From the President
Greetings from Charities Guild of Northern Kentucky (CGNK)! You are receiving this newsletter because at one time over the last twenty years you were a member of this organization. Our Alumnae Chairman, Robin Lindeman, has compiled a list of alumnae to inform you that we are still a successful organization, alive and well, working in the community similar to twenty years ago. We also want to share some of the exciting changes we have made to keep up with the times, so to speak. We plan to make this a semi-annual newsletter, to keep everyone abreast of our accomplishments and to highlight opportunities for alumnae involvement. We are excited to get back in touch with you. I want to thank Robin for her efforts in writing this newsletter and planning our upcoming Alumnae event. Both are going to be great for years to come. –Alison Murphy

Alumnae Event on April 26
Many of our alumnae have expressed interest in re-establishing ties to the Guild. We are excited to announce a CGNK reunion planned for the afternoon of Sunday, April 26th. Special invitations will be mailed soon. We hope you’ll join us and bring another alumnae or friend of the Guild for reminiscing and shopping! We look forward to seeing you.

The Guild Today
CGNK consists of fifty women who want to make a difference in the community by serving families, women and children. We hold monthly meetings in a member’s home, with an occasional “field trip”. We conduct a lot of business mixed with a wonderful sisterhood that we all cherish! All of our members have a vital role in the success of the Guild. I’m sure that we are as proud of having our name associated with this organization as you were!

One of the things the Guild has happily carried on through the years is the Shoe Fund. As many of you will recall, the Shoe Fund provides shoes to local children who otherwise would not own new shoes. CGNK helps meet this basic need, enabling students to focus on their studies. Shoe vouchers are distributed by local schools, churches, and social service agencies. Recipients redeem shoe vouchers for up to $25 toward any shoe purchase at the Newport K-Mart. Over the years, this program has expanded to reach as many as 400 kids annually and is sustained through our fundraising efforts throughout the year.

Our Primary Fundraising Event
Another aspect of the Guild that many of you will recall is the Great Escape event. Each year, we held a dinner dance/silent auction event to benefit a local charity, in addition to supporting our shoe fund. After 15 years of the Great Escape, we thought a change might benefit the Guild. Last year, instead of the Great Escape we held the first CGNK Fort Thomas Tour of Homes presented by kypost.com. It took place last October on a gorgeous fall day and was a tremendous success. The tour included seven lovely homes in the city and the historic Highland United Methodist Church. A reception followed at the Highland Country Club. The event generated a $36,000 profit, of which $24,000 was donated to our 2008 charity, Shoulder to Shoulder, Inc. (STS). $12,000 was donated to the Shoe Fund. CGNK would like to thank our generous alumnae who contributed to the success of the event. Former members graciously opened their homes, donated sponsorships or merchandise, and many attended the tour.


The 2009 Fort Thomas Tour of Homes
We are already gearing up for our second Tour of Homes. The tour will be on Saturday, October 24th, with a reception at the Fort Thomas Community Center. The charity we are benefiting is the Northern Kentucky Children’s Advocacy Center. This agency assists children through all stages of dealing with abuse in a safe, trusting environment. We ask that you consider assisting us in any way you can! More information will follow as the event plans develop. If you would like further information, please contact one of our event chairs, Emily Morel or Christa Gillen.

Local Charitable Involvement
Along with these major events, the Guild is involved in many other ways too! Here is just a sampling of some of the things we typically do annually:

*Provide quarterly donations to other local charities
*Adopt families at Christmastime through the Brighton Center
*Wash and organize toys for a Toy Sale at the Brighton Center
*Serve meals at the Hosea House Soup Kitchen
*Participate in local walk/runs for charity
* Help fulfill last wishes for terminally ill children through the Star Shine Project at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital

www.charitiesguildnky.com
Did you know that CGNK is now online? The website is an effort to better communicate with our members and those in the community who want to support us. Please log on and check us out! Here you will find a listing of our current officers and a member roster as well as updates on current events.

Stay In Touch
I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to have the opportunity to bring you up to speed with our Guild. Now that we have found you, we would like to keep in contact. If you have not provided us with a current e-mail address we would love to have it. Please e-mail Robin Lindeman at nkycharitiesguild@yahoo.com.and I will make sure you receive future newsletters. Thank you for this opportunity to get reacquainted.

Sincerely yours,
Robin Lindeman (Alumnae Chair)