11th Annual Celebrating Women:
Mind, Body, Spirit Conference May 4th The Galveston Women’s Conference is
an all-day conference designed to educate women about health and women’s issues, equip them with skills to be successful in life and business, inspire them to be their best, and renew their spirit. The conference showcases dynamic speakers, a vendor exhibit area featuring unique products and services that appeal to women, fitness breaks to strengthen and rejuvenate the body, a Book Nook and VIP lounge with opportunities to meet authors and keynote speakers, a signature cocktail party to connect and network with other women and much more. Attendees will leave the conference feeling energized, inspired, and more prepared for life. This year’s Keynote Speaker is Monica Lewinsky. In a forum, “Confidential with Monica Lewinsky,” she will tell her story of overcoming and surviving years of being branded, scared, and humiliated - a woman seen by many and known by few. Monica Lewinsky is a social activist, a global public speaker, a contributing editor to “Vanity Fair,” and a consultant. She advocates for a safer social media environment and addresses such topics as digital resilience plus reputation, privacy, cultivating compassion, overcoming shame, and equality. Monica’s lens for these societal issues is focused on her myriad of unique and profound experiences: working in government - both in the White House and the Pentagon; the investigation that resulted from her time in Washington, D.C.; involvement in media projects as both producer and subject; as an entrepreneur and designer; and lastly, education. She graduated with a degree in Psychology from Lewis & Clark College (Portland, Oregon) and, living abroad for graduate school, earned a Master’s degree in Social Psychology from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Lewinsky became known to the public in 1998 when it was revealed as part of a federal investigation that she had had an intimate relationship with then-President Bill Clinton. Overnight, at just 24 years old, she went unwillingly, from being an entirely private individual to a public figure on the global stage. The investigation unfolded against a backdrop of a changing media landscape with the advent of both competing 24-hour News
Networks and the Internet. With the birth of social media in recent years, Lewinsky saw the increasing proliferation of the perpetuation of shame and humiliation online. As someone who had experienced both, on the widest scale and at a young age, she saw that she could participate in the public discourse about online harassment and work to effect change. In 2014, Lewinsky authored an essay, titled “Shame and Survival,” for “Vanity Fair” in which she overlapped personal experiences and cultural observations (June 2014). The piece was nominated for a National Magazine Award. Today, Monica works with several anti-bullying organizations, including as an Ambassador to both the Diana Award’s Anti-Bullying Programme in the UK and Bystander Revolution in the US. She also supports Project Rockit, Ditch the Label, HeartMob, the Amanda Todd Legacy, and The Tyler Clementi Foundation. Monica sits on the board of the Childhood Resilience Foundation. She advocates for people to #ClickWithCompassion. Also Pamela Salzman, L A-based cooking instructor, holistic health counselor, culinary nutritionist, and author of “Kitchen Matters,” will speak. Cyndy Garza Roberts, H.E.B Director of Public Relations, will present a forum on “Communications + Community: It’s all about connecting.” A Physician’s Forum from UTMB Health will address topics of health and wellness as well. This will be held May 4th, 8:30am-5pm, at Moody Gardens Convention Center, 7 Hope Blvd. Tickets range from $125-$150 and are available at galvestonchamber.com/ womens-conference.
Coming March 7th:
6th Annual Herb Fair at The Moody Gardens 6th Annual Gulf Coast Herb
Fair will be held at Moody Gardens on Wednesday, March 7th, 9am-2pm. The theme of this year’s fair is celebrating the herb of the year: Hops. Hops is the flower that gives beer its distinctive bittersweet tang. It also has medicinal uses, such as a component in stress relievers, anxiety reducers and sleep aids. And pillow and sachets often use hops along with lavender, rosemary and other herbs for their sweet smells. A noon luncheon sponsored by the Friends of Moody Gardens will feature Mark Dell’Osso, owner of Galveston Island Brewing Co. and Greg Whittaker, a home brewer using sargassum to
make his brew. Luncheon is $35 per person. Vendors selling herbs and other craft items will be available in the Visitor Center at Moody Gardens. The event is free and open to the public. Other lectures will be conducted by Galveston County Master Gardener and homebrewer John Jons, who will talk at 9:30am about growing and using hops. Proceeds of the Gulf Coast Herb Fair help the Friends of the Moody Gardens provide educational outings to schoolchildren and seniors. For more info go to facebook.com/ TheFriendsofMoodyGardens.
2018 Seaside Chats Finish Up This Month
One last Seaside Chat is remaining this season. This free informal presentation is about topics relevant to Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS) and the Gulf of Mexico. This year, presentations take place in the Waterfront Pavilion of the Ocean & Coastal Sciences Building at Texas A&M Galveston. “Reef Resilience: Bleaching, Mortality, and Hurricanes, Oh My” will be presented by Michelle Johnston, FGBNMS March 7th, 6:30-7:30pm. This chat offers continuing education credit and attendance verification. Webinars are offered during each presentation so that you can still participate if you can not attend. For more information, please go to flowergarden.noaa.gov, Facebook.com/FGBNMS, or call (409)356-0388.
Galveston Island State Park
April 7, 2018 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (Rain Date – April 14th)
Day fees for the park are waived! Hosted by the Friends of Galveston Island State Park (FoGISP)
Planned Activities: • Beach & Bay Explorations Led By Galveston Bay Area Chapter Tx Master Naturalists & Fogisp Volunteers • Sea Critter Touch Table • Experience Kayaking • Learning How To Cast • Birding • Habitat Games • Coastal Prairie Wonderings • Nature Learning Center Displays • Sea Turtle Obstacle Course • Craft Activities
Learn more at our Friends of Galveston Island State Park Facebook Page & website http://fogisp.wordpress.com/ GalvestonIslandGuide.com • 7