Karla Sparks

Connect with the best in the New Year with the Chamber's Breakfast Network

Mark your calendar for the Chamber's first Breakfast Network of the year on Tuesday, January 13, 2009, 7:30 - 9:00 a.m. at the Renaissance Tulsa Hotel & Convention Center located at 6808 S. 107th E. Ave.

Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from the special keynote speaker, Jim Stovall, world renowned author, Emmy award winner and motivational speaker.

The Breakfast Network series provides an excellent opportunity to build your contact list and share information about your company with more than 250 area business professionals. Bring plenty of business cards for the two table rotations.

Pre-registration ends January 9, at 5:00 p.m. and space is limited, so advance registration is encouraged. The cost with pre-registration is $20 for members.

For more information or to register contact Elaine Walsh at 560-0298 or E-mail, elainewalsh@tulsachamber.com.

I read this book, enjoyed it -was an easy, pleasant read. Hope to see some of you at the breakfast:)

Need a good photographer at a reasonable price? Mike Wedel at http://www.photos-now.com takes great pictures at very reasonable prices.

I met Mike this December when I volunteered to help with the Philbrook Museum's children's Christmas party. He was taking pictures of the children with Santa.

After the party, I visited his website to check out some of his pictures. I think his pictures of children and pets are outstanding! The three below were copied from his website.

Volunteering is a great way to help others in need. I volunteer many hours per week at MOW, Tulsa Zoo, Tulsa Performing Arts Center and sporadically at other organizations. I enjoy helping out in my small way. I consider myself fortunate to have been able to meet so many nice people through my volunteer work.

Here are some websites that you might want to look at if you're considering volunteer work:

www.volunteermatch.org Depending on your locality, you might turn up several hundred local volunteer opportunities.

http://www.wish.org/ Make-A-Wish Foundation

www.1-800-volunteer.org Depending on your locality, you might turn up several hundred local volunteer opportunities.

http://www.gviusa.com/ This site has international volunteer opportunities

Investor's Business Daily is a great investing tool. If you've ever thought about investing, I highly recommend you try this paper. This link has a 4 week free no obligation trial:

www.investors.com/register/default.asp?ps=700&dgopage=1&src=AU51DQJ

William O'Niel's book, How to Make Money in Stocks is one of the best stock books written.

IBD Home Page: www.investors.com

Here are some real estate related websites that you might find helpful:

Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency www.ofha.org

National Association of Realtors www.realtor.com

Real estate related articles www.realtytimes.com

Federal National Mortgage Association http://www.fanniemae.com/index.jhtml

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Association http://www.freddiemac.com/

U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs http://www.va.gov/

Rural Home Loan Information http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usdahome

Fair Issac Corporation www.myfico.com information about credit scores

Better Business Bureau www.bbb.com

Homes For Sale By Owner www.fsbo.com