AWC Going Dutch Sept 2020

Membership
by Heather DeWitt
A Ceremony of Remembrance and Hope
by Roberta Enschede
2020-2021 Membership Dues
AWC Membership dues for the 2020-2021
Club Year are now payable and will be effective
until August 31, 2021. All renewals
must be received by September 30, 2020
to avoid a € 10 late fee. You can make
your payment online by electronic bank
transfer to our bank account with IBAN:
NL42ABNA0431421757 (be sure to include
your name and “Membership Dues” in the
memo) or through our website via PayPal
(additional fees apply). Dues remain the same
as last year: € 110 for Regular and Associate
Members, € 90 for Business Professionals,
€ 55 for Military (with valid military ID)
or € 35 for Student Memberships (full-time
with valid student ID), € 35 Outside the
Netherlands (Going Dutch magazine not included).
Newcomers
by Jo van Kalveen & Hilde Volle
Hello AWC Newcomers! We are Jo and
Hilde, and together we oversee Newcomer
Activities for the American Women’s Club
of The Hague. Whether you are new to the
Netherlands or just new to our Club, we’re
sure you will really enjoy being a Member
of the AWC. Aside from attending the AWC
Kick Off event in September, we will be
hosting various events for Newcomers
over the next year including coffee mornings,
workshops, museum visits and walking
tours. All of these events can help you
find out more about the Club’s other activities,
trips and charity work, and meet fellow
Newcomers, of course.
In the meantime, if you have any questions
at all, please feel free to contact us
at newcomers@awcthehague.org. Hilde
moved here from Norway 3 years ago while
Update Your Information
If you have moved or do not wish to renew
your Membership, please send email me
at membership@awcthehague.org. I am
also happy to answer questions about logging
onto our website.
AWC Guest Policy
Guests are welcome to participate in AWC
activities and tours on a limited basis. As a
non-member, a guest is limited to attend
two functions per calendar year and will be
charged an additional non-member fee.
Jo has been living in Holland for nearly 15
years, so between us we have plenty of old
and new experiences of expat life in the
Netherlands.
We look forward to meeting you soon,
Jo and Hilde
AWC Newcomers Chairs
September 11 is a day when people say,
“I know exactly where I was.” We heard
the news, watched the footage and could
not believe what we were seeing. In New
York City, the South Tower and minutes later
the North Tower of the World Trade Center
crumbled. In Washington, DC, a smoldering
massive hole pierced the Pentagon. In
Shankesville, Pennsylvania, a meadow burned.
Four planes became weapons that killed 2,976
people: 2,752 in the Trade Center, 184 in the
Pentagon and 40 in Shankesvile.
David Halberstam, the distinguished
American journalist wrote, “There are dates
which seem to separate yesterday from today
and then from now.”
For the 19th year, we will take time to
remember the men and women who lost their
lives that day and the first responders and civilians
who have since lost their lives. More
than 2,000 people who worked in the rubble
have died or will die from cancers related to
9/11. For their families too, September 11 will
never be just another day.
Many might recall the Congressional testimony
of Luis Alvarez, NYPD. Eighteen days
before his death at 53, accompanied by Jon
Stewart, he left a hospice in NYC to travel to
DC and demand that Congress replenish the
Victim’s Compensation Fund saying, “You
said, you’d never forget.” Jon Stewart followed
and challenged them, “They did their job. DO
YOURS!” Thankfully, they did.
Each year Overseas American Remember
(OAR) receives letters from a family member
or friend of those who perished. The one
constant is the profound thanks they express
because we, who live so far away, take time
to remember.
Lt. Steve Brown (ret) FDNY lost 13 comrades
from Squad One, FDNY. Theirs was
the second ladder truck to arrive at the Trade
Center because their firehouse is just across
the Brooklyn Bridge. Twenty men were on
that ladder truck. Seven returned. Steve wrote,
“When people find out I was a member of the
FDNY, the first question they ask me is: ‘Were
you there?’ Well, the answer is: Yes, I was,
and I want to talk about it. I always wonder
how the families of those we lost cope with
this every year. I realize they do it with the
help of their families and people like you. I
continue to be humbled by the outpouring of
support from people near and far―even as
far as Holland. I can’t begin to tell you what
it means to me. Thank you for remembering
that day and especially the members of Squad
One who lost their lives.”
Chris Blackwell was a member of the
FDNY’s elite Rescue Unit 3. They went up
to floors 93 – 98 in the North Tower. The entire
squad perished. His brother Steve Blackwell
wrote, “9/11 altered our lives forever. I always
saw Chris through the eyes of a younger
brother. I thought he was indestructible. That
day, it never occurred to me that I would never
see him again. No trace of Chris was ever
found, but he lives on in us. My family and I
especially want to thank those who continue to
ensure this commemoration and others like it
around the world take place every single year.
I can’t thank all of you enough for taking the
time to honor those we lost.”
September 11 will never be just another
day. Both Steve Brown and Steve Blackwell
wrote about the kindness of people everywhere.
“It was something to behold. We must
once more find that overwhelming sense of
unity and compassion for one another.”
That’s the message of the Ceremony of
Remembrance and Hope. Please join us on
Friday, September 11 at 5:30 p.m. Due to
COVID-19 space restrictions at the AWC,
please check eNews for details on the location
of the Ceremony. Sponsored by OAR. For more
information, contact me at oarinnl@yahoo.com.
12 GOING DUTCH
SEPTEMBER 2020 13