Membership Solicitation Update: Members Supporting Our Programs

Throughout SWE Detroit’s 65 years, our membership has a history of women who were pioneers in their field. Today, we continue to have women who are making history. As one of the largest grassroots sections in SWE, the Detroit Section is able to provide several programs to support its local members, as well as opportunities for future engineers to explore their potential career paths:

 

• Professional development programs, such as the Professional Development Conference coming in Spring 2017
• Networking activities, either with special-interest groups from highly active employers, or at technical and social family friendly meetings
• Provide opportunities for elementary to middle school-aged girls to interact with female engineers and participate in activities/hands-on demonstrations to increase their exposure to science and technology careers through Girls Exploring Engineering (GEE)
   
  Our members truly help keep us in and encourage the younger generation to pursue engineering by donating their time or finances to support others make history or “her-story”. We want to take a mid-year minute to recognize those who have contributed financial support to our programs thus far in FY17 for our annual programs (see SWE 4 Life Endowed Scholarship Blog Post for Recognition of Support for that special program)
   
  Achieve
              Susan Cischke
              John Kasab
  Advance
              Lisa Purvis
  Aspire  
             
  SWE D 65^th
              Linda Trumm
   
  SWE-Detroit is using the following categories to acknowledge the backing and support of our members and friends.
   
                          Achieve             $150+
                          Advance            $50 to $149
                          Aspire                $20 to $49
                         
  SWE D 65^th       $65
   
  Remember that your donation is fully deductible under US Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3). To donate, go to www.swedetroit.org and click on the PayPal Donate Button or mail in a check. In the memo section, you may designate a program. Please contact Michele Marion, SWE Detroit Treasurer or Jenny Morikawa, SWE Detroit Fund Development Co-chair, via email at swe_detroit@swe.org if you have questions. 
   

SWE D- SWE 4 Life Endowed Scholarship Program Update: FY17 Goal Met Mid-fiscal Year!

Status: $4,078 out of $2500 goal for Fiscal Year 2017

Still need: ~$18,500 to meet final program goal of $25,000 for endowed scholarship.

 

Happy New Year!! We are at our halfway point in the SWE fiscal year! As I started writing this post, we were about half way to our fiscal year goal! When I was able to sit down again, we exceed our goal! I am ecstatic to report that we have tremendous support from our section’s Life Members! We are well on our way to getting our 2^nd endowed scholarship. This also means you won’t hear from me again until July when FY18 starts.

 

For those reading our blog for the first time, our Endowed Scholarship initiative targets our section’s Life Members to take the lead and build a legacy to support future female engineers through an endowed scholarship. The challenge to the Life members is to raise $2,500 each year for the next five (5) years to reach the $25,000 required for an endowed scholarship. To help encourage participation, SWE Detroit’s current officers agreed to match up to $2,500 each year to support the initiative. The endowed scholarship will provide an annual $1,000 scholarship to an aspiring and deserving women pursuing engineering. If the goal is met, the first scholarship would be awarded during the 70^th Anniversary of SWE Detroit! SWE D’s Life Members would like the first scholarship to be given in honor of Josie E. Rewald, one of SWE Detroit’s Life Members who passed away unexpectedly in September.

 

If you know any of the SWE Detroit Life Members, please help us communicate to them. We have found that they, like many of you, are super busy and can miss the posts and emails. Some don’t even have an email. So if you see them at work or outside, please tell them what you have read on the blog.

 

Not a Life Member? No problem, anyone can donate to the fund (some have already). Every little bit helps, so we encourage you to donate if you can. Your donation is tax deductible.

 

The program will be tracked separately from the Member Solicitation Program and have its own levels:

Diamond            $ 1000 +                                   

                        Sapphire            $   500 to $ 999

                        Emerald            $   250 to $ 499

                        Quartz               $   50 to $ 249                          

 

Contributions will be tracked yearly and the level will be determined based on accumulated contributions received by SWE Detroit.

 

To donate online go to www.swedetroit.org and look for the Donate Button on the site for Paypal.  After you submit your information and input your donation amount, you will have the opportunity to designate your donation. Please input in the text field, “SWE 4 Life Endowed Scholarship or Life Members Endowed Scholarship” to allow it to be allocated appropriately.

 

To donate via check: mail the check to Society of Women Engineers – Detroit, PO Box 2978, Southfield, MI 48037 and place in the memo section “SWE 4 Life Scholarship”.

 

Big Thanks to our Life Members, Members, and friends of SWE Detroit who have donated so far (updated as of 01/17/17):

 

Diamond

Dawn Tilbury

 

Sapphire Level

Laurie Ramsay

Brooke Voto

Ally (company match in honor of Brooke Voto)

 

Emerald Level

Tina Poquette

Michele Marion

Susan Cischke

Kristine Lott

Lisa Henn

 

Quartz Level

Jessica Swan

Miriam Breslauer

Katie Amelio

Lisa Purvis

 

If you have any questions, are interested in supporting the SWE Detroit SWE 4 Life Program, or creating your own endowed scholarship to build a legacy to benefit the SWE Detroit Scholarship Program, please contact Lisa Purvis, Michele Marion, or Jennifer Morikawa at swe_detroit@swe.org.

 

P.S. Come out to celebrate SWE D’s 65^th Anniversary at our annual Awards & Recognition Banquet late spring to meet our 2^nd Past Presidents Endowed Scholarship Recipient!

Thank You from a Scholarship winner!

I am pleased to share the following letter that we received from one of our FY16 scholarship winners.  Thanks to SWE-D members for supporting the scholarship program! - Lisa Purvis, Scholarship Chair

" Lisa & SWE-D,

               I'm writing to thank you for the EXTREMELY generous $2600 scholarship and collegiate membership, and for welcoming me to the awards banquet.

               The week before Thanksgiving of the 2008 recession, I vividly remember sitting next to my mom in her car as she told me she had just been laid off from her job.  All of my previous college savings were then wiped out.  Every dollar earned was immediately lost again to cover the most basic living expenses, and it took years of financial strain to begin thinking about saving again.  As an attendee of public schools for my entire life, the financial burden of attending college will be an incredibly costly change for my family.  Receiving this scholarship has kickstarted my journey towards financial security, which will allow me to focus on doing well academically.

               Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kindness and generosity.  I'm so excited to begin my freshman year as a SWE member with a plethora of amazing women behind me...

Best,

Hana "

Pictures available from GEE 2016

Did you volunteer for GEE?  Want to re-live every fun-filled moment?  Well now you can! 

Please see link below to find images from the event.  Thank YOU for making the event a success!

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2AmmAUjA2BWaUsxRE1rVlk4bkk

Awards Banquet June 4th

SWE Detroit Annual Awards Banquet

Please join us for the Annual SWE Detroit Awards Banquet where we recognize the contributions of SWE Detroit members over the last year and meet our high school scholarship winners!

Event: SWE-Detroit Annual Awards Banquet
Date: Thursday, June 4, 2015
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: Dearborn Inn, 20301 Oakwood, Dearborn, MI 48124
Cost: Members $50, Non-members $60
RSVP: May 21st
Point of contact: Rosa Bushkuhl (rosa.bushkuhl@gmail.com)
Online registration: http://formsmarts.com/form/1k43

Other info: Business Dressy Attire is Recommended

Corporate Table Sponsorship: If your company is interested in sponsoring a corporate table, please refer to the attached Corporate Table Form. You can also register for a corporate table using the online registration link above.

Upcoming Event: Membership Appreciation Event - EXTENDED RSVP Date

SWE Detroit would like to invite you to our Membership Appreciation Event to thank you for being a member! You can meet your fellow SWE members, enjoy a free lunch, and get a professional headshot photo taken for corporate, networking and personal use! Non-SWE members are welcome as well. Here are the details:

SWE Membership Appreciation Event: Headshot Photographs and Lunch

Date: Saturday, May 9th; 12:00-3:00 pm

Buffet lunch will be served 12:30-1:30, Photographs will be on-going throughout the afternoon.

Location:

Sacred Heart Banquet and Conference Center

29125 Six Mile Road

Livonia, MI 48152

Cost: Free for SWE Members; $20 for Non-Members

RSVP by Friday, May 8th at http://formsmarts.com/form/1kmn

Contact: Rosa Bushkuhl (rosa.bushkuhl@gmail.com)

We look forward to seeing you there!

Membership Appreciation Event

SWE Detroit would like to invite you to our Membership Appreciation Event to thank you for being a member! You can meet your fellow SWE members, enjoy a free lunch, and get a professional headshot photo taken for corporate, networking and personal use! Non-SWE members are welcome as well. Here are the details:

SWE Membership Appreciation Event: Headshot Photographs and Lunch

Date: Saturday, May 9th; 12:00-3:00 pm

Buffet lunch will be served 12:30-1:30, Photographs will be on-going throughout the afternoon.

Location:

Sacred Heart Banquet and Conference Center

29125 Six Mile Road

Livonia, MI 48152

Cost: Free for SWE Members; $20 for Non-Members

RSVP by Friday, April 24th at http://formsmarts.com/form/1kmn

Contact: Rosa Bushkuhl (rosa.bushkuhl@gmail.com)

We look forward to seeing you there!

Scholarship Thank You Letter

Date: 20 September 2014

To Whom It May Concern,

I was very happy to learn that I was one of the recipients of the SWE-Detroit Scholarship this year. I am writing to thank you for the generous financial support for my higher education. It means a lot to me that you believe in me as well as the other women in Southeastern Michigan who are working to reach our higher educational goals.

I am attending the Michigan Technological University this fall and plan on pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering with the potential for completing a degree in materials science and engineering as well. Upon graduation, I hope to further study environmental science/engineering so I can work to develop more energy efficient technologies, especially solar technology, to do my part in helping ensure the sustainability of our world for the future.

By awarding me this scholarship, you have helped me become one step closer to achieving my educational goals. You have additionally inspired me to continue giving back to my community; in Houghton, Michigan, I plan on continuing my involvement with high school robotics teams, and plan on mentoring a team in the area. I have also attended several of the SWE events at Michigan Tech thus far; they have women in the STEM fields give presentations nearly every week and I have already learned so much. I definitely cannot wait to become more involved with the program. Once again, thank you very much for your generosity; I hope you realize how much it means to me.

Sincerely,

Laura Schimmel