Inspiring Women Fall 2017

A Club Inspires: AW Surrey, England
There are FAWCO clubs of all sizes and shapes across the world. A Club Inspires is a feature
where you will learn more about one of them. This time we are pleased to share with you one
of the FAWCO clubs based in Region 1 : AW Surrey. Over to them...
The American Women of Surrey, now
referred to as AWS, was established in
1975. Our club objectives are to welcome
and assist American and international
newcomers and their families into Surrey;
promote friendship and cooperation
among members through social events
and activities; further members’
knowledge and understanding of
England; and give financial and material
support to philanthropic projects. Despite
roller coaster enrolment (over 1,000
members at the turn of the millennium to
around 300), we have remained true to
our objective for the past 47 years. It is not
just words on paper, we “walk the talk.”
Our membership is mostly expats but we
also have a small but constant core of “lifers” married to Brits and living here permanently. It
makes for a nice mix to have continuity but also change to keep the club fresh.
What’s on offer for club members:
We offer Welcome Coffee Mornings and Settling in Surrey orientation classes for our new
members. We have pub evenings with spouses and family picnics so members get to know
each other and feel part of the club as soon as they arrive.
Members are spoiled for choice with our activities and classes. To name a few, we offer Art
Appreciation, Book Club, Bunco, Character Homes and Gardens, cooking classes, Genealogy,
Jewellery Making, Hiking, Golf, Flower Arranging and Mod Maude who always finds an unusual
monthly activity like llama trekking or
doing yoga on a paddleboard on the
Thames! Over the years one of our most
popular courses has been English
Experience, where we hold weekly classes
with a speaker teaching us about English
history. An in-depth experience is
enhanced with trips to castles and stately
homes, movies and book readings which
relate to the current topic being
discussed. Our members return home with
a real understanding of their host country.
Our social calendar includes an annual
Progressive Dinner, which is always
popular. Our Members and Mimosa
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