November 13, 2008

Times columnist inspires Almaden Valley Women’s Club

Shana Moore, columnist and staff writer for the Almaden Times, was invited to address the Almaden Valley Women’s Club (AVWC) last Tuesday to re-energize the club for another year of service to the community.

Moore’s speech, “Life 4.0… Five simple steps for carving out community where you work, live and volunteer your time,” reminded the tireless AVWC volunteers why they keep coming out to do good work in the community, and provided tips for making deeper personal connections within their organization and in the community at large.

Shana Moore

Through a lively slide presentation that included audio clips and personal anecdotes, Moore entertained club members while simultaneously inviting them to question whether they’ve invested enough time and energy to ensure a supportive community around them that will be there for them in their hour of need. And, just as important, Moore asked the members of the audience if they were committed to being a source of community to the friends, neighbors and colleagues that surround them every day.

“I became passionate about community building after making a $90,000 mistake,” said Moore. “Five years ago, my husband and I thought we could replicate the life we had made for ourselves in Almaden – complete with wonderful connections at our neighborhood school, the AVYSL soccer league and our volunteer work – and simply reproduce it elsewhere to sort of live larger for less. It really wasn’t until we became strangers in a new town that we realized what we had left behind. It was very expensive to find our way back to Almaden, but the price we paid made me more committed than ever to increase the strength of our community ties for my own family and everyone else’s.”

Moore’s passion for the subject was contagious. Club member Tori O’Halloran, marketing director/Realtor of the O’Halloran Group, found the speech outstanding. “Shana not only motivated me, but inspired me to be a better person, neighbor and active member of the community. Her enthusiastic style combined with ‘soccer-mom’ wit is sure to make her a hit with all audiences. It was great!”

Fellow club member and active community volunteer Dena Noble agreed. “Shana is creative, funny, straight to the point and straight to the heart. Her message was directly relevant and immediately usable by all of the attendees. The best part about her is that she’s so darned entertaining—I wanted to listen to her speech all over again just so I could laugh. When she gets her own talk show, I guarantee it’ll be a hit.”

Moore was flattered by the enthusiastic response. “I am so excited that my message resonates with the members of my community,” Moore said. “I also hope to share it with other local organizations who want to remind people to come together to foster a deeper and more meaningful sense of community wherever they spend their time.”

—By Carol Rosen