AWC Going Dutch January_February 2019

2018 AWC
Holiday
Bazaar
by Naya Pessoa
Last month our AWC hosted the annual
Holiday Bazaar and I’m happy to report
that volunteers and attendees ended
the two-day event with bellies full of baked
sweets and warm memories. The vendor list
was extensive with 40+ participants, with
quite a few returning from last year combined
with new vendors from The Hague area. It
was a full showcase of talent including handmade
arts and crafts products, accessories
for adults and children, jewelry, chocolate
sculptures, wine, and so much more variety.
This year’s Holiday Bazaar was one of
many firsts: trying out the new venue at the
Hilton The Hague, new faces on the organizing
committee, and a new sponsorship
from PlayBall Netherlands.
The Kids’ Corner activities were organized
by Holly Savoie, and professionally
supervised thanks to the staff of PlayBall
Netherlands, which donated its staff and
time for both days—which is an incredible
gift to the AWC and to the parents
who attended the Holiday Bazaar! Many
thanks to Teresa Mahoney for bringing
PlayBall Netherlands into the loop. To top
off the festivities for the kids, thank you
to Roberta Enschede for helping recruit
our dear Santa “Peter” Claus who stopped
by to say hello. Rest assured that Santa and
everyone else made a pit-stop for cookies
and other treats at the Bake Sale organized
for the first time by Cathleen Owens.
Thank you to everyone who contributed
their culinary skills so we could start gaining
that requisite holiday weight!
The success of the event is fully attributable
to the event’s committee members for their
attention to detail (and deadlines!). A special
thank you dedication to:
Jaimie Keppel – Chair
Teresa Insalaco – Finance
Laurie Martecchini – Volunteer Coordinator
Cathleen Owens – Bake Sale
Amber Gatewood – Public Relations
Emily van Eerten – Raffle
Holly Savoie – Kids’ Corner
We appreciate the valuable guidance from
AWC President Suzanne MacNeil as she
answered questions and offered advice
while some of us navigated uncharted
waters. This was the first year for Jaimie
Keppel to serve as the Chair of the Holiday
Bazaar, and she unquestionably rocked it!
Jaimie’s role in the Holiday Bazaar was
spotlighted in an article in the Dutch publication
AD, thanks to the efforts of Amber
Gatewood who spread the word in classic
print and digital media.
At the end of the day, our efforts would be
nothing were it not for our fearless volunteers
who offered to roll up their sleeves
in preparation before, during, and after the
event. Laurie Martecchini was tasked
with the coordination of volunteers—both
skills and scheduling—and it is fair to
say she is a professional at it! Speaking
of professional, did you see the raffle display?
Another successful display from the
experienced Raffle Organizer, Emily van
Eerten, who coordinated raffle prizes and
ticket sales. It really is such a gift to be
able to work with committee members who
are so incredibly committed to this annual
event. Not everyone’s efforts are immediately
visible during the two-day event, but
trust that they were surely hard at work—
shout out to the finance team of Teresa
Insalaco and the Club’s Treasurer, Sheyla
Karman.
Personally, it was my first Holiday Bazaar
and I can’t believe what an experience I’ve
been missing. To top it off, it is incredible
to see how such a beautiful event comes together
through 100% volunteer effort. The
gathering of the community—young and
old, Dutch and international, entrepreneurs
and customers—is unmatched, and thank
you to everyone who shared with friends
and family!
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