SCAPE Newsletter - November 2024

Message from our PRESIDENT

By Kathy McGill

Greetings Painters and happy holidays.  I hope everyone had enough turkey (or feast of choice) to be well fortified for the hectic slide to the end of the year!

Tis the season for thanks and gratitude, and I am particularly grateful for all the Board members and dedicated volunteers who have worked so hard on behalf of SCAPE and its members, several for many years.  

There are a lot people to thank, but I would like to single out a couple this month:

As many of you know, Cezanne Totton and Kellie Stoelting have retired from the Board.  I’m not sure how many years Cezanne has served on SCAPE’s Board, but I know it’s a lot.  Most recently she has been the Membership Chair, although she did much more - always pitching in to help where help was needed.  As she sorts through and shares her records, I’m struck by how much of the history and knowledge of SCAPE lies in her brain (and emails)!  I’ll miss her calm presence, perspective and deep knowledge.  

Kellie leaves us after two years as the Board Secretary.  During my time she was the person who kept the clock ticking:  meeting agendas, minutes, managing the meeting technology, organizing and filing documents, etc. She also helped with membership communications and was a “go-to” person for getting things done.  She was great for bouncing my wackier ideas off of, and I knew I could count on her to listen deeply and respond honestly.  And she did all this while staying calm and keeping her sense of humor intact (usually).  

Farewell Cezanne and Kellie, and welcome to Cristine Crooks and Meg Ricks, who have joined the Board as Membership Chair and Secretary, respectively.  I am grateful for their energy, ideas, and “can-do” attitude. They are working hard to ensure a seamless transition and for SCAPE’s success.

In the category of “Unsung Hero” I’d like to recognize Karen Fedderson. Karen is not on the Board, but she is responsible for compiling and distributing the SCAPE newsletter every month.  She is endlessly patient with her herd of cats, and she always puts out a great product.    It’s a lot of work, and I can’t thank her enough for performing this vital function!

I could go on and on, but I will stop there.  As you can see, it takes a lot of work to keep SCAPE going, and frankly we need more hands on deck if SCAPE is to remain viable.  I will pick up on this theme next month but, in the meantime, enjoy the holidays and happy painting!

Kathy