ABWA - American Business Women Association
McIntosh Chapter:
Contact: President: Michele Hall 770 719 2935
RSVP to Lianne Lydell at 770-719-2935
Meetings are held the second Tuesday night of each month
from 6:30 pm until 8:30 at Whitewater Country Club,
Fayetteville, GA
ASEN-ABWA (Atlanta South Express Network of the American
Business Women's Association)
Meets every 3rd Tuesday for lunch-and-learn from 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.;
Wyndham Peachtree Conference Center, PTC. For info: Sharlene Alexander,
770-487-3927The American Business Women's
Association Southern Crescent Chapter meets every 3rd Tuesday of each
month. Networking begins at 6:30pm; Meeting 7:00 until 8:30 pm;
Meeting Location: Peach Cafe, 1533 Jodeco Road, Stockbridge; For further
information, please contact Jane Lee at (404) 886-1539 or email
jlee@geographicsinc.com.
“Women
changing lives……………one woman at a time”
Our Mission
To bring together businesswomen of diverse occupations and to
provide opportunities for them to help themselves and others grow personally
and professionally through leadership, education, networking support and
national recognition.
"ABWA is all encompassing. You make friends all over the country, do
community service and improve your business skills."
Connie Feeney, member/New Horizons Chapter
Today, the American Business Women’s Association spans the
nation as the world’s most diverse professional organization for women. Tens
of thousands of members gather throughout the country, united by a common
goal – to support each other in professional development and career
advancement.
ABWA has long
been accepted as one of the leading business women’s associations in the
United States and its far-reaching influence has touched the lives and
careers of so many. It’s incredible to realize that it all began more than
50 years ago, when the term “business woman” was an oddity and an
association dedicated to advancing women’s careers was simply unheard of.
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2/7/08 (11:21 p.m.) The McIntosh Charter Chapter of ABWA
is proud to announce its 4th Annual Tea Party and Fashion show. Proceeds
from the tea party/fashion show fund two scholarships given to local
female high school/college students.
The event will be held on Saturday, April 19 at New Hope
Baptist Church-South Campus. Conveniently located right off HWY 74 South.
Tickets are $25/person. The Tea Party will start promptly at 2pm. For more
information about the event, how you can help or for tickets, you may call
Michele Hall, President at 770-719-2935.
History in the Making
1949 was part
of the post-war era and the American boys had come home from World War II,
eager to exchange their soldier’s garb for the business attire and workman’s
clothing they had left behind.
When the men
initially had answered the call to arms, an immense gap was created in the
American workforce, and the women remaining behind were expected to fill it.
When that war whistle blew, women left their homes in droves to serve their
country, taking the places of the men who had gone to fight.
World War II
was the first time that American women were recognized as a viable factor in
the workforce. But the end of the war meant that women were expected to
leave their newfound careers and return to their homes. However, their
desire to seek fulfillment as part of the working world was not easily
suppressed.
Kansas City,
Mo., businessman Hilary A. Bufton Jr. recognized the positive impact women
had been having upon the economy. He also realized what a widespread loss it
would be to let women fade quietly out of the workforce. But given the
times, he knew that they couldn’t go it alone.
“It was my feeling all women were seeking and deserved equal business
opportunities,” he later wrote. “They had gained tremendous business
knowledge during World War II, through necessity, and I felt that a new
organization for all business women was needed.” On Sept. 22, 1949, Bufton
and three Kansas City businesswomen incorporated the American Business
Women’s Association, and the American workforce was changed forever.
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Cindy Petersiel, Personal and Professional Coach to Speak
on "The Four Stages of Mastery."
2/28/08 (10:39 p.m.) The American Business Women's Association Southern
Crescent Chapter meets every 3rd Tuesday of each month. The next meeting
will be Tuesday, March 18th with networking beginning at 6:30pm. Meeting
Location: Peach Cafe, 1533 Jodeco Road, Stockbridge.
Cindy Petersiel, Personal and Professional Coach, will
speak on "The Four Stages of Mastery."
Cindy Petersiel is a Personal and Professional Coach. Cindy started her
business in 2004 and has since coached and spoken with hundreds of women on
work/life balance, business growth, stress, and lack of energy. She coaches
individuals, facilitates Mastermind Coaching Groups, and speaks for
companies and professional organizations. Cindy received her coaching
training from Coach University, one of the most respected organizations in
the field.
For further information, please contact Jane Lee at (404)
886-1539 or email
jlee@geographicsinc.com.
Triumph and Tragedy
As word about
this exciting organization was spreading, new programs and ideas flooded the
budding Association. The idea that had taken root in Missouri flourished as
women throughout the country discovered the values of networking and
professional development that lay behind chapter doors.
Then in 1953,
tragedy struck the Bufton family. After an extended illness, Hilary and Ruth
Bufton’s five-year-old son, Stephen, passed away. An ABWA memorial fund was
created in his name, designed to further educational opportunities for
members. The Stephen Bufton Memorial Educational Fund grew rapidly, soon
becoming one of the Association’s most prominent and far-reaching programs,
and still thriving today.
Throughout the
decades, the Association continued to grow and prosper. ABWA’s place in
American history was cemented when, in 1983, a joint Congressional
resolution signed by President Ronald Reagan proclaimed Sept. 22, the date
of the Association’s founding, as American Business Women’s Day. The
proclamation set aside this date to annually recognize the achievements not
only of ABWA members but also the millions of employed women in the United
States.
Sadly,
Association founder Hilary Bufton Jr. passed away at the age of 66 on May
24, 1985. Thousands of members mourned the death of the man who’d helped so
many women to achieve success in the workplace. In January 1986, the
Association welcomed his daughter, Carolyn Bufton Elman, as chief executive
officer.
Blazing Trails into the Future
Today,
under Elman’s guidance, ABWA continues to serve as the ultimate source of
professional development opportunities, networking support and well-deserved
recognition for businesswomen. The organization maintains its national
headquarters in Kansas City, yet many changes have occurred.
“ABWA is not the same association that it was 50 years ago,”
says Elman. “By continually reinventing itself, ABWA is able to give women
what they want today in a professional organization. We follow business
trends very closely, and with years of experience upon which to draw, ABWA
is able to provide members with the professional tools they need to stay
current and to succeed in today’s market.”
The keys to
ABWA’s success include developing different membership options and securing
critical strategic alliances. Working with such preeminent groups as the
prestigious Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which focuses solely on
entrepreneurial success, and FranklinCovey, the acclaimed time-management
organization, allows ABWA to provide members with exceptional resources at
below-market rates.
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