Inspiring Women SUMMER 2020

After a few months, I joined the governing
board as VP Finance, then VP Activities
and now am the President. As Don and I
look forward to retirement in the next
year, it will be interesting to see what else
appears on our horizon…in Annapolis, in
the next year, where we are lucky to have
a family home and where our three
daughters, two dogs and one son-in-law
are currently hunkered down during the
COVID-19 confinement.
What was the first step you took to get
involved in the COVID-19 response? As
the President of AWG Paris, our first
response was to cancel our member
Roaring 20s party at the Eiffel Tower with AWG
activities. Our club hosts almost 200
activities per year with about 2000
participants! More importantly, many of
our members are older and live here alone; the social interaction of AWG Paris is important to all
of us. We immediately started reaching out to our members via email to create Friends &
Neighbors Groups and to contact members by phone. While many of us know each other
socially, we don’t always realize that another member lives quite close by, perhaps in our own
neighborhood or block! Creating Friends & Neighbors groups provided our members a new
opportunity to connect with another member who lived close to them, and, in case of
emergency, could also drop off food, medication or smiles. We also began offering “virtual”
coffees, Aperols, and classes to our members. Our first Zoom brought so many smiles to our
members’ faces; it was truly the best moment of my “pandemic presidency”! Members have
also found creative ways to continue AWG Paris’ participation in feeding the refugees and
homeless. Sandwich making at home and then handing off delivery within 1km to a neighbor
who then passes the sandwiches on to the next person…we are doing what it takes to stay
socially connected while physically distancing!
Since COVID-19 started, tell us about a typical day for you. In Paris, we must complete an
attestation in order to leave our apartment.
And while we are allowed specific activities
(grocery shopping, walking a pet, brief
exercise, going to the doctor, etc), we must
stay within 1km of our residence. Spring is
usually pretty grey and wet in Paris, but this
year, we have been fortunate to have
lovely, sunny weather. Getting outside
every other day for a walk has been key to
staying sane! Our Parisienne apartment is
beautiful, but I miss the outdoor space of
our sprawling home in Annapolis!
What has surprised you most about life
dealing with COVID-19? After a few weeks,
my husband and I have settled into a
routine of generally eating breakfast
together but working in different rooms of
the apartment. Giving each other privacy
and respecting each other’s work space
has been helpful! Honestly, if I don’t see him
until around dinnertime, it’s not a bad thing!
Learning to make duck magret in Sorges
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