Swooping in to Help

“We serve the Triangle through the collective power of women working together to make a difference in the lives of others.”

Q Describe your group in one sentence.
A SWOOP is great hearts working together to serve the community and inspire hope.

Q What’s your organization’s mission?
A To provide community service through short-term labor and support to meet otherwise insurmountable community needs in the spirit of cooperative sisterhood.

Q How is that accomplished?
A We bring together 40 to 120 hard-working, joyful and well-organized volunteers to tackle a problem. SWOOPers gather once a month eight times a year to complete these projects.

Now more than 1,100 strong and a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, we serve the Triangle through the collective power of women working together to make a difference in the lives of others (and ourselves).

Q What’s the group’s history?
A SWOOP unofficially began in September 1996 in the aftermath of Hurricane Fran in Raleigh. Several friends emerged from their debrisewn houses and yards and banded together to help one another clean up the mess.

These women quickly discovered that, although the work was tough, they were totally invigorated by the power they felt by cleaning up a place that, when they had arrived, had looked devastated.

They decided they enjoyed working together so much that they started “swooping in” to do outrageous, one-day clean-up projects about once a month, and formally named themselves “SWOOP.” Their numbers grew as friends told friends, who told friends.

Q Who joins?
A SWOOP strikes a chord with women who want to give back to their communities in a very hands-on way. Men occasionally join us on our projects.

Q Why get involved?
A SWOOP projects are typically completed in one day. We make a large impact in a short period of time.

SWOOP work days are very well-organized; SWOOPers can show up on a Saturday morning and see impressive results by the end of the day. In many cases, volunteers have the opportunity to meet or work side-by-side with the individuals they are helping.

Volunteers are not required to have any specific skills. And, we also need people to help with website programming and database management.

Q What do members/volunteers do?
A Project work may include interior/exterior painting, cleaning, carpentry repair, the building of wheelchair ramps and fences, the creation of community gardens, neighborhood clean-ups and landscaping maintenance.

Q What’s happening in the next few months?
A We are in the process of finalizing partnerships with several North Carolina agencies that have a need for wheelchair ramps to serve their clients. The first year of Ramp It Up will serve individuals with a severe illness, those who have suffered a stroke or spinal cord injury, and senior citizens with mobility limitations.

For more information about voting to help us win a $25,000 grant for this work, please visit our website: www.swoop4u.org.

Alice Wisler, a Durham author and public speaker, released her newest novel, “Hatteras Girl.” Wisler’s third novel, published by Bethany House, tells the story of a romance on the Outer Banks.

Susan Ghiassi, a mammographer at Raleigh Radiology Cedarhurst and Duke Raleigh Hospital, released a book titled “Thank God I Only Have Two of These,” a collection of her patients’ poetry, feelings and stories.

Dorianne Laux, an author from Raleigh and professor at N.C. State University, will release her fifth book of poetry, “The Book of Men,” in February. The book will be published by W.W. Norton & Co.

SAS, the international business analytics software company based in Cary, announced:
• Hillary Kokes, previously the business knowledge series international program manager, was named marketing analyst.
• Sara DeLuca, a N.C. State University graduate, was named account executive.
Crescent State Bank in Cary announced:
• Felicia Evans Woodard, a Raleigh native, was named vice president and commercial relationship banker.
• Maureen Brown, of Morrisville, joined as mortgage account executive.
• Sara Ivey Hodge joined as a mortgage loan consultant.

Michele Aldridge DeFoe, a UNC-Chapel Hill graduate and former senior loss mitigation analyst, was named underwriter of the asset resolution group at RBC Bank, which is based in Raleigh.

Nancy Holliday moved from being college recruitment project manager to staffing operations manager of the Americas at Cisco Systems, which creates computer hardware, software and services, in Research Triangle Park.

Van Eure, owner of The Angus Barn in Raleigh, helped raise more than $500,000 for the 22nd annual Thad & Alice Eure Walk for Hope. The event, which takes place in October every year, supports the fight against mental illnesses.

Lindy Lenz will serve as curator at the new Carolina Confectionary @ NOFO, a boutique sweet shop in Raleigh featuring products by local bakers and makers of chocolate.

Harriet Mills, partner at Raleigh-based Wine and Design, a wine and painting party company, hosted an in-house fundraiser in support of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3-Day for the Cure. She raised more than $2,500 for the cause.

Ingrid Daubechies, Ph.D., a Belgium native who is president of the International Mathematical Union, will join Duke University’s mathematics faculty in January.

Heather Munroe-Blum, vice-chancellor at McGill University in Montreal, was the featured speaker at UNC-Chapel Hill’s University Day convocation. Munroe-Blum, who is a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, spoke on innovation and entrepreneurship.

Anita Brown-Graham, director of the Institute for Emerging Issues at N. C. State University, was guest speaker at the awards luncheon for Minority Enterprise Development, hosted by the city of Durham and the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce.

Barbara Fredrickson, the Kenan Distinguished professor and director of the positive emotions and psychophysiology laboratory at UNC-Chapel Hill, was a featured speaker at the Beverly Johnson Pritchard lecture at Salem College in Winston Salem.

Janice Cutler, president and owner of North Raleigh Florist, was recognized by the Wake County Business Alliance with the Leadership and Service Award for her work at Mt. Vernon Middle School, including the implementation of mock-interview programs.

Ann Goodnight, owner of The Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary, announced that the hotel received the 2011 AAA Five Diamond award, which recognizes excellence in the hospitality industry.

Lou Jurkowski, CEO of woman-owned architectural company BJAC, which is based in Raleigh, announced that BJAC was recognized as firm of the year by the North Carolina chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

Natalie d’Aubermont Thompson, a Durham resident, announced the creation of her company, SALTAR Consulting, which specializes in leadership development and talent recruitment.

August Cohen, owner of Raleigh-based career consulting firm Get Hired Stay Hired, was honored with six Toast of the Resume Industry awards, which stemmed from an international competition for resume writers.

Schelli Whitehouse, a business coach and founder of The Next Highest Version of You and Your Business, a woman-owned business in Raleigh, hosted “Reflections of Money,” a workshop for Raleigh entrepreneurs.

Judge Wanda Bryant, of Durham, swore in Nancy Lorrin Freeman, a Raleigh resident and Wake County Clerk of Superior Court, as a member of the Domestic Violence Committee of the N.C. Council for Women. Also joining the council were:
• Monika Johnson-Hostler, a Raleigh resident and executive director of the N.C. Coalition Against Sexual Assault
• Dr. Aleese Moore-Orbih, a Durham resident and director of training and consulting for the Faith Trust Institute
• Kate Deiter-Maradei, a Raleigh attorney at Teague, Campbell, Dennis & Gorham

Laura Hartsell, an attorney, was named to the board of associates for the Wake County Soil and Water Conservation District.

Kathy Moriarty joined Howard, Merrell & Partners, a Raleigh ad agency, as account executive.

Brittney Storm, of Durham, was promoted to account executive at Raleigh-based MMI Public Relations.

Carolyn Rhynebarger, CEO of Triangle-based communications and marketing agency Strategic Guru, gave a speech to Shop Local Raleigh, an association of independent, local businesses.

The Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce announced:
• Melanie Black Dubis, partner at Raleigh business law firm Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein, was appointed to the education and communication committees.
• Natalie Perkins, president of Clean Design, an RTP-based branding and design agency, was named to the board of directors.

Victoria Haynes, CEO of RTI International, the scientific research development institute in RTP, was named director-at-large of the United Way of the Greater Triangle.

Marnie Settle, of Summit Creative, and Hadley Watson, of White Oak Properties, launched the MIX Networking Group, an organization for Raleigh professionals who gather monthly in a social setting to form business associations and friendships.

The Carolina Lily Chapter of the National Charity League, a mother-daughter philanthropy organization, announced its board of directors, including:
• Jill DeCandio, a Cary resident and real estate assistant — president
• Robbin Safron, director of medical governance engagement at GlaxoSmithKline — vice president of communications
• Tina Ruff, of Apex — treasurer
• Laura Linton, an Apex resident and graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill — vice president of ticktockers, who are the daughters in the organization
• Karen Albritton, president of communications firm Capstrat — parliamentarian
• Mary Babbitt, of Holly Springs — vice president of patroness activities
• Eileen Clute, a Cary resident and project manager at IBM in RTP — vice president of membership
• Cynthia Crisp, a teacher at Weatherstone Elementary School in Cary — vice president of philanthropy
• Dawn Bradley, an Apex resident — vice president of ways and means and fundraiser chair
• Kathy Riley, a volunteer at Cary Academy — secretary

The Raleigh chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction named its 2010-2011 officers, including:
• Lynn Russell, owner of Cary construction consulting firm Dynamic Alliances — president
• Terri Piasecki, owner of Charm and Hammer in Apex — vice president
• Amy Simmons, credit manager at Triangle Materials in Cary — treasurer
• Shelly Esposito Gurley, office manager at Concept Masonry in Morrisville — secretary

Crystal Suazo, CPA and partner at Vaco, a Raleigh-based executive placement and consulting firm, was named to the board of directors of Triangle Family Services.

Kelly Tucker Griffin, a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill and a licensed real estate agent, was named product sales director for Girl Scouts-North Carolina Coastal Pines.

Jill Morin, an Allen Tate Realtor in the Wake Forest/Rolesville office, was selected as a spokeswoman to represent the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women movement.

Lorana Price, CEO of Holy Cow Branding, joined the publicity committee of the Greater Triangle Chapter of the International Facility Management Association, the largest international organization for professional facility managers.

The N.C. Center for Nonprofits recognized organizations with the 2010 Nonprofit Sector Stewardship Award, including:
• The Scrap Exchange in Durham, an organization that collects reusable materials, run by executive director Ann Woodard
• The N.C. Farmworkers Project, which helps improve living conditions for farmers and is headed by executive director Myriam Hudson

Wake County Commissioner Lindy Brown hosted Project Homeless Connect Raleigh in September. The event focused on providing homeless people services such as haircuts, food stamps, and mental health and substance abuse assistance.

Dana Jennings, CEO of the N.C. Center for Women in Public Service, which helps prepare women to serve in elected and appointed offices statewide, announced that the organization held a Women on Board workshop last month. The workshop was for women interested in appointments to boards and commissions at the municipal, county and state levels.

Susan Holbrook, senior vice president and sales manager for the Coldwell Banker Howard Perry and Walston office at Falls of Neuse Road, announced that Leslie Estes, Mallory Cavanagh and Kristen Edmonds joined as sales associates.

Debbie England, a Raleigh native, was named branch leader at Allen Tate’s Brier Creek sales office.

Kim Hernandez, a member of the Raleigh Regional Association of Realtors, joined Fonville Morisey Realty as a full-time sales associate in the Lochmere office.

Deborah McNaughton, founder and CEO of AZULI SKYE, a home-party jewelry company based in Apex, announced:
• Mardee Thomas, of Raleigh, was hired as national sales and training director.
• Andrea Savelo, of Wake Forest, and Candace Senter, of Franklinton, joined as independent sales consultants.
• The company was nominated for a Stevie Award for “Best New Company of the Year” owned or run by women.

Caroline Shillito, owner and principle designer of emma delon, a Durham kitchen and bath design firm, will participate this month in RealWorld Design Week, a program of the American Society of Interior Designers. The national mentoring program is used to introduce students to interior design. Also, Shillito announced that Lee Lewis, a student at Meredith College in Raleigh, joined the firm as an intern.

Susie Fougerousse, owner and president of Raleigh-based Rosenberry Rooms, an online boutique for children’s furniture and gifts, announced that the company ran a promotion throughout October benefiting the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). The company also formed a team to participate in the JDRF Triangle/Eastern Chapter’s Walk to Cure Diabetes.

Mary Michelle Little, founder of One Chic Mama, a personal image and style consultation firm, offered a free seminar last month at Raleigh’s Ten Thousand Villages.

Andrea Crane of Dermatech Aesthetics & Fearrington Plastic Surgery in Raleigh announced the addition of Katherine Strange, a licensed massage therapist, and Whitney Green, a medical aesthetician, to the practice.
Glo de Vie Med Spa, of Raleigh, announced:
• Laura Meacham, medical aesthetician and laser technician, joined the staff. Meacham recently attended Cutera’s Clinical Forum in New York. Meacham’s previous positions were at Bliss Spa in New York and the International Dermal Institute in Chicago.
• Shari Hoots, president and owner of the spa, and Alex Atwell, spa concierge, participated in Susan G. Komen’s PinkFest to celebrate and honor breast-cancer survivors in our community. Glo de Vie provided free skin-care consultations and gave away a prize package to a breast-cancer survivor.

Joyce Mitchell-Antoine joined WomanCare Global, a women’s health-care nonprofit organization in Chapel Hill, as vice president of development.

Four Triangle women were honored by The Great 100, an organization that recognizes nursing excellence:
• Linda Barnett, an operating room nurse at Durham Regional Hospital
• Juanita Fisher, a radiation oncology nurse at Durham Regional Hospital
• Shirley Murray, a Watts School of Nursing instructor at Duke University Health System
• Mary Atwood, a Rex Healthcare nurse in Raleigh

Victoria Tobin, an admission nurse with Hospice of Wake County, earned the certified hospice and palliative nurse certification.

Melissa Troester and Liza Makowski, both assistant professors in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, will be principle investigators in a study of how factors such as pregnancy and obesity can increase the chances of certain types of breast cancer in young, African American women.

Dr. Karen Mohlke, associate professor of genetics in the UNC School of Medicine, co-authored a study that discovered hundreds of genes that influence human height.

Joanne Jordan, a distinguished professor of medicine at UNC-Chapel Hill, led a study that evaluated the role played by genetic factors in the worsening of osteoarthritis.

Tammy Finch, licensed psychologist from UNC-Chapel Hill and creator of SkillSense, which teaches practical skills to teenagers and their parents, hosted a Raleigh workshop called “Where Are Superheroes When You Need Them Most? A Primer on Parenting Teen Boys.”

Andrea Crane of Dermatech Aesthetics & Fearrington Plastic Surgery in Raleigh announced the addition of Katherine Strange, a licensed massage therapist, and Whitney Green, a medical aesthetician, to the practice.

Glo de Vie Med Spa, of Raleigh, announced:
• Laura Meacham, medical aesthetician and laser technician, joined the staff. Meacham recently attended Cutera’s Clinical Forum in New York. Meacham’s previous positions were at Bliss Spa in New York and the International Dermal Institute in Chicago.
• Shari Hoots, president and owner of the spa, and Alex Atwell, spa concierge, participated in Susan G. Komen’s PinkFest to celebrate and honor breast-cancer survivors in our community. Glo de Vie provided free skin-care consultations and gave away a prize package to a breast-cancer survivor.

Joyce Mitchell-Antoine joined WomanCare Global, a women’s health-care nonprofit organization in Chapel Hill, as vice president of development.

Four Triangle women were honored by The Great 100, an organization that recognizes nursing excellence:
• Linda Barnett, an operating room nurse at Durham Regional Hospital
• Juanita Fisher, a radiation oncology nurse at Durham Regional Hospital
• Shirley Murray, a Watts School of Nursing instructor at Duke University Health System
• Mary Atwood, a Rex Healthcare nurse in Raleigh

Victoria Tobin, an admission nurse with Hospice of Wake County, earned the certified hospice and palliative nurse certification.

Melissa Troester and Liza Makowski, both assistant professors in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, will be principle investigators in a study of how factors such as pregnancy and obesity can increase the chances of certain types of breast cancer in young, African American women.

Dr. Karen Mohlke, associate professor of genetics in the UNC School of Medicine, co-authored a study that discovered hundreds of genes that influence human height.

Joanne Jordan, a distinguished professor of medicine at UNC-Chapel Hill, led a study that evaluated the role played by genetic factors in the worsening of osteoarthritis.

Tammy Finch, licensed psychologist from UNC-Chapel Hill and creator of SkillSense, which teaches practical skills to teenagers and their parents, hosted a Raleigh workshop called “Where Are Superheroes When You Need Them Most? A Primer on Parenting Teen Boys.”