November Update
Hello Skalleagues,
It has been a few months since my last post and I apologize for the absence. So much has occurred since August and I thought I’d take a few minutes to update you on some SKAL Boston and SKAL International News.
First I would like to thank Skalleagues, Jim Carmody, Marianna Accomando and David O’Shaughnessy for hosting the August luncheon at the beautiful Seaport Hotel. The “Red, Stripe, and Blue” menu was delicious and the conversation with the chef was very informative.
In September we we celebrated the opening of the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum with a private tour and a cocktail party in the Tea Room. This was another fantastic event and I’d like to thank and congratulate Shawn Ford and his team for hosting us and for the opening of such a beautiful and educational museum.
Finally, last month we returned to the wonderful Top of the Hub to share the best views of the city and an amazing lunch hosted by Raphael Oliver. We could not have asked for a more picturesque day and as always the staff was outstanding and the food was perfect. Thank you again!
2012 SKAL WORLD CONGRESS
In September I attended the the SKAL World Congress in Incheon and Seoul South Korea. It was such a great cultural experience and I was able to meet so many dedicated Skalleagues from all over the world. The highlight of the congress was the election of Mok Singh from SKAL Los Angeles as the new President of SKAL International. Mok is a great guy and I have faith that he will do a superior job represent SIUSA and leading SKAL International. CONGRATULATIONS MOK!
SKAL Boston was also honored as one of the few clubs that had membership growth of 15 members or 15%. I’d like to share a few pictures from the Korea trip and the World Congress.
IRELAND TRIP -
There is still time to book your Ireland Escape trip with SKAL International Boston. Your reservation needs to be in by December. for more information click on the attached flier
Flyer – Boston SKAL Group Boston SKAL Irish Escape -Tour bking form Feb 2013 (2)
Past Presidents Lunch
The 2012 Past Presidents’s Lunch is being held at the Hyatt Regency Boston next week November 15th. Please join us as we celebrate those who have served as President of SKAL Boston. Registration online is open and can be accessed by following the link below. http://tinyurl.com/clvjury
2013 SKAL WORLD CONGRESS
As I have mentioned the 2013 SKAL World congress is being hosted By SI New York and it is being held aboard the Carnival Glory Cruise Ship. The Ship will depart NYC on September 28, 2013 and will travel up the East Coast stopping in Boston, Portland ME, St John, Halifax and back to NY. There are only 150 cabins remaining so if you plan to attend I suggest reserving your space as soon as possible.
http://www.skal2013worldcongress.com/travel.html
Lastly,
Please keep the in your thoughts and prayers our fellow Skalleagues from NY, and NJ who have been impacted by Hurricane Sandy and Nor’Easter Athena. These are very trying times in the Northeast and along the Mid-Atlantic. If you are looking for a way to help please check out
http://www.redcross.org/news/article/American-Red-Cross-Ongoing-Relief-Effort-for-Sandy-Update
or
Call 1-800 REDCROSS or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
I hope to see you all next week,
Sincerely
Bob Lawler
August Update
Hello Fellow Skalleagues,
I hope you are all enjoying your summer. There has been so much going on since my last post that I wanted to take a few minutes to update you on some recent SKAL happenings. I have some good news to share with you regarding SIUSA. As of the July 30th quarterly report Boston is officially the largest club in the US with 158 members. We have added 5 new members in the past 3 months and we welcomed back 2 returning skalleagues. Congratulations Joe Capalbo, Rita Fucillo, Teresa Paolini, Catherine Chaulet, Cecilia Dahl, and welcome back Mark Fisher and Robert Jordan. The next largest club has 146.
I would like to thank Bob Diodati and the entire staff of Wentworth By The Sea Country Club for there outstanding hospitality, great meal, and the use of their first class facilities and golf course for our June meeting. I know I speak for all of those golfers who took advantage of the opportunity to play this private course when I tell you that it was incredible.
I also want to thank Deb Borgwardt and the staff at the New England Aquarium for providing us with a picture perfect day for the outdoor clam bake at the Harbor View Terrace. What a fantastic venue with an unmatched view of Boston Harbor.
Late June and early July were extremely busy along the Boston Waterfront. From June 30-July 5th Boston played host the Bicentennial Celebration of the War of 1812 which included over 25 navy vessels, tall ships from around the world the Blue Angels and over 50 other aircraft.
Just prior to 1812 Celebration Boston’s newest attraction opened up in the Fort Point Channel. Congratulations to skalleague Shawn Ford and Historic Tours of America on the opening of the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum.
Thanks to Executive SecretaryTreasurer Holly Powers we have secured a great trip to Ireland planned for February 14th -18th. This 4 night package includes 4 star accommodations in Kilkenny, Killarney and Dublin. Private motor coach, 4 full breakfasts, and 3 dinners all for $349 dbl. Aer Lingus and Sceptre Tours will also provide air for $669.00 (all in). This is a wonderful opportunity to see Ireland with your fellow skalleagues at a remarkable price. If you have questions or need more information please contact myself or Holly.
Finally I want to recognize our very own secretary Phil Stamm and his Hyatt Team for hosting the “2012 Over the Edge Boston” event to raise money for Special Olympics. On July 20th and21st, the 104 member Hyatt team, led by Phil, went “over the edge” and repelled down the side of the Hyatt Regency Boston. They raised over $14,000 for SOMA bringing the 2 year total for this annual event to $290,000. Phil has challenged SKAL International Boston to participate as a team next year. It will be a great opportunity to have some fun, conquer your fears and raise money and awareness for a very worthy cause.
Just a reminder about our next 4 meetings.
- August 16th Seaport Hotel
- September 20th Tea Party Ships and Museum (Special Evening Reception Event - 5pm museum tour, 6pm cocktails),
- October 18th, Top of The Hub,
- November 15th, Hyatt Regency Boston.
I look forward to seeing you all very soon.
Skal President’s Night
If you haven’t registered already for President’s Night on March 9, please take the time to do so now! Invitations were mailed to you, but you can also click here to register.
We have a great evening planned at The Fairmont Copley Plaza and you won’t want to miss any of it — from the installation of new board and officers, to dancing to the music of Flipside, it’s guaranteed to be a fun night!
A block of overnight rooms has been reserved at The Fairmont Copley Plaza for President’s Night. The rate of $249 for a Fairmont Room and $279 for a Deluxe Room is available on a first come, first served basis. Reservations MUST be made by February 9 to ensure the special SKAL rate. Call 1-800-441-1414 for reservations, and mention that you are part of the SKAL President’s Night Group.
Special thanks to our partners who have helped make this evening possible (click on the links to learn more about them)
The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States
One more lunch to go……
It’s amazing to think that almost a year has gone by since I became President of the second oldest and second largest Skal Clubs in the United States. It’s been an honor and privilege to lead the Boston Skal Club into the 21st Century by making sure we were automated….able to pay for registration by credit card, we have a website and making sure that our call to meeting notices are sent via email!
I think that it’s because of all of this that we’ve seen attendance at lunches increase and five times this year we’ve broken 100! That’s unheard of for as long as I have been a Skal member!
It’s great to see everyone more involved and engaged in the club and while I know we only have one more lunch under my leadership (mark your calendar, February 16 at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Cambridge!) I know that I am leaving the club in great shape as we move forward!
Winding Down
It’s hard to believe that almost a year has passed since I’ve taken over as the President of the Boston Skal Club. I have to admit that for the most part, it’s been fun!
We have two lunches left….January 19 at the TD Garden and February 16 at the Royal Sonesta Hotel.
And then it’s onto President’s Night on Friday, March 9 at the Fairmont Copley Plaza. Make sure you mark your calendars. You won’t want to miss me turning over the ultimate bling (i.e. the Skal chain) to our incoming President, Bob Lawler of Entertainment Cruises.
Skal Holiday Lunch
Special thanks to the entire team at the Colonnade Hotel for making the Annual Skal Holiday Lunch such a great success!
With more than 250 people in attendance, Skalleagues and guests were able to network and spread holiday cheer among friends and colleagues. Over 60 raffle and auction items were donated, with proceeds benefiting the Joslin Diabetes Fund.
November Auction to Benefit Scholarship Fund
We also have a great Chicago Getaway including:
- 2 nights at the luxurious Hotel Allegro, a Kimpton Hotel in the heart of downtown Chicago
- 2 three-day Go Chicago Cards – giving you access to 28 top Chicago attractions, and more!
- We’ve taken care of your two nights dinner — one night you’ll have dinner for two on board the Odyssey at Navy Pier, and the other, we have a $150 gift certificate to Flemings Steakhouse.
- And of course, to get there we have 2 round trip tickets on American Airlines – but you don’t have to use them to go to Chicago, they’re actually good to anywhere in the continental US
The value of this package is over $3000 — and don’t forget that all proceeds from this auction will go to support the Scholarship Fund!
Thank you in advance for your generosity!
October Skal at the Parkman House
Thanks to Tony Nunziante and the City of Boston for hosting the October Skal meeting at the Parkman House.
More than half of our membership enjoyed this special evening reception that was catered by Gourmet Caterers and where musicians from the Longy School of Music performed, courtesy of the Cambridge Office for Tourism.
The Parkman House is a Greek revival house on Beach Hill constructed in 1825 by architect Cornelius Coolidge, a protege of Charles Bullfinch. The house was purchased in 1853 by the widow and two sons of Dr. George Parkman, a wealthy physician/businessman who was murdered and dismembered by John White Webster, a professor at Harvard Medical College. The case is generally regarded as the nation’s first celebrity crime, attracting worldwide attention. When the remaining heir died in 1908, the house was left to the City of Boston, along with an endowment for the maintenance of city Parks. Fittingly, the Parkman House served as headquarters for the city’s Parks Department for more than 60 years until the office was moved to the new Boston City Hall in 1969.
The Parkman House was restored to its original splendor by Mayor Kevin H. White to coincide with the U.S. Bicentennial in 1976. One of the first guests to visit the restored house was Queen Elisabeth II. In subsequent years, the historic house has served as a venue for receptions for distinguished Bostonians and high profile visitors, including several heads of state. The Parkman House, which was restored again by Mayor Thomas M. Menino in 1993, is also often the site where important civic matters are discussed and significant milestones are marked.
Skal Boston President, Chris Pappas, with Tony Nunziante, City of Boston
Congratulations Scholarship Recipient Amanda Soucy!
At the August meeting held at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum, Skal International Boston awarded their 2011 Keith Staples Travel & Tourism Scholarship to Amanda Soucy. Amanda is a student in the hospitality school at the University of New Hampshire and an employee at the Hotel Marlowe. The Keith Staples Scholarship was established in 2008 to encourage professional development within the hospitality industry to college students who are enrolled as travel & tourism industry majors.
Northeast PA Skal Club Event in October!
The Northeast PA SKAL Club would like to invite all Region 1 Clubs to attend a joint meeting of SKAL – spouses & guests welcome!
When: Thursday, October 13, 2011
Where: Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem (use hotel entrance)
The Foundry Room
77 Sands Blvd.
Bethlehem, PA 18015
877-726-3777
Cocktail Hour: 6 – 7 p.m. (Cash bar 6 – 10 p.m.)
Dinner: 7 p.m.
Cost: $50 per person
Special hotel arrangements for anyone wishing to stay overnight has been arranged with Staybridge Suites Allentown Bethlehem Airport (1787 Airport Rd., Allentown, PA 18109, just 6 miles from casino) at a rate of $89/nt., for a one bedroom King suite. Transportation to Sands Casino can be provided at no charge. When making reservations please call fellow Skalleague Meygan Young directly at 610-686-5002.
Please RSVP with payment, no later than October 3, 2011
Contact: Kim Lilly, Vice President, SKAL of Northeast PA
kim@discoverlehighvalley.com