Westport Woman's Club Hosts Sissy Biggers
Lifestyle expert and television host Sissy Biggers joined the Westport Woman's Club as their guest speaker at the November 1 Club Day. Ms. Biggers, a Fairfield County native, spoke with candor and humor about her career path to become one of today's sought-after personalities for numerous shows for ABC, CBS and NBC in addition to radio, print and internet media. She is a recognized expert in the hospitality industry, full of inspiring advice on a variety of topics ranging from family entertaining and home keeping solutions to dining on a budget.
Her start in the entertainment field was on the other side of the camera. After a brief stint in Hollywood, Ms. Biggers returned to the east coast to manage and troubleshoot two live shows known for their direct takes on daily news and cultural trends – David Letterman and Saturday Night Live. After ten years she was let go without notice, but responded with her signature upbeat take on life. "I wasn't fired, but pushed from the nest." Ms. Biggers took the opportunity to do a career assessment and transitioned to her role as television host. Comfortable with a microphone, she knew enough about cooking to be able to build a dialogue with celebrity chefs on Ready, Set, Cook, one of the first cook-off competitions featured on the then fledgling Food Channel. Her career path has taken her to many venues and opportunities, each one leveraged to propel her forward. Of the odd and unexpected in her career, she grins broadly and simply says, "I accept the challenge."
Ms. Biggers takes that approach in her personal life as well. She and her husband, Kelsey Biggers, recently took on a labor of love patiently restoring the vintage Harris Hardware Store in Southport to become Southport Galleries, where artwork from old masters to contemporary artists is showcased. The goal of the gallery is to ma
THE WESTPORT WOMAN’S CLUB HOSTS JULIE BELAGA
The Westport Woman's Club hosted Julie Belaga as their guest speaker at the October 4th Club Day. Public Service has been the by-word of Ms. Belaga's career. She has served as Chairman of Westport's Planning and Zoning Commission; as a member of the RTM; and as Westport's State Representative in Hartford. She was the Republican Candidate for Governor in 1986. She went on to head up the Regional office of the Environmental Protection Agency in Boston and then went on to serve on the Board of the Export-Import Bank of the United States. Now retired she serves on a number of boards of non-profit organizations.
Ms. Belaga spoke candidly to members about many facets of her work, and how rewarding it has been. She continues to feel strongly about the responsibility we have toward preserving our environment, and advocates maintaining a robust EPA with resources (financial and human) to support it. Ms. Belaga is also passionate about the work she is doing as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Westport Library where she is supporting its ongoing development to best serve the needs of the community in the fast-changing 21st century.
The Westport Woman's Club, organized in 1907, is a non-profit philanthropic organization dedicated to volunteerism and the raising of funds in support of the educational, charitable, cultural and public health services in Westport and surrounding towns.
The Westport Woman's Club (WWC) opened their 2010/2011-year with a moving luncheon presentation from Diana Rodriguez on the story of Glassybaby. Founded by Lee Rhodes, a cancer survivor, Glassybaby is an inspiring business whose mission is to give back. Glassybaby sprung out of a glassblowing gift that Lee gave to a family member, who surprised her by bringing home lovely, colorful glass cups. The rich colors that Glassybaby is known for are the result of an 18-minute, three-layer glass blowing process. When Lee realized how beautiful and calming they were with a glowing votive, holding flowers, or gracing a dining table, she broke out of the isolation of her cancer treatment and started to grow the Glassybaby business, designating a portion of the proceeds to help those battling cancer. The business has had tremendous success and Glassybaby has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to cancer care and other charities through sales via their website, www.glassybaby.com and their New York City store at 555 Hudson Street.
WWC members were offered the opportunity to purchase Glassybaby, and 10% of sales for the day were donated back to the WWC to support their work in Westport and surrounding communities.
The Westport Woman's Club, organized in 1907, is a non-profit philanthropic organization dedicated to volunteerism and the raising of funds in support of the educational, charitable, cultural and public health services in Westport and surrounding towns.
