47th National Convention
About the Event
Date and Location
September 19 – September 21, 2024
Embassy Suites Downtown
555 S 10th Street, Omaha, NE 68102, USA
Convention Agenda
Updated 7/31/24: This agenda will continue to be updated until the event. Please continue to check here for anything new! Wednesday, Sept. 18 8:30-9:30pm Welcome to Omaha! Gather in the lobby for a drink. Thursday, Sept. 19 6-9am Hotel offers free breakfast. 8:30-2:15pm Omaha Tour Come See Omaha!! Meet the New Leader of Boys Town. See bigger-than-life Stations of the Cross, Visit one of the country’s premier botanical gardens that also has a great gift shop. Lunch included. 2:30pm Doors open for Convention. Check out Layette Land. Meet your National Board Contact (aka your Chapter Liaison) 3pm Welcome to Convention! We’re glad you’re here! “Running our Chapters in a World Without Cash”—Speaker Barb Greene (Merrill Lynch) 4:15pm Break 4:30pm “The Transformative Power of Compassion” Keynote Speaker Fr. Gregory Boyle, National Medal of Freedom recipient. 5:30pm Hotel Reception. Meet in the lobby to enjoy drinks, socializing and light fare. 8pm Networking continues. Be sure to meet someone new! Friday, Sept. 20 6-9am Hotel offers free breakfast. 9am “The Art of Giving and How to Better Position our Chapters to Receive Financial Gifts" Coffee Talk with Mark Weber, a nationally respected expert on philanthropic trends. 10-10:15am Break 10:15-11:30am Programs Committee Presentation & Red Wagon Winner “Three Christ Child Programs Demonstrating Ingenuity” 11:30-2pm Networking time! Lunch on your own. Shops and restaurants are across the street. Remember to wear your convention badge to get discounts! 11:30am Bernina Sewing Day If you’re a sewer, step right up and sew a blanket or two. It’s free! 2pm "Creating Success by Maximizing Your Strengths and Your Chapter’s Strengths” Gallup Master Coach Cathy DeWeese. 3pm “How to Prioritize New Projects and Stretch Goals” Mary Beth Stanek, Corporate Executive/Christ Child Phoenix Member 4pm Break 4:20pm Canonization Update on Mary Virginia Merrick, Servant of God, presented by Anne Kelley, Past National President, Monterey Bay chapter. 4:50-5:20pm 30 minute Break-out. You choose! A)Literacy Programs Compared, led by Programs Chair Jeanette May. Thanks to Global Vending for supporting our literacy efforts. B)Development Opportunities for your Chapter led by Education Chair Margaret Whelan Strong. 5:30pm Raffle opens. Enjoy a glass of wine or a beer while you bid. 6:30pm Time for a delicious dinner and entertainment. 8pm Raffle winners announced. 8pm Networking continues Saturday, September 21 7:30am Hotel offers free breakfast. 9-10am Business Meeting. 10-10:15am Break 10:15-11:15am “Succession Planning for your Chapter” Host and Creator of Charity Matters podcast Heidi Johnson shares wisdom based on hundreds of interviews with nonprofit leaders. 11:15-12:15pm Christ Child 2030, Looking Ahead” Data shows certain needs will be increasing in our communities. How can we be ahead of the curve? Featuring Lauren Kimball, a data scientist with United Way of the Midlands. Learn about different kits being made to serve different needs. 12:15-1:30pm Christ Child Store Opens. Lunch is served. 1:30-2:30pm Membership Committee Presentation: “Slow and Steady Wins the Race. Winning Ways to Attract New Members” 2:30-3:15pm The Difference You Make, presented by award-winning storyteller Mary Lea Carroll. 3:15-4pm Evaluations and Wrap-up Conversations. Store re-opens until 4:30. 4pm Break 4:30pm Christ Child Store closes. 5pm Mass and Installation/Commitment Ceremony 6pm Hotel Reception & Networking 6:30pm Dinner. Thank you to retiring board members. Introduction of New National Board. Apple Computer Giveaway Mary Virginia Merrick Award 8pm Enjoy your evening!
Convention Speakers
Rise & Shine Speakers are going to motivate and energize registrants from the very start! THURSDAY: Fr. Gregory Boyle Meet one of the most popular motivational speakers in the country, Fr. Gregory Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries. Fr. Boyle has a knack for empowering and lifting up everyone he meets. He understands the complexity of the challenges people are facing and has helped thousands break free from a cycle of violence and despair. Recipient of both the National Medal of Freedom and the Laetare Medal for outstanding service to the Catholic Church, Fr. Boyle’s insights are sure to ignite our hearts and minds, inspiring the work we do to serve children and families in need. FRIDAY: Coffee talk with Mark Weber Did you know that 70 percent of inherited money gets squandered, causes family feuding and litigation, or is used in a way that didn’t align with the giver’s wishes? Inspired by an encounter with Warren Buffett, author, speaker, lecturer Mark Weber will share valuable insights so that your money will transfer efficiently and effectively, whether you have one dollar or a million of them. Mark will not only help you on an individual level but he will also share information about important giving/philanthropic trends and get you thinking about the fundraising that goes on in your chapter. FRIDAY: Cathy DeWeese/Gallup Who coaches a coach? Cathy DeWeese does. A master coach at Gallup Headquarters in Omaha, Cathy works with leaders around the world to maximize strengths, build up teams, break down disengagement, and plan for succession. You will get your own Gallup Strengthsfinders 2.0 test when you arrive and we encourage you to complete it before her talk. Cathy will then apply her 30+ years of experience to help you understand how we can leverage your strengths to achieve goals and make an even greater difference in the lives of those we serve. FRIDAY: Dr. Mary Beth Stanek Phoenix Christ Child member Dr. Mary Beth Stanek knows a few things about achieving goals. She was a high level executive at General Motors. Today, she introduces us to “The Backwards Pass Technique.” Studies find that backward planning is more effective than forward planning. So, how do we do this? How fortunate are we to be led by someone who is a Wall Street Journal Achievement Award winner. With her guidance, you’ll begin to break down your chapter’s dreams, goals and needs into do-able, bite-sized steps that will help you accomplish your plans. SATURDAY: Heidi Johnson Back by popular demand, we welcome entrepreneur and Christ Child Pasadena member, Heidi Johnson, founder of the inspirational podcast, “Charity Matters.” Heidi helped launch the Spiritual Care Guild at Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles to provide chaplains of all faiths. It is now the template for pediatric chaplaincy in our country. Heidi’s passion for helping others started in a most painful way but her tragedy now fuels numerous efforts to do good and lift up others. Through her podcast, she has gotten to know hundreds of nonprofit founders, their journeys and their lessons on motivation, leadership, and succession. A dynamic speaker, Heidi will share her wisdom, expertise, and inspiring stories to help us appreciate the profound impact we can have when we act on a need that we see. SATURDAY: Mary Lea Carroll We close the convention with the wisdom and humor of author, Mary Lea Carroll, a member of Christ Child Pasadena and an award-winning storyteller/writer whose work has made the “People Magazine” pick list. She joins us just as her new book hits the stands, “Across the Street, Around the Corner-The Road Home.” Mary Lea looks forward to helping us see the opportunities right in front of us that will lift up and strengthen our chapters and our communities. A long-time Christ Child member, she reminds us of the difference we are making and her talk is sure to invigorate us with new passion and purpose.
Each registrant must complete a separate registration form.
Saturday evening events only must also fill out a separate form.
Hotel costs are not included in the registration fees.
Mail Registration
If you wish to mail registration and payment, click here to download registration PDF.
Online Registration
Online registration with payment is below.
Credit card fees will be applied.
Hotel Registration Link
Please note all registrants are responsible for making their own hotel reservations with the Embassy Suites Downtown Omaha.
Hotel costs are not included in the registration fees.
Use the NCCS Room Block for a special rate of $155 + tax (Wed-Sat) for a single room and $165 + tax for (Thurs-Sat) for a triple room.
The rates will be available until August 19, 2024, or until group block is sold-out, whichever comes first.