New Member's Lunch at the National Club!

Posted by Carol (Bieser) Hutchinson 
on Feb 19, 2015
 
Friday, February 20, 2015 Program: The New Members’ Lunch
Topic: Getting to Know Our New Members
 
Oh Oh....What are those New Member's Up to Now?
 
From the New Members:  
 
The Boardroom
We met in the majestic boardroom of Grant Thornton, LLP, on the 19th floor in the Royal Bank Plaza.
 
We, the new members, sat on one side of the gigantic table and faced our coaches: Michele Guy and Sandy Boucher. It was almost like a “showdown” until Elizabeth Tremblay walked in and changed the balance. (Howdy, partner!)
 
After asking him probing questions, Sandy, who had listened calmly and impassively, looked at us incisively and said, with his distinctly British accent, “This is going to be your lunch and you can run it any way you like.” Shock. (Did I see a Stetson and a gold star on his vest? Think Gunsmoke theme song here.)
“Yeah,” chimed in Michele with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. (Hello, Deputy!) Excitement. Trepidation. Only Dawn-Marie King, with her electronic tablet, kept her cool on the new member side of the table. Brigitte Bogar and Tamara Levine whispered something to each other.
 
What would we do?
 
Andrea Vabalis and Cliff Johnson—on speakerphone—interjected at unexpected moments, sharing their opinions on how it would be, their disembodied voices filling the boardroom’s airwaves.
 
The ideas came out spontaneously from the new members’ side of the table with us newbies naturally assuming particular roles. Brian Porter agreed to be our coordinator. Karl Kremer bravely took on a major responsibility.
 
Fast Forward to Today
I cannot count the number of e-mails that flowed between us as we organized, aligned, directed, and perfected our New Members’ lunch. One excellent idea proffered by Tamara Levine was thrown out the window on a technicality. (C’est la vie, Tamara.)
 
How fortunate you are to be reading these words since you’re in for a big, festive surprise! On February 20, 2015 at 12:00 noon at the National Club!
 
Take a deep breath…now let it out.
Wonderment is about to fill the room.