Our annual spring Write Touch Conference was a great success. We hope you'll enjoy these words and images ....

Silent Auction || Chapter Service Awards || Conference Photos

TO THE BIDDERS GO THE SPOILS
by Susie Just, Silent Auction Coordinator

The dust has settled, the hall cleared, the items born triumphantly away by their winning bidders. Another silent auction for literacy has come to its successful close.

After the doors opened early on the morning of May 18th, the conference attendees quickly got caught up in the bidding excitement, and once again every single item offered was purchased. Attracting the most bidding warfare were wonderful history book baskets donated by WisRWA member Jody Allen. Other WisRWA members and areas continued their tradition of generosity with books, baskets, trinkets and toys. This year, the donors were exceptionally good to WisRWA. We had 75 items up for bid, including some old favorites and new discoveries.

Even after the conference, bidding continued. The Milwaukee Marriott West donated a gift certificate that did not arrive in time to be a part of the main event, so the action went high-tech, and online bidding brought in more funds. At the end of all the fun, you wonderful WisRWA members raised $1,459.50.

On June 6, I presented our check for $1,400.00 to Debra Running, Executive Director of the Literacy Council of Greater Waukesha, Inc. Among the many programs offered by LCGW are one-to-one tutoring and mentoring services to individuals who need help with reading, writing, spelling, math and English as a second language (ESL). The group is especially proud of its work with the business community to assist non-English-speaking employees. The LCGW is affiliated with Laubach Literacy International, the oldest and largest volunteer literacy organization in the world.

This is the fourth silent auction held in conjunction with the WisRWA spring conferences. Since 1998, these efforts have allowed us to donate $4,100.00 in auction proceeds to literacy programs in southeastern Wisconsin.

AND TO THE SERVICE-GIVERS GO THE SERVICE AWARDS
by Susie Just

The RWA® Chapter Service Award for 2001 was presented to two very generous and long-time WisRWA members, Anna Baier (a.k.a. Ana Leigh) and Leslie Parker.

Of Anna Baier, it was noted she was WisRWA’s first published author. Since joining the group, “she has never failed to lend help wherever she could,” from presenting a day-long workshop for members in the early days of the group, to being a fabulous sponsor of the WisRWA Christmas party. “For years she hosted the Milwaukee area Christmas party at her home, making gourmet meals for up to 50 people and insisting she enjoyed it!”

“Anna ranks as one of the most helpful WisRWA members I know. Whether she is presenting a workshop or class at the conference or opening her own home to a horde of fellow WisRWA members, she always does so with grace and enthusiasm. Many of us WisRWA ‘gals’ have learned much from Anna in class and in conversation. She has been a spokeswoman for WisRWA and for romance writers as a whole, while continuing to write her fabulous historical romances that garner her new fans every day. Anna embodies the spirit of WisRWA.”

Leslie Parker was a charter member of WisRWA. After a stint in Florida, where she helped form the Tampa area group, she returned to Wisconsin where she threw herself into Wisconsin activities, both chairing and serving a wide variety of conference committees and other WisRWA functions. She also has been known to “host a mean hospitality party.”

“Leslie served a three-year term as WisRWA president in the mid-nineties. She started her term just as she learned she had breast cancer. Many times during board meetings, Leslie would ask for volunteers for various things, and when no one stepped forward, she always said, ‘No problem, I'll take care of that.’ She took on more tasks than many people realize. She was truly an inspiration to all of us as she juggled WisRWA duties with her cancer treatment. I'm still in awe of her grace and quiet determination.

“This year, Leslie served as conference chairperson, no small task, as anyone who has tackled the project before knows. Again, she proved that she is a great asset to WisRWA.”

Anna and Leslie join the previous service award winners of this award: Lori Handeland and Susie Just (2000), Kate Bowman (1999), Sharon Antoniewicz (1998), Bonnie Mason (1997), Peggy Hendricks (1996), Georgann Suszka (1995), and Donna K. Smith (1994).