Recap of December Dinner Meeting
Thursday, December 12th, 2002

Well, I think we did it - we topped our Holiday Party of last year! Thanks to the generosity of MANY people, we handed out 66 door prizes (just about everyone got a door prize). Our guest speaker - Allen Zingg of Magic of the Imagination - entertained us with the "magical" themes of the holiday season, while amazing us with his feats of mind reading and money exchange (if you were not there, just ask someone who attended). Alyce Hackett, our NJAWBO State President, was our surprise guest for the evening and got to see first-hand the warmth and collegial spirit of our members.

This Holiday Party was a knockout with a diverse array of top-notch vendors providing us with the opportunity to holiday shop and network in a relaxed atmosphere. In addition, the food was outstanding, with a "cocktail hour" of wine and cheese, an expansive buffet and a fabulous dessert buffet especially for our group. Special thanks goes to the staff at the Harrison Conference Center who made sure that EVERYTHING we needed was at our fingertips!

The Holiday Party "Pamper Yourself" Vendors included:

• Advice by Mrs. Young (tarot card reader and psychic)

• Charmed by Claire, Claire Morris

• Hilary Greif Designs, Hilary Greif

• Les Truffles d'Isabelle, Isabelle Fabian

• Mary Kay Cosmetics, JoAnn Gerardo

• Notably Yours, Jackie Zohn

• Pin Cushion Designs, Teresa Cunningham

• Primadonna's Closet, Georgeanne Dantone

• Sew Many Gifts, Eva Tootleman

• Silver Sensations & Accessories, Laurie Kossow

• Spirit Catcher Gallery Photography, Tina Giaimo

• The Massage Garden, Laura Fusco

• Treasures from the Heart, Daranella Parker

As VP of Programming (the crazy person dashing around during the event), I want to personally thank the Mercer Chapter Board of Directors, Mercer Chapter members, Holiday party door prize donors and vendors for their boundless support. Thank you all for making my job easier!

- Susan Guarneri, VP of Programming
  NJAWBO Mercer Chapter

On Thursday, December 12th, 2002, the Mercer County Chapter of NJAWBO held its monthly membership dinner meeting at the Harrison Conference Center on the Merrill Lynch corporate campus, located at 900 Scudders Mill Road in Plainsboro, New Jersey.

This year's generous holiday party wine sponsors included Paula Gormley of RWK Consulting, LLC, Freda Howard of Howard Lane Gift Baskets LLC, Lynn McDougall, Esq., Linda November and Esther Capatosta of RE/MAX Greater Princeton, and Judith Tapiero of The Organized Library.

During extended networking sessions before and after dinner, gift vendors offered many unique gift items in affordable price ranges. It's difficult for any of us to pick a favorite from among the vendors who provided us with so many gift choices. Several of us took advantage of the opportunity to enjoy a massage session, or a consultation with a tarot card reader. The networking sessions offered each of us an opportunity to see several familiar faces and to make new friends.

NJAWBO Mercer President Lisa Harrah introduced special guest Alyce Hackett, President of the state NJAWBO organization, who urged members to participate in upcoming votes of importance to members. Details on the issues are being provided online to members.

Our traditional holiday party event included a special holiday presentation by Allen Zingg. As promised, Allen's presentation was truly amazing, as well as fun and engaging. Allen Zingg is a communications consultant and His company, "Magic of the Imagination," is a non-traditional communications consultancy which helps organizations improve their bottom-line through increased clarity, focus, and committed follow-through.

Dozens of exciting door prizes were donated by attendees, holiday party vendors and other supporters of NJAWBO Mercer County. Program Committee Chair Susan Guarneri and President Lisa Harrah teamed up to announce and distribute the door prizes, which included several poinsettias decorating the dining hall tables.

Our December meeting sponsor was Susan Guarneri, Senior Partner and Owner of Guarneri Associates. She has been a small business entrepreneur for more than 10 years and has been a member of the NJAWBO Mercer County Chapter since 1997. Her business has grown to include an enterprise of three specialty areas, E-BizMagic, providing small business website "hostware" solutions, Resume-Magic, offering a variety of professional writing services, and CareerMagicCoach, providing career, business, and executive coaching. Ms. Guarneri is the Career Assessment Expert for the Career Masters Institute and for Career Coach University, and has presented at national and regional conferences.

- Josephine Giaimo, VP Marketing
  NJAWBO Mercer Chapter