November Vice-President's Note

Thank you to those of you who signed up to participate in the Macy's Christmas Parade the morning after Thanksgiving, November 26! I had to turn in the names by Oct. 15 BUT hope a few more of you will volunteer and show up. Please let me know if you decide to do so - the club earns $20. per participant.

I'll be letting you know next time OPB runs a membership drive so mentally commit to the idea.

I'll see you at our holiday party on Dec. 4 if not before!

Diana

November President's Note

Wow! I am glad fall is here. I have to tell you all, if you did not attend the auction this year at the Ollison’s, you missed out on one of the best auctions we have had. We made about $3,200 which will be used to offset the cost of the Christmas Party on December 4. Additional proceeds will be split equally into the Marfan, Miss Tall Portland, Scholarship, and General funds. As soon as we have our Christmas Party we will have totals for you as to where your money went.
Tickets for Members to attend the Christmas Party will be $15. Guest and prospective member tickets will be $25. Tickets will be available at the Halloween Party, so bring a check and get your tickets early. Or, you can mail your check to the P.O. Box before December 1, and your tickets will be mailed to you. Those waiting to get tickets at the door will pay $35.00 per ticket (member or guest).

I expect to see all of you at the Christmas Party. We are going to have a GREAT time.

Your Prez,
Teresa

October Vice-President's Note

I'd like to welcome our newest members! You are in for a great time and very good friendships.

Friday, November 26 is the Macy's Parade. It is one of our greatest fundraisers and we need VOLUNTEERS. By now you should have received the email with the form on it; just fill it out and return it to me ASAP as space fills up quickly and we don't want to miss out! We can include family members as young as 10 years old. We must have 20 volunteers for me to apply for participation. The parade will not be televised this year, unfortunately.

We did not get enough volunteers for the OPB TV fundraiser, but I thank those of you who did volunteer to help out. There will be more dates for the radio fundraiser very soon. Watch your emails for this!

Be sure to mark your calendar for our Christmas dinner dance on Saturday, December 4. I look forward to seeing everyone at a gathering in the very near future and hope to meet you new members very soon.

Diana

October President's Note

Well here, it is another month. I have been very busy in hopes of helping with Seattle’s convention and it looks like that is just what I will be doing.

If you have not heard it yet, let me be the first to tell you, Seattle Washington’s Tip Toppers will be hosting Convention 2011. I will be helping Kate Weigant as much as I can with a Pre-Convention in Leavenworth. Jan Jorgenson, a former member of the Skyliners is starting a club in Yakima called “The Yakima Talls” and our two clubs will be assisting or sharing in the ventures.

Post convention in Victoria Canada. Ahh! That is right. Jane Baldwin, Michele Corbeil and I scoped out some possibilities a few short weeks ago and it looks very promising. Check out the pictures.

It sounds like I will be busy, for sure.. Especially if I am to go to Euro Convention in Paris this year in May!

This last month we had made almost $300.00 for the scholarship program with the garage sale that was held at my house. This was with the help of those members who gave up some things for us to sell, and those who helped by stopping by and either working the sale or buying things. We all had fun.

By now you should have all received a call from a board member to inform you of the things that are coming up.and I have to tell you I am looking forward to a GREAT turn out at the auction. Remember this event is going to offset the cost of the Christmas Party for everyone.

We are also looking for people to help with the Macy’s Parade organization. This will take place the day after Thanksgiving. No you do not have to walk, you can check people in, You can tell them were to go. You can help get them in costumes. And then you can go watch the parade. If this sounds like fun or something you would be up for, give Diana Larsen a call or drop her an email. For every volunteer,we get $20.00 to go for our scholarship program. Your grandkids and children can help as long as they are 10 years old or older. Last year this event raised $280.00 I will be there and looking forward to seeing you there with me.

See you soon,
Teresa

Revised House Party Standing Rules

PORTLAND SKYLINERS TALL CLUB

HOUSE PARTY - STANDING RULES
Revised 7/2011

a. The Portland Skyliners will reimburse a House Party host/hostess up to $25.00 for expenses such as ice and decorations. Paper goods (plates, cups, napkins) will be provided by the Club prior to the House Party. Therefore, there will be no reimbursement for paper goods. Itemized exceptions to the expense limit must be approved by the Board at a Board Meeting prior to the House Party and tangible items will become property of the club after the event. Receipts for expenditures must be submitted with the request for reimbursement to the Treasurer within 30 days of the party. If funds are advanced, receipts and money not spent should be submitted to the Treasurer within 30 days. If a budget larger than $25 is needed, a request for more money and justification for request must be presented for board approval at the board meeting prior to the event

b. House Party charges will distinguish between members and non-members. The host/hostess and one guest are exempt from the House Party charges, but any additional friends will pay the non-member charge.

c. The House Party host/hostess will be responsible for any money to be collected, and may delegate this duty. The money collected will balance with the number of signers on the Sign-In Sheet.


d. The host/hostess is responsible for ensuring the money collected is given to any Board Member. If no Board Members are present, the host/hostess will mail a check for the appropriate amount and the Sign-In Sheet within 7 days of the house party to: Portland Skyliners, Attn: Treasurer. The Treasurer will forward the Sign-In Sheet to the Membership Officer in a timely manner.

e. The host/hostess may designate half of the proceeds (the other half automatically goes to the general fund) from a House Party to be applied directly to funding for an established Portland Skyliner project. That designation must be printed in the Newsletter announcing the event and on the top of the Sign-In Sheet at the beginning of that House Party. Club projects include Marfan, float, Miss Tall Portland, scholarship, and other Board pre-approved events/projects.

September President's Note

WOW! What great fun we all had this last month! I am looking forward seeing how much stuff I can pack into September. We are still looking for help for the auction September 25th. If you would like to help please contact Maggie, Kate or me.

Ron & LaRue’s was a BLAST! I got a lot of looks getting dressed at the Arco Station at the Ridgefield Exit just down the street from the Thomas’. I do not know how much fun everyone had before Michelle Scasny and I arrived but I can tell you I know much FUN was had by all after we got there with Ron being such a sport letting me dress him up in my Hawaiian outfit. Make sure you check out all the pictures, I laughed so hard I cried.

The next day started with a nice Sunday brunch at Gerard & Virginias what a perfect day with about 20 or so of our club members. Gerard did a wonderful job getting everything ready. Please see the pictures. Note the hat that Will is wearing is not his. If you left this hat at his house please call him and let him know you want your hat back or if you think it looks better on him than it does on you (and you are the rightful owner), please call him and tell him he can have it.

Sue Layton’s event was a splashing success with some of our members taking advantage of the pool and hot tub while other played games or socialized in the shade. To see what you missed or to remember what you did check all the pictures.

A few of us are got together for the bridge pedal on Aug 8th check out the pix.

September Vice-President's Note

Join us Saturday morning, Sept. 25 in Gresham for the 25th annual Teddy Bear Parade. Miss Tall Portland will be riding in this parade and welcomes your support. Please plan to help on Friday, November 26 early in the morning, for the Macy's Day Parade downtown. Each participant with us earns $20 for our club! Ask friends and family to step up and help us with behind-the-scenes support and/or walking in the parade. In early September we have an opportunity to participate in OPB's fundraising drive on television. Our club receives acknowledgement on TV. Please let me know if you are interested in being part of the phone bank. I will let you know as soon as I know the date of the fundraiser.

August Queen's Note

Hello everybody! I must say that New Orleans was bigger, brighter and more interesting than anything I had ever anticipated. It’s a city that keeps its secrets but flaunts its past, somehow mingling well earned experience and history with an air of honesty and charm that has been the key to their winning out over the social disasters they caused and the natural disasters that just seem to keep on slamming them.

I did not win the MTI crown, however, I wanted to share with you what I did win. I won the opportunity for many warm friendships; I won my confidence and self-esteem back that has been hiding for quite some time, I won the privilege of seeing the history of one of our oldest states in this beautiful country, I won the privilege of the extensive culinary opportunities this groovy state is known for (though not a fan of Crawfish!) and I won the opportunity to kiss the tomb of from Nicolas Cage's movie, leaving my lips in vivid red on his starkly white pyramid. Don’t get me wrong…..the crown would have been really, really cool, however, I walked away knowing I did the best job I could and, if the club will have me, would like to try this again…..

Thank you for allowing me to represent the wonderful Skyliners club. Thank you for the roses that were delivered to my room which made me feel beautiful and hopeful. Thank you for the ad in the program and thank you for your financial contributions; they really did help so very much.

Michele Wolf
Miss Tall Portland 2010

August President's Note

Hey!

Things are looking good. The change over this year is going smoothly. We should have the bank squared away this week.

Make sure you send in your renewal forms. I will have extras should you need one. Please ask me for one, if you have not already turned it in.

This last month I tried to fit in everything I could amdd I still fell short! ha ha ha ha ha

The 4th of July Parade was a blast with Aggie’s BBQ following. The parade lasted for a good full 2 hours and on such a perfect day.

Pizza was well attended & Nick got to show us his New Car. Oh, WOW! what a car it is, I was lucky enough to go for a spin around the block.

The Bike Ride was a great beginner ride that was slow paced with something for everyone.

I hope to see you all at an event soon. Ron & LaRues? Virginia & Gerards?

Teresa Parrish, President

Posted many TCI 2010 videos

Tall Clubs International convention is over and it was lots of fun. Back home in Oregon, we finally got time to edit on upload many more videos on the Portland Skyliner's YouTube channel. Just for fun, we made a bloopers videos with all of the unexpected moments of TCI 2010 all put together.

Ylian

Having a great time at TCI convention

Hi everyone. Ylian here at TCI convention 2010 and having a great time. As usual, I have been busy recording and editing videos for our YouTube channel. I post a daily video summary and last night I posted the summary for day 3 which starts out really slowly with the board meeting but then gets more interesting with the TCI pageant.

By the way, Jane will be making a Pageant DVD. I have the raw footage for the pageant and it looks great. We had 2 cameras recording the event with my little one also recording some scenes. Jane will have 5 hours of footage to edit. Probably the best pageant ever as far as being recorded to video.

I have also been collecting pictures for many people's cameras and have just over 7000 pictures of the TCI convention so far. This is going to be a lots of work to sort.

Ylian

2010 Scholarship Winner Cameron French

Cameron French is a 6’5” senior at South Salem High School. He plans to attend Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, which is about 20 miles from Philadelphia, to become a professor, neuroscientist or environmental scientist. Cameron is ranked 1^st in his class of 414 and also participates in school and community activities. He volunteers at Liberty House, a nonprofit responding to child abuse and neglect; he is in the Darfur Relief Club, plays varsity soccer and is the co-founder of the Empowerment Club, a micro-lending club financing third world entrepreneurs. The scholarship committee enjoyed Cameron’s essay. He did an excellent job using his grandfather’s impact on his life to represent the essay theme “What Tall Means to Me”.

Cameron's Essay: Rising Beyond the Expectations

My grandfather lived on the far side of the country, too far for a weekend visit or even a determined summer road trip. The times when I got to see him were few and far in between, meaning that a few, powerful memories were all I had to know him by. Every time I think about him, I recall the story he told me about his ambition to become a pilot. An accomplished, intelligent, and reliable candidate during the waning years of World War II, it would seem that there would be little to stop him. An unexpected obstacle materialized, however: he was too tall to be an air force pilot, the top of his head rising narrowly above the official “safe” height for the plane cockpit. As all good stories end, he eventually achieved his dream, slouching surreptitiously during the medical exam, counteracting the culpable few inches.

The endearing image of my ever-regal grandfather slouching down (for I still have difficulty envisioning him to have ever been anything other than the venerable man I knew) to hoodwink authority is part of the reason I like this story so much. However, I also value this story for the association it allows between my grandfather and me. When people (unimaginatively) ask why I am so tall, I recall this element of commonality that I share with most of my relatives on both sides of the family, regardless of how far away they live.

My height has afforded me unique individuality and an unexpected freedom. This freedom is ostensibly at odds with the spotlight that being tall seems to attract. People tend to remember me better than the average person they walk by, if for nothing else than because I am tall. It is hard to blend into the mass of other students at the back of class if I have neglected my homework, and one of the most frequent refrains I hear is, “Soccer! Why don’t you play basketball?”

Yet, I find that these expectations that accompany my height to be liberating. I take pride in the fact that I play soccer precisely because it is unexpected, that I do it because I want to, not because anyone foisted it upon me. Beyond well-rehearsed benefits of being tall (e.g. reaching the pack of gum on top of the refrigerator without blindly sending the whole basket crashing down), I have learned that people’s expectations don’t need to be limiting. I can be who I am and enjoy the surprise that is registered when my height leads someone to think I can or should be someone else.

Though I will always associate my grandfather with his stature, I love him not because of who his height made him, but who he chose to be. He incorporated his height into who he was, defying expectations, too-tall to for a cockpit or not.

2010 Scholarship Winner Nicole Santucci

Nicole Santucci is a 6’4” senior at Southridge High School in Beaverton. She plans to attend Columbia University in NYC this fall. Nicole not only excelled academically by maintaining a 4.0 GPA all four years of high school while in the International Baccalaureate Diploma program, but she also participated in many school and community activities including varsity basketball, Peer2Peer mentoring, math tutoring 9th-12th grades and the 2010 Humanity March for Uganda. The scholarship committee was impressed with Nicole’s application, which included a photo montage and resume of her accomplishments. Nicole is the Skyliners' choice to compete for the Tall Clubs International Scholarship. She is planning to attend the May 8th house party to receive her award and meet Skyliners members.

Nicole's Essay: What Being Tall Means to Me

While Shakespeare said “Beauty is as beauty does” in Sonnet 132, I have always liked to think that “Tall is as tall does”. Being tall means nothing unless you make something of it. As a basketball player, an active volunteer, and a straight-A student, I believe I have made something from my height and that is what being tall means to me.

In middle school, I was regarded as the tallest girl, and close to the tallest student, in my grade. One of my teachers finally convinced me to play basketball in seventh grade and I began to play the sport that I now love. The lifestyle that sports cultivate extends beyond winning games and being on varsity teams. After spending four years playing on Southridge’s women’s varsity basketball team, I have realized the value of physical activity as it not only promotes a healthy body, but also encourages individuals to challenge themselves and reach their full potential. For three-hours five times a week, the daily grind of practice wears on the body physically and emotionally, dragging you to the brink of collapse. Basketball is never easy and attaining success never comes without sacrifice and determination. Yet, through the daily challenges at practice-the timed sprints, the scrimmages, the countless drills- I have learned to push myself past what I thought was my breaking point. Mental toughness and determination has allowed me to remain committed, dedicated, and passionate about playing basketball. My involvement in three state championship teams as a freshman, sophomore, and senior exemplifies that hard work rewards itself with success. I had the opportunity to play with some of the best girls in the state: girls I developed camaraderie with and who were my second family. The bonds I have developed with my teammates have taught me the importance of teamwork as a source of motivation and support. You learn to push yourself for them because you want to see them succeed just as much as you want yourself to succeed. Without my height, I would have never been involved in basketball and I am certain I would not have learned many valuable lessons as my experiences on the court have greatly contributed to the person I am today.

Since I was a little girl I have been mistaken to be much older than I was. My mom received numerous demeaning looks when she would carry me around in public places because at 18 months old, I stood 36 inches tall. Essentially I was a giant baby. With my height, I learned to be more mature than most girls my age. With this maturity I realized my responsibility to assist others in the community and volunteer my time. At school, I have involved myself with activities such as Peer to Peer, IB Iron Chef, and a “Pennies for Peace” Fundraiser. As a Peer to Peer Board member, I am one of five students in charge of a club which aims to break down the social barriers in high school by pairing peer mentors (such as myself) with students who are in need of a friend. I have learned the importance of healthy, sustainable relationships as well as the important lesson that every person is interesting and worth getting to know. Through IB Iron Chef, an annual event to raise money for our sister school in Uganda where international cuisine is cooked and served by students from Southridge, I have honed my leadership, organizational, and management skills through my position as Chef Manager in which I was in charge of all the cooks. Along with three other students, I helped organize a “Pennies for Peace” Fundraiser raise money for Greg Mortensen and schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan, inspired by Mortensen’s book Three Cups of Tea. I am most proud of the “Swish it Pink” basketball game I organized, raising almost $1,000 and awareness for the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund. I hope to continue my volunteering efforts throughout college and my life.

Finally, my accomplishments as a student have propelled me into the position of being a role model for my teammates and others at my school. As an IB Diploma Student I have demonstrated that any student may balance athletics and academics and do so to a high degree. I have immersed myself into the IB Diploma Program and the school’s hardest coursework, preparing myself for my future studies while simultaneously quenching my desire to learn. Classes such as IB Biology, IB Chemistry, IB Psychology, and IB French have sparked my interest for the areas that I desire to study in college. I am known for my hard work and dedication in the classroom as I must work hard to accomplish my dreams of attending and playing Division I basketball at Columbia University while completing a minor in French and Pre-Medical Requirements. I also aspire to go on to Medical School and use my French and Medical Degrees to aid people in Africa with Doctors without Borders.

I am proud of the way I have used my height to my advantage as an athlete, a community volunteer, and a student. To me, being tall means making the most of your situation and overcoming the obstacles of self-consciousness and standing out because “tall is as tall does”. Through basketball, volunteerism, and academics I have demonstrated that I am more than tall, I am a unique individual as well.