AWC Going Dutch June 2020

Medical Emergency and FAWCO’s
Interim Meeting (cont.)
Continued from page 37
an exceptional board. One of the best decisions they took was to contact another member who
had extensive experience in the hotel industry and was a native French speaker with a charming
personality. With her help we were quickly able to negotiate a mostly satisfactory agreement
with the hotel. They would allow us to rebook our conference in 2022, without further penalty,
if we would agree to hold an extra, smaller event in the fall. Luckily, many of our members in
Europe had already rebooked their hotel from the cancelled March conference to the November
regional meeting. The hotel was satisfied and agreed to release those who couldn’t come in
November. Throughout this process, I was relieved that the people we were hearing from were
reasonable and civil.
At this point having to deal with a daughter recovering from brain
surgery and the financial uncertainties of an organization in a time of
crisis, I was extremely grateful to have an exceptional board.
Of course the failure to meet in March was not only a contractual and financial headache, it
also meant that we had to find many creative ways to disseminate the information we’d planned
to reveal during the meeting. I’m pleased to say that within one week we had organized several
virtual meetings. We had two Zoom sessions on the original conference Saturday, announcing
the selection of our major Target Health Project for 2020-21. We revealed the recipients
of our Education Awards, Development Grants and the winner of the FAWCO Foundation
25th Anniversary Quilt. We arranged for an impromptu live Auction on Facebook Live which
brought in a comparable amount of money to what we were expecting had we actually done
it live and in person. We have scheduled virtual workshops to replace our UN workshops, our
Voting workshop, our Youth Workshops and even one of the lighter “Energy Breaks” that we
had planned. A Laughter Yoga session was able to be rescheduled online. Organizationally,
we had dodged a bullet.
And at home, my daughter returned from the hospital and her recovery has gone very well.
It was a bonus for her that the government cancelled national exams so that there is no stress
whatsoever about whether or not she will pass them during recovery, since she won’t have to take
them. It certainly hasn’t hurt that the rest of the world is also stuck at home while she recovers
without any FOMO (fear of missing out). My other children returned from their homes abroad.
With six in the house, we are happy that we can spend this time of confinement together, each
with his own room, and an internet connection that allows us all to work from home.
Although the month of March was a time of confinement, it was also a time of gorgeous
weather. We appreciated our opportunity to go outside for our “frisse neus,” the ability to share
meals with each other, and our ability to connect with others, particularly AWC and FAWCO
members, online.
Masks for Members
by Erin Baker, AWC Philanthropy Chair
My name is Erin Baker and I’m the new AWC
Philanthropy Chair. I moved to Wassenaar
from The Woodlands, Texas in July 2019.
My husband works for ExxonMobil, so we have
lived in many different places. I paused my career
in education when our children were very small, but
found as we moved around that I was always drawn
to work with families and children, even if it wasn't
a paying job. The volunteer and philanthropic opportunities
that I've been blessed with have been a
source of consistency in our many moves and have
helped me to educate my own children about the importance
of doing good in the world, no matter where
you are. I am eager to coordinate our organization's
efforts to help those in the community around us.
In April, AWC Philanthropy started a Masks for
Members Project. I was happy to take on this effort
as my first responsibility as a committee chair. This
was a meaningful way to help our community
members as well as hopefully make an impact on
the greater health of our society. As an organization, we are fortunate to have talented and
generous sewers and crafters who volunteered to sew face masks for AWC Members and
their families. During the first round of mask making and distribution, 78 masks were requested
by 18 Members. I coordinated the pick-up and delivery of the masks, but credit goes
to the following ladies who volunteered to sew, obtain materials, and find and adapt a proper
pattern and instructions: Beverley Bennet, Barbara Brookman, Heather Dewitt, Glenda
Ohr, Dory Ritchie, Marilyn Tinsay, Cynthia Veeger and Michelle Voorn.
Thanks also to Members
who donated money and
materials toward the Masks
for Members effort. It was
truly worthwhile to be able
to see our Members help
each other stay safe while
knowing that this could
benefit the health of others
in our communities.
Although we are by no means at the end of this crisis, it does at least feel like we are at the
end of the beginning. As we move into many more months of social distancing I hope that we can
hold firm, not letting this virus get the best of us, and making plans for a solid future for us all.
38 GOING DUTCH
JUNE 2020 39