Daffodils
Today is the last day to order daffodils to benefit the American Cancer Society. Please see Judy if you are interested in purchasing some and/or pay for the ones you have previously ordered.

Who’s In, Who’s Out
Bret in California Feb 24-March 2
Dan S in California Feb 26-March 1, then Vac March 2-4
Annie in California Feb 25-March 2
Rosanne in California Feb 26- March 2

Visitors
Annie Galvin Teich March 8-10
Hubert & Rick March 9-10

Birthdays
Michelle Feb 28
Charlene March 5
Dinora March 18
Bethany March 22
Valerie March 22

MARDI GRAS Party-time!

Kate Oates has prepared a special little Mardi Gras celebration for us. All the special treats are at the last cubicle in the Customer Service aisle. There's King Cake and fresh fruit--enjoy!
Don't forget to grab a set of beads!

Thanks Kate!!!

LA Congress in Anaheim, CA--

Bret Thomas: Feb. 24 to Mar. 2
Dan Smart: Feb. 25 to Mar. 1 and Vacation until Mar. 5
Rosanne Coffey: Feb. 25 to Mar. 2
Annie Teich: Feb. 26 to Mar. 2
Nick Wagner: Feb. 27 to Mar. 1
Anna & Stephanie (23rd Consultants): Feb. 26 to Mar. 2

I am so very pleased to announce that we have hired AMY WISEMAN to serve as the Online Editor/Marketing Assistant for the Bayard Magazine Group.

Amy is currently serving as an Internet Advertising Consultant/Account Manager for JobTarget in New London, CT where she works on a variety of client-oriented marketing and communications pieces including an e-newsletter and targeted email campaigns. She has worked on and designed similar e-communications in other positions that she’s held including as the communications coordinator for a non-profit in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Amy also has a wide variety of writing experience ranging from managing press campaigns at various jobs and internships, to writing an internal newsletter for the world’s largest pharmaceutical company to serving as an editorial aide and feature writer for a university alumni publication.

Her first day will be Monday, March 9, 2009 and she will share workspace in the large cubicle with Shannon and Rachel.

Please join me in welcoming Amy.

Bret D. Thomas
President and CEO

Catholic Digest
If you have a January issue handy and wouldn’t mind doing so, please pull out the Love Your Neighbor ballot between pages 96 and 97 and give to Traci for a customer who needs some extras. Thanks

Bottled Water
We’d like to reserve the bottled water in the large conference room for guests and groups meeting in the conference room. Please help yourself to the cooler outside Bret’s office for great tasting, cold spring water.

Visitors
Annie Galvin Teich Feb 16-18
Annie Galvin Teich March 8-10
Hubert & Rick March 9-10

Who’s In, Who’s Out
Sue Vac Feb 19-24
Bret in California Feb 24-March 2

Birthdays
Patty Feb 22
Michelle Feb 28

Chocolate Dessert Contest
To celebrate Valentine’s Day, we are having a dessert tasting contest today. Anyone can participate in the judging and there’s a $50 prize to the dessert maker with the most votes. More information to follow.

NEW HIRE
I am so very pleased to announce that ANNIE GALVIN TEICH will soon begin working with us as a Magazine Group Consultant. Her emphasis will be on increasing circulation, growing revenue, and developing new sales opportunities.

It is my intention that Annie will transition to Vice President for Business Development (Bayard Magazine Group) within 90-days. This 90-day transition period will afford Annie the opportunity to put in order the needs of The Teich Group - a strategic sales and marketing firm providing educational publishing companies with a full range of services; and New Day Publishing - a publishing company with a wonderful line of Christian books and music for young children. Annie currently serves as President and CEO of both initiatives. Before launching The Teich Group and New Day Publishing, Annie served as the Vice President of Catechetical Products for Pflaum Publishing Group. Earlier in her career, Annie successfully led the circulation marketing for The Mailbox, Teacher’s Helper, and The Mailbox BookBag magazines and served as publisher of Learning Magazine. In these roles she focused on customer acquisition and business development. During the 90-day transition period Annie will be available 3 days a week. She will continue to work from her home in Greensboro, NC, where she shares in the ministry of her husband, Paul, a deacon in the diocese of Charlotte. She will spend one week per month in New London, CT. Her first day will be Monday, February 16. Please join me in welcoming Annie to Bayard, Inc. I am confident that she will embrace quickly our mission and contribute greatly to our success.

Bret D. Thomas
President and CEO

VISITORS
Annie Galvin Teich Monday (Feb. 16) thru Wednesday (Feb. 18)
Joe Lunne (SFS) Monday (Feb. 16) thru Tuesday (Feb. 17)

Who’s In, Who’s Out
Bret out Feb 16
Bethany Vac Feb 16
Bret in California Feb 24-March 2

Birthdays
Patty Feb 22
Michelle Feb 28

Chocolate Dessert Contest
To celebrate Valentine’s Day, we are having a contest on Friday, February 13th. Please bring in a chocolate dessert or a desert that has chocolate as an ingredient. Bring the dessert into work in the morning and bring it straight to Amy’s desk. Have your dessert labeled with your name and the name of the dessert. Everyone will be able to sample all the desserts and vote on their favorite. Please do not discuss your dessert with friends because voting will be done by numbers, not names. There will be a $50 prize to the desert maker with the most votes. If you are interested in participating, please let Amy know by the end of the day tomorrow. If there is not a lot of interest the contest will be cancelled.

Birthdays
Patty Feb 22
Michelle Feb 28

Request from Andrea
Andrea recently received a new company computer. Would you please email her and let her know which email address you prefer to use? This will assist her in building her address book back up. (acarey@twentythirdpublications.com) Thanks.

Parking Garage
If you have an assigned spot in the parking garage, please ask someone to park in your space when you are away from the office. If you know a coworker is out or away, please don’t park in their spot unless you are first asked as they may have already given permission for someone else to use their spot.

Good News
Please join Bret, Rick and Lise-Marie in congratulating Leslie Williams on her promotion to the position of Accounting Manager. Leslie is working directly with Lise-Marie to create structure and responsible accounting for both St. Louis and New London. In her new position she will continue to provide the back up support and detailed journal entries required by Bayard Presse. Reporting directly to Leslie in CT will be Amy Windle, Accounts Receivable Administrator; Patty Musella, Accounts Payable Administrator; and indirectly Karen Lindenmann, Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable Administrator in MO. We have assembled an excellent team in the accounting department and we are all grateful to Leslie for her tremendous efforts over the past six months. Leslie will continue to prepare payroll and administer the employee health, dental, life, short term disability and long term disability programs as well as the 401(k) administration. Congratulations Leslie!

Postage Stamps
Please consider saving any used postage stamps from mail you receive here and at home. I collect them for Pat Kluepfel and eventually they make their way to dealers and collectors around the world. A sampling of agencies that have benefitted from the program includes:
--A Palestinian refugee children’s play center
--A center from trauma healing in Africa
--American Friends Service Committee
--Repairs to a church in Cuba
--Projects in the Lakota and other Native American tribal areas
--Quaker environmental programs
--Medicines and lab equipment at the Lugulu Hospital in Kenya
--A Vietnamese rehabilitation center
--Various groups lobbying Congress on behalf of world hunger
In particular they are looking for any foreign stamps as well as all US commemorative stamps (with the pictures on them). Patty in the accounting department has been giving me stamps she receives and this is much appreciated. When in doubt, just save it anyway. They probably don’t need the standard US stamps with flags or the Forever Stamp with the Liberty Bell.
As you can see, these stamps will go to a good cause and for so little effort.
Sue

February 8th - Voluntown Blood Drive
The American Red Cross would like to invite you to donate blood, if eligible, on Sunday, February 8th - the same day “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” will air the story of the Girard family of Voluntown.
Sunday, February 8th is a special day of celebration for all the volunteers and the communities who came together to give the Girard family a new home and hope for the future. As part of the celebration, the American Red Cross is returning to Voluntown to run another very special blood drive in honor of the Girards.
We invite you to give the gift of life and donate blood, if eligible, as part of the celebration of the spirit of volunteerism. When you donate blood as a volunteer blood donor, you are helping to save or sustain the lives of patients across Connecticut. Blood has a limited shelf life and must constantly be replenished. One donation of blood can help save up to three lives.
Sunday’s blood drive is sponsored by WTNH News Channel 8 and will be held at the Voluntown Elementary School at 195 Main Street in Voluntown from 10 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
All presenting donors may enter to win a signed builders’ brown jacket, donated by Home Designs By Bruno.
To be eligible to donate blood you must be 17 years or older, at least 110 lbs and in general good health.
To make an appointment and to check your eligibility please call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE to make an on line appointment today.

Who’s In, Who’s Out
Some reps from an accounting firm will be here this week.

Birthdays
Margaret Feb 1
Jeff Feb 4
Patty Feb 22
Michelle Feb 28

AN INVITATION FROM JULIE
Hi everyone! I am playing Gwendolen in Flock Theatre’s production of Oscar Wilde’s wonderful comedy and satire “The Importance of Being Earnest.” I’m sending this message early because we are doing advance ticketing, on account of limited seating (so please call the office soon if you would like to come!). Here are the details:
WHAT: The Importance of Being Earnest, performed by Flock Theatre
WHERE: The Shaw Mansion, New London (info/directions: www.newlondonhistory.org)
WHEN: February 12-14 (Thursday through Saturday) and 18-21 (Wednesday through Saturday) at 7 p.m. and February 15 and 22 (Sundays) at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
TICKETS: $20 (due to the limited seating — the space is intimate and only seats about 40 folks per show) adults Children and seniors’ tickets are $15.)
HOW TO RESERVE TICKETS: Call Flock at 860-443-3119. If you have any problems or questions, let me know.
GENERAL INFO: • We’re not doing British accents • Seats are advance-reserved but general admission (that is, not assigned seats)Hope to see you there!Julie

10 Things You Didn’t Know You Can Recycle
1. Appliances: Many stores will recycle your old appliance when you purchase a new one. Goodwill accepts working appliances. Go to www.goodwill.org, or you can contact the Steel Recycling Institute to recycle them at www.recycle-steel.org
2. Athletic Shoes: One World Running will send still-wearable shoes to athletes in need in Africa, Latin America, and Haiti: www.oneworldrunning.com. Nike’s Reuse-a-shoe program turns old shoes into playground and athletic flooring: www.nikereuseashoe.com. There’s a drop off facility on Flanders Road (SCRRRA Recycling Facility)
3. Batteries: Contact www.batteryrecycling.com ($24 for a 12 lb limit box and postage to mail it)
4. Clothes: Wearable clothes can go to your local Goodwill outlet or shelter. Donate wearable women’s business clothing to the nonprofit Dress for Success, which gives them to low-income women as they search for jobs: www.dressforsuccess.org. Offer unwearable clothes to local animal boarding and shelter facilities, which often use them as pet bedding.
5. Compact Fluorescent Bulbs (CFL): Take them to your local IKEA store for recycling: www.ikea.com. You can also order a Sylvania Recycle Pak: www.sylvania.com/recycle/recyclepak.
6. Computers and Electronics: To find the most responsible recyclers go to www.ban.org/pledge/Locations.html
7. Foam packing Peanuts: Your local pack-and-ship store will likely accept these for reuse. Or call the Plastic Loose Fill Producers Council to find a drop-off site: 800-828-2214. For places to drop off foam blocks for recycling, contact the Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers, 410-451-8340, www.epspackaging.org/info.html
8. Ink/Toner Cartridges: www.recycleplace.com (We recycle Bayard’s used toners through local school recycling programs.)
9. Oil: Find used motor oil hotlines for each state: www.recycleoil.org
10. Phones: Collective Good will refurbish your old mobile phone, pagers, and PDAs and sell them to someone in a developing country: www.collectivegood.com. Call to Protect reprograms cell phones to dial 911 and gives them to domestic violence victims: www.donateaphone.com
(These 10 tips are from www.greenamericatoday.org)

Visitors
Some reps from an accounting firm will be here Wed thru Friday.

Birthdays
Margaret Feb 1
Jeff Feb 4
Patty Feb 22
Michelle Feb 28