welcome visitors, hear guest speakers, and discuss club business. Women who are new or established residents of Greater Winston Salem are invited to join. Visitors are welcome to attend two meetings or activities before joining and paying dues.

For more information, contact our Membership Coordinator, Pat Titus at 336-771-4422

Annual dues are $35 –  renew each September (depending on the month, dues may be prorated)

June Program:

National Black Theatre Festival® Returns to Winston Salem

Speaker: Nigel Alston

The 15th National Black Theatre Festival returns to Winston-Salem July 31 through August 5. About 120 performances take place during the biennial event, which brings more than 50 celebrities of film, television, and stage to the city.

More than 60,000 people attend the festival, which features a dynamic collection of both new works and black classics performed by professional black theatre companies from around the world. Attendees can expect to see a number of familiar faces as well as up-and-coming stars in Winston-Salem during the festival.

Celebrity co-chairs for the 2017 festival are Anna Maria Horsford and Obba Babtunde. Best known for their roles as Vivienne and Julius on the CBS Daytime Soap, The Bold and the Beautiful, they have an impressive list of television and movie roles.

Watch for opportunities to take in several performances with your N&N friends. Contact Ty Fox or Eleanor Stoller for more information. General admission tickets are $9 to $50 and may be purchased online or at the festival office beginning June 5.

The Festival also offers free activities, including a Readers’ Theatre showcasing new works, workshops and seminars facilitated by celebrities, academics and theatre professionals, a National Black Film Fest, and an international vendors market.

Our Speaker: Nigel Alston, executive director of the NC Black Repertory Company, will introduce us to the festival. Mr. Alston is a long-time volunteer and board member of the NBTF and National Black Theatre Hall of Fame and Museum Committee. He is a former insurance company executive and executive director of marketing, alumni and community relations for Winston-Salem State University.

Calendar of Events: June 2017

Please RSVP for all events. Non-members who wish to attend one of our events should contact our Membership Coordinator, Pat Titus, at 336-771-4422 for additional information or email wsnandn@aol.com.

Book Club: Monday, June 5, at 10:00 a.m.: Circling the Sun by Paula McLain

Mah Jong: Wednesday, June 7, at 1:00 p.m.

Evening Cards: Wednesday, June 7, at 7:00 p.m.

Bridge Club: Thursday, June 8, at 1:00 p.m.

Day Trip Gals: Friday, June 9, at 9:45 a.m.

Social: Saturday, June 10, at 7:30 p.m.

Board Meeting: Tuesday, June 13, at 10:00 a.m.

Lunch Bunch: Thursday, June 15, at 11:30 a.m.

Mah Jong: Tuesday, June 20, at 1:00 p.m.

Day Cards: Thursday, June 22, at 1:00 p.m.

General Meeting: Tuesday, June 27, at 10:00 a.m.

 Newcomers and Neighbors Website: http://www.wsnewcomers.blogspot.com

General Meeting: Tuesday, May 23, 2017, at 10:00 a.m.

General Meetings are a time to welcome visitors, hear guest speakers, and discuss club business. Women who are new or established residents of Greater Winston Salem are invited to join. Visitors are welcome to attend two meetings or activities before joining and paying dues.

The general meetings are held at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 1416 Bolton Street (just off Silas Creek Parkway, via the Bolton Street exit) at 10:00 a.m. on the fourth Tuesday of each month (except August and December)

May Program:

Southern Environmental Law Center

Speaker: Brooks Rainey Pearson

The Southern Environmental Law Center, founded in 1986, uses the power of the law to champion the environment of the Southeast. Their team of 70 dedicated attorneys stands up for all the things you love about this special region — clean water, healthy air, mountains, forests, and the coast.

By working at the national, regional, state, and local levels, and in all three branches of government, this nonprofit organization is able to do what it takes to get results. SELC strengthens laws, they make government agencies do their job, and, when necessary, they go to court to stop environmental abuses or to set far-reaching precedents.

This year marks SELC’s 30th anniversary. They invite us to join them in celebrating thirty years of impressive results — and in boldly meeting the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in the next thirty years. Together, we can achieve a healthy, sustainable environmental future for our six states.

Brooks received her undergraduate degree, juris doctorate, and master's degree in city and regional planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Brooks is now an attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center's Chapel Hill office, where she is part of the coal ash and hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") litigation teams, and also represents SELC as a lobbyist at the North Carolina General Assembly.

Before joining SELC, Brooks was on the climate and energy team at the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions at Duke University. She lives in Durham with her husband Dave, and enjoys teaching, practicing yoga, traveling, being outdoors with her dogs, and Tarheel basketball.

Calendar of Events: May 2017

Please RSVP for all events. Non-members who wish to attend one of our events should contact our Membership Coordinator, Pat Titus, at 336-771-4422 for additional information or email wsnandn@aol.com.

Book Club: Monday, May 1, at 10:00 a.m.: Being Mortal by Atul Gawande

Mah Jong: Tuesday, May 2, at 1:00 p.m.

Evening Cards: Wednesday, May 3, at 7:00 p.m.

Board Meeting: Tuesday, May 9, at 10:00 a.m.

Mah Jong: Wednesday, May 10, at 1:00 p.m.

Bridge: Thursday, May 11, at 1:00 p.m.

Movie & Dinner: Friday, May 12, at 6:00 p.m.

Mah Jong: Tuesday, May 16, at 1:00 p.m.

Lunch Bunch: Thursday, May 18, at 11:30 a.m.

Day Trip Gals: Friday, May 19, at 10:45 a.m.

Wine Tasters: Saturday, May 20, at 6:00 p.m.

General Meeting: Tuesday, May 23, at 10:00 a.m.

Mah Jong: Wednesday, May 24, at 1:00 p.m.

Day Cards: Thursday, May 25, at 1:00 p.m.

Mah Jong: Tuesday, May 30, at 1:00 p.m.

 Newcomers and Neighbors Website: http://www.wsnewcomers.blogspot.com

General Meeting: Tuesday, April 25, 2017, at 10:00 a.m.

General Meetings are a time to welcome visitors, hear guest speakers, and discuss club business. Women who are new or established residents of Greater Winston Salem are invited to join. Visitors are welcome to attend two meetings or activities before joining and paying dues.

The general meetings are held at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 1416 Bolton Street (just off Silas Creek Parkway, via the Bolton Street exit) at 10:00 a.m. on the fourth Tuesday of each month (except August and December)

April Program:

Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA)
Speaker: Johanna Metzgar Brown

Located in the heart of downtown Winston-Salem is an original Moravian settlement. Old Salem introduces visitors to early American history. One can experience architecture, gardens, tours, artifacts, and hands-on workshops in this unique village. The Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA) at Old Salem Museums and Gardens tells the story of life in the early South through an unparalleled collection of early southern furniture, ceramics, silver, paintings, textiles, and other decorative arts from 1660-1860. Museum docents describe early Southern artistry, craftsmanship, and stories. They introduce visitors to the early South through its objects and material culture.

The museum is the realization of a vision of Frank Horton and his mother Theodosia Taliaferro. They were both antiques dealers and collectors who dedicated their lives to raising awareness of and appreciation for objects made in the South. In 1960, they offered to loan their collection to the new museum and in 1964, they established an endowment to fund MESDA. MESDA opened to the public in January,1965.

Johanna Metzgar Brown is the director of collections and curator of Moravian Decorative Arts at Old Salem Museums and Gardens. She has a BA in American Studies and Anthropology from Salem College in Winston-Salem, NC, and an MA in History Museum Studies from Cooperstown graduate program in Cooperstown, NY. In 1991, after completing her MA, Johanna began working at Old Salem where she has served in various curatorial positions.

Although her primary research focus is the Moravian Decorative Arts collection at historic Old Salem, Johanna also works with the collections of the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA). She has written for a variety of publications including Ceramics in America, the Journal of Early Southern Decorative Arts, the magazine Antiques, and Antiques and Fine Art. She lectures regularly on Moravian and southern material culture.

Calendar of Events: April 2017

Please RSVP for all events. Non-members who wish to attend one of our events should contact our Membership Coordinator, Pat Titus, at 336-771-4422 for additional information or
email wsnandn@aol.com

Book Club: Monday, April 3, at 10:00 a.m.: The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende

Mah Jong: Tuesday, April 4, at 1:00 p.m.

Evening Cards: Wednesday, April 5, at 7:00 p.m.

Board Meeting: Tuesday, April 11, at 10:00 a.m.

Mah Jong: Wednesday, April 12, at 1:00 p.m.

Bridge: Thursday, April 13, at 1:00 p.m.

Movie & Dinner: Friday, April 14, at 4:00 p.m.

Mah Jong: Tuesday, April 18, at 1:00 p.m.

Lunch Bunch: Thursday, April 20, at 11:45 a.m.

Travel Talk: Thursday, April 20, at 6:30 p.m.

Day Trip Gals: Friday, April 21, at 10:15 a.m.

Special Event: Saturday, April 22, at 10:00 a.m. Piedmont Earth Day Fair

General Meeting: Tuesday, April 25, at 10:00 a.m.

Mah Jong: (Special Day & Time) Tuesday, April 25, at 1:30 p.m.

Community Service: Wednesday, April 26, at 11:00 a.m.

Day Cards: Thursday, April 27, at 1:00 p.m.

Dinner Out: Thursday, April 27, at 5:30 p.m.

Newcomers and Neighbors Website: http://www.wsnewcomers.blogspot.com

General Meeting: Tuesday, March 28, 2017, at 10:00 a.m.

General Meetings are a time to welcome visitors, hear guest speakers and discuss club business. We invite women who are new or established residents of Greater Winston Salem to visit us.

The general meetings are held at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 1416 Bolton Street (just off Silas Creek Parkway, via the Bolton Street exit) at 10:00 a.m. on the fourth Tuesday of each month (except August and December)

March Program:

Celebrate Sustainability and Green Living at 2017 Piedmont Earth Day Fair
Speaker: Jamie Maier, Executive Director of the PEA

Join us for a preview of the 2017 Piedmont Earth Day Fair, central North Carolina’s largest one-day environmental education event. Our speaker will be Jamie Maier, Executive Director of the Piedmont Environmental Alliance (PEA). Scheduled for Saturday, April 22, at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds, the fair celebrates sustainability and green living in our region. This free event, which attracts as many as 10,000 fairgoers, includes great food and music, activities for children and adults, and over 100 exhibitors who share ideas and products for supporting the planet.

The Piedmont Environmental Alliance began in 2005, when friends joined to host a family-friendly Earth Day celebration. This first event was so successful that the fair’s organizing committee formed the 50(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the Piedmont Triad community on environmental issues. Today, the PEA brings together people, organizations, businesses, schools and government agencies toward the common goal of building a more environmentally sustainable community.

The PEA is a leader in environmental education, with programs that integrate sustainability into local K-12 classrooms. Programs include Energy Explores, Every Drop Counts, and Environmental Debate, designed to build skills in science, math and leadership. They teach youth to make environmentally sustainable and socially responsible lifestyle choices. In 2016, they engaged more than 2,000 students across 90 classrooms, and is on target to reach more than 3,500 students in 2017.

Jamie Maier has been Executive Director of the Piedmont Environmental Alliance since 2015. She is a graduate of Duke University, with nonprofit experience in Boston, Washington DC, and Pune, India. She has a personal passion for the environment as well as experience in strategic planning, fundraising, event planning, volunteer recruitment, community outreach and program development. She is a native of Winston-Salem and has a BA in psychology and a Masters of Business Administration.

Calendar of Events: March 2017

Please RSVP for all events. Non-members who wish to attend one of our events should contact our Membership Coordinator, Pat Titus, at 336-771-4422 for additional information or email wsnandn@aol.com. 

Mah Jong: Wednesday, March 1, at 1:00 p.m.

Evening Cards: Wednesday, March 1, at 7:00 p.m.

Book Club: Monday, March 6, at 10:00 a.m.: Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis

Mah Jong: Tuesday, March 7, at 1:00 p.m.

Bridge: Thursday, March 9, at 1:00 p.m.

Board Meeting: Tuesday, March 14, at 10:00 a.m.

Mah Jong: Wednesday, March 15, at 1:00 p.m.

Lunch Bunch: Thursday, March 16, at 11:30 a.m.

Day Trip Gals: Friday, March 17, at 10:00 a.m.

Social: Saturday, March 18, at 7:00 p.m.

Mah Jong: No session this week

Day Cards: Thursday, March 23, at 1:00 p.m.

General Meeting: Tuesday, March 28, at 10:00 a.m.

Community Service: Tuesday, March 28, at 11:30 a.m.

Mah Jong: Wednesday, March 29, at 1:00 p.m.

General Meeting: Tuesday, February 28, 2017, at 10:00 a.m.

General Meetings are a time to welcome visitors, hear guest speakers and discuss club business. We invite women who are new or established residents of Greater Winston-Salem to visit us.

The general meetings are held at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 1416 Bolton Street (just off Silas Creek Parkway, via the Bolton Street exit) at 10:00 a.m. on the fourth Tuesday of each month (except August and December)

Our Bad Weather Policy:

In the event of bad weather, our strategy is to follow the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School policy. If school is cancelled, then our meeting is cancelled. If school is on a two-hour delay, we will meet at the regular time.

         February Program: Women's Fund of Winston Salem

Speaker: Sabrina Slade

The Women's Fund of Winston-Salem, a part of The Winston-Salem Foundation, seeks to improve the lives of women and girls by building a community of female philanthropists. The fund provides grants to local programs and initiatives that address the root causes of social issues impacting women and girls in Forsyth County. It was founded in 2006 by a group of women who believed they could make a real difference in the lives of women and girls in their community. Since 2006, membership has grown to include 800 women from all socioeconomic backgrounds and beliefs. The fund has awarded over $1.3 million in grants to local organizations.
 
The Women's Fund believes you don't need to be wealthy to be a philanthropist; it doesn't matter how much you can give. We have several members in Newcomers and Neighbors who participate annually as part of a group membership. The current coordinator for the Newcomers and Neighbors group is Vicki Schwartz. Refer to her article in this issue regarding membership openings for this year.

Sabrina Slade, the director of the Women's Fund, will be here to tell us more about the organization. She'll explain the system of grant voting sessions held every year in the fall, how a local group is formed and how you can become an involved member through your donation.
 

Sabrina Slade has over 22 years of nonprofit management and fundraising experience. She has served as Director of Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Durham and Orange County, the Director of The United Way of Forsyth County's Volunteer Center, the Director of the Women's Fund and of The Black Philanthropy Initiatives at the Winston-Salem Foundation. She is a native of Winston-Salem and has a BA in psychology and a Masters of Business Administration

Calendar of Events: February 2017

Please RSVP for all events. Non-members who wish to attend one of our events should contact our Membership Coordinator, Pat Titus, at 336-771-4422 for additional information, or email
wsnandn@aol.com.

Evening Cards: Wednesday, February 1, at 7:00 p.m.

Book Club: Monday, February 6, at 10:00 a.m.: Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow

Bridge: Thursday, February 9, at 1:00 p.m.

Day Trip Gals: Friday, February 10, at 11:30 a.m.

Wine Tasting: Saturday, February 11, at 7:00 p.m.

Board Meeting: Tuesday, February 14, at 10:00 a.m.

Lunch Bunch: Thursday, February 16, at 11:30 a.m.

Travel Talk: Thursday, February 16, at 6:30 p.m.

Day Cards: Thursday, February 23, at 1:00 p.m.

General Meeting: Tuesday, February 28, at 10:00 a.m.

wsnewcomers@gmail.com