Northwestern Region

Women's Retreat Offers Break, Raises Funds

by Camden Easterling
The Daily Inter Lake
excerpted with permission

The Soroptimist International of Big Fork tried a new twist on fund raising October 18 (2003) - the gave themselves a break.

The group sponsored a "Rediscover Your Ya-Ya" weekend retreat for women looking to take the day off and indulge in their feminine sides.

"Today is just a day for being a woman," said Jayne Tienken, president of the club.

Women from around the area spent the day at Laughing Horse Lodge near Swan Lake reading poetry, practicing spa therapies and learning about fly fishing.

"Money from the event will go towards the group's philanthropy projects.

Although some attendees were not Soroptimists, the retreat gave club members a chance to truly participate in a fund-raiser. During many events the group sponsors, members mostly are organizing the program rather than getting in on the fun of it.

But at the retreat, members and nonmembers enjoyed the activities together. "It's a fun fundraiser," Tienken said of the event.

Last year Tienken and Kathleen Moon, owner of Laughing Horse Lodge, organized a similar retreat for the Kalispell Soroptimists. But Tienken founded the Bigfork club in August, so she and Moon decided to hold the event again so the new club could raise funds.

The retreat's name was inspired by the popular book "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" by Rebecca Wells. The book focuses on a tight-knit group of independent women and their wild adventures.

The title "Rediscover Your Ya-Ya" was intended to let women know that the day would focus on celebrating their femininity and letting them escape for the day.

"It's just a day to make new friends and get away from your husbands," Moon joked.

About 15 women ranging in age from young mothers to seniors showed up Saturday to get into the Ya-Ya spirit. And although the group seemed somewhat subdued in comparison to Wells' wild Ya-Yas, there was no shortage of laughter among the women.

Tonya Konopka, a Bigfork Soroptimist who moved here from New York about a year ago, said the Ya-Ya day gave her a chance to get to know other women in the community.

The day's first event, a hike along the Sprunger Whitney Nature Trail, was a favorite of many of the women. The ladies enjoyed traipsing through the fall foliage during the sunny morning and learning about different plants from local botanist Ann Morley.

But the fly-fishing demonstration was equally popular. Instructor Lisa Bardole traveled from Libby to give the women a demonstration, albeit one in the yard rather than the lake, of proper techniques.

Bardole told the women not to be intimidated by the sport and showed them that even a masculine activity like fishing can be feminized.

"You can be color coordinated girls!" Bardole joked as she displayed her fly rod that matched her pinkish-purple nail polish.

Accessories aside, Bardole and the ladies discussed the serious details of fly fishing such as where and when to fish and what equipment to use.