connectingpoint
august 2007   The Monthly E-Newsnote for Centerpoint Institute for Life and Career Renewal
…inspiring people to discover creativity, passion, and renewed commitment in life and at work

"To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly." - Henri Bergson

Welcome to the latest edition of our e-newsnote!!

Change, change, and more change is in the air. Read on to learn about the many changes that Centerpoint is experiencing . We hope you find our experiences helpful to you as you navigate the changes in yours. And, please let us know how we can help you to "Look forward to Monday again!"

From our Executive Director
A Goodbye from our Managing Director
Greetings from the Front Office
Our New Program Director!
Not to be Missed!
What's Legacy Leadership and Other Items of Interest
We Really Could Use Your Help

For those who read this e-newsnote each month (and I hope that includes a lot of you !) you will have noted the many changes that the administrative staff has experienced within the last three months: Steve Bullock came on board as our first ever Managing Director and Megan Murphy, our Front Office Manager, decided to leave to pursue her own passionate path of working with animals. (BTW, you can read all about Megan's transition in the new edition of our catalog and in the client stories section of this website. It's a really fun piece; I encourage you to take a look.)

Then, shortly into her tenure here, Megan's replacement realized that the job was a mismatch for her. We found her replacement, Shelley Pearson, (see below for a note from her) right under our noses since she was volunteering and taking classes at Centerpoint. And, to add to the changes occurring, Steve had to make the difficult decision to leave his position. (You can read about that here.)

Since part of Steve's responsibilities included being Program Director, we needed to find a replacement there too. The Program Director at Centerpoint nurtures our faculty community and ensures the highest quality services for our clients. One of our faculty members, Catherine Follett, has graciously stepped into this role. (Find out a little bit more about Catherine below.)

As you can see and, in a very short period of time, we've had a ton of transitions! These changes included situations where things both began and ended. It's common to talk about new starts as positive and endings as difficult. For those who are familiar with Centerpoint's Cycles of Change™ model, we tend to be more comfortable in 'summer' than in 'fall,' i.e., building towards something instead of letting go of it.

This is a main part of the paradigm that's central to Centerpoint's mission and what we're trying to shift. Instead of "is change (in cycle terms 'fall' and 'winter') good or bad, positive or negative?," we need to accept that it "just is." Sometimes it's moving us towards something we want and other times it's helping us to create space for new opportunities by forcing us to let go. Both can be challenging; both can be rewarding. It's not an either/or situation here. It's an opportunity to, as Henri Bergson stated in our quote above, "go on creating oneself endlessly."

Is that easy? Most times, no. Is it necessary? You bet! Especially when we're committed to ongoing growth in our lives. So, of the many changes at Centerpoint in the past three months, they've been exhilarating and exhausting, positive and difficult, as well as everything in between. We've been riding the waves of change as best we can and, along the way, have been able to glimpse the opportunities that are created by all of these shifts.

What's changing in your life right now? How does it feel? If you're experiencing it as difficult, painful, or bad, can you shift this perspective and ask yourself "What am I learning?" and "How am I growing through these changes?" and "What opportunity is this transition creating for me?". Those are much more important and useful questions than "Is change good or bad?". They'll help us move on from trying to ignore or even push through the changes, to seeing the true gifts that are awaiting us in our life transitions.

With warmest regards and until next month,
Carol

Carol Vecchio
co-Founder and Executive Director

Dear Centerpoint Community,

My association with Centerpoint has been a very positive, rewarding experience for a number of reasons. To name just a few has been the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people; serve under Carol’s enthusiastic and professional leadership; and be a part of the important work that Centerpoint performs.

Unforeseen personal circumstances have regrettably caused me to give up my duties and I wanted to take a moment to thank you for your support during my brief time with you. I also encourage you to continue to utilize Centerpoint’s services and take advantage of the experience and guidance of the faculty team members.

Please accept my wishes for continued success and a happy, peaceful future.

Best Regards,
Steve

The reality of change has been becoming more an more evident to me lately. I have spent a lot of my life fearing and resisting change. The past few years, I have worked on embracing changes in my life and realizing that I am in a process. I still would not say that I love change but I believe I am learning to be okay with it and enjoy it sometimes.

A change that has been happening in my life lately is that I have begun working at Centerpoint as the Front Office Manager! The previous person realized it was not a good fit for her and at that time I was already taking some classes and volunteering at Centerpoint. So, needless to say, my transition to this positon happened rather gently and naturally. You may experience this change as well if you call the office or stop by.

I am looking forward to working with you as you learn to embrace the changes in your lives. I truly believe that the services at Centerpoint are so helpful to utilize when going through life and career transitions. Before being hired here, I had been in several workshops (Passion Search and Exploring Options) and had some career counseling to better understand my own passions. So, when you call or come by, I hope it will offer you some encouragement to know that I have been journeying in this process as well. I wholeheartedly believe in its value both personally and professionally.

As the seasons change both literally and metaphorically around us, may we better learn to journey together. I look forward to seeing you in the Front Office! Come by and say hi if you get a chance.

Shelley Pearson
Front Office Manager

Catherine Follett has over 17 years of psychotherapy experience working with individuals and families. As a past participant of Passion Search, she rediscovered and refined her passion for working with people in personal discovery and healing. Transformation can occur at times of transition and uncertainty in our lives – if we are mindful and listen closely to our deepest longings. Her work is to help guide this process. She believes that what we experience in our daily lives provides us with the information we need to heal, transform, and (re) discover how we want to make an impact in the world.

Catherine is a licensed psychotherapist and holds a Masters Degree of Social Work from the University of Washington and a Certificate in Cycles of Change from Centerpoint Institute. She has over 17 years experience working with individuals and families and over 20 years experience facilitating groups and training others in clinical work. Catherine has a private psychotherapy practice and leads retreats for human service professionals to reconnect with their purpose and passion for their work.

At Centerpoint, Catherine facilitates LifeWork Renewal, Passion Search, Carpe Diem, Carpe... Passion weekends, Exploring Options, Job Search Clinics and also provides one-on-one career counseling. We're so glad she decided to take on the additional responsibility of Program Director. Please stop by to meet her and say hi!

LifeWork Renewal
If you (or someone you know) are in need of gaining a fresh new perspective on the changes you have been experiencing in your life and/or work then plan to attend this workshop!  Upcoming classes: the condensed session is on this Thursday, August 23rd from 6:15-9:15pm or, if you're in a big life or career shift, plan on the all-day session Saturday, Sept 8th from 9:30am to 4:30pm (Condensed Session includes Associate Membership). Please call 206.686.5433 to register!

Passion Search
Uncover what gives your life meaning and purpose.  Create a clear, compelling vision for your next chapter. Upcoming classes: Nine Tuesdays beginning Sept 11th with Cody Strauss or six Fridays (daytimes) beginning Sept 28th with Catherine Follett. Please call 206.686.LIFE to register!

Communicate Your Way to Success
Become more powerful and successful through proactive and clear two-way communication with your boss, colleagues, and employees. Break away from the office for this lunch-time workshop to learn some practical and effective communication techniques that will give you more power in the workplacethat you can use immediately. This workshop, facilitated by Annie Kurz, is on Thursday, Sept 27th from 12pm-1:30pm. Tuition: $38 ($30 for Centerpoint Associate Members). (Box lunch is optional and an additional $11.) Please call 206-686-LIFE to register.

Crossroads at Age 50+ For Women
A three-hour workshop designed especially for women to enhance your self-awareness while exploring and clarifying the myriad of choices for a meaningful and enjoyable future. Join Jo Kelly Welch on Saturday, Sept 22nd 10:00 am to 1:00 pm for an enlightening experience. Tuition: $75 ($60 for Centerpoint Associate Members). Please call 206.686.LIFE to register.

If you are interested in a class but have scheduling conflicts, Centerpoint keeps track of requests for date and time changes or additions.  Individual sessions are also available. Please call 206.686.LIFE for more information. 

Legacy Leadership Institute: Are you ready for your next challenge? Participate in the Legacy Leadership Institute on the Environment, a professionally staffed lifelong learning program that develops informed, motivated and committed Washington residents age 50+ for community service in partnership with staff from15 environmental nonprofits throughout the state of Washington.

As a Legacy Leader you can:
• Use your leadership, energy, talent and skills to make a meaningful contibution to your community.
• Increase your knowledge and learn to do Community Outreach for Environmental Nonprofits.
• Meet new and interesting people who are also seeking challenges.

The Program itself begins in October at Antioch University Seattle. Attend the Open House at Antioch on August 28, 2007 from 5:30 to 7 pm to learn lots more! Call or email the Antioch Center for Continuing Education at 206-268-4111or ce@antiochseattle.edu.

Volunteer Opportunity Knocks: Help with distribution of our new catalogs!!: We have the new Sept through Dec Centerpoint catalog ready to be distributed! We would love for your help in getting the word out about Centerpoint's excellent services to the community. Distribution is really easy and a huge help to our organization. There are several areas for which we still need volunteers. They are: Mercer Island, Ravenna, Bellevue, Fremont, Issaquah, Kirkland, Magnolia, and the Preston/Carnation area. If you live in one of these areas and would be willing to help, please give Shelley a call in the Front Office (206-686-LIFE). Thank you!

How might you be able to help?

1. Tell everyone you know about the benefits of working with Centerpoint.
2. Recommend our services to your organization.
3. Make a tax-deductible donation to Centerpoint and get it matched by your employer (see below).
4. Renew your membership.
5. Join the Board. (Meetings are by conference call on the third Tuesday of each month from 8:00 to 9:30 am and face-to-face once per quarter.)
6. All of the above! J

The Board has some specific and concrete initiatives for this year with which we desperately need your support:

Marketing, Media Connections, PR:  We need to let people know we’re here to help. Centerpoint is the best kept secret around! J We’ve been providing the highest quality career counseling services for the past 15 years. Most of our referrals come from word-of-mouth which is a very positive thing. However, we need to find creative strategies to reach more people and organizations so we can be of more assistance to them.

Developing a Sustainable Business Model for Centerpoint:  We need to be a healthy business for the long haul. We’re looking to institute even more operating practices gleaned from the for-profit world.

How can you help out to ensure Centerpoint’s future so we’ll be here when you experience your next transition? J

As a non-profit organization, Centerpoint strives to serve the community in every way possible. We need your help to do that. Following is a list of items that Centerpoint will need to help us move forward technologically and in our services. We would love it if you could donate an actual item, but of course we’d also accept a cash donation to cover the costs! Besides the tax deduction, you or your organization can be publicly recognized on the Centerpoint website for your contribution.

LCD Projector (our current projector is so antiquated it can't even work with our laptop!)
Digital Camcorder with Internal Hard Disk Drive (1)
Adobe Creative Suite 2 (1)
Upgrade to FileMaker Pro 8.5 (1)
FileMaker Pro 8.5

 
Centerpoint Institute for Life and Career Renewal
4000 NE 41st Street
Building D West, Suite 2
Seattle, Washington 98105-5428
tel/fax: 206.686.LIFE (5433)
www.centerpointonline.org
...inspiring people to discover creativity, passion, and renewed commitment in life and at work

Office Hours: Monday – Thursday 12:00 to 7:00pm, Friday 12:00 to 5:00 pm

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