July 2008
Update
Dear Citizen Diplomat Members,
June 30th, 2008 is here. Thus endeth another fiscal year at CDCSD! Zoom! 2008 minus 1979 = 29 years!
Reflecting on this year.
I love working with Mel, Enrique, and Courtney. We accomplish an amazing amount of work together. I have genuinely enjoyed getting to know our members more and in welcoming many new ones.
I appreciate the professionals on our CDCSD Board and Advisory Board
who guide us.
I am most satisfied with adding our new Community Connections client this year and having done four (!) count them FOUR successfully. Whew. Thank you again Home Hosts!
And for our future? IF the Fairy Godmother appeared and granted one wish? Let it be that we move our office to Liberty Station. May it be so. December 2009, moved.
As I compile this I am hours away from departing for vacation. Am returning to my Niles, Michigan roots to visit family and friends and put my toes once again in Lake Michigan.
Thanks to all of you who work to make our world a better place for all,

Cath DeStefano
Executive Director
Contents
1. Member Central
2. Around the Office
3. Annual Meeting/Asian Celebration
4. CDCSD's Citizen Diplomats of the Year
5. Help!
6. Visitors
7. Thank You x 10,000!
1. Member Central
►Membership Renewal Time
Although we have gone to a system where you actually renew your membership one year from when you joined, the majority of members’ renewals are due at June’s end. Watch your snail mail please. It’s time to say YES! once again.
►Board Members Always Welcome
TWO OPENINGS on our Board of Directors. Peter Bickelmann is our Board Development Chair. To communicate your interest please email Peter at mapet@san.rr.com.
►New Members Always Welcome
Our current members are our best way to attract new members. ACTION: Please send this Member link http://www.cdcsd.org/ind_member.php to anyone you know who thinks/acts/loves international and thinks actions toward creating peace are a fine thing to do.
2. Around the Office
►Retirement Plan
We have recently met with two agents who helped us to understand what is possible. Now the decisions are: what possibility will we choose AND can CDCSD afford to contribute some to employee’s retirement plan.
►Marketing Trip to Washington DC
Courtney Giordano leaves next week to attend a conference in Washington DC. She will use part of her time there meeting with our current partners and seeking out new business for our Council.
►Future Diplomat in the Making
You are never too young to realize the importance of citizen diplomacy! A 14 year old Girl Scout recently job shadowed Courtney for a day and accompanied her to a meeting where a European delegation met with a local nonprofit involved with Human Rights. Needless to say, the Girl Scout was moved by her experience with our Citizen Diplomacy Council.
►Enrique Birthday!
Enrique, who we love and love working with, has a Birthday on July 15th! We shall have lunch together in celebration. Enrique is our king of Community Connections. He is also at second interview round for being accepted in LEAD San Diego. FAB!
►Courtney and Cath Speak
Kensington Optimists June 2008
And we agree, these people really are optimists!
Below:
Courtney, Cath and outgoing president Milt.

3. Annual Meeting/Asian Celebration
SUCCESS is the word to describe this gathering. A serene sunset over Mission Bay. A room full of truly wonderful people. A fond and big thank you to end-of-term Board President Ed Meara and to termed out Board Director Fran Schultz.
A lot always has to coalesce in order for an event like this to work. Big thanks to Mel Miro, CDCSD Operations, for her amazing attention to detail and for keeping an eye on the budget!
We thank our sponsors for helping make this a successful event.
Gold Sponsor

Silver Sponsor

Honorary Sponsors
Carol Costarakis
Rolf Haas
Lew Silverberg
Alice Silverberg
Kenneth and JoAnne Abrams
Dolores Puig
Lucy Killea
James Ellis
Carol Bentley Ellis
Ed and Gigi Cramer
Sally Baldus
Thank you Dr. Lilly Cheng
For your Reflections on Asia. I can still hear you saying: “All the world is not flat yet. Some countries of Asia have as little as .03% of internet use.” Also, as we value the ‘I’ in our culture, the ‘we’ is more common in Asian thinking.
4.CDCSD's 2008 Citizen Diplomats of the Year
For their ongoing support of CDCSD in so many, many ways and their work making our world a much better place, we are pleased to honor both
Chin-Yeh Hostler and Ambassador Charles Hostler
with CDCSD’s first ever award for
Citizen Diplomats of the Year.

Chin-Yeh: Has been of great support to CDCSD continuously referring people to join and bringing possible new members to our events. She is an accomplished import-export business woman, mother, world traveler, catalyst, and collaborator in getting the life of Charles into the book Soldier to Ambassador.
Charles: Soldier, diplomat, ambassador, businessman, scholar, educator, author, father - Charles Hostler has been, and still is, a tireless global traveler (over 160 countries) and citizen of the world with honors throughout the world. Both Charles and Chin-Yeh are Star Diplomat supporters of Citizen Diplomacy Council and Charles serves on our Advisory Board.
5. Help!
►Since our members know people who know people I am appealing to you for help in helping our interns find work. Thanks.
Paige Barry did a magnificent job with our CDCSD annual event planning. Attendees raved about it and I am still hearing compliments. Paige has a natural talent for event planning. If you or someone you know has an event that needs planning or you know of an open position as an event planner please contact her at: paigevbarry@yahoo.com.
Lindsey Alarcon is a recent graduate of San Diego State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing. Lindsey is also certified by the eMarketing Association. She is doing an amazing job in helping us update our website! IDEAL POSITION: internet-related position, such as search engine optimization or search engine marketing. Email: lalarcon11@gmail.com.
►Points in heaven for hosting Russian visitors coming in September!
10 visitors coming from St. Petersburg Russia to study Disaster Response and Emergency Management. September 25th thru October 16th.
Contact: Enrique@CDCSD.org
►Can you drive visitors to appointments?
Contact Courtney Giordano, CDCSD Program Manager for U.S. State Department IVLP visitors, if you can be on our list of drivers who can take visitors to their professional appointments. Usually one to three visitors. We can reimburse mileage if you need us to. Courtney@CDCSD.org
6. Visitors!
We are still hearing from many of our Community Connections visitors! The depth of connection from being with each other for three weeks is all the difference. Life-changing all around.

Goodbye to our Turkmenistan Tourism Development delegation!
We loved having you with us.

Aylar said she has never felt so free.
6. Thank you x 10,000!
►Thank you Member Kit Ladwig for driving visitors to their meetings
at the last minute.
►Thank you Sara Burbidge, our volunteer videographer who photographed our Asian Celebration so nicely. Photos of the event will be on our website soon.
►Thanks to Janis Foley, professional photographer who has done the most beautiful photos of staff and board members for the update to our website. We recommend her without hesitation. Please visit her website: www.janisfoley.com.
Contact: JANIS FOLEY PHOTOGRAPHY, LLC janis@janisfoley.com 619 723-7677
►Thanks to Indulge Catering for your great food and wonderful
easy-to-work-with staff.
►Thanks to JING Institute of Chinese Martial Arts & Culture for your splendid performance at our Asian Celebration. For more information visit www.JINGinstitute.com.

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