AWC Going Dutch Nov_Dec 2020

90th History (cont.)
Continued from page 21
22 GOING DUTCH
the Juliana Children’s Hospital and the children’s
ward at Bronovo Hospital. In 1932,
a very successful Bazaar, opened by Queen
Wilhelmina, was held for the benefit of the
Protestant Maternity Hospital.” In 1948,
a letter campaign by the Philanthropic
Committee to hundreds of US companies,
asking for donations of surplus items, resulted
in over $100,000 in goods being received
by the Dutch Red Cross.
During the ‘70s and ‘80s, the Club organized
annual Rummage Sales to benefit
charitable efforts in The Hague, but once
Kringloop (recycle shops) opened in the late
‘80s, the Club turned its attention to organizing
an annual Holiday Bazaar. Both events
have always been win-win situations. The
Rummage Sales helped the people of The
Hague buy American button-down shirts,
baby sleepers and jewelry which was lovingly
repaired by a Member. The Holiday
Biennial FAWCO Conference in Zurich in 1953
Bazaars offered vendors the opportunity to
show their goods, while patrons enjoyed
shopping and Club Members had fun keeping
the whole event going.
In 1931, Mrs. Caroline Curtis Brown,
President of the American Women’s Club in
London, invited seven European Women’s
Clubs to send delegates to a conference to
discuss the possibility of forming a federation
of AWCs. The main purposes were to
work toward international goodwill and
the preservation of world peace. AWC The
Hague was one of the founding members of
the Federation, and it was our Constitution
that the delegates chose over those of
Antwerp, Berlin, Paris, Vienna and Zurich.
Our four delegates helped the group in passing
the resolution in favor of federating the
American Women’s Clubs of Europe on
May 8, 1932. The name of this Federation
was later changed to FAWCO (Federation
of American Women’s Clubs Overseas) and
became a 503(c)(1) in 1988.
Our Club has had many recipients of the
FAWCO Foundation Education Awards,
sponsored several Development Grants, and
hosted two conferences and many regional
meetings plus, most recently, a symposium
on Human Trafficking. Most impressively,
five AWC The Hague Members have served
as President of this international network of
more than 60 international clubs.
21st Century Highlights of Our
Club
Settling in new families has always been
of predominate importance. Our Club responded
by creating a detailed orientation
program for Newcomers. At Home in
Holland, the AWC’s own reference guide
to living in the Netherlands, was first published
in November 1963. The purchase of
much needed library furniture was paid for
from the book profits. In February 2009, we
published the 11th edition of this extensively
updated book at no cost to the Club due to
an impressive campaign to secure sponsors.
One of the most successful endeavors of the
AWC has been its commitment to increasing
breast cancer awareness, research and
advocacy in the Netherlands. In 2002, we
hosted our first Pink Gala, which funded
the BVN (Borst Vereniging Netherland:
www.borstkanker.nl), a breast cancer association,
to start the Pink Ribbon campaign
in Holland. Since that time, each Pink Gala
funded many Dutch breast cancer research
proposals and many other Dutch breast cancer
programs to accomplish our mission
of breast cancer awareness, detection and
treatment throughout the country.
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