Jane Armbruster Friday, who is TWR Program Associate for Friends In Deed in Pasadena will be the keynote speaker at the Sierra Mar June Training and Dessert Auction on June 18th at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 2009 S. Garfield Avenue, Monterey Park. The California Federation of Business and Professional Women’s (CFBPW) State Representative will be Marjory Hopper, who is CFBPW’s Program/Project Chair, President of Valley Sunset BPW District and President of Hollywood BPW. Registration is at 8:45 a.m. with the meeting starting at 9:00 a.m. Friday will be speaking at about 10:30 a.m. The conference and luncheon are open to all interested people. There is no registration cost for guests, but the cost of the box lunch is $10. Call Marie Clifton (626) 287-5306 or E-mail her at MarieClifton40@gmail.com to make a reservation or for questions. Reservation is required.

In 1978 the community built the current Friends In Deed House at the corner of Washington and Los Robles, for offices, a clothing program and a food pantry. They were known then as the Ecumenical Council of Pasadena Area Churches. In 1988 they expanded their operations to take over Pasadena’s Bad Weather Shelter. Various homeless service programs including rental assistance, summer camp support for youth, and school supplies for local students have been among their programs. In 2007 they opened The Women’s Room, a day program serving homeless women. Friday will talk about this program which provides respite and needed services, including laundry, showers, health check-ups, computer access and classes. They built on these services in 2009, enhancing homelessness prevention as part of our panoply of programs.

In addition, there will be the annual fundraising dessert auction after the box lunch to benefit the District.  In the afternoon Maryann Wesson, past Sierra Mar President, will do a Mini Training on Impromptu Speaking in the afternoon. The meeting should adjourn about 2:30 p.m.

Sierra Mar District is based in the San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys and is part of the California Federation of Business and Professional Women (CFBPW).  The organization is a member of the National Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs (NFBPWC) and BPW International. BPW has been advocates for women’s issues for more than 102 years.

The mission of the Sierra Mar District of the California Federation of Business and Professional Women (CFBPW) is “to promote and support equity for working women in all phases of their lives and to promote personal empowerment and professional development.” Our objectives are “to advocate on state and national legislative issues of

importance to women, to promote personal and professional development for women and to foster connections among women to promote BPW and its members.” Membership is open to both men and women who support this mission and these objectives. Those who are members also belong to CFBPW, NFBPWC and BPW International. For more information contact Marie Clifton at (626) 287-5306 or MarieClifton40@gmail.com.