LBDC East Bay is Shining Their Member Spotlight

 

 

It has been too long since we shined a spotlight on one of our members! Gwen Brady from our East Bay, CA chapter has chosen to honor Donna Barnett as our most recent member spotlight.

 

Donna is happily married and enjoying the blessings of a long lasting friendship with the man she chose for her husband. Together they share four awesome children; a 25 year old daughter and three sons ages 23, 21 and 13.

 

Donna works in the marketing department of the University of CA, Davis Extension offering continuing and professional education. She is involved in outreach events, student supervision, direct mail, research and selecting merchandise for outreach events. 

  

While she considers San Francisco as her hometown, Donna was born in Owensboro, KY and moved to the Western Addition of California known as Fillmore at just 5 years old. Her hobbies include making arts and crafts whenever time permits.  She loves to make diaper cakes, and party favors among other pretty and crafty items. Donna says she has a strong interest in health and community involvement. “I am an active member of the Parent Teacher club at my son’s middle school where I serve on the board and I am passionate about our children and making sure they have access to a good education. My favorite things include traveling, dancing, hosting family gatherings, and going for long walks.” Sounds like Donna knows how to stay busy, but she still makes time for fun. She is looking forward to several upcoming vacations such as weekend trips to Vegas, Lake Tahoe and Pismo Beach. Her family is also planning their annual camping trip and a visit to NYC.

 

Donna joined the LBDC one year ago in order to step outside of her box! “I’m at a place in my life where I can let my hair down a bit without feeling like my home life is being neglected. I wanted to enjoy the company of quality women, outside of my comfortable and familiar circle”, she says.  “The thing I love most about LBDC is the many different personalities and events that I have access to.”

 

She likes having fun, maintaining a positive attitude and trying to be in the moment. Donna enjoys giving back to others, even if it means being a light to those I come in contact with.  “How I treat others is very important to me,” said Donna. Quote by May Angelou- “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

 

LBDC East Bay Director, Gwen Brady, had this to say: “Donna Barnett was one of the very first people that I told about LBDC.  She showed as much excitement as I did so I knew she was an example of the kind of women I wanted to be associated with.  Donna was in on the ground floor.  She helped me to get the word out about the club and has been gem ever since!  Donna is extremely reliable; she played an integral role in East Bay's launch party.  She immediately took the initiative to get things done.

 

Last year, Donna organized a bowling event!  She negotiated every aspect of the event and it was very, very successful. By popular demand, she organized another one in February.  It was SO popular, we had to reserve more lanes and open more RSVP spots.  It was one of our most well attended events thus far!!

 

She always has a happy, bubbly disposition.  She is one of those people that you KNOW you'll get a smile from without fail, every single time.  She's warm, thoughtful, outgoing, fun loving and beautiful...inside and out.  She is also an amazing mom! 

 

I'm ecstatic to see that she has renewed her membership and will be with us for another year! I am truly honored to have Donna as a member of the East Bay Chapter.”

 

 

We are all proud to have Donna as part of the Little Black Dress Club family. Thanks for supporting our organization, Donna!

 

~Shay Ashcraft

National Director

 

 

LBDC East Bay Soars Into The Bay Area Social Scene With Pretty Wings of Pink & Black!

Saturday July 13, was a breezy evening in the Bay Area, California.  It was just an ordinary evening...until it wasn't!  At 9pm, LBDC, East Bay kicked off a launch party for the history books!  With more than 80 excited members and guest, it was truly a night to be remembered; held at the cozy H-Lounge in Vallejo, California very quickly, this party was in full swing. Ladies from throughout the Bay Area looked stunning in little black dresses & hot pink heels!
 

Guest enjoyed a beautifully decorated venue with a color scheme of hot pink, black & white.  There were sparkly lights, dazzling crystal, tons of balloons and satin table linen adorning the tables.  The event was all jazzed up by local party planner Mary Ruiz from Balloon Works.  Guest entered the party on a hot pink (instead of red) carpet, where professional photographers from Chic Photo captured the glitz & glamor of the evening! 
 

There were personalized bottles of water, hot pink silicone monogrammed wristbands & designer shot glasses as well as LBDC t-shirts (styled on a pretty cute mannequin) as giveaways and door prizes!  Oh! And the raffle prizes...each guest received a free raffle ticket upon entry.  The more than 30 raffle prizes included bottles of wine, decorative picture frames, gift certificates, jewelry, accessories, gift baskets, gift boxes and more!
 

The H-Lounge offered 100 hot pink Jell-O shots to keep guest hydrated!! We also had a very special visit from Devotion Vodka who sent their beautiful promotion girls to help us celebrate our launch.  The H-Lounge even gave us a special drink "LBDC raspberry-politan".  Music, dancing, lots of food, and joyous mingling brought on-lookers from other areas of the venue streaming in to ask "Who are you guys & how can I get in?" 

Finally, we enjoyed a beautiful, delicious, strawberry cake with cream cheese filling from Cakes by Kim!  The two tiered white cake, with fun splashes of hot pink & black featured the LBDC logo and sealed the deal for the night.  It was quite the hit! 
 

What a night!  We enrolled six new LBDC members from the party and received a stream of compliments from members & guest.  The club owners, photographers and the party planner told us they were SO impressed, they've each added photos from our party to their websites.  At the end of the night, wonderful comments and happy guests assured us without a doubt that LBDC East Bay has arrived!

~Gwen Brady
Director, LBDC East Bay

 

 

In The Spotlight - Movetia Salter

LBDC would not be what it is today without the support of our fantastic members. In the spotlight today is Movetia Salter.  She is one of the initial East Bay, CA members.  We affectionately refer to her as “Mo”.  Mo’ is truly one of a kind. We met her on one of our first events, a steep hike up Pena Adobe hill early one bright Sunday morning. In the beginning, she was somewhat on the quiet side...later I would learn that was just her observation mode!   

The East Bay Chapter has grown SO fast that it is sometimes a challenge keeping up with all of the members, the social media and event planning.  When Mo’ realized all the work that went into making our chapter a success, she rolled up her sleeves and volunteered to take over the social media portion of the club.  Because of her non-stop efforts, our members and prospective members don’t miss a beat, no matter which socialmedia outlet they follow…when it comes to disseminating LBDC information…she not only makes sure it’s there, she makes sure it’s EVERYWHERE! 

Mo’ is an extraordinary woman.  She is a single mother of four…a college aged daughter, two high school daughters and an energetic 5-year old son!  She is also preparing to host an exchange student (another teenage girl) not for a couple of months…but for an entire school year.  And…can I tell you; she does all of this in the cutest of high heels! She is one of the most classy, professional, fashion savvy women I know.

As if her everyday life isn’t hectic enough…Mo’ still makes time to celebrate her own strength as a woman and makes certain to take quality time for herself.  Mo’ has been to nearly every LBDC event and has helped to coordinate many of them.  I can always count on her for trusted insight and empowering support.  I’d like to take this time to let her know that she is well respected and absolutely adored!  Mo’ you are a consummate professional, a role model and a dear friend. Thanks Movetia!!!

~Gwen Brady
East Bay, California Director

Denim, Diamonds, & Divas

The Little Black Dress Club hit the town on May 10, 2013 in downtown Tracy and it is still being talked about over a week later! Twenty members from our LBDC Tracy and East Bay chapters met up for “Denim, Diamonds, & Divas.”

One year ago two fun loving women, Melanie Dunniway and Gwen Brady met by happenstance at a vendor booth at this same event. Interested in learning about LBDC and hearing more about Melanie’s chapter in Tracy, California, who knew that a year later Gwen would be directing her own Little Black Dress Club chapter in the East Bay area?

 

 Hosted by the city of Tracy, the point of this sold out event was a ladies night filled with cute lady vendor boutiques, a too cute for words DJ, dancing and downtown shopping. Each attendee received a goody bag, a commemorative wine glass and several food and wine tastings.

Tracy and East Bay members made their presence known! The DJ dedicated a special song to these two chapters before demanding they hit the dance floor.  All the LBDC ladies showed their best moves and were pulling other ladies out of the crowd to join in and dance away! "Those girls were great and so much fun," said Sheila Martinez. "This was the most fun event we have ever had!"

Other attendees were curious about the club, envious of the obvious connection between such a large group of women and all the fun they were having together. Gwen was fantastic in promoting LBDC and was sending tons of ladies in the Tracy area Melanie’s way to learn more about the Little Black Dress Club. “I couldn't have asked for a better first meeting between our chapters," says Melanie. “It was just an absolute fantastic night and crazy fun!!”

So what’s in store for these two chapters? The Tracy ladies plan to party with East Bay once again at the upcoming LBDC Launch Party in the East Bay area. In addition, these two directors have already begun planning a joint river rafting excursion with their chapters that will take place August 18 on the historic Stanislaus River!  

Sounds like an incredible evening was had by all, proving yet again that making new friends is as easy as throwing on your little black dress! These two Little Black Dress Club, California chapters are alive, growing and representing what the true spirit of LBDC is all about; adventure, sophistication, and bonding friendships!

For information on joining a chapter in your area, email us by clicking here.

 

 

 

 

 

East Bay Is On The Move!

 

The Little Black Dress Club only started the East Bay chapter less than a month ago but has already grown to 30 members. They have done some pretty fun activities and we thought our readers might be interested to know what we have been up to!

 

The kick-off mixer at Sticky Rice Bistro was very successful and yielded nearly 40 attendees!  Next we set out for a hike at Pena Adobe with 12 ladies, followed by a ladies brunch at Crepes N More in Fairfield.   Friday March 29 several members attended Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Suisun for GOOD FRIDAY noon service.  Later that night, we met for Happy Hour at the Chevy's in Fairfield followed by Tyler Perry's new blockbuster movie "Temptation" at Edwards Theater!  Saturday March 30, we enjoyed a ladies breakfast at beautiful Lucca's on the bay in Benicia.

 

This Friday, April 5, the ladies will caravan to Berkeley to enjoy live jazz & cocktails at Paragon inside the historic Claremont Hotel and Sunday, April 7, some of our members will be participating in the fundraiser "Run Rocklin 12K race" which benefits local schools.

Sunday April 28, we will travel back to Berkeley to see the world renowned Alvin Ailey Dancers at UC Berkeley.  On May 4th we will attend the Kentucky Derby (Bay Area) at Golden Gate Fields.   Then, on May 10, we will be heading to Tracy to meet with the Tracy Chapter of LBDC and enjoy Girls Night out-a shopping extravaganza called Denim, Diamonds & Divas!  We are currently planning a visit to Hangar 1 Distillery...home of Hangar ONE vodka as well as a Zip-line adventure during the month of May in Sonoma.

Those are just a few things we have been up to!  The women in this group represent a wide variety of professions, and our members currently range from 21-58 years old!

This is truly an amazing outlet for women who want to experience positive, therapeutic, proactive, lifestyles. The support and friendships being nurtured here is really something special. I tell our perspective members "Ladies, you don't have to do things alone and you don't have to sit at home wishing you had someone fun, adventurous and safe to hang out with ...we're just a little black dress away"!

We are having SO much fun and there is SO MUCH MORE to come!

 

~Gwen Brady

Director, East Bay Chapter

In The Spotlight - Shawna Lee

Member spotlights have quickly become a favorite on the LBDC blog! We are so happy to honor some of the women who have made the Little Black Dress Club a success. This time we are sharing a bit about 42-year-old Shawna Lee from the newly formed East Bay, California chapter.

 

Married with a daughter, Shawna works for Contra Costa County Health Services. Filling her time off with modeling, seeing a good movie or spending time with her mother and daughter, she also enjoys a good workout at the gym.

While Shawna is anxiously planning vacations to Vegas and Hawaii, she has really enjoyed her first month as a LBDC member.

 

When LBDC East Bay director Gwen Ford introduced Shawna to the club, she says it was a no brainer. “I joined the LBDC, because I was getting so tired of the same old routine; work, gym, home and a weekend of the same lounges with the same people”, said Shawna.  “I was ready to just shake it up and meet new women, find new places, and just step outside my box of BORRRRING!”

 

Shawna loves the club because it allows her to interact with a lot of amazing women. All educated, funny, beautiful, and really just full of personality, Shawna says it has been a very empowering experience for her. “I’ve already been to a couple of places I’ve never been, and love them. Not to mention the few women I’ve reconnected with after a good 10 years or better. This is a great idea, and I’m just so excited to be a part of it. I can’t wait till my daughter is of age so she too can be a member. Thank you so much for letting me be a part of such a fantastic group.”

 

Gwen is very grateful to Shawna for the dynamic energy she brings to their chapter. Always seeing the positive side of things, Shawna has been a major contributor to the success thus far of the East Bay Club. “She is the first one to step up and volunteer to help with anything I need”, says Gwen. She's one of the most beautiful women I know, both inside and out yet, she's amazingly humble about all that she does.  I'm so proud to have her as part of LBDC!”

 

We are proud to have you both! Thanks for being in our member spotlight this week, Shawna!

 

 

~ Shay Ashcraft

National Director, LBDC

The Little Black Dress Club Has Arrived in East Bay, California!

 

After meeting Tracy, CA director, Melanie Dunniway at a Ladies Night Out event, Gwen decided the LBDC needed to be in East Bay, CA as well. “Step out onto a limb…that’s where the fruit is” she said.

“I thought about this for almost a year after meeting Melanie, I kept running across her business card and remembering how fun she was”, said Gwen. “I checked her out online and read up on LBDC.  It seemed like she was always doing something fun.  I absolutely LOVE people and socializing and I couldn’t find enough positive, fun, unique things to do in my area…many of my friends (married & single) were having the same problem so…I researched LBDC more and felt like it was exactly what I was supposed to do…not just for myself but for all the ladies in our area who work hard in and outside of the home.  Once I decided to do it, I was HOOKED on the idea, on the possibilities and it just took me over like some adrenaline fueled networking addiction.  I want to impact the local social community like a tidal wave of synergy.”

Jumping in headfirst, Gwen has already recruited several new members and is quickly filling up the calendar with fun events. Coming up soon for the East Bay ladies will be a visit to see the WORLD RENOWNED “Alvin Ailey” dancers on Sunday, April 28 at the UC Berkley Campus Theater. Using all her social connections, girlfriends and event planning ideas, Gwen and the ladies of East Bay are planning lots of fabulous mixers, comedy shows, billiards, theater and movie nights, red carpet events, and benefits. The possibilities are endless. Staying in tune with the mission of the LBDC to always give back to their community, LBDC East Bay is working on a volunteer opportunity at the local battered women's shelters and a few local 10K marathons. Being close to Napa Valley, I hear a limo ride to a wine tasting is soon to be in store as well!

Only an hour away from the State Capital, San Francisco, Berkley, and Oakland, Gwen says her city is such a diverse and central location, perfect for a new LBDC chapter. They are far enough  away to enjoy suburbia, yet close enough to slip into a LBD and hit the town!

A huge fan of Marianne Williamson, Gwen sometimes uses her quote “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.” Gwen relates to Marianne feeling that it is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.  "We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be", asks Gwen.

Gwen feels that true friendship between women incorporates appreciating what is beautiful about other women and embracing that beauty vs. being envious of it.  We all have something beautiful about us…when we recognize and appreciate that, we are able to build stronger, deeper connections amongst each other, which is important for all of us as women.   

In her spare time, Gwen enjoys jogging with her girlfriends and running her small home-based accessory business. She is a mom, a former US Marine and finds her deepest joy in spending time with her grandchildren. Having served for 4 years in the US Navy and having been in law enforcement for the last 16 years, Gwen loves volunteering and mentoring the youth in her community.  But on the occasional lazy Sunday, Gwen often finds herself watching LMN with her friends and several bottles of great wine!

Sounds like East Bay, California is going to be a great new home for the Little Black Dress Club! If you would like more information on this chapter, have an event idea to suggest to Gwen or would like more information on joining the club, Gwen would love to hear from you all! Email her here and make sure to stop in and say hello on the East Bay Facebook page.

~Shay Ashcraft
National Director, LBDC