AWC BERLIN NEWSLETTER

THE BEAR FACTS

APRIL 2020

Dear {Contact_First_Name},

I hope this message finds you and your loved ones healthy and safe.  In ordinary times, we would be talking just about anything other than a global pandemic.  But these are not ordinary times.  The coronavirus pandemic has instituted social distancing measures and halted our society in unprecedented ways all around the world.  We all have had to adjust and navigate seemingly endless challenges.  Working from home.  Helping our kids figure out distance learning.  Learning new technology.  Figuring out what to cook every day.  Questioning whether your larger-than-usual order of groceries will fit in your European-sized refrigerator.  Staying fit while your favorite gym or yoga studio is closed.  Or just finding a moment of sanity in these insanely uncertain times.  And those are just some of the more common adjustments and challenges.  It seems only natural to feel stress and anxiety during this period.  But it is also during these uncertain times when our personal relationships and community become even more important.

It is my sincere hope that the AWC community can provide you even a small source of comfort and support as you adjust to the “new normal.”  The Club is an amazing community of friendly, strong, and compassionate women.  We will continue to work on ways for members to support one another.  As a Club, we are moving events online and hope to continue to use technology to virtually connect members for as long as we need to do so.  I hope to see you at one of the upcoming events that we have just added to the calendar.  Please also continue to check our calendar as we add more programming.

Although these are challenging times, I remain positive because of the support of family, friends and community.  I wish you and your family good health now and into the future.  Until we are able to meet again, stay strong, stay safe, stay home and stay healthy.

Warmest regards,

Shweta

Shweta Gupta

President, The American Women's Club of Berlin

president@awcberlin.org

CLUB NEWS & HIGHLIGHTS

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

Diana Lucas
Lourdes Saucedo
Marisa Waller

 We look forward to seeing 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, Sydney Beaman!

When an individual comes along who exudes enthusiasm and turns that enthusiasm into volunteerism, you just have to be grateful. Sydney Beaman joined the Club in December 2018, and almost immediately became actively involved. Sydney took her enthusiasm and dedication for learning the German language and turned it into organizing our German Conversations Ost group. And she has not let a pandemic stop her dedication to practicing German with the conversations group — Sydney was among the first to offer to take this AWC event virtual! Beyond German Conversation, Sydney also has volunteered with the AWC in other ways, including cooking for the families at the Ronald McDonald House and organizing a Christmas Market outing back in December.

Sydney’s willingness to get involved — and stay involved — is the kind of volunteerism that is vital to volunteer-run organizations like ours. Thank you, Sydney, for all of your contributions!

AWC PHILANTHROPY

2021 Local Charity Selection – COMING SOON!

Over the past two years, AWC Berlin has supported Jack Berlin through the money raised in spring 2019 at our Auction of Talents. Soon we hope to launch our search for a local Berlin charity that the club will support in 2021. The search begins with you, our members, to identify and nominate your favorite Berlin-based non-profit organization that focuses on women and/or children. The charity will be selected from your nominations by a vote of our general membership. We will soon share more information, including the specific criteria, for the selection process. In the meantime, start thinking about a local charity you would like the Club to support in 2021. For more information, please contact our Philanthropy Chair, Stephanie Biery, at philanthropy@awcberlin.org.

The Ronald McDonald House

Our Club is an active supporter of the Ronald McDonald House Berlin (RMDH).  Located just a few blocks from the Charite Campus Virchow-Klinikum, RMDH is designed to be a temporary residence for families whose child is receiving prolonged medical treatment at the clinic for serious illnesses. Families normally spend the day at the clinic and come home to the RMDH physically and emotionally exhausted, still worried about their child, and in need of nutritious, comforting food.  One way in which the AWC supports the RMDH is by cooking for the resident families. 

Every quarter, the AWC spends one Thursday evening cooking for the families in a truly rewarding experience. The AWC RMDH team – currently comprised of Silvia Malo and Dawna Grand - designs a menu following a particular theme for the evening, shops for the necessary groceries, and organizes a team of AWC members who have volunteered to cook.  Everyone comes together on Thursday evening to collectively cook the recipes from start to finish on the premises of the RMDH. 

During the first quarter this year, at the end of February, AWC offered an evening of soul food in celebration of Black History Month.  Our menu included culinary items representative of southern cooking, including corn bread, candied yams, and black-eyed peas, just to name a few.  We followed traditional recipes and cooked everything with love and dedication.  After two hours working hard in the kitchen, we served a complete meal including 2 starters, a main dish, some delicious sides and dessert. When the families popped by the kitchen to ask for seconds or to express their gratitude for the tasty food, we knew we had done something right!

For more information on volunteering with the Ronald McDonald House, please contact rmdh@awcberlin.org. 

FAWCO UPDATE

Like so many events worldwide, FAWCO had to cancel its Interim Meeting in Luxembourg in March due to COVID-19. However FAWCO shared its most important news and announcements via a Virtual Interim Meeting: 

Education Award for Women in STEM: Kristin Bayer

Each year, the philanthropic arm of FAWCO, the FAWCO Foundation, grants Education Awards. This year, AWC Berlin Member Kristin Bayer became the proud recipient of a $5000 Education Award for Women in STEM. With this award, Kristin will continue her Bachelor of Science Program in Economics at Humboldt University in order to qualify for a Master of Economics degree program in Germany. Read more about Kristin, including the essays she submitted in support of her award application. You can also read about the other recipients of the 2020 Education Awards.

Congratulations, Kristin, and good luck with your studies!

* AWC Berlin won the Inspiring Women Magazine Region 5 Subscription Contest! As the winning Club, a donation of €50 will be made to the Target Project in our name. Thanks to our members who subscribed and got others to subscribe, which led to our having the highest number of new subscriptions out of all the Clubs of FAWCO Region 5. Thanks to everyone who subscribed!

* The 2020-2022 FAWCO Target Project is Announced.
S.A.F.E. (Safe Alternatives for Female Genital Mutilation Elimination), is a project of Hope for Girls and Women Tanzania that advocates to end FGM for women and girls in the Mara region of Tanzania. By highlighting this global health issue the 2020-2022 Target Project will provide programs and services that will benefit at risk girls and survivors of FGM as well as community outreach and education.

* FAWCO Development Grants. This year the FAWCO Foundation awarded 9 development grants of $5000 each. The grants are designed to provide financial assistance to projects being supported by FAWCO member clubs and FAUSA, under categories that align with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals: Education, Environment, Global Issues, Health and Human Rights. Read about all the winning projects here.

THE 2020 US VOTE

It's time for overseas voters to register and request an absentee ballot.  Here is how:

• 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. 
  
  
• Once you receive your ballot, complete and return it according to the instructions that accompany your ballot.

REGISTER TODAY!
www.overseasvotefoundation.org 

PRIMARY ELECTIONS and COVID-19

Many states still have primary elections coming up. However, COVID-19 has forced some states to reschedule their primary election dates. If you wish to vote in your home state’s primary election, please confirm the date of the primary election either with the US Vote Foundation or the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP), both of which provide a handy calendar of upcoming election dates.

FOR YOUR READING LIST

Each year, the Book Club organizers call for suggestions and make our own for the following year’s reading list. Check out our 2020 booklist and join us to discuss them, whether online or in person. Coming up: Toni Morrison’s Beloved, Lisa Halliday’s Asymmetry, and Emily St. John Mandel’s pandemic-themed novel, Station Eleven.

This year, we’d like to create a supplemental list for the days at home by taking your suggestions for more reading. Tell us about books you love and why you love them. To get us started, below are some ideas from two of the Book Club’s organizers, Kathy and Claudia.

Please send your book suggestions (any genre, fiction or nonfiction) to bookclub@awcberlin.org and we’ll share them on Facebook and the next AWC Berlin newsletter.

****

Kathy Lyon: I’m focusing my suggestions on science fiction and fantasy, a genre often derided as escapist. But maybe that’s what we need right now.

The Fifth Season, by N. K. Jemisin, is epic fantasy reimagined with women protagonists and literally world-shattering changes at stake: not a knight errant or willowy princess in sight. See more on Goodreads.

In a world-building tour de force, Ancillary Justice, Ann Leckie blends artificial intelligence, multiple species (and their genders), and the politics of interstellar empire, taking classic SF tropes in new directions. (If you like this one, you should also dip into Iain M. Banks’s Culture series.) See more on Goodreads.

Speaking of world building, the universe Katherine Addison creates in The Goblin Emperor is truly immersive. But the novel also offers one of the quietest and least heroic fantasy protagonists ever written. I was a little bit in love with the goblin emperor by the end. See more on Goodreads.

Leading proponent of the New Weird, Jeff VanderMeer delivers deep and compelling weird in Annihilation. A delightfully creepifying take on ecology. See more on Goodreads.

I love retellings of myths and classic fairy tales. For this list, I’m turning to Madeline Miller’s Circe, a retelling of the Odyssey from the witch’s point of view. (If you like this, you might also try Ursula K. Le Guin’s retelling of The Aeneid from the point of view of the king’s daughter in Lavinia.) See more on Goodreads.

***

Claudia Tessier: My recommendations are crime-solving series from around the globe and, like those proposed by Kathy, they may be considered escapist. I use the term “crime-solving series” rather than “mysteries” because each author provides us with a character study and personal life/history of the protagonist as s/he solves the crime/s in the various books of each series.

I’ve selected series with settings around the globe, and I’m recommending which book to start with so that, if you decide to follow a series, you can enjoy the development of the main character across the series.

Kurt Wallender series by Henning Mankell (translated from Swedish): My favorite of all crime series because the author is so talented at developing his characters within and across the stories. Wallender, a detective in the Ystad police department, struggles endlessly with personal problems. He is far more capable with solving crimes, with which he becomes obsessed. Start with Faceless Killers (1991). See more on Goodreads.

Jackson Brodie series by Kate Atkinson (Great Britain): My favorite English-language series. Jackson Brodie is a former policeman, who works as a PI in Edinburgh. A delightful surprise is the occasional humor (admittedly, sometimes rather dark humor). Start with Case Histories, in which Brodie finds links between three cases that occurred over three decades. See more on Goodreads.

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series by Louise Penny (Canada): Gamache is a French-Canadian, who returns again and again to the small rural village of Three Pines, to solve crimes there and elsewhere. You get to know not just Gamache but also his family, colleagues, friends, and neighbors. Start with Still Life, in which Gamache is first called to Three Pines. See more on Goodreads.

Bernie Gunther series by British author Philip Kerr (Germany, before, during, and after World War II): Gunther is a former Berlin cop turned private detective, a kind of Philip Marlow in Nazi Germany. The Berlin Noir trilogy comes first and includes March Violets, The Pale Criminal, and A German Requiem.
See more on Goodreads.

Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene (the pseudonym of a number of authors in the United States): This recommendation is specifically for children. I suspect that my reading these as a child led to my continuing interest in crime-solving novels. Nancy is a teenage heroine who, with her cousins, solves mystery after mystery. Rather than starting with the first of hundreds of books in the series that began in 1930, I suggest Password to Larkspur Lane, which is considered among the best. See more on Goodreads.

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.

APRIL EVENTS

A NOTE ABOUT OUR EVENTS:

Given that the current restrictions due to COVID-19 remain in place through at least April 20, 2020, our in-person programming remains on hold until further notice. However, we are working to bring you virtual events and personal connections during this time. Please check the AWC 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!

If you have an idea for a virtual event that you think might be helpful or interesting during this time, please reach out to Dawna Grand, First Vice-President - Programming, at vp-programs@awcberlin.org.

Bloggers Round Table Meetup - Virtual
Wednesday, April 1, 9:00am-11:00am
Zoom meeting (see registration confirmation email for link)

Calling all bloggers! Do you manage your own blog or are you interested in starting one? Did you start a blog and it has been left to collect dust ever since? If this rings true, please come join us for an informal round table discussion. We hope to all benefit from the exchange of our own personal experiences and to identify the areas in which we all could use a little help.

Virtual Thirsty Thursday
Thursday, April 2, 5:00pm-6:30pm
Zoom meeting (see registration confirmation email for link)

Grab your favorite beverage and (virtually) meet up for casual conversation via Zoom! Join us to catch up with your fellow members, to get tips from each other on managing life during the "new normal," or just to chat about "nothing." This is a casual virtual gathering, so feel free to drop in to the conversation as your schedule allows.

Virtual Kaffee Klatsch - Corona edition
Friday April 3, 10:30am-12:00pm
Zoom Meeting (see registration confirmation for link)

Literature Book Club (virtual meeting)
Tuesday, April 7, 10:00am-12:00pm
Virtual meeting (details sent with registration confirmation)

This month's selection is Beloved by Toni Morrison. From Goodreads: "Staring unflinchingly into the abyss of slavery, this spellbinding novel transforms history into a story as powerful as Exodus and as intimate as a lullaby."

HOW TO AWC BERLIN

AWC ONLINE

AWC members can manage their account, access the membership directory and sign up for events by logging into their AWC member account, either through the AWC website or mobile app. 

BENEFITS

• Register for and cancel events
• See your event registration
• Add events to personal calendar
• See who else is going
• Much more...

Step 1: log into the AWC website (request new password from the website if needed). Manage your events from the calendar.

Step 2: Download the Wild Apricot Member app and use your website email/login.

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.

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