The Nassau County, NY Chapter of the National Association of Professional Women Launched its First Meeting as a New Chapter

Garden City, NY (Vocus/PRWEB) February 09, 2011

The meeting was opened by Rosemary Serra introducing the members of the Nassau Chapter. Rosemary said, ?We had a delightful light dinner which was an enjoyable and informative way of networking.?

"We introduced ourselves and shared our business cards. We jointly decided to hold our future meetings on Thursdays of every month and the site and special guest are open to all for suggestions. We also agreed to hold our next meeting in January after the holidays."

About those in attendance:

Lisa Brooks, NAPW's Executive Director for exclusive networking for professional woman joined us for our first meeting. Lisa was not only delightful company but very informative. One of her valuable suggestions was that we should bring a laptop to our next meeting so we can review navigating the NAPW website. She also suggested that each member include a photo of themselves in their profile. Members want to thank Lisa and NAPW for the lovely notebooks, they are very useful.

Loraine Diaz, LPN of United Cerebral Palsy (Roosevelt, NY) spoke of her heartfelt love for her patients and working with them. She also spoke of the love she receives in return from those for whom she cares. Lorraine is also a licensed Aesthetician. She works with her two daughters, operating as a full salon. While Lorraine gives the facials, one of her daughters colors and styles hair and her other daughter adds the finishing touches as a make-up artist.

Jennifer A. Makaw, Print Charming Graphics, LLC, (Northport) Graphic Designer/Product Design. Jennifer is the Art Director/Designer for Prints Charming Graphics. Jennifer spoke of her lovely designs and how she loves seeing them on display in stores. Her areas of expertise are in Licensed Product Design, Invitations, Announcements Stationery, Graphic Design. She designs cards for industry, small business and personal use, she also designs announcement cards. Jennifer will be bringing in samples of her work at our next meeting.

As an invited guest, we had Ms. Bridget Pirinea of Continential Home Loans in Melville. As a mortgage broker, Bridget spoke of the different aspects of a mortgage. Members found Veteran Mortgages most interesting. Under Current Government Regulation a Veteran can receive financing which allows for purchase of a mortgage with no money down, all fees covered. In addition, Veteran mortgages are without monthly insurance fees. Quite a savings, yet all agreed, well deserved.

Another Guest was Karen Ernheart, owner and operator of Shampooch in Bethpage. Karen's love for dogs was evident in each story she told. Her caring for and grooming of dogs is of the highest standards. Any animal spending time at Shampooch is attened to as a special guest of the most exclusive hotel with the best of service and facilities. What lucky dogs to be treated with such love and care!

Rosemary Serra, President of the Nassau County Local Chapter spoke of her company, Leavem Breathless. Her company operates under the woman's skin care line known as Everlasting Beauty Skin Care and men's skin care line as EB Skin Care for Men. Rosemary gave each attendee full size products in a lovely carry purse. One product was Vitamin C&E Rejuvenating Serum and the other was Hydrating Sculpting Creme. She spoke of the effects of the product and informed all as to how to use them for maximum results.

For more information on the Nassau County Chapter and/or The National Association of Professional Women, please visit http://www.napw.com.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

###

New Improved Shine On Brightly Website for Hand-Crafted Cremation Urns and Memorials is Launched

Asheville, NC (PRWEB) January 28, 2012

If you've attended a funeral recently, you may have noticed the changing trends in end-of-life rituals, especially among babyboomers. As they plan funerals for their parents, friends, spouses, and sometimes themselves, they?re changing the way we memorialize life. Online funeral-related companies are appearing on the scene everyday, selling caskets, obituaries, urns, and more. Shine On Brightly is a unique company that features hand-crafted cremation urns, memorial glass, cremation and memorial jewelry, memorial portraits, hand-bound guest register books, and pet urns. The recently expanded collection features the works of more than 30 artists, and is now available at its newly updated, convenient e-commerce site.

The company grew from a lifelong passion for art, and a true love for people and their stories. Fifteen months after the company was launched, Owner and Founder Adrienne Crowther lost her husband of 29 years. Ten months later, she lost his sister, who had been a lifelong friend. Crowther?s venture immediately became her vocation. According to Crowther, ?the opportunity to help people during this difficult time is indeed a privilege and an honor. When someone finds a cremation urn or memorial that reflects the personality of a loved one, it really helps with their healing process.?

Most of the memorial products in today?s market are out-sourced and mass-produced. However, today?s consumer seeks uniqueness and superior quality when making an important purchase such as a cremation urn or memorial. Shine On Brightly fills this niche by providing affordable, hand-crafted products that are made in the US. Outstanding customer service is paramount to the mission of this company. Shine On Brightly offers a much more personal shopping experience than the mega-urn websites. Having experienced major losses in life, the company's owner handles each customer with compassion.

Every product is carefully selected, and is made with care and fine craftsmanship.Cremation urns are available in ceramic, wood, glass, metal, and biodegradable materials. The collection offers a variety in styles and sizes.

The Shine On Brightly collection includes memorials for anyone, regardless of whether the person has been buried or cremated. ?This is not just a cremation-oriented website,? adds Crowther. ? We believe that art has the power to heal many of life?s difficult passages, and we didn?t want to narrow our offerings. For that reason, we offer memorial portraits, guest register books, and memorial jewelry. Our customers seek out our products because they offer an alternative to the mass-produced memorials that seem to appear on every other site."

The company is based in Asheville, NC, which is renowned for its community of fine crafts-workers. Since its inception, Shine On Brightly has added artists from many other parts of the country, including Washington, Oregon, Florida, Tennessee, and Ohio. The artist lineup will continue to expand with the company.

Commissioned pieces are available as well as those featured on the website. Ms. Crowther enjoys matching her clients with artists to provide a safe and comfortable working rapport between artist and client to create custom tributes. According to a recent client, ?Shine on Brightly took the painful task of facing a permanent loss and substituted it for an enriching experience of actively replacing sadness with happiness through art.?

Shine On Brightly?s unique collection is now available. Orders can be placed online, or by calling 828-348-0455 or toll free at 866-844-4469. Friendly, compassionate customer service responds to all inquiries and sales requests Monday ? Friday, 9am-5pm EST. Voicemail is checked regularly during weekends for time-sensitive inquiries and orders.

Crowther's long strings of artistic successes are not limited to her company. She has played a leadership role in one of the country's oldest arts councils, the Asheville Area Arts Council. The Asheville Area Arts Council is dedicated to enriching the community by educating people in the Asheville area about the arts, advocating integration of the arts in all aspects of community life and supporting artists and art organizations. In her former role with the Asheville Area Arts Council, Crowther founded the Arts-in-Education program and served as that program's director for six years of her tenure with the Council.

As the amount of cremations among citizens dramatically rises, Crowther found a business opportunity, merging together individual artists to commemorate the lives of loved ones, in a unique, innovative way. As a citizen who finds herself well-versed in the concept of the arts as an economic engine, Crowther merged together pathways between individual artists and a wonderful business opportunity.

###