News Archive

Syd Gibson, President

Heart Disease is the Number 1 cause of death in both men and women. A few suggestions to help lower your risk of heart disease can begin with watching your weight. Now, I do not mean getting on the scale and looking at your weight, saying something profound like, “Oh, really” and grabbing a bag of chips . Perhaps it would be better said to keep a healthy weight with a concerted effort to consume nutritional foods at every meal and eating popcorn seasoned with Rosemary instead of salt and drinking perhaps a glass of iced tea without sugar.

Do not smoke and stay away from secondhand smoke which can be just as bad for your health.

Control your cholesterol and your blood pressure by eating baked or broiled foods and avoiding trans fats. Eating raw vegetables on a salad with salad dressing such as oil and vinegar or consuming fresh fruits such as apples and bananas or berries which contain natural sugars or satisfy your sweet tooth or we have also been informed that dark chocolate is heart healthy when consumed in moderation.

If you drink alcohol, please drink in moderation. We need to keep in mind that red wine is on the list of foods that are heart healthy not totally depriving ourselves and only consuming water and a crust of whole grain bread.

Get active and stay active for a heart healthy February. Walk around the block or to the beach for a beautiful sunset 20 minutes a day. Getting outside and enjoying our lovely Florida weather walking, bicycling, playing tennis or running a marathon is a natural way to keep fit and stay healthy.

Karin Drury

Thank you to all our members and guests who attended the October and November BPWEV meetings. Your generosity provided me with $380.00 to buy clothes, shoes and one desired toy for three boys, ages 13, 8, and 4. Amazon helped me find the toys on line, the rest of the money was spent locally at TJ Max, Target, Bealls Outlet and Walmart.

The bags were delivered to the Salvation Army in Venice on 11/21/19. I send my gratitude and appreciation to all who helped make WHW a success again this year. Three boys will have an amazing Christmas thanks to you!

Syd Gibson, President

We welcome in the new decade of 2020 with exciting events in the upcoming months beginning in February with American Heart Month. Traditionally, February is the month for lovers and all things heart related. February 1st is National Wear Red Day to bring awareness about heart disease. Heart disease is often associated with men, but cardiovascular disease if the number one killer of women.

On March 8th we celebrate women's achievements throughout history internationally. In past years, our Local Organization has dedicated part of the March program to present a brief biography of one's favorite woman in history and even dress as they did to bring awareness of their accomplishments. March 31st is known as Equal Pay Day for 2020 which means women must work until that day to earn the same amount of money that men received in 2019. Last year, Equal Pay Day was April 2nd. Hopefully, in the near future, we will be able to have true equality in the workplace.

In June, BPW will hold it's annual State Conference to be held in Wesley Chapel at the Saddlebrook Resort which is about 90 miles North of us. Continuation of BPW's One Hundred Year Celebration will occur in addition to election of new Officers, seminars, business meetings and an excellent time to meet and greet other Beautiful Professional Women living in other parts of Florida. You may want to come before the conference begins on June 11th or stay after the 14th at the discounted hotel rates.

Debra Straw, Membership Chair

Thank you to all who have helped with the statewide membership drive. I am very pleased to announce that we have 4 new members - so far...

Welcome to Carol DeGulis, Dr. Karen Helmick, Sue Hogrefe, and Karla Olson. We are very excited to have these four dynamic women as a part of BPW Englewood/Venice!

We will hold a new member induction ceremony at our meeting on January 21st, so plan to be there.

Cynthia Fredricks, Public Policy Chair

Women's rights in the U.S. have made leaps and bounds since the passage of the 19th Amendment. Yet many women still struggle to break the glass ceiling because of unequal treatment in society. According to a recent study done by WalletHub.com, we still have a long way to go.

In 2018, the U.S. failed to place in the top 10 - or even the top 40 - of the World Economic Forum's ranking of 149 countries based on gender equality. In fact, the U.S. dropped to 51st position from its previous rank 49th.

The workplace provides even more evidence of the issue. Despite their advances toward social equality, women are disproportionately underrepresented in leadership positions. Women make up more than 50% of the population. According to the American Association of University Women, women only constitute 25% of legislators and less than 29% of business executives.

Apart from unequal representation in executive leadership, salary inequity has been central to the gender-gap debate. Few experts dispute an earnings gap between women and men, but there's disagreement when it comes to the proper method of measuring that disparity. The fact remains, however, that nearly two-thirds of minimum-wage workers across the country are female, according to the National Women's Law Center. 

In next month's newsletter I'll share information from this study specific to where Florida ranks among the United States.