Rochester Chapter

Rochester

Chapter

Our Chapter’s Mission

The Rochester Chapter of Women For WineSense strives to expand the hearts, minds, and palates of members through wine education.

Welcome to the most active and progressive chapter in Women For WineSense!

We hold fun, wine education events each month, exploring the wonderful world of wine—both locally and internationally. Fees are charged for each event, varying in price according to venue and topic.

Members get priority admittance to our monthly events. We also hold several member-only special events throughout the year. As well as support both a scholarship and educational grant program to help our members increase their wine knowledge and give back to the chapter.

Our chapter gives back to the community quarterly by supporting a local charity focusing on women and children at our monthly meetings.

Want to view some of the presentations from past monthly events to see what we are all about? Click on this link: Monthly Presentations to open the Dropbox folder which contains the presentations in .pdf format.

Click link to be added to our email list to receive our quarterly newsletter and learn about our upcoming events: Join Our Email List!

We look forward to you joining the Rochester Chapter!

Exciting news!

We are thrilled to announce the opening of our WWS ROC store, your one-stop destination for all things swag. Now you can flaunt your WWS Pride and wine knowledge with our exclusive apparel, delivered right to your doorstep. Click the attached link to place your order today!

Shop Now

For chapter inquiries contact us at: wwsrochesterinfo@gmail.com

Events

Membership

Aficionado

Member price for all local chapter events
Member price for all national events and trips
Complimentary access to selected national virtual events
Discounts to wineries and merchants nationwide

$55 Annually

Professional

All Aficionado benefits, plus:
Complimentary access to all national virtual events
Complimentary access to your local chapter and national professional tier events
Invitations to Professional Roundtables as applicable
Invitation to join in selected promotions of pro members

$105 Annually

Corporate

Two or more Professional Memberships with all benefits described
Editorial mention in our newsletter
Your logo & link on our website
Educational and networking opportunities for employees
National exposure to educated wine consumers and wine industry professionals

Starting at $500

Join

Join Aficionado or Professional

Join Corporate

Rochester Chapter Board

Chapter President
Kelly Burnett

Vice President
Kaylee Murray

Treasurer
Beverly Shaff

Events Director
Open

Membership Director
Laura Garrison

Community Outreach Director
Christine Whites

Hospitality Director
Kathryn Wood

Scholarship and Grants Director
Christine Whites

Special Events Director
Suzette Martin

Marketing Director
Open

Technology Director
Karen Desmond

Special Projects Director
Donna Schlosser-Long

Newsletter Director
Kaylee Murray

Secretary
Robin Brasser

Scholarship and Grants – Rochester Chapter

Women For WineSense believes that wine enhances and enriches everyday life. Our organization provides women and men with unbiased information about the cultural heritage, social and health effects of moderate wine consumption as part of a healthy lifestyle. We are committed to offering educational programs and networking opportunities to wine enthusiasts and industry professionals.

The Rochester Chapter has two educational programs that our members can use to increase their wine knowledge.

Read on to review each program and learn how to apply. Contact our Scholarship and Grants Director if you have questions on either program.

Lucia Shean Memorial Scholarship
The Rochester Chapter formed an annual scholarship program in the fall of 2006 with the intent of providing support to an eligible chapter member for educational advancement in the field of wine education. The scholarship is awarded based on an applicant’s willingness to pursue an educational program of their own design with the goal of giving back to the chapter by sharing the knowledge obtained during that process.

This annual Scholarship awards $500 to be used to further the wine education of our chapter membership, in addition to a one-year Aficionado membership to the winner.

Who May Apply:

Any active member of the Rochester Chapter of Women For WineSense is welcome and encouraged to apply.

How To Apply:

Follow either link below, fill out the application, and return it to Christine Whites at chris.whites.cw@gmail.com, mail it to 148 Vassar St, Rochester, NY 14607, or deliver it to any board member at our December event.

The deadline for submission of the award is December 15, 2024.

The winner will be announced at the January meeting. All applicants must be present.

The Fine Print:

All applications will be reviewed, discussed and voted on by the Board Members of the Rochester Chapter.

Scholarships may only be applied to wine education.

The recipient agrees to be the presenter at an upcoming monthly event the year following receiving the award. The report should include how the scholarship was used and what was learned.

Failure to use the scholarship for the specific purposes outlined in the application before the end of the year will result in forfeiture. Likewise, a recipient will be asked to return monies that may have been disbursed directly to them but are not used for the purpose outlined in the Request for Payment Proposal, unless approved by the Rochester Chapter President.

Rochester Board Members are available to assist in suggesting educational opportunities to help reach the $500 maximum if needed.

Board Members not eligible for the scholarship during their tenure

Scholarship recipients will not be eligible to reapply for five years.

Click h ere to open the folder which contains the 2024 scholarship application in PDF format. If you would like to use an online fillable form, click here.

Educational Grant Program
The Rochester Chapter formed our Educational Grant program in April 2017 to give our members educational grants of varying amounts to increase their wine knowledge without the commitment of our scholarship program. Starting in February 2023, we re-established the Educational Grant program.

What it is:

A total pool of $500 is available for the calendar year for grants of varying amounts to active Women For WineSense Rochester chapter members on a first come, first served basis, until the $500 is depleted

The pool of funds for this program are replenished at the beginning of each calendar year

One educational grant per member, per calendar year

Who is it available to:

All active Rochester chapter members (i.e., current on membership dues, attended a chapter event in the last three months)

How to request an Educational Grant:

Submit the completed grant form to Christine Whites (chris.whites.cw@gmail.com)

Request for funds must be approved prior to the event/activity

Please allow for a one-month turnaround to receive board approval

How will an Educational Grant be issued:

An educational grant will be issued in the form of a reimbursement, after the activity in the request and after the membership presentation (see third bullet below) is completed

A receipt must be provided to the Scholarship and Grants Director

Recipients are required to share a 3-to-5-minute summary with the membership at the next monthly event they attend explaining how their educational grant was used

Fine Print:

Educational grants cannot be used for Women For WineSense related or sponsored events

Educational grants must be used for wine educational purposes

Guidelines and policies around these educational grants are subject to revision by the Rochester Chapter board at any time

Click here to open the folder which contains the 2024 grant application in PDF format. If you would like to use an online fillable form, click here.

Rochester Chapter members have been recognized at both the local and national levels with Women For WineSense scholarships and awards. Congratulations to these awesome winners!