2008 President, Ellen Rose 

Jan  Feb  Mar  Apr  May  Jun
Jul  Aug  Sep  Oct  Nov  Dec

     I would like to thank the Nominating Committee for recommending me for the position of President and the general membership for endorsing their recommendation. I had been thinking for some time about what I would do in the New Year so I had no reasonable excuse to refuse the call to serve. I’m looking forward to a fun-filled and busy year working with the incoming Governing Board in welcoming new members to the Club and making them feel at home in their new surroundings.

     A few words about myself - I was born and raised in New Jersey and attended a business
school in NYC to become a bilingual secretary (French). I was married for 13 years and have a 34 year old daughter and two grandchildren who currently live in South Africa. In 1983 I joined the U.S. State Department as a Foreign Service secretary. I’ve lived and worked in 11 countries around the world and have traveled to many more. After 23 years in the Foreign Services, I retired in August 2006. I had bought my house in Henderson in 1999 in preparation for my retirement, which was one of the better decisions I’ve made in my lifetime. When I moved around overseas, there was always a built-in community of friends when I arrived in a new country so moving back to the U.S. and to a new city where I had no friends or family has been a bit traumatic for me. Finding the Desert Newcomers Club within months of my moving to Henderson has been a lifesaver.

     My agenda for 2008 will be to increase services to newcomers, look into volunteer activities and sponsoring a charity or other worthy cause, and starting an investment club as well as a weight loss support group. I also plan to feature short bios on new members as well as bios on the Board members in the newly reformatted DNC newsletter. I’d appreciate receiving your suggestions for new activities and comments on how I and the Board can better serve the membership.