I never know where a new client referral will lead, and what new doors it will open. Three months into the launch of Call Sheilah! a mentor sent me a referral with a message I’ve gotten used to hearing- “This person really needs you.” With every new connection I see the potential for something meaningful to develop either personally or professionally. Sometimes these connections lead to a great conversation, sometimes they lead to long-term client relationships, and every now and then they introduce me to zany, super-fun and interesting people who have intricate challenges that need innovative and efficient solutions. This was one such case.
 
The client initially needed assistance with getting their own small business in order- from administrative tasks, organizing paperwork and reporting, convening focus groups and setting up an office space, this client needed it all. Call Sheilah! was there every step of the way to get things organized, while also to providing personal concierge services to handle the client’s errands (picking up dry cleaning and shopping for vegan items at the Co Op) as well as downsizing tasks related to a local relocation. In the midst of a miserably cold week in December ’17 we helped get this client ready move into their lovely new apartment where they are now happily settled. We hosted three garage sales during that week. You may recall, that week was often 4 degrees below zero. Not exactly garage sale weather, but super fun and unique and we got the job done.
 
Since then I’ve been fortunate to be brought in regularly, providing support for an ever-changing range of needs- from staffing a table at the Altamont Fair, supporting a unique arts and crafts venture, and most recently organizing a memorial event for a dearly departed loved one. We helped the client focus their energies elsewhere while we planned logistics, parking, staffing, vendors and all the little details necessary to create a loving and warm memorial service.

I’ve had the honor and pleasure of working with this client for over two years, and it’s a relationship that’s helped me grow not just my business, but my own approach to business, the mission of Call Sheilah! and new understanding of my personal mission in taking care of myself in a myriad of ways. This client, and her husband, are truly a gift in my life, and I love owning a business that allows me to meet, work with and support wonderful people all around the region.
​

​Good day,

It's hard for some of us to believe, but the school year is almost here already. While you take some time to soak in the sun, enjoy end-of-summer vacations and get in those last few BBQ's, Call Sheilah! is here, as always, to help get your Back to School errands list taken care of with time to spare!

Call Sheilah! will take your K-12 school supplies list off your hands and make sure your burgeoning scholars are ready for the year. That means no rushed trips for you, searching for that last pair of scissors or the "right" green highlighter, or worse, a piece of tech equipment that is not familiar to you and will require technology conversations at Best Buy, that make you feel inadequate.

Have college age kids getting ready to head to the dorms or their off-campus apartments? Call Sheilah! can handle picking up all your college living needs- from bedding and shower caddies to snacks and cleaning supplies. We've got you covered, while you deal with your emotions around the inevitability of how difficult it will be when they leave. Your college kid a little disorganized?  Of course they are. We can help de-clutter, organize and get your students packed and ready for a new year, while you are still surviving your emotions.

Relax and enjoy the last few weeks of summer and Call Sheilah! today to get Back to School stress-free and unscathed!
 


Fall Events Coming Up?

Back to School tends to coincide with a rush of events- not just for school-related activities, but for fundraising, supporting nonprofits, legislative campaign work, and charitable causes. Need help organizing, running or staffing your fall event, lobby day,  or meet and greet? Call Sheilah! and we can run the show.

We promise, and always deliver, efficient, professional, thorough and friendly service from start-to-finish for all of your event planning needs. Call Sheilah!can procure space, organize materials, manage decor, handle registration, and be on-site the day of your event for any assistance you need and much more. Give us a call today to bring your event to the next level, and let you focus on the mission driven, important aspects of your work.
 
 
 
Call Sheilah! is honored to call the  Albany Damien Center Walk to End AIDS a client. We recently partnered with them and dozens of other non-profits, activists, Albany and Damien Center residents as well as hundreds of red balloons to raise funds to END THE AIDS EPIDEMIC in New York, once and for all.

. . . 
We all know life’s many tasks and projects can be overwhelming. At Call Sheilah! we believe suffering because of them is truly optional.
 
Let us help bring balance to your life, and manage those errands, projects and tasks that require support and a second set of hands. Seriously, don't wait, Call Sheilah!

Dear Friends:
 
Mother’s Day (and Father’s Day) are around the corner.  My mother was very difficult to buy gifts for. She found it challenging to articulate what she wanted or needed. Some of the time, she received a lot of hugs and breakfast in bed! Other times, I tried to buy gifts that I thought she would like, and ended up not succeeding in the way that I had hoped. My father was very specific. His request was always “a few kind words, kid.” Most times I was able to accommodate that.
 
In a recent search, I found a number of different articles that captured the top ten things mom’s want for Mother’s Day, like this one. I was tickled to see that most of these requests actually are things you can buy simply by purchasing the GIFT OF TIME! From Call Sheilah!
 
These articles all include things like: run errands, assist with downsize and declutter, relief from standard operating “mom” routines (whatever that is!); someone to do the grocery shopping; and numerous others.
 
If you want to ensure that your Mother receives something she can use, that will not only be a great gift for her to open, but will be the gift that gives a few times, Call Sheilah! today to find out how to get your personalized gift card in time for Mother’s Day. (Available for Father’s Day and parents of all genders too!)
 
Think Spring, please!
 
Sheilah
 
p.s. Call Sheilah! is available to partner with you and your family on the delicate home transition that many seniors are facing today. If you (and/or you and your family) have decided to make changes to an existing home, to create a space that reduces the challenges to aging at home, Call Sheilah! can help declutter and downsize as you prepare for other safety and manageability concerns. If you have decided to move to an assisted living or independent living facility, Call Sheilah! Manages Safe Senior Moves. Check out the webpage for more information.
 
                                                                                         

I have the distinct honor and pleasure to provide support and organizational expertise to families whose aging parent or loved one have made the difficult decision to downsize and move to an independent or assisted living facility. Moving from the consideration process to taking action (or not) can be made easier by realizing a few things about this process. This is not just a physical process; it is one of those times in life, where a holistic approach is the most important approach, because of  the many emotions and processes that arise. There is a not so short- list of details that will need attention, while you and your family and parent or loved one are focused on managing and caring for emotions and spiritual well-being.  

The list can be overwhelming, especially if you are looking at it from the perspective of someone who just made this decision. Eleven years ago this week, my dearly departed parents had just landed in the Capital District and my sister and I had the honor and privilege of helping guide them from their warm and sunny home in FLA to a local assisted living facility.  (It was actually snowing and 15 degrees. You remember when Winter was actually Winter and not Spring!). It was a profound experience and  from that, in part, Call Sheilah! developed the expertise and ability to maintain the thirty thousand foot view. We work to organize, pack, sell, donate, discard, unpack, set up, procure, finalize and practice kindness and compassion (and comedy when appropriate!) all the while.

If you want a trained, skilled, thorough, kind, expert (with a great sense of humor) to manage the move for your family, please Call Sheilah! Not only do we have professional expertise, we have personal experience; Call Sheilah! has managed this the move personally as well as for several satisfied clients in the Capital District and Columbia County. Don’t hesitate! Call Sheilah! can help. 

If you are choosing to manage inernally, there are some really thoughtful and extensive resources on-line, detail by detail, about how to manage this within your family. Please reach out  to me for suggestions or check out the National Association of Senior Move Managers (NASMM) for some of those great resources on how to manage the move internally.
​
A friend of mine in Schenectady just texted me about her mother’s relocation. She and her siblings are managing this on their own. When I asked if there was anything I could do, she responded by asking me if I had any Moonshine stashed away. Call Sheilah! clients are not in need of Moonshine during this process. They are relaxed and well cared for, leaving every detail to us, so the family can concentrate on the delicate transition.

We all know life's many tasks can be overwhelming no matter what the project or reason. At Call Sheilah! we believe that suffering because of them is truly optional. Let us help manage transition in your life. Call Sheilah! and ask for help with any errands, projects, tasks especially ones that involve caring for your loved ones.

I look forward to hearing from you soon. ­­­
 
Best,
Sheilah

 
If anyone has ever had the pleasure of having some grand title while working for a non-profit, you understand that while the title may be meaningful to you (and your mom!), ultimately it means that you have done everything from stuffing envelopes to overseeing 1000 person events, to working on video production, fundraising campaigns, education curriculum, budgets, spreadsheets, putting together furniture, installing cubicle walls, packing and unpacking, representing your institution and “working the room.”
 
Twenty Five Years of Expertise

Did you know that Call Sheilah! brings more than 25 years of experience in non-profit staffing, operations and management and was one of the leaders in the successful and historic marriage equality campaign in New York State. 
 
My work with various institutions in the Capital Region and in the State have afforded me the opportunity to hone skills that include operations, programming, administrative projects, communications, social media coordination and all aspects of strategic grassroots advocacy, programming, logistics, public speaking and planning, as well as decluttering, organizing and aid with small tasks and errands.
 
Short Term Project Oversight – Call Sheilah! 
If your business or organization needs short term, project based operational help and/or staff support so your full time paid staff can focus on the work they are paid to do, please Call Sheilah! Give us a chance to support your project and achieve goals and deliverables so your staff can do their jobs without distraction.
 
The list of areas of expertise includes, but is certainly not limited to:

• Special Event Planning - Coordination of meetings/events and all details for your program/other efforts/event planning;
• Management and implementation of special projects;
• Administrative oversight and/or execution for temporary short as well as long term projects;
• Management of office relocation: identification of appropriate new space, pack up, coordination of equipment and services relocation; unpack and new location set up;
• Volunteer management and recruitment;
• Advocacy Day planning and implementation for your institutional needs at the State Capitol (overseeing recruitment, organization, implementation, statewide transportation from all points to the Capital, conference planning, messaging, run of show and the balance of hundreds of moving pieces);

• And more (this list only limited by creativity and imagination).

Call Sheilah! to find out more about what I’ve done and how I can bring that expertise to help manage and execute projects in your business and professional life.

We all know life's many tasks can get overwhelming no matter how big or small, personal or professional. At Call Sheilah! we believe that suffering because of them is truly optional. Let us help bring balance to your workplace and your life.
​
Best,
Sheilah

​Good morning,
 
Did you take your Christmas decorations down yet? Yesterday Call Sheilah! had the pleasure of working with  a meticulously organized professional who just needed an extra set of hands to help remove Holiday Decorations  from almost every room in her beautiful home.  It was fun and tiring but we got the job done in four hours. She was pleased and so were we. And then this very smart woman put us on retainer for a few hours a month. We will help coordinate certain aspects of her incredibly full work week. If you are thinking about how Call Sheilah! can help in your life, retainer is very smart way to go. As a matter of fact,  the last several weeks, I’ve had a number of very interesting questions:
 

• How much lead time do you need? – It really depends on the project and our schedule. BUT…

 

• What are the benefits of having Call Sheilah! on retainer? – If you put Call Sheilah! on as your personal assistant on retainer, you will always jump to the top of the list. The more hours you retain us for, the higher up on our priority list you will be. Additionally, Call Sheilah!  provides discounts for retainer packages. Call for a quote.

 

• How does that work with you one hour minimum? What if I hire Call Sheilah! to take care of a task, that only takes 15 minutes? – then it will be incumbent on you to find something else for us to do for 45 minutes J

 

• Do you have questions for us? Please do not hesitate to ask. You can email or post them to our Facebook page.

 
We want to hear from you! BUT first, if you have seven minutes, check out Tune into Wellness Today, Schenectady County Cable Access afte, to see my interview (which starts at around 11 minutes) with Lisamarie Tersigni of Inspiring Wellness Solutions. We talked about all the services featured on my website, and specifically how Call Sheilah! delivers services to loved ones and helps with those who require compassion and care (in addition to practical needs: transportation; assistance with excursions, tasks and shopping needs), for the long or short term.
 
Best,
Sheilah