AWC BERLIN NEWSLETTER

THE BEAR FACTS

JUNE 2020

Dear {Contact_First_Name},

In the U.S., Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer. Though the last several months have seemed endless at times, it nevertheless is hard to believe that the summer season is upon us! June is a glorious month, usually packed with the anticipation of, among other things, school years ending, graduations, work (hopefully) slowing down, longer days, and the lazy lull of summer. It may not be an ordinary June, but I hope you have some things to look forward to this month!

I am looking forward to all that we have going on in the Club this month. On June 16, we will resume our monthly meeting – virtually. We’re working on the details and will get them out to you, but in the meantime, please mark your calendar and save the date – I would love to see you!

This month, we are also launching two great programs: Lunch & Learn and Summer of Fun-Raising. The Lunch & Learn series features members sharing their knowledge or expertise with you over the lunch hour. The latter is our fundraising campaign for the FAWCO Foundation and the FAWCO Target Project and is a series of virtual workshops led by members and guests. What I especially love about these upcoming programs is that they both involve members learning from – and engaging with – one another while also having FUN!

Beyond these new programs, we will continue to offer our usual activities from the German Conversation groups to Kaffee Klatsch to new member welcome events to book club. Check out the calendar and join us as your schedule allows!

On another note, if you are eligible to vote in the U.S., have you requested your ballot to vote from abroad? If not, please read on for details on voting from abroad. If you have already done this, please help spread the word to your fellow overseas voters - every vote counts! And if you need help with requesting your absentee ballot, please feel free to reach out to me.

As the easing of restrictions in Berlin continue, I wish you and your loved ones continued good health. Be well, and I hope to see you soon!

Warmest regards,
Shweta

Shweta Gupta

President, The American Women's Club of Berlin

president@awcberlin.org

CLUB NEWS & HIGHLIGHTS

SAVE THE DATE!

JUNE GENERAL MEETING

The June General Meeting will be held virtually on June 16, 2020, in the evening. Our speaker will be Shani St. Louis, a psychological counselor and mental health specialist, with Linden Global Learning & Support. An invitation with details will be sent soon, so please watch your email inboxes. In the meantime, please mark your calendars and plan to join us to get updates on the Club, hear from a wonderful speaker, and connect with your fellow members!

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

Tendai Chitewere
Elizabeth Cox

We have two upcoming events – on Thursday, June 11, 2020 (daytime), and Monday, June 15, 2020 (evening) – to welcome all of our recent new members. All members are invited to meet new members and reconnect with ones you already know. We look forward to connecting with you!

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

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 250+ members. If you'd like to nominate a member, please email newsletter@awcberlin.org.

Thank you to Karen Castellon for submitting this nomination.

Thank You, Kathryn Neubauer
and Janet Chesterman!

AWC Berlin is always more fun with a friend or buddy!

Kathryn Neubauer, who previously belonged to the American Women’s Club in Düsseldorf, enthusiastically joined AWC Berlin. Early on, Kathryn served for a short time on the Board. She also initiated the always popular monthly Travel Group meetup. Most recently, Kathryn is an integral member of the SDG Photo Project team for the Club to raise awareness of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. In this project, Kathryn is using her experience as a UX designer and social media expert to connect and engage members.

Janet Chesterman is an Australian who truly embodies our Club’s motto of “embracing the ‘American spirit!’” In that spirit, Janet has graciously opened up her home and hosted a variety of AWC events – from new member welcome events to the reading of the Declaration of Human Rights to a private fundraiser to raise more than €500 for the FAWCO Target Project. As we are always in need of venues for so many of our events, the Club needs and appreciates the hospitality Janet has so willingly offered.

Kathryn and Janet, who have developed a friendship as a result of their AWC Berlin connection, often help each other with their volunteer efforts for the Club. They again demonstrated their volunteer spirit – this time collectively – during lockdown. When we reached out during the call-a-thon earlier this year, they happened to be together -- at a social distance -- in a park. In answering a call on how they were each doing, they both enthusiastically agreed to call on some of their fellow AWC members.

This is the spirit of AWC Berlin, and we extend our gratitude to Kathryn and Janet for modeling this “can do,” joyful ethos as volunteers.

* * *

Do you want to help out or have an idea for an event?

All of our events are volunteer driven and any member can lead an event. If you have an idea for any programming, or if you wish to host an event, please contact Dawna Grand, First Vice-President - Programming, at vp-programs@awcberlin.org.

AWC PHILANTHROPY

Summer of Fun-Raising - LAUNCHING SOON!

Let’s spend the summer together! Whether Corona has changed your travel plans or you are connecting to the AWC Berlin from another country, we can all spend the summer supporting each other and those in need. We are launching the Summer of Fun-Raising campaign to support the FAWCO Foundation and to stay connected. Our vision is to have virtual workshops throughout the summer hosted by our members. Members and guests will be encouraged to make a small, suggested donation to participate. Topics can include sharing your favorite recipe, a craft, mask making, advice on wine pairings, wine tasting, your favorite beers, balcony gardening. The hostess picks an interactive topic and the participants follow along with a list of suggested items.

We would like to launch this campaign in June and need your help. Will you host a workshop for the club? Karen Castellon, My-Linh Kunst and Stephanie Biery will be reaching out to ask for your support. A full list of workshops and suggested donation pricing will be coming soon! Here is a link with more information.

2021 Local Charity Selection Process Has Begun!

Philanthropy is central to AWC Berlin. The club fulfills its philanthropic purposes both globally and locally. Our local philanthropic efforts include support for a Berlin-based charity, which is ultimately selected by you, our members. For the past two years, the local member-selected charity the Club has been supporting is JACK Berlin. We have launched the search for the local charity the Club will support in 2021, and the search begins with your nominations! Refer to your email with the complete philanthropy announcement for more details about the process.

For more information, please contact our Philanthropy Chair, Stephanie Biery, at philanthropy@awcberlin.org.

#stayathome Stories

We have been collecting and publishing #stayathome Stories for our Blog, the Berlin Americana. We will continue to publish these stories twice weekly, so please be sure to check the Blog regularly. And if you missed any, you can read them all here. Thank you to all of our members to date who have contributed and shared your #stayathome stories!

If you have any questions or want to learn more, contact the blog team: blog@awcberlin.org.

FAWCO UPDATE

* The FAWCO Target Project 2020-2022

You are invited to join other AWC Berlin and FAWCO members to support S.A.F.E., a project of Hope for Girls and Women Tanzania and to learn more about eliminating FGM over the next years.

The FAWCO Target Project 2020-2022 page has the latest information on the partnership that we have formed with our friends in Tanzania.

* Sustainable Development Goals and You

FAWCO is promoting and building awareness about the SDGs among member clubs. In support of this campaign, and to promote awareness of the SDGs within our Club, the AWC Berlin SDG Team has launched the Club Photo Project. The AWC Berlin SDG Team, consisting of Karen Castellon, Kathryn Neubauer, Rhonda Staudt, Katja Malinowski, Alicia Minaya and Shweta Gupta, has reached out for volunteers to highlight each of the 17 SDGs. Every week, members will highlight one of the 17 SDGs and describe in their own words what that SDG means to them.

You can read what SDG 1 - No Poverty means to our Club member, Frances, here.

Which SDG most appeals to you? How are you contributing to achieving them?

Your FAWCO Representative is Karen Castellon:

KarenCastellon908@gmail.com or FAWCORep@AWCBerlin.org

THE 2020 US VOTE

As of June 1, there are 157 days until the U.S. General Election on Nov. 3. It will be here before you know it, and as an overseas voter, timely action is vital to exercising your right to vote.

What should you do? REGISTER, REQUEST (a ballot), VOTE, and PROMOTE!

* REGISTER to vote and REQUEST a ballot. You must do this with your local election official, but you can both register to vote from overseas and request a ballot at the same time. Your ballot request will be for all elections in 2020, which will include any primary elections and the general election in November.

* After you receive your ballot, VOTE! Complete and return your ballot according to the instructions that accompany your ballot.

* PROMOTE voting by all overseas Americans.

Important Tip: Consider electronic (e.g., email)! The pandemic has been impacting mail delivery around the world, including service between Germany and the U.S. So, if your state allows it, register to vote, request your ballot and/or return your ballot electronically.

What are your state’s requirements and who is your local election official? Check the FVAP’s Voter Assistance Guide or visit the Overseas Vote Foundation website.

Every vote – including your overseas vote – counts! Act today!

AWC ONLINE: CALENDAR AND EVENT REGISTRATION

AWC members must log in with a user name and password to access events on our calendar and register for them. You can do this 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.

As always, so that we know to expect you, please remember to register for all events either through the AWC website or the Wild Apricot Member app (for iPhone users only).

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 iPhone or Android device 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. The event registration feature of the app is not available to Android users yet (but we're working on it!). Android users can register via the Members only section of the website instead. Questions? WA-Admin@awcberlin.org.

JUNE EVENTS

Please log on and check the AWC Berlin calendar regularly for the most up-to-date information on ways you can get involved and engage with other members. We hope to see you at a virtual event soon!

Literature Book Club
Tuesday June 2, 7:00pm- 9:00pm
Zoom (see registration confirmation email for link)