2008 Area Captain Newsletters

DECEMBER 2008



I must start off by saying I don't know where the time has gone.

It was September when I sent out the last newsletter, kids were 

going back to school, people settling back in to routine---

and now we are here at the beginning of December preparing for 

the hussle and bussle of the holiday season. In between 

there we had a wonderful Area Rally and I want to thank 

everyone for their support and attendance to our first Area Rally. 





Mark your calendars for November 7, 2009 - 

the date of your 2009 Rally, but more to come about that.



WELCOME: to our newest chapters joining our Area: 

TOPS#ON 1608 & 4759 St.Mary's





Area Captain Presentations Scheduled: 

TOPS#ON 1092 Stratford - December 10, 2008



I made it to several of our area chapters in 2008 to present 

"Moving to the Music" and am looking forward to coming to your

chapter again in the New Year! Remember I will be bringing the 

Together We Can Rally 2008 photo album along with me.



Why not get a date booked for the New Year?



Contact me by phone or email as I'd love to come out to your 

chapter!



January is International TOPS Open House Month: Does your 

chapter have one planned? I'd love to hear about it. 

A great way to increase your membership!



Area Rally 2008

We had our wrap up meeting on November 24th but I figure because

of the poor weather that night we only had two chapters present:

TOPS#ON 5270 & 1092 Stratford. 

The minutes will be released soon.

It was agreed that the Rally turned out well!

Area Rally 2009 - November 7, 2009

Looking for volunteers or perhaps a volunteer chapter(s) to host

the 2009 Area Rally. If interested please let me know. There 

will be a meeting announced closer to March when the weather is 

more reliable to  talk further.



Happy Holidays

and wishing you and yours all the best in 2009!

September 2008



Hello everyone! Wow, Fall has seemed to come so quickly this 

year. As I look out my window I love seeing the changing leaves 

but also know that soon enough we will be wishing for the 

warmer weather once again.



With September, many people begin their new year with the 

children back in school and summer holidays behind us. 

What a perfect time to re-evaluate our goals we made in January. 

Do you remember them? How are you progressing?



Perhaps it is time to make new ones. Remember to make SMART 

goals. 



S-Specific,

M-Measurable,

A- Attainable,

R- Realistic,

T- Timeframe.



Have a Happy Autumn!



AREA CAPTAIN PRESENTATIONS



I’d like to take this time to thank the chapters who invited me

to present the “Moving to the Music” presentation. I had a lot 

of fun and it was wonderful to meet so many of the members. 

My calendar is getting clear again so if any chapter would like 

to invite me for another presentation please give me a call 

or drop me a line.





Other Area Captain Presentations include:

Managing Your Time

Goals & Rewards

Snack Foods

Stretching

Zapping Stress

Social Calories

Food Labels

Exercise

The Exchange System



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!

WELCOME

Goes out to our newest Chapter



MONKTON



Leader: Cheryl Stonley



First meeting: September 25th



TOPS RETREATS COMING NEAR YOU

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Enjoy a break from your usual routine

Give yourself the gift of a TOPS retreat!

Relax in fun and fellowship with others who care as we do

Share new insights and help each other with weight control



Villa Loyola, Sudbury

August 9 - 14, 2009

46 openings

$458.00 per person includes ALL retreat activities, room and 

board for 5 nights and 6 days.





China Lake Center, Maine

June 14 -19, 2009

53 openings

$380.00 (U.S. funds) per person includes ALL retreat activities,

room and board for 5 nights and 6 days.





If you would like more information about either of these 

retreats please contact me and I’ll forward you what I have.



Plans are well under way for OUR rally

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

Saturday, NOVEMBER 8th



All registrations need to be back to me by October

22 for our last planning meeting.



October 22, 2008 @ 7:00 p.m.

St. Stephens Church

Stratford



If you need directions please contact me.



Come join in on a day of fun ,

recognition & motivation!

NEW TOPS MEMBERS NEEDED



New members bring new life to a

group. They bring along new ideas,

help motivate members who may be a

bit stagnant, and allow more fun into

your group. We want to hear from you

and your chapter.



How to bring more members into

TOPS?



We need new twists and we need new

options that haven’t been done before.



Think affordable

Think easy

Think quick

Think non traditional

Think outside the box



BRAINSTORM WITH YOUR MEMBERS

AND SHARE WITH ME WHAT YOU

COME UP WITH. A SURPRISE WILL

AWAIT THOSE WHO SHARE THEIR

IDEAS!



Feel Free to Mail, phone or email your

ideas. Can’t wait to hear from you all.

Team Up for TOPS  



If just two people in each chapter brings a friend,

we will have significant growth for 2008! Both will get

a button to proudly wear showing they are a TOPS

team and work together to get through the holidays

without showing a gain. We can do this

TOGETHER!!!



It is not necessary that the new member and the

teammate be in the same chapter to receive the

TOPS Team buttons.

Summer 2008



Greetings Everyone!



I hope everyone is having an enjoyable summer and has found a 

way to cope with the heat and humidity we have had this year.



I am in the midst of starting the planning for our Area Annual 

Rally and would love input from all chapters as to what they 

would like to see happen and for any volunteers that may like 

to be on a “Rally Committee” to help in the planning. Please 

give me a call or email me to let me know your thoughts.



I am a phone call or email away for any member who has a 

question, concern, or need.



THOUGHT TO PONDER



To keep a lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil in it.



- Mother Teresa, missionary



TOPS Trek to IRD 2009



TOPS’ President, Barb Cady, has issued a Million  Mile fitness 

challenge to all chapters. I am sure your Leader has shared the

challenge with you. It is a great challenge and your chapter 

has an opportunity to win one of five $100 cash prizes. 

Remember at least one member must complete the trek to be 

entered in the drawing ~but hopefully most members will 

participate.



TOPS Trek Correction



Thanks to Coordinator Paula Rice for catching an error in the 

Million Mile Walk Trek copy! We do not get to count 5 miles for 

each 30 minutes of activity. The correction will appear in 

October TOPS News and any future issue that reminds 

members of the challenge.



CORRECTION:



Members contribute to the million mile trek by earning one TOPS

mile for each actual mile walked or run or one TOPS mile for 

each 30 minutes doing other fitness activities.



Weight Loss can be a Team Effort: Build Your Own Support System

 -- By Mike Kramer, Staff Writer~~ 

Compliments of Sparkpeople.com

      

Why would anyone want to lose weight – or pursue any goal – 

alone? Every dieter should have a Weight Loss Team of people 

pulling for you, using their strengths to make up for your 

trouble areas. Think of what people have been able to accomplish

when part of a team. Teams wrote the Constitution, built the

Empire State Building and landed on the moon – all impossible 

if attempted alone.



You can build a Weight Loss Team the same way you build a 

basketball, baseball or soccer team.



Essentially, you fill different positions with people that are 

good at each position. That way, nobody has to do everything. 

They simply fill a specific role.



My team is a cast of diverse characters and that’s what makes 

it so fun. When they’re involved, sometimes I forget how hard 

I’m working. Many of them don’t even know they’re on my team, 

but they’re valuable just the same.





Here are some great Team members to have:



Motivator – someone good at picking you up when you fall down 

and re-energizing you



Positive Thinker – someone good at always looking at the bright 

side



Goal Guardian – someone good at keeping you focused on your goal

and on track



Exercise Buddy – someone good at making workout time fun and 

social



Listener – someone good at being an outlet when you need to 

vent or talk about problems



Informer – someone good at circulating health and fitness info,

ideas and opportunities



The Bizarre One – someone good at finding fun, interesting and 

crazy ways to stay active



Do you have a great TOPS’ Team?

Can you pick out your TOPS’ Team Players?



Our Happy 60th Birthday TOPS ~



“Here’s a Mile for You” Results



We had 6 of the 9 chapters participate in this walk with 

55 members walking a mile for TOPS ~~~ Way to go!!!!!!!!!



Thank you to all who participated!



“Moving to the Music” Presentations



Thank you to ON 768 - Woodstock and ON 5270 Stratford for 

inviting me to present the “Moving to the Music” Area 

Captain presentation. I had a wonderful

time and it was great meeting some of the members.



UPCOMING BOOKED PRESENTATIONS



September 12th - ON 5191 - Woodstock

September 16th - ON 5272 - Stratford

September 23rd - ON 5248 - Parkhill





Members have commented on how fun this presentation is, if your 

chapter would like in on the “fun” please contact me and I’m 

sure we can find a date suitable

for your chapter.



I look forward to meeting everyone at all the chapters!



Take Care....

JUNE 2008



Hello Fellow TOPS & KOPS:



I hope everyone is handling the heat and finding ways to keep 

cool. It seems the last few years Ontario has forgotten what 

Spring & Fall are and just  jump from freezing Winters to hot, 

humid Summers.



I have a had a few inquiries regarding what areas/chapters are 

included with our area, so I thought I would quickly run 

through your area chapters:



ON 1092 Stratford

ON 5270 Stratford

ON 5272 Stratford

ON 268 Woodstock

ON 295 Woodstock

ON 768 Woodstock

ON 4460 Woodstock

ON 5191 Woodstock

ON 5248 Parkhill



I have received many of the walking “This Mile is For You” 

certificates back and must say “WOW” we all did fabulous. 

Once I receive them all back I will let everyone know in the 

next newsletter the actual numbers. Thank you to everyone

who walked for TOPS 60th Birthday!



WANTED!



Fundraising Ideas, Great Presentations/Guest Speakers,

Low-Fat/Low-Calorie Recipes, Anything You Would Like To Share 

With The Other Chapters Send along to me and I will share with 

everyone!



Please note when sending along that you would like it shared.



I am looking forward to meeting up with Chapters



ON 768 on July 3rd



and



ON 5191 on September 12th



to present “Moving to the Music.” If you would like to schedule 

your chapter please feel free to contact me so we can

work out a date.



I am a phone call or

email away.

PHONE: 519-393-8255

EMAIL: rhonda_chevalier@yahoo.ca

Take Care,



Thought to Ponder:

“I” matter more than food does.

MAY 2008



Hello fellow members:



Well I am sure most of you are as happy to see Spring arrive as 

I have been. I have been extra busy trying to get my garden 

beds ready, as this is our first year in this house. I am an 

avid gardener who dabbles in both vegetables and flowers.



TOPS 60th Birthday is the latest buzz and I thought it would 

be great to challenge everyone to walk one mile as a way of 

celebrating the success TOPS has had. It is a win, win walk. 



Please see the flyer included and also the TOPS - this mile is 

for you certificate. (At bottom of page)



I look forward to seeing how many miles we will walk together! 



Note to Leaders: Please mail back the certificates once they 

have been filled out - you may do this while mailing your 

May report at the end of May.



It’s hard to believe the first long weekend of the summer is 

just around the corner. I hope everyone has a fun filled and

safe Victoria Day Weekend.



Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. 

I am available evenings at 519-393-8255 or by email at 

rhonda_chevalier@yahoo.ca







Take Care,



ATTITUDES         

truly are contagious.

So ask yourself one question.

“Is mine worth catching?”





WHY NOT GIVE A MILE?



Walk one mile throughout May

while thinking of your TOPS

memories. When completed get a

“Happy 60th Birthday TOPS”

certificate, fill it out, and hand back

to your Leader. Your Leader will mail

it back to your Area Captain~~~Let’s

see you many miles we as an Area

can give TOPS for its 60th Birthday!



TOPS



is



TURNING 60!



HAPPY 60th BIRTHDAY TOPS!



___________________________

Name



____________________________

Chapter



This mile is for you!