Category Archives: Club Updates

Welcome from Club President

I am honored to serve as the incoming President for the 2020-2022 term. Our volunteer Board is tasked with leading the Club in its mission to connect the nearly 400 Mount Holyoke alumnae in the Houston area with one another and the College. 

A diverse range of programs and activities will be central to this effort, and at this moment social media will be our primary organizing tool. We will be staying in touch and sharing information via the Mount Holyoke Club of Houston FacebookLinkedIn, and Instagram pages. Please join! If you need any help finding and connecting on these platforms, let me know. In addition to social media, our newsletters will be delivered in your inbox or mailbox quarterly. 

To help us get to know each other a little better we will be doing a couple of new things. First, keep an eye out for spotlight features of the incredible women who serve with our Club. Also, while we continue to live in a stay home social environment this summer, we will utilize virtual events, through Zoom, at least until the end of summer.

While no substitute for in-person meetings, we will be publishing a Houston Club Directory on our website, as a way for us to better stay connected. We’ve sent an email asking if you’d like to participate. Email us at mhc.houston@gmail.com if you did not receive that message. 

For those interested in volunteer or board service, we have many opportunities to serve, and love to welcome new volunteers and leaders. Please contact me if you have an interest in getting involved. I hope to hear from you.  

We look forward to connecting in the months ahead. 

All the best, 

Taryn H. Gore, PhD ’09 
President, Mount Holyoke Club of Houston 
taryn.h.gore@gmail.com

Fall 2019 Newsletter

Dear Club Members:

We are excited to share this second newsletter with information about upcoming Club activities that will relate to our theme … “Lifting Up, Supporting In, Reaching Out”. 

As you have done during the past year, we invite you to review the calendar of upcoming activities and attend an event, participate in planning activities as well as share your experiences from your engagement with the Club!

Julie Baskin Jenkins ‘81  and   Bridget Baskin Fenning, ‘86

MHC Club Houston November 2019 Newsletter

Winter 2018 Newsletter

Dear Club Members:

We are excited to have been given the opportunity to be the new co-presidents for the MHC Club of Houston.   With the help of the other Club officers, we hope to plan and have Club activities over the next couple years that will be fun as well as create long-lasting memories.  All of our Club activities will relate to our theme … “Lifting Up, Supporting In, Reaching Out”.  There were will activities that will foster opportunities to encourage:

  • self-development while lifting each other up,
  • supporting the needs of current students, other alumnae and prospective students from our area, and
  • reaching out to the greater Houston community through volunteering.

We invite you to review the calendar of upcoming activities and attend an event, participate in planning activities as well as share your experiences from your engagement with the Club!

Julie Baskin Brooks, ‘81   and   Bridget Baskin Fenning, ‘86

CLUB OFFICERS 

Co-Presidents:

Julie Baskin Brooks, ‘81

Bridget Baskin Fenning, ‘86

 
Vice President/Treasurer:

Raluca Dalea, ’01

Communication Chair: 

Jessica Abad-Serpas, ’05

Secretary:

Anu Kulkarni, ’17

Alumna Admission Representative:

Taryn Gore, ’09

Lifting Up

January 2019: H-Town J-Term

Do you have a skill or a hobby to share? Can you host an event taught by another alumna? What would you like to do or learn? We’d love to hear from you, so share your ideas by sending an email to Julie, julielbb at outlook.com or Bridget, mochamist64 at yahoo.com.

Supporting In

December 2018: Holiday/Care Package Prep Party

With the holidays quickly approaching, be sure to include the holiday/care package prep party in your holiday party planning. Club members will gather at the home of Lisa Dell’Angelo, ’83 on December 2nd for refreshments and fun preparing care packages for Houston area students on campus at Mount Holyoke.  For more details and to RSVP, contact Lisa Dell’Angelo at lisa.dellangelo at gmail.com.

January 2019: Book Club Meeting

Join Club members on January 16, 2019 at 7:00 pm to discuss Silkworm by Robert Galbraith.  A crime novel with twists at every turn, The Silkworm is the second in the highly acclaimed series featuring Cormoran Strike and his determined young assistant Robin Ellacott. (Robert Galbraith is a pseudonym of J.K. Rowling, bestselling author of the Harry Potter series and The Casual Vacancy, a novel for adults.) The host and location are to be determined.

April 2019: Rose Drop for Newly Admitted Students

Lauren Brooks, ‘15 is delighted to chair the annual event in which Club members extend congratulations (with a rose and small gift) to newly admitted students across the Houston area to encourage them to “say yes” to Mount Holyoke!  Details to be announced in late winter. 

May 2019: Annual Club Meeting

Our annual club meeting will occur in May.  We’ll talk club business.  We’ll see familiar faces.  We’ll make new friends.  We’ll eat, drink and have fun.  Details to be announced in early spring. 

July 2019: Ice Cream Social

Our annual Ice Cream Social will take place in July.  Club members will continue the tradition of gathering to provide a good send off to Houston area students before they depart for their first semester at Mount Holyoke.  Details to be announced in spring.

Reaching Out

Volunteering in the Greater Houston Area

Do you have a passion for making a difference in the lives of others? Do your already volunteer your time, skills or talents?  We’d love to hear from you, so share your ideas for how Club members can volunteer together by sending an email to us at Julie, julielbb at outlook.com or Bridget, mochamist64 at yahoo.com.

 “If you want to touch the past, touch a rock.  If you want to touch the present, touch a flower.  If you want to touch the future, touch a life.” – Author Unknown

Hello!

We are working on scheduling some great events for the coming club year! Once they are confirmed, we’ll send a full calendar for the year. In the meantime, visit our upcoming events calendar to see the great events scheduled so far.

We’re also looking for volunteers:

  • January Intersession/ J-Term: Do you have a skill or talent that you can share with the club? Could you host 10 – 15 people for an event taught by another alumna? Please email Julie, julielbb at outlook.com or Bridget, mochamist64 at yahoo.com  with your ideas and/or interest in hosting an event. 
  • Student Recruitment Committee: Are you interested in recruiting local students to attend Mount Holyoke? Are you available to work college fairs, help plan recruitment events, and/or to conduct student interviews? Please email Taryn Gore `09, our alumnae admissions representative, at taryn.hargrove at gmail.com.

We look forward to meeting you soon!

Julie Baskin Brooks ’81 & Bridget Baskin Fenning ’86
Co-Presidents, Mount Holyoke Club of Houston

Club Letter Fall 2017

We are kicking off our Club Year with an exciting new Website and Club Calendar.  Parties, happy hours, art events, international meals, plays, tours, picnics and student support events abound this year!  Due to cost limitations and expediency, we conduct most Club business electronically.  New events will be added over time via Facebook and email, so make sure that we have your email address and join our Facebook group for the latest news.  This year, most event sign-ups will be conducted via the Sign-up Genius application online (we will email/post links). If you haven’t received emails, please check that your email is updated with ais@mtholyoke.edu and that you have not elected to be on a “do not email” list at the College. Contact Danetta if you still need help connecting.
 
Want to be more involved?  We are renewing and expanding our efforts to support Club members and current students – join in the fun! Click here to download the “opt-in” form to join our committees/planning groups — Young Alumnae, Event Planning, Rose DropAlumnae Scholarship Fund, Intern Support, and Parents Support committees and the ever popular Book Club.  If you are interested in having, or being, a mentor, please opt in to the Young Alumnae Mentor Program on the form.  Finally, our Nominating Committee is seeking Club Officer Candidates for 2018-19.  Contact Nicole Shanklin at nmshankl@yahoo.com for more information about officer roles!
 
Stewardship – Club Dues and Scholarship Fund.  With the support of 77% of our survey respondents, we are re-instituting modest $25 club dues.  In addition, we only need to raise $3,180 to fund a $5K alumnae scholarship for a local student – please consider sending in an additional donation to help.  See the opt-in form for payment instructions for mailed checks or click here to pay online via PayPal.  Dues will be used to defray expenses, support programming and improve the frequency and quality of communications.
 
Neighborhood Gem Meals.  All year long, our alumnae will be hosting international cuisine meals (pay your own way) at their favorite “neighborhood gem” restaurants to celebrate Houston’s culinary diversity!  This is a great way to explore the vast city of Houston, and meet your incomparable MHC sisters. View the events calendar on our website for the list of confirmed events. 
 
H-Town, J-Term.  January/Winter Term is historically a time of renewal and learning adventures. Let’s build on the success of last year’s “H-Town, J-Term” series – what do you want to do or learn this year? Can you host an event?  The Event Planning Committee will be finalizing both serious and lighthearted offerings this fall and sending the sign-up sheet via email and Facebook in November.
 
Ideas Always Welcome.  We are always seeking new, fresh ideas.  Please share yours! 
 
Cheers – and love & recovery to all who endured Hurricane Harvey!

Danetta Beaushaw ’88 
Club President

danetta.beaushaw@sbcglobal.net