Volunteers Needed for Open Board Positions

The Board of the Alliance Française of Northwest Connecticut (AFNWCT) was recently informed that as of August 31 the two members who hold the Board positions of President and Treasurer will resign from the Board in order to move closer to their family.

To ensure overlap training time and a smooth transition, we call upon our members to volunteer to fill these two positions*. We also need more “behind-the-scenes” workers on several key committees (see below). Email Nancy, our Vice-President at afnwct@afnwct.org or call (203) 707-0710 with questions or to volunteer asap.

An active membership, where many members share the workload (rather than relying on a few core members to ‘do it all’) is the best evidence of a strong, sustainable organization: “Avec beaucoup d’ouvriers, la tâche devient aisée.”

Volunteering is a great way to get to know your organization and your fellow members! Currently, we have 165 members and it would be great to welcome some of our nouveaux adhérents to serve on the Board or to help on a committee, particularly in support of the three key areas: Programs, the Language School and Membership.

1921-2016: 95-Year Legacy

Organizing a full calendar of educational and culturally relevant programs has always been and will continue to be an essential element of our organization. Not only do these get-togethers offer opportunities to practice and/or improve our French-speaking skills, they also serve to attract new participants.

Gail, our current Program chairperson would gladly welcome help with suggesting and contacting new speakers, setting admission price and tracking RSVPs… If you’d like to help, send her an email at programmes@afnwct.org.

Thanks to the opening of our Language School in the fall of 2016, we have been able to increase our focus on teaching French. Membership fees and profits from French classes help to cover the majority of our operating expenses: rent, utilities, office and language school supplies, teacher’s fees.

Our Language School Director is actively recruiting new teachers for children and adult group or private classes. If interested in teaching (teachers receive an hourly compensation as a Independent Contract Hire) or if you have a suggestion for a new class you’d like us to offer, please send an email to Joanne at ecole@afnwct.org.

How you react to this appeal for help will determine the future of your organization. Please volunteer today!

OPEN VOLUNTEER POSITIONS

President /Co-President: Provide strategic leadership and tactical plans around our two main poles: teaching and offering educational programs to further promote the French cultural heritage.

Treasurer: Maintain general ledger, reconcile accounts monthly and provide quarterly reports and analysis to the Board on the financial health of the organization.

Membership: Welcome and introduce new members to the calendar of events, activity groups & committees; understand why they joined and communicate those reasons to the Board to help ensure member satisfaction.

Publicity: Send press releases to local newspapers and on-line bulletins.

Webmaster: Maintain website, update events calendar & French School page. (If you have good computer skills, I can easily train you! MLG)

Social Media: Create postings for Twitter and Facebook, Meet-ups…

Hospitality: Plan event décor, purchase paper supplies and/or refreshments, set up room, arrange for clean up & room break down.

Fund Raising: Lead GiveLocal efforts; acknowledge Donations.

 

Will you share the load and volunteer to help run your organization?

Volunteer now as a Board member and/or committee member!

 

*AFNWCT By-laws Article IV Administration, Section 2:

In the case of resignation of a member of the Board, the Board of Directors, by Majority vote shall have the power to fill such vacancy for the remainder of the unexpired term.

 

 

 

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2017 AFNWCT Pétanque League

The Alliance Française of NW CT announces the kickoff of its 2nd Pétanque League!

Phase 1 of the League will run from May 1st to Labor Day (Sept. 4)

  • Four players meet and play 3 games by changing partners: this takes from 2-3 hours
  • Each member will be scheduled to play against all other players (or at least the majority) during the 4 month time period

Phase 2:

  • Top 8 players who score the most points (thru Labor Day) will go into quarter finals
  • Quarter finals and the final will be played before the end of September (hopefully before first snow fall)

Enrollment is restricted to AFNWCT members:

  • If you want to participate and are not a member, you are welcome to join. Click HERE to go to our Membership page.

2nd Pétanque League fees are $35 per person:

  • Covers administrative costs and refreshments served at the end of each game party
  • Send payment of $35 by check made payable to AFNWCT to 1 Pomperaug Office Park, Suite 301, Southbury, CT 06488 or you may pay by credit card below.

You must enroll by April 20!

  • Participation is limited to 24 players – added to the roster on a first come, first added basis
  • In order to set up the League’s schedule by May 1, players wishing to participate need to submit their planned travel and/or vacation dates when they are unable to play.
  • To enroll, send an email to finances@afnwct.org with your name, address, cell phone number and email information no later than April 20. Please include your planned travel and/or conflict dates.

Don’t know how to play? Don’t worry: teaching sessions will be provided to those who are not familiar, or not at ease with the game. By the end of the summer – you will be pleasantly surprised by your progress!

Think before signing up: interested players need to commit to playing the League games so as not to impact the other players and the overall progress of the League.

Generally games are scheduled to fit working (weekends & evenings) and retired lifestyles. More details will be provided regarding court sites and league scoring rules at a later date. At this point, we need to know who is committing to playing by April 20 at the latest.

It will be another fun year and we hope to see many of you on the courts.

Bien amicalement,

Jean-Marie Gutierrez

PS: Research has shown that Pétanque extends your life expectancy….

Testimonials from 2016 Pétanque League:

“I so enjoyed playing, meeting challengers and the ambiance of those Saturday mornings.  Looking forward to 2017!”

 “Many thanks for all the time and effort you put into the organization!”

“Appreciated your support and coaching.”

“I have enjoyed playing ever so much, and the camaraderie, outdoors and exercise have kept me healthy and feeling younger” 

“Today’s matches were a blast. We got so close to knocking off the master I could taste it.”

“Very good matches today, and a lot of fun.”

“We are impatient to start again competing with all of you and, we hope, with new “Pétanqueurs”.

2017 Petanque League
League Participant's Name
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VEUILLEZ NOUS AIMER! (Please LIKE Us!)

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO “LIKED” OUR PHOTO
We didn’t win, but we had fun trying and a lot of new people are more aware of our organization.

Facebook Photo Contest April 26-27 – CASH PRIZE IS $500!

As a non-profit oganization participating in the GIVE LOCAL 2016 on-line giving campaign, we are competing in the Facebook Photo Contest for the $500 cash prize sponsored by Ion Bank Foundation.
How can you help?
Tuesday, April 26 at 9AM, we will post to our AFNWCT Facebook page our photo entry.france-thumbs up
All you have to do is “LIKE” our photo and share our profile page with others asking them to “Like” our photo also. Comments, reactions and shares are nice, but won’t count… Only LIKES on the original post are counted so you’ll need to share our profile page with your friends.
The organization whose photo generates the most LIKES by 9AM April 27 wins the $500!
CLICK HERE TO GO TO OUR FACEBOOK PAGE AND VOTE FOR OUR PHOTO!
facebook-807588_640You didn’t know we have a FACEBOOK Page? You can find us at: www.facebook.com/AFNWCT

When you “LIKE” our AFNWCT page, you’ll receive regular posts about our French classes, announcements about our upcoming programs and special events, messages from the French Consulate and/or other official news, posts from other organizations that we follow as well as notices about other French cultural events that are happening in the area.

 

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AFNWCT Annual Meeting – Saturday, October 17

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The Alliance Française of Northwestern CT Annual General Meeting

On Saturday, October 17, several members attended a pre-meeting reception with a delicious breakfast of croissants, fresh fruit and hot beverages prior to our official meeting.IMG_5825

Annual Meeting Agenda:

  1. 2014-2015 Financial Report
  2. Language School Report
  3. Membership Report
  4. Activities & Committee Reports
  5. Overview of Culturethèque
  6. Presentation of 2015-2016 Budget
  7. 2015-2016 Programs

This meeting was a good opportunity to better understand your organization, learn about last year’s accomplishments and suggest ideas to move us forward to sustain and grow our organization… Those who are interested in receiving a copy of the presentation may send an email to afnwct@afnwct.org.

volunteerBecome more involved by serving on a committee. Most members find it quite fulfilling to actively serve on a committee.

Here is a list of our Committees, their Chairperson and contact info in case you have questions or would like to volunteer your time:

  • Hospitality: Nancy Callahan hospitalite@afnwct.org
  • Program: Chair position OPEN programmes@afnwct.org
  • Language School Advisory: Chair position OPEN ecole@afnwct.org
  • Membership: Rolly Grover cotiser@afnwct.org
  • Finance: Jean-Marie Gutierrez, finances@afnwct.org
  • Website: George Roberts, web@afnwct.org
  • Publicity: Mary Conseur, publicity@afnwct.org
  • 2016 95th Anniversary Event: Gail Gros/Nancy Callahan

Heures d'OuvertureWe’re also seeking volunteers who would like to help us maintain a set schedule of weekly or monthly Office Opening times. We would publish these times on our website to communicate when the AF Center is open so members and interested people can come by, browse/borrow from our vast French Mediathèque collection and/or ask questions. Please send me an email (afnwct@afnwct.org)  if you are interested in volunteering 2-3 hours/month.

Thank you for your continued support and membership.

Marda Gutierrez, President

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Short Films Festival – August 18 – November 8

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In collaboration with the Southbury Film Commission (SFC), the Alliance Francaise of NW CT is pleased to present Eurochannel’s Short Film Festival from August 18 through November 8

More than 40 short films will be shown from Eurochannel’s 6th Annual Short Films Tour celebrating “Youth in Europe” and the art of short films. Each Program features an hour and a half of rich short film productions showcasing European culture and cinematographic heritage. Some films are as short as 5 minutes and others as long as 30 minutes.  Each movie is shown in its original language with English subtitles.

Efimera_02

The kickoff program, called “DREAMERS,” was held on Tuesday August 18 at the Southbury Public Library.

In addition to an 11-minute comedy from France (Indian Ocean) titled “Speed Dating,” movies from Denmark, Spain, Italy, Sweden and Turkey was shown.

On August 28, the films shown from Program 2 “Outsiders” were a bit ‘darker’ but everyone enjoyed the films which were from France, Belgium, Romania, Switzerland and Spain.

We’re looking forward to the next programs:

“YOUNG AT HEART” – Thursday, September 17 at 6:30 pm at the Southbury Public Library featuring two films from France plus films from Austria, UK: Wales, Spain: Andalusia, Slovenia and Greece.

“THE RUNAWAYS” – Friday, September 25 at 7:00 pm at the AF Center featuring short films from Sweden, Portugal, Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Italy And Germany.

“FAMILY LIFE” – Friday, October 9 at 7:00 pm at the AF Center with films from Spain (Catalonia), Netherlands/Turkey, Georgia, UK (Scotland), Spain (Bajadoz), Italy (Reggio Calabra) and Poland.

“THE YOUNGER GENERATION” – Friday, October 23 at 7:00 pm at the AF Center featuring films from France: Bourgogne, Switzerland, Germany, Lithuania, Ireland, Netherlands, Croatia and Latvia/Estonia.

“THE FRENCH COLLECTION” – Sunday, November 8 at 3:00 pm at the AF Center featuring just the French short films from the Tour.

All Programs are free, so gather your friends and family and come discover Europe, visit its countries and listen to all its languages…

The SFC’s primary mission is to encourage and facilitate filmmakers to use Southbury as a backdrop for professional film projects. Joel Wald, SFC co-Chairman, clarified a desire to expand the Commission’s scope to include identifying Southbury as a cultural haven, friendly to film-lovers and filmmakers. More information may be found on their website, www.southburyfilm.org.

Eurochannel (www.eurochannel.com) is the award winning television channel featuring premium European entertainment with the biggest stars. Eurochannel presents only top-of-the-line European programming from recent blockbusters to critically acclaimed TV series. Experience Europe on Eurochannel through cinematic adventure, humor, history and entertainment. Eurochannel is available on Sling International. To stay up to date on our latest programming, like us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Eurochannel) and like us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/Eurochannel).
Logo_Eurochannel      Southbury_Film_Commission_Logo     aflogo
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Célébrons la Fête des Mères, May 7 Event Announcement

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5:00 to 8:00pm

clothingCome shop at The Loft and receive 40% discount on all purchases. Wine and hors d’oeuvres will be served while we shop for clothing at this Southbury retail clothing store. Fashion style experts and Mary Kay cosmetic consultants will give our members and guests the V.I.P. treatment! All participants will be entered into a drawing for The Loft gift certificates.

RSVP by May 4 by calling (203) 707-0710 or write to afnwct@afnwct.org.

CLICK HERE FOR: ADDITIONAL DETAILS

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La Vie Parisienne, May 3 Event Announcement

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12 noon to 4pm.

mimeGet ready to be transported to the streets of Paris and enjoy a fun-filled afternoon of entertainment including a professional mime. Join us for a delicious Brunch with Mimosas at the Heritage Hotel in Southbury. Peruse our enticing selection of Silent Auction themed gift baskets and be wowed by the special items donated by area businesses and members. A photographer will be on hand to take a souvenir picture in front of the Eiffel Tower, then head towards “Montmartre” and have your “portrait” drawn by a professional caricaturist; don’t forget to check out the book stall and flower stand along the river Seine… No need to bring your passport nor do you need to understand or speak French.

This is a great Mother’s Day gift idea!

Proceeds from this fund raising event will go towards our French Language School and building our library of books, cds and dvds.

Purchase your tickets below or send checks made payable to AFNWCT to: 1 Pomperaug Office Park, Suite 301, Southbury, CT 06488

Adults – $45.00; Students – $20.00

HURRY! All tickets must be purchased by April 27.

For more information call (203) 707-0710

CLICK HERE FOR: ADDITIONAL DETAILS


Prices:
Attendee’s Name



 

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RESERVE LA VIE PARISIENNE PROGRAM AD SPACE – by April 20

The Deadline is fast approaching for Program Advertisements and Donations in the form of products or gift certificates for our May 3 La Vie Parisienne fundraising event. During brunch at the Heritage Hotel in Southbury, guests will be transported to typical Parisian street scenes where they can have their “portraits” drawn in “Montmartre” by a professional caricaturist, browse and bid on items donated by our generous area businesses and members all while being entertained by a roaming professional mime.

As a cultural and educational non-profit organization, your donation will be used to support our mission and more specifically, our new French Language School opened in September 2014 in Southbury. We teach French classes to adults and children starting as young as 3 years old. Studies show that those who learn a second language tremendously improve their cognitive abilities.

More importantly for our business friends, our +140 members living in more than 30 communities in the northwestern region of Connecticut, are potential customers of area businesses. In addition to listing donations in our event Program, your business will be listed on our website.

HURRY! You’ll want to reserve space in the “La Vie Parisienne” 5 ½ x 8” Program before April 20. Members receive 20% Discount on Black & White Program Ads which are only $125 for a full page, $75 for a 1/2 page and $25 for the 1/8 page!

For more information, see our brochure here>> LaVieParisienne_Program Ad Info, call 203-707-0710 or write to donate@afnwct.org

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La Poésie: la langue de l’amour, Presenting on April 10th

Celebrate national poetry month with original poetry written by Brian Denyer. From humorous to inspirational poetry, this program begins with Brian’s verse response to the French classic poets (e.g. du Bellay, La Fontaine, Moliere) and will include his commentary on the poetic attitudes of the time period. Moving forward onto the more modern forms, Brian’s poetry will imitate the styles of Baudelaire and Paul Valery.  To conclude, participants will create an original group poem, in French. Hand-outs of the selected poetry using a parallel text translation will be available. This event is open to the public. Wine and a light dessert will be served.

RSVP by April 6 with check or credit card payment of $15 – $10 for members and Special Price for Students of AFNWCT Classes only $5!

CLICK HERE FOR: ADDITIONAL DETAILS


Membership Status
Attendee’s Name



 

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BYO Lunch Annonce Les Sujets du Jour

Mes chers amis ,

J’ai l’honneur de vous annoncer le nouveau calendrier que le groupe BYOL qui s’est réuni hier vous propose.  (But we can always change our minds and, indeed, I received after our meeting a topic that would have been a good one to add to our list of possibilities:  La santé et la nutrition.)  I’ll keep a list of all our not-yet-used ideas for use as time goes by.  The goal, then, is really to have (and for each of us to prepare for) a conversational topic around which we can enjoy one another’s company and a conversation en français.

Voici la liste que nous vous proposons pour le printemps:

mercredi 18 mars:    Les Filles du roi Louis XIV-ancêtres de notre membre, Lorraine Verronneau – Rolly
mercredi 25 mars:    Ma mauvaise/pire expérience – Jean
mercredi 1er avril:    Les farces du Poisson d’avril (April Fools’ jokes I have known)
mercredi 8 avril:       Fêtes/Traditions du printemps –
mercredi 15 avril:     Endroits visités – Marda
mercredi 22 avril:     Souvenirs de mon enfance
mercredi 29 avril:     La fête des muguets – Rolly
mercredi 6 mai:        Ma liste “bucket” (choses que je voudrais faire avant de mourir)
mercredi 13 mai:      Mon livre préféré
mercredi 20 mai:      Ma mère/Ma famille – Nancy
mercredi 27 mai:      Les 7 péchés capitaux:  Avarice, Envie, Gourmandise, Orgueil, Luxure, Colère, Paresse

J’espère vous voir toutes nombreuses à notre Centre AF le mercredi à midi!

Amitiés, Rolly/Alice

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