THE BEAR FACTS DECEMBER 2021 |
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Dear {Contact_First_Name},
We’re just weeks away from ushering in a brand new year - are you ready? This is always such a busy time of year where time seems to go into warp speed. I hope that you take the time to slow down and engage in some self-care.
We have a short month of programming due to the holidays. But not before we convene for our most important event of the year - our Club’s Annual General Meeting on December 13. In light of the continued situation which makes large gatherings challenging, and to make the AGM as accessible as possible for all of our members, we will meet again this year virtually via Zoom. Though we are not able to convene in person, I do hope to see you at the AGM. Not only will we take a look back at the past year, but more importantly, we will elect a new Board of Directors. For the latter, we definitely need you! All of the details are in the invitation you should have received in your inbox, but it is also available below and on Wild Apricot. Please be sure to register and mark your calendars! This is a bittersweet moment for me, as I write this, my final newsletter message to you as President. It has been both a privilege and an honor to serve as the President of this Club for the last 2 years. Thank you for placing your trust in me. It hasn’t always been easy navigating the pandemic, but I am so proud of what we’ve accomplished together over the last 2 years. From every Board member to every other volunteer to every member - each of us has played a role in making this community the diverse, dynamic, warm and vibrant one that it is. I am thrilled that we have welcomed so many new members, and that the Club has continued to grow in a positive direction. Despite the distance, I’m looking forward to staying connected, albeit as an alumna. I’m also looking forward to the leadership of the 2022 Board of Directors, who I know will only continue to strengthen the Club and will simply be amazing! Before I sign off, I would like to take a moment to thank the 2021 Board of Directors -- Silvia Malo, Kathy Lyon, Twana Rhodes, and Melanie Baur -- for all of their hard work and dedication to the Club over the past year. I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to get to know, and work with, each of them. Thank you also to our Club’s Parliamentarian, Claudia Tessier, whose steady support and guidance has been invaluable over the last two years. Finally, a big thanks to our Committee Chairs - Frances Durocher (FAWCO Representative), Lissa Rosenbloom (Philanthropy Chair), and My-Linh Kunst (Public Relations) - and the many, many more volunteers who give their time from the behind-the-scenes work (like this newsletter - thank you, Gwen Calisch) to the planning of the events we all attend and enjoy. From the bottom of my heart, I wish you peace, good health, and happiness today and always!
Season’s Greetings and Warmest Wishes for a fabulous 2022!
Warmest regards,
Shweta
**Please note that, depending on your email program, you may need to click “View entire message” to see the Newsletter in its entirety.**
Shweta Gupta
President, The American Women's Club of Berlin
president@awcberlin.org |
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WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
Rachana Asapu
Claudia Clark
Marion Janssen
Jennifer Lehane
Laura Martínez-Fonts
Kim Mowery
Dragana Veskovic
We look forward to seeing you soon! |
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JOIN US on MONDAY, DECEMBER 13, 7:30pm - 8:30pm You are warmly invited to AWC Berlin’s 2021 Annual General Meeting (AGM), when we will reflect on the past year, and more importantly, elect the 2022 Board of Directors. Your vote for the Board of Directors is important and your attendance at the AGM is highly encouraged. So, please mark your calendars and register today!
2021 Annual General Meeting Program and Agenda
7:30–7:40 -- Welcome attendees
7:40–8:30 -- Annual General Meeting and 2022 Board election - 2021 Year in Review/Annual Report
- Election of 2022 Board of Directors
- Discharge of the 2021 Board of Directors
2022 Board of Directors Candidates (bios) - President: Jennifer Post Dräger
- First Vice President: Silvia Malo
- Second Vice President: Kathy Lyon
- Treasurer: Twana Rhodes
- Secretary: Melanie Baur
Voting for the 2022 Board election will be conducted this year through our membership platform, Wild Apricot. Therefore, please have your AWC Berlin website login and password available during the meeting.
If you are unable to attend the Annual General Meeting and would like to either vote by absentee ballot or proxy, please inform parliamentarian@awcberlin.org by December 9. |
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VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
Thank You, Frances Durocher!
One of the best things about AWC Berlin is the diversity of interests and passions among our members, especially when those members volunteer their time based on those interests. Frances Durocher is one such member. Frances, an AWC Berlin member since 2016, presently serves as the Club’s FAWCO Representative. Beyond connecting our members with FAWCO, she has also connected our members with her passion for art, history, and culture. Through her “Art Object of the Month” series, Frances introduced us to fantastic art objects in Berlin’s museums, including the Iyoba, Nefertiti and the Ishtar Gate. She also gave us tips on how to introduce children to the amazing art in the many Berlin museums. Her passion for art is not just about what you can see in a museum either. She most recently led Club members on a walk to check out some of the city’s street art. Frances continues to educate and inspire, and for that we are so grateful. Thank you to Frances for volunteering her time to share her interests and passions, and for serving as our fabulous FAWCO Representative!
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Without dedicated volunteers, there would be no AWC Berlin. From every activity to administrative function, there are members stepping up to make this club a rich social, cultural and philanthropic outlet for our members. If you'd like to nominate a member, please email newsletter@awcberlin.org.
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HOLIDAY FUN! HOLIDAY COOKIE EXCHANGE
Friday, December 10, 11:00am - 1:00pm Calling all Bakers: the Holiday Cookie Exchange is back! Gather your ingredients and get ready to bake up a batch or two of your favorite holiday cookie recipes to share with your fellow Club members. Check out how it works and all of the other essential details here! **If you are interested in attending and the event is full, please be sure to register to add your name to the wait list.** |
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JOIN US FOR THE ANNUAL
CHRISTMAS ANGELS VOLUNTEERS PROJECT! |
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Seeking CHRISTMAS ANGEL VOLUNTEERS for our annual collaboration with Agape and Leben Lernen e.V.
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A big thanks to all the CHRISTMAS ANGEL VOLUNTEERS who have signed up so far. We could use just a few more volunteers. As a volunteer, you will create Christmas shoeboxes for vulnerable, often physically and emotionally traumatized young women, many with young children, who have found refuge in a facility that provides support in the areas of education and training as well as counseling to help the women regain the health, confidence, and practical skills to re-enter society.For more information, please contact Molly Brown at meigsbrown@gmail.com. |
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BECOME AN AWC BERLIN
NEIGHBORHOOD COORDINATOR!
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What’s a Neighborhood Coordinator? The point person for your neighborhood to connect with, and organize casual gatherings for, other members living in your neighborhood. This is a casual initiative with minimal time commitment.
Why? To build community, of course!
Do any neighborhoods already have coordinators? Yes, we have volunteer coordinators for the following areas:
*Charlottenburg/Westend - My-Linh Kunst
*Schöneberg/Wilmersdorf - Sahar Bargouti
*Prenzlauer Berg - Melanie Baur
*Mitte - Jovan Oberleithner
We would love to see coordinators for all of the neighborhoods in which our members live. If you are interested in becoming a coordinator for your neighborhood, or you’d like to learn more about this initiative, contact Silvia at membership@awcberlin.org to get started!
**Although a neighborhood-based initiative, all members are always welcome to join and/or attend any gatherings in any of the neighborhoods no matter where you live. We will continue to provide more information on this initiative as it develops! So please stay tuned, or better yet, volunteer to help!
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HELP WANTED We need YOU! The Club is 100% volunteer-run, and we need help! There are a number of ways in which you can help us continue to make this an enriching club for our members. Here are just some of our needs right now: *Blog Editor
*Activity/Event Coordinators
You can learn more about all of our current volunteering needs in the members-only section of our website, which you can find here. Please also feel free to reach out to president@awcberlin.org. |
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Many thanks to those who attended and/or donated to the November 2nd FAWCO Benefit Concert with Robin Goldsby! It was a wonderful evening together– Robin had us laughing, crying and mesmerized as she weaved her stories between beautiful piano pieces. Through the immense generosity of Robin Goldsby, Steinway & Sons Berlin and our members donations – we were able to raise 1200 Euros for the FAWCO Target Project 2020-2022: S.A.F.E. A Project of Hope for Girls and Women Tanzania. |
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**The FAWCO Human Rights Team welcomes you to an interactive Virtual Book Discussion on Thursday, December 2, from 7:00pm - 8:30pm CET. Join in by reading The Favored Daughter: One Woman’s Fight to Lead Afghanistan into the Future by Fawzia Koofi. After the fall of the Taliban, Fawzia Koofi led a grassroots campaign for girls' education. She later became the first female speaker of the Afghan parliament, where she advocated for women’s and girls’ rights. Register here. Notably, this meeting takes place during the 16 Days Campaign to End Violence Against Women (November 25 - December 10). **Applications for the FAWCO Foundation’s 2022 Education Awards are now available for YOU as a member, or your child/grandchild! The FAWCO Foundation offers these annual awards for study in the U.S. or abroad at the high school, undergraduate and graduate levels. For more information, including the awards available, how to apply and the timeline for applications, visit the FAWCO Foundation’s website here. The deadline for applications is January 27, 2022. If you apply, please contact Frances Durocher to get tips on an effective application and to obtain the required signatures from the Club. If you have previously applied and not received an award, please apply again. **AWC Berlin members Shweta Gupta, My-Linh Kunst, Hollis Vaughen, and Frances Durocher attended the Region 5 Regional Meeting held November 12-14 in Vienna, Austria. The theme was Vienna- Living the SDGs. The AWA Vienna Club were wonderful hosts. We learned a lot about Vienna, and had a blast meeting new and old FAWCO friends! * * * AWC Berlin is a proud member of FAWCO. AWC Berlin members automatically are members of FAWCO. Learn more about FAWCO at fawco.org, or contact our FAWCO Representative, Frances Durocher, at fawcorep@awcberlin.org.
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AWC BERLIN & SOCIAL MEDIA |
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Week of December 6 German Conversation West (Zoom)
Monday, December 6, 9:30am - 10:30am Christmas Market Lucia in the Kulturbrauerei
Monday, December 6, 3:00pm - 4:30pm Tennis: Winter Season
Tuesday, December 7, 10:00am - 12:00pm Daytime Book Club
Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
Tuesday, December 7, 3:00pm - 5:00pm Reading of the UN Declaration of Human Rights (In Person)
Friday, December 10, 10:00am - 11:00am Holiday Cookie Exchange (In Person)
Friday, December 10, 11:00am - 1:00pm |
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Weeks of December 13 - 31
German Conversation West (Zoom)
Monday, December 13, 9:30am - 10:30am 2021 Annual General Meeting
Monday, December 13, 7:30pm - 9:30pm Tennis: Winter Season
Tuesdays, December 14, 21, & 28, 10:00am - 12:00pm Evening Book Club
Recollections of My Nonexistence by Rebecca Solnit
Tuesday, December 14, 7:00pm - 9:00pm Women's Writes (Zoom)
Wednesday, December 15, 6:00pm - 7:30pm |
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AWC BERLIN ONLINE AWC members can manage their account, access the membership directory and sign up for events by logging into their AWC member account. You can access your account from your smartphone via the Wild Apricot Mobile app, or simply by going on any computer with internet and visiting the "Members Login" area of the AWC Berlin website. Calendar and Event Registration As a reminder, AWC Berlin members must log in with a user name and password to access events on our calendar and register for them. So that we know to expect you, please remember to register for events you wish to attend.
IN THE MEMBERS ONLY AREA, you can:
- Register for and cancel events
- See your event registration
- Add events to personal calendar
- See who else is going
- Much more...
Step 1: Go to the AWC website and click "Members Login" (request new password from the website if needed). Manage your events from the calendar.
Step 2: You could also download the Wild Apricot Member app to your smartphone or tablet and use your website login on the app.
Step 3: Poke around and get familiar with the tools. See the Instruction Guide for detailed steps and pictures of set up and navigation. Currently, the event registration feature of the app is not available to Android users, but otherwise the app is fine for Android users. Questions? WA-Admin@awcberlin.org. |
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AWC BERLIN FACEBOOK POLICY The AWC Berlin Private Members Only Facebook group is open to current members only and is a casual, respectful and friendly forum for member announcements (for example, babies! weddings!, etc.), discussion, information and questions regarding AWC-related topics and/or life in Berlin. Only authorized AWC Berlin events that are already listed on the AWC Calendar can be created as an event in our Facebook group. Please do not post charity donation requests or political items not related to the AWC Berlin. You are invited to let us know about your business, but please limit commercial, self-promotional posts to Mondays and be sure to preface your post with MARKETING MONDAY. No comments are allowed on these posts. When in doubt, please send your question to facebookpolicy@awcberlin.org.
Thank you for your cooperation!
AWC Berlin Facebook Page | AWCB Website |
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