Thursday, July 29, 2010

Calling All Artists!!

Habitat for Humanity’s Women Build program is seeking artists to creatively paint or decorate wooden toolboxes, constructed by Women Build members. Artists will be selected for a juried competition, and their works of art will be sold at the 2nd Annual Fall Fundraiser, Toolboxes on Parade, on Friday, Nov. 5 at the McGuffey Art Center. All proceeds will be used to fund Women Build’s 8th house sponsorship. Send application and a representative photo of artistic work to Women Build, Habitat for Humanity, 501 Grove Avenue, Charlottesville, VA 22902, or email application and photograph to . A downloadable application is available on the website, www.cvillehabitat.org, along with examples of last year’s creations. Email questions to or call the Habitat for Humanity office at (434) 293-9066.

    Deadline for submission of application is Friday, Aug. 27, 2010.

    Women Build is constructing its 7th home right now.    Once it reaches the magic number of $60,000, memberscan start building another home for a Habitat Partner Family—and build skills, confidence, and friendships among the volunteers who swing the hammers on the job site. Women Build works to recruit, empower, and train women to build simple, decent, and affordable homes. Worksites provide a unique opportunity to learn construction skills and build leadership and teamwork skills.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Real Girls Run!

Real Girls Run?

Yeah, I think so. I could be a bit biased because I’m tackling the Women’s 4-Miler Training Program right now, but the good people at Charlottesville Running Company agree and they’re hosting the second REAL GIRLS RUN 6K RUN/WALK on Oct. 9. Registration is already under way for the Darden Towe Park race with a $30 fee until Sept. 30 and $35 thereafter. (Space is limited!)

Walkers, joggers and runners are all welcome and it’s designed to “promote an active lifestyle among girls and women of all ages.” Feel free to bring your daughters with you for the fun event.

Want to see photos from last year? Visit the Bad to the Bone site to peruse the pictures, courtesy of JMK photography.

There is a training program, which begins Aug. 15, on Saturdays at 8 a.m. at Riverview Park and Tuesdays at 7 a.m. at the UVA Track. The program is being led by Dawn Cromer, who competed at the 2008 Olympic Trials, and Dr. Francesca Conte, co-owner of Charlottesville Running Company. The cost to join is $10 at any point and there is an application to print and mail in. It is designed for beginner, intermediate and advanced runners so anyone can join. There is a walking program, as well, listed on the site.

As the weather cools down (we hope) and the leaves change in beautiful ways (we hope again), get out and get fit! Real girls do run…and sweat too!

Get moving!

Friday, July 23, 2010

Feedback Wanted!

Do you have great balance? We’re looking for real stories from real people about how they balance the pressures of life. Please send your personal stories, thoughts and tips to . We’ll feature some of them in our upcoming issues.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Women We Love: Molly Fulton

Molly Fulton will help you stuff your face, or the faces of your coworkers, through her job as director of sales and marketing for Vmeals—an online platform for ordering group meals, catering for business events or meetings and client presentations. Molly, who lives in Lake Monticello with her husband Chris, daughters Kyle, 15, Frances, 10, and a son, Scott, 6. “Throw in the dog and cat and you have the recipe for perpetual chaos,” Molly jokes.

Molly says her greatest strengths include quick learning, adaptability and being comfortable with change. Perhaps that’s why she has thrived in the particular career path she’s taken. “Honestly, my career choices have been predicated upon one of two things: ‘I need a job—what have you got?’ Or ‘That sounds like fun—I think I’ll try that’,” she says. “I have never let ignorance or inexperience (of which there has been plenty) get in the way of going after my next engagement.”

Knowing the type of person Molly is it’s easy to believe her biggest pet peeve is whining. “It makes my ears bleed when my children do it,” she says. “In adults it says ‘I’m a helpless victim of circumstance.’ I’m not giving away my power and responsibility for my choices. What a waste of air.”

A typical day for Molly involves reading and writing, as well as analyzing sales data and checking on web traffic. “I like winning,” she says. “I like when sales are up, traffic is up and the blog is getting a lot of page views. The best thing for me is delivering a lesson or a challenge while making people laugh.”

Vmeals, similar to other businesses in the country, is feeling the effect of the economic slowdown, she says. “Would you be surprised to hear that the economy is particularly challenging right now? Vmeals is a really nice service, but when budgets are slashed, food is an easy target. I know it’s cliché, but like everyone else, we are challenged with doing more with less. It can be exhausting.”

Molly takes care of herself physically. She’s a runner, but not a “zealot.” “As I get older I’m more in tune with what my body needs and I try to honor that,” she says. “I just try to make reasonably good choices and treat myself well.”

But is she finding balance?

“Balance is overrated,” she says. “I believe in living a passionate life. I believe we live life through seasons and there will be times when some area will dominate—be it career, kids, health, romance, etc. You have to be present in your season and not get too hung up on balance.

“As for everything else, I am completely dependent on an intimate relationship with God to make sense of the world and my place in it.”

Her inspiration for how she lives her life? Her parents and grandparents—though not based on anything they said. “I just watched the way my parents and grandparents lived. They did a lot of things right,” she notes.

So, does she offer advice for other women considering pursing similar career paths? “I don’t think I’d give anyone else career advice outside of this: try real hard to know what you want. It’s harder than you think.”

8 Things You Might Not Know About Molly Fulton

1. Who is your favorite author and why? I don’t know if I can really pick a favorite, but Diana Gabaldon is awesome. Her “Outlander” series is super smart, sexy, entertaining and a great escape if you like historical fiction—and have a soft spot for Scotland—which I do.

2. Favorite thing about Charlottesville? Too many choices, but I’ll have to go with the landscape of Central Virginia. We live in a place of elegant, stately beauty. I’m awed by every day.

3. What is your favorite hobby/pastime? Reading and sleeping (not necessarily in that order).

4. What is one of your hidden talents/skills? Well, if I told you it wouldn’t be hidden, would it?

5. What is your guilty pleasure? Well, it’s got to be food related. Eating store-bought chocolate frosting right out of the can.

6. What is your favorite movie and why? Again, too hard to choose. I’m a big movie fan, but I’ll go with one from my formative years: “The Way We Were.” I love that the intense, interesting, unconventional girl—not the pretty girl—gets the gorgeous guy. I love the “otherness” they both experience, the romance, ideology versus comfort, and the realization that what you thought you always wanted you didn’t or that it just seemed like too much work so you settle. Passion is a hard path.

7. Where did you grow up? Oh, I got around…I was a Navy brat that settled in Maryland by middle school.

8. What is the greatest invention of your lifetime and why? I don’t know if it’s been invented yet.

Friday, July 16, 2010

Take-Away Career Advice

I attended my first Business Women’s Round Table with the Chamber of Commerce on July 15. It was a room full of welcoming business women in our community. I finally met Kim Connolly face-to-face, as well as many others I interact with on a weekly basis for work. It’s funny how social media has connected the community, making it easier to reach the right people quickly, but, it is always nice to meet people face-to-face, too.

I was moved by the July 15 Business Women’s Round Table speaker Dr. Billy Cannaday, dean of the UVA School of Continuing & Professional Studies. He offered uniquely personal perspectives on the topic: “Stepping Up to Opportunity: How do you decide if it’s time to seek ‘stepping opportunities’?”

The first thing he said, and it really struck a cord with me, is that career is more about a random set of events than a linear path. “Life is just a series of getting knocked down and getting back up again,” he said. “And if you get up first you have a chance.”

Here are some career tips he offered that can apply to just about anyone.

1. Figure out what drives you and what excites you—and know the difference. Sometimes it’s knowing what you do not want to do—and that’s something you’ll have to discover on your own.

2. Figure out your motives and understand them. Balance your head and your heart.

3. Know your strengths—what helps you during time of great difficulties—and write them down. Know, also your blind spots.

4. Develop a lifelong learning plan. Figure out the organization (or industry) you want to be in and learn—deeply learn—what is important to that organization and what matters. Plan, prioritize, execute and adjust (you’ve got to make sure you’re adaptable). Be kinder to each other—it’s OK to fail, it’s how you learn.

5. Remain true to your core values. Dr. Cannaday asks himself—could I say it to my grandmother without a lot of explaining of why he did it. People may not like you all of the time, but they will respect you, he said.

6. Find mentors. No one person can give you all that you need. They will help you be in touch with your strengths—and blind spots. They will be encouraging. They will teach you (is an enabler). It may be someone you watch from afar or talk to on a regular basis.

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