Dear Friends,
I have never made a fuss over my own milestone birthdays -- mainly, I suppose, because I don't see age as a measure of success. For those of us who are lucky enough to get older, the years fly by all on their own.
Not so for women's groups. Reaching a 25th anniversary is a very big deal for Women's Connection. And our story isn't just about having survived. It's about what happens when women come together to do something great.
Our Origins
We got our start in the year 2000, when two accomplished women met each other in New York City. Christine Millen, 61, had just retired from Deloitte Consulting, where she was a partner with expertise in technology. Charlotte Frank, 69, was preparing to retire from a distinguished career in the public sector, where she was managing a billion dollar procurement fund for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Christine and Charlotte discovered that although their lives were very different, they were lying awake at night worrying about the same thing: losing themselves in the big, empty space called "retirement". They wanted to keep learning -- stay relevant and fully engaged in the world -- but they had no role models to follow. Certainly not their moms! So they decided to get together with other women see whether they could figure something out.
The group grew quickly. As women met in each other's homes, their ideas gelled into a blueprint for transitioning from full-time work into a new kind of retirement. They set up a nonprofit called The Transition Network and Gail Rentsch, a founding member, wrote a book about TTN called Smart Women Don't Retire -- They Break Free. The book told stories about women who found joy and discovered new interests as they made the transition from working full time to what they referred to as "living full time".
Women told their friends about TTN. Others read about us in newspaper articles or found our book at Barnes and Noble or amazon.com. We continued to grow as women joined forces to start chapters across the country. In 2024, we changed our name to Women's Connection to reflect the fact that "connection" is the foundation for everything we do.
Where We Are Today
We are 15 chapters now, and we exist in a world where huge numbers of people, from psychologists to product marketers, are focused on serving mature women with free time on their hands. Many new groups have popped up over the past quarter-century that offer fun activities for women over 50. You may belong to some of them, and that's great!
Women's Connection is different. We aren't just about keeping our calendars full. We're about keeping ourselves full through the genuine friendships we make with women who share our values, interests and dreams. Women's Connection members know each other, and we show up for each other time and again. We are essential ingredients in each other's lives.
As we commemorate our 25th anniversary this year, we'll celebrate the unique spark that ignites when women connect. Your chapter's leadership team is cooking up something special for you. I'll be sending you an invitation to a national virtual event that's happening in June. And I hope you'll consider joining us for our all-member cruise in October.
I am always honored to be your Executive Director, and I'm especially grateful and excited to be here with you right now. Thank you from my heart for everything you do to make Women's Connection a place where we can all feel we truly belong.
With respect and affection,
Darla Hastings
Executive Director