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PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
A Message from the Chapter President
Helene Buse, Jackson, Rolfes, Spurgeon & Co.
What does Executive Women International (EWI) mean to its member firm and its representative?
I can answer this question by sharing my experiences with the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Chapter. Jackson, Rolfes, Spurgeon & Co. became a member firm in July of 2003 and asked me to be its representative to EWI. My firm had wanted to gain exposure in the business community and address my quest for personal achievement and professional development. This is a tall order that normally would require involvement in several different groups to accomplish. Through a connection between a former EWI Chapter President and my Executive, Mark Jackson, we found that all of this would be possible through one organization, EWI. We were impressed by the mission of EWI to bring together key individuals from diverse businesses for the threefold purpose of:
Promoting Member Firms
EWI is comprised of businesses from diverse industries and the selected representatives hold various positions within their firms. Therefore, we all have different strengths to share with one another. Through our monthly meetings, representatives network with each other and learn about the professional services offered by our firms. Through our firm recognition night, our chapter provides a forum for executives from various companies to meet each other and form business connections.
Enhancing personal and professional development
On a personal note, through my active participation in our chapter, I have developed new skills that I now utilize in my role as an audit manager at my firm. These skills vary from speaking in front of a group of people to leading a task force. I have been able to reciprocate by sharing my accounting skills with our chapter as I have served as treasurer for two terms.
Encouraging community involvement
We have several philanthropic endeavors, which primarily focus on literacy and education. We hold an annual reading rally at a local Cincinnati Public School in which we read with the children and encourage literacy as both a source of accomplishment and enjoyment for the children. For adult learners, we actively participate in EWI's ASIST Scholarship Program. Each year, our chapter awards scholarships to individuals who are working to make a difference in their lives by continuing their education. To date, our chapter has awarded over $60,000 in scholarships and strives to award another $10,000 or more in 2008!
As I review all the accomplishments of our chapter, I have been so inspired by what a group of dedicated people can achieve. I have been given so much through this organization and have witnessed so many inspiring people making a difference in other's lives that my goal is to pass this inspiration onto others. As our chapter president this year, I want to pat it forward to others in the chapter and in the community by sharing what I have gained with them. Come join EWI and learn how to pay it forward along with us!
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