October 2020 FORUM

Oct/Nov/Dec2020
TheAmericanSocietyofSãoPaulo
EVENTS
theFORUM
newsletter
Year-EndHolidaysandTraditions
ByKristiHendrickson,BoardMember
Every year, as we enter October, the next three months seem to fly by and suddenly
we’re ringing in the new year!Twenty-twenty has been a difficult year for so many,
andwhilewe’realllikelycelebratingtheholidaysalittledifferentlythisyear,weatthe
AmericanSocietyofSãoPaulo(AmSoc)hopeourcommunityhasajoy-filledholidayseason.
Our special committees and board members have been working hard to continue
embracingourtraditionsandevents,albeitinadifferentfashionthisyear.
While we won't be hosting our annual Halloween party, we have prepared special
Halloweenboxes&bucketsfilledwithgoodiesandactivitiesforpurchase!We’llalsohost
avirtualZoompartyonOctober31asafunandinteractivewayforyoutoenjoytheholiday
withthekiddos.Wehopetoseeyouonline!
Oct
31 HalloweenOnline
Nov 10 WW:WomanofMerit
Nov 19 WW:ThirstyThursday
Nov 26 ThanksgivingDelivered!
Dec 05 AngelParty
Dec 05 HolidayParty
SantaNeedsYou!
BySueBanmanSileci,Member
In this crazy year, the Angel Party has
changed its format, but we’re still
planning to make Christmas special for
the 60 children who live in the AmSoc
supportedresidentialhomesofCasaLimiar,
CasaElohim(ABBA),andLarTiaEdna.We’re
shoppingforgiftbagsforeachchildandwill
get Santa dressed and spiffy so we can
deliverthebagsinstyleinearlyDecember.
AswemoveintoNovember,thereareahandfulofBrazilianholidaystorecognize(Diados
Finados on November 2, Proclamação da Republica on November 15, and Consciencia
NegraonNovember20)followedbyoneofmyfavoriteAmericanholidays:Thanksgiving!
Inyearspast,AmSocpartneredwiththeRenaissanceHoteltohostadeliciousThanksgiving
dinnerevent.LastyearwasmyfirstThanksgivinginBrazil.Iwasabletotakemyboyfriend
Rodrigo and his motherValeria to their first-everThanksgiving dinner. It was a wonderful
eveningfilledwithgreatfood,bilingualconversations,andbeautifulculturalexchanges.It
wassuchanicewaytointroduceoneofourAmericanholidaystomyBrazilianfamily.While
there won't be an in-person dinner this year, AmSoc continues the partnership with the
RenaissanceHotelforaThanksgivingtake-outmenuandhomedeliveryoptions.Youwon't
wanttomissthisfeast!Staytunedformoreinformationcomingyourway.
DecemberisalwaysabigmonthforAmSoc:wegivebacktoourcharities,andcelebrate
infashionovercocktailsandChristmascarols.Wearestillgivingbacktoourcharities—see
Sue’sarticletotheright.Anin-personholidaycelebrationisalsointheworks,ataprivate
venuewithallduecare,wheretheEricPoliakawardwillbepresentedwithpropersocial
distancingmeasures.Wecanallreflecton2020togetherandtoasttoabrighter2021ahead!
Ifyouhaveanyquestions,suggestions,orwouldlikefurtherinformationonourupcoming
eventspleasereachouttomeatkristi.hendrickson@amsoc.com.br.§
Ifyou’reinterestedinsponsoringachild—
because Santa needs help!—let us know
and we’ll set you up. We’ll send you the
specifics of a child and you can do the
shopping for them yourself or, possibly
easieratthispoint,youcansendusR$550
perchildandwe’llshopforyou.
For more information, send an email to
angelparty.sponsors@amsoc.com.br.§
Coverimage:SãoPaulocityskylineatsunset
Courtesyof:RicardoUtsumi

Oct/Nov/Dec2020
Reflectionson70YearsofServing
ByPatriciaCampbell,President
Ioffermydeepestsympathytoallwhohavelostlovedonesorare
dealingwiththeeffectsofCOVID-19.Asweapproachtheendof
2020,Iamhopefulforwhatliesahead.TheAmericanSocietyofSão
Paulo(AmSoc)stayspositive;wekeepourofficestaffsafeathome,
providevirtualeventstoourmembers,andcontinuetosupportour
charities. As with any non-profit, we worry about our financial
situation,butarethankfulforastrongfamilyofsupportivemembers!
PRESIDENT’SLETTER
FoundedonMay10,1950,AmSocturned70yearsoldthisyear.Thisanniversarywasaspecial
reminder—our organization’s original intent was to support only Americans and provide
themwithasenseofcommunity.Today,ithasturnedintosomethingbigger.Weshareour
traditionsandvalueswithothers,givebacktotheBraziliancommunitythroughphilanthropy,
andwelcomeallnationalitiesintoourculture,justlikethemeltingpotofAmerica.
MarilynMangels,whohasbeenwithussince1961andisourlongest-standingmember,
helped shape AmSoc into what it is today. She remembers the very posh dances at the
specialCongonhasAirportsalon.OnceAmSocstartedtomakesomeextramoney,itstarted
helpingoutlocalcharities.AsMarilynrecalls,“AmSoccouldn’tjustcollectmoneyandspend
itonparties.”ThephilanthropicspiritisacorevalueofAmericans.
DidyouknowthattheFORUM(ourfirstcontinuouswrittencommunication)wasfounded
inthe1970sbyourmembersAlanBlauandPatLavin?Whatagreatsourceofinformation
itcontinuestobetoday!Weowemuchtoourlong-standingmembers.
ItfillsmyhearttoimagineallthathastakenplacethroughAmSocoverthepast70years:
numerous families welcomed, many sports tournaments accomplished, our veterans
supported,partnershipsmadewithcompaniesandschools,lotsofnetworking,countless
newfriendships,andinnumerablechildren-at-riskandneedyfamilieshelpedthroughour
galas,raffles,andotherdonations.Somuchcanbedonewhenaspecialgroupofpeople
gettogetherwiththesameobjectives!
Itisourmembers,alongwithourdedicatedBoardofGovernorsandofficestaff,thatkeep
keepthisorganizationrunning.Thankyoutoallwhohavecontributedsomuchoverthe
years!ShouldyouhavesomeinterestingfactsorfunphotosofAmSoc’shistorytoshare,it
wouldbewonderfulifyoucouldsendthemtomeatpresident@amsoc.com.br.We’llput
themuponourwebsiteasacelebrationofour70 th anniversary.
BoardofGovernors
President
PatriciaCampbell
president@amsoc.com.br
VicePresident
MalcolmMacdonald
Malcolm.Macdonald@amsoc.com.br
Treasurer
JorelGuilloty
treasurer@amsoc.com.br
ExecutiveSecretary
StephenPenney
stephen.penney@amsoc.com.br
Athletics&Sports
JohnMota(Youth)
John.Mota@amsoc.com.br
RicardoArikawa(Adult)
athletics@amsoc.com.br
BusinessNetworking
IsabelFranco
EliasGedeon
FernandaGedeon
LucyNunes
networking@amsoc.com.br
CommunityActionCommittee(CAC)
NatalieDellaRosa
charity@amsoc.com.br
CorporateSponsorship
RuthHollard
SeanHutchinson
sponsorships@amsoc.com.br
DigitalEvents/Social
RicardoArikawa
ricardo.arikawa@amsoc.com.br
MalcolmMacdonald
Malcolm.Macdonald@amsoc.com.br
Gala2021
ManuelaMoreno
Manuela.moreno@amsoc.com.br
I wish you and your family a safe, healthy, and loving end of the year. May you enjoy the
holidayswithyourlovedones,whereverandhoweveritmaybe!
Withmywarmestwishes,
OUR MISSION: The American Society of São Paulo (AmSoc) promotes
friendship by organizing social, cultural, and athletic events for its diverse
membership;encouragesintegrationwiththeBraziliansociety;andsupports
theAmericantraditionsofeducation,philanthropy,andvolunteerism.
RuadaPaz,1431,ChácaraSantoAntonio,04713-001,SãoPaulo,SP
Tel:(11)5182-2074/Fax:(11)5182-9155/www.amsoc.com.br
Marketing
PhilMiler
Phil.miler@amsoc.com.br
Membership
members@amsoc.com.br
KristiHendrickson
Kristi.Hendrickson@amsoc.com.br
Dr.EvelynLanka
evelyn.lanka@amsoc.com.br
Welcoming
LyndaPerdigon
welcoming@amsoc.com.br
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TheAmericanSocietyofSãoPauloFORUMNewsletter

WelcometoOur2020NewMembers
Wethankallofourmembersfortheirsupport.Notamember?Jointoday!Visitamsoc.com.br/membership.
NAME PARTNER NATL. AREA COMPANY EMAIL
Oct/Nov/Dec2020
AnaBeatriz Brazilian Liberdade anabeatrizprudente@usp.br
JuliaAndreotti
LuizHenriqueSalles
Cabreira
NEWMEMBERS
AnnaHammernik American VilaSuzana
Brazilian Jundiaí TheAmericanSocietyofSãoPaulo andreotti.ju@gmail.com
Graded-TheAmericanSchoolof
SãoPaulo
anna.hammernik@graded.br
DwightEisenhowerHora VanderliDeLourdesZapollo Brazilian VivendasdoLago ModelaçãoUniversalLTDA dharris.ike@gmail.com
HeatherMcNamara TimMcNamara American JardimAmpliação Avenues-TheWorldSchool hdellarocca@yahoo.com
JamesWygand JuçaraWygand American JardimTaboão jimwygand@gmail.com
JulieScott CidadeMonções julie.scott@uhgbrasil.com.br
JihaeKim JiHyunKim SouthKorean AltodaBoaVista k.jihae@gmail.com
KristinNugent JuanPabloVergaraLara American VilaSuzana
Graded-TheAmericanSchoolof
SãoPaulo
kristin.nugent@graded.br
JohnLezcano Consolação IHSMarkit lezcano@outlook.com
LouisRicard CorrineRicard TractorsForAfrica louisricard182@gmail.com
MayaBranco RicardoTrindade Brazilian Butantã mayalizbranco@gmail.com
NathanRuffing Self-Employed nate@rr34.us
TimothyTrotter JenRibachonek American VilaAndrade
JeffreyVanDorn American SantoAmaro
Graded-TheAmericanSchoolof
SãoPaulo
U.S.Embassy&Consulatesin
Brazil
tim.trotter@graded.br
vandornjs@state.gov
AlbertEdward SilviaWarwick CerqueiraCésar PanelasWarwick warwickalbert@gmail.com
MeetMemberAsimaRomaulitaPandjaitan!
Wherewereyouborn?Kediri,EastJava,Indonesia
HowlonghaveyoulivedinBrazil?SinceOctober
2018.
WhatdoyoufindgreataboutBrazil?Thefoods
formearereallyamazingandtasty.AlsoIliketo
seepeoplefromdifferentcultures&religionsbut
living together peacefully. Such a beautiful
diversity!!
WhatBrazilianlocationsdoyouwanttovisit?
AmazonareaandthePantanal
Whatrecommendationsdoyouhave?
PraçadeAnhangabaú
Whatdoyouliketodoinyourfreetime?
IliketomakeIndonesiacookies&Asianfood.
Surprising fun fact about yourself? I used to
gotothegymfor3hoursandsleepfor10hours.
Lifebalance!
Email:lolitajanuary27@yahoo.com
TheAmericanSocietyofSãoPauloFORUMNewsletter 3

Oct/Nov/Dec2020
PandemicLearningattheGroupHomes
ByNatalieDellaRosa,CACChair
COMMUNITYACTIONCOMMITTEE
WerecentlytalkedwiththegrouphomesthatAmSocsupportstohearmoreabout
theirexperienceswithPandemicLearning.Here’ssomeofwhatwelearned.
Ittakesphenomenalefforttoguidedistancelearninginagrouphomewith15kidsranging
in age from infants to teens. One home leader said,“Every kid has their own needs. It’s a
challenge to simultaneously give the babies their bottles while you’re monitoring the
younger kids at play and trying to answer the older children’s math questions.” It’s
abundantlyclearthatthesegroupleadershaveanoutstandingcommitmenttothechildren
in their care.The kids are also incredibly grateful for the help they receive. Nonetheless,
everyoneisstruggling.
Therearelotsofreasonsthatstudentsinresidentialgrouphomesaresufferingduringthe
pandemic.One16-year-oldboyexplained,“Iwasn’tabletodoanyschoolworkforawhile
becausemydevicecouldn’tconnectwiththeschoolplatform.Butthenthankfullyoneof
thehousemotherstalkedtomyteachers.Nowtheysendanemailwiththeactivitiesand
links with the videos I need to watch.”The extra time and dedication it takes to address
eachofthechildren’sindividualneedsisenormous.
Additionally, the homes don’t have many devices for the kids to use. One of the homes
received a donation of six laptops, but the others have scrambled to pull together a few
laptopsandcellphonesthattheyrotateamongtheolderkids.“Childreninthesamegrade
usuallypairuponadeviceandshareanearphonetolistentotheaudio.Buttheearphones
arefragileandbreakeasilywhenshared,”saidonegroupleader.Thesehomesdesperately
needmoreheadsetsanddevicessothekidscanstudybetter.
Furthermore, the online classes are recorded videos. One 17-year-old boy explained,“My
biggestchallengeislearningmathwithoutaliveteachertoanswerquestions.”Theolder
kidshavecommentedtheyrelyheavilyonthehousemothersandsupportstaffforhelp.
It’salsotooeasyfortheirmindstowander.Onegirlsaid,“Mybiggestchallengeisdiscipline.
Theclassesarejustrecordedvideossoit’shardtofocus.”Additionally,thekidsmentioned
they were troubled by the fact that they don’t receive feedback on their work.“I have
submittedallofmyworkoverthemonths,butI’veneverreceivedanygrades,”explained
ahighschoolstudent.
Withtheselimitedresourcesandchallenginglearningconditions,it’snowonderthatthese
kidsmayfeeldistractedandmayfeellessthanconfidentabouttheirlearningthisyear.
Howcanwehelp?
Considerdonatingheadsetsordevices.
Volunteer to tutor the children. The homes are looking for Portuguese, Math, and
Englishsupport.
Sponsorapizzanight.Manytimesthehousesusethesedinnerstocelebrateasuccess
anditprovidesaneededbreaktothestaff.
Sponsor a child for the Angel Party. Your gift will help these kids feel valued and
appreciated.
Pleasecontactcharity@amsoc.com.brformoreinformationortoshareyourideas.§
PhotocourtesyofAudreySileci
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TheAmericanSocietyofSãoPauloFORUMNewsletter

Oct/Nov/Dec2020
TheAmericanSocietyofSãoPauloFORUMNewsletter 5

Oct/Nov/Dec2020
VolunteerSpotlight:MariaAugustadeMelloSaraiva(Guta)
CompiledbyMalcolmMacdonald,VicePresident
Maria Augusta or as we know her,“Guta”, first joined AmSoc during the years she
workedfortheUSConsulateinSãoPaulo(2006-2008).
Guta has a long history of volunteerism starting with working with dialysis patients at a
localhospitalinMadison,Wisconsin.WhileworkingattheUSConsulateinRio,shewasa
pioneerandLyonsclubawardwinnerdoingvolunteeractivitiesattheHandSurgeryUnit
(Ward11)atSantaCasaaswellascreatingandcoordinatingavolunteerprojectineducation
withpublicandprivateschoolslocatedatBarradaTijuca.
AswellashervolunteerworkforAmSoc,Gutavolunteershertranslationskillsforaproject
at the United Nations named E4J (Education for Justice). Being a volunteer is something
thatGutalovesandclaimsisalwaysapleasure!
She rejoined AmSoc five years ago and has worked as an AmSoc volunteer for several
different activities such asWomenWork, the annual gala, andThanksgiving dinners.This
year’sThanksgivingisbeingbroughttolifeasofrightnow.§
CONTACTAMSOCOFFICESTAFF
Ourofficestaffiscomposedoftalented,hard-workingpeople,availablebetween
thehoursof10amand3pm,MondaythroughFriday(excludingholidays).The
physicalofficeiscurrentlyclosed&allstaffisworkingfromhome.
JOBTITLE NAME EMAILADDRESS
OfficeManager AndreaBerce officemanager@amsoc.com.br
Communications&Events
Coordinator
JuliaAndreotti
communications@amsoc.com.br
Bookkeeper BiancaArruda accounting@amsoc.com.br
USCitizenContacts
Emergencies:(11)3250-5373
(incarceration,detainment,evacuation,
health)
Non-Emergencies:(11)3250-5000(from
1-2pmdaily)orsaopauloacs@state.gov
(lostpassports,repatriationofremains,
SocialSecurity,minorhealthissues)
@USCitsBrazil
The official U.S. Embassy
Twitter account for American citizens
inBrazil.TheEnglishfeedfeaturesdaily
tipsandnewsfortheexpatcommunity.
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6
TheAmericanSocietyofSãoPauloFORUMNewsletter

SmallbutPositiveChangesDuringQuarantineTimes
ByBarbaraBastos,WomenWorkCommitteemember
WOMENWORK
IthasbeenclearthatCOVID-19forthelastfewmonthshasbroughtmanytragedies.But
what about the positive impacts? As we have been taught for years, we should always
lookfromadifferentperspectiveinanygivensituation.So,haveyouhadthechanceto
analyzethesocialdistancingimpactfromapositiveangle?
Oct/Nov/Dec2020
Manyparentsnowhavethechancetospendmoretimewiththeirkids,learnabouttheir
lives,andbepresentintheirstudies.Andforthoseanimallovers,achancetohavelonger
walkswiththeirdogs,oragreatamountoftimepettingtheircats.Also,thattenminutes
more in bed?Well, now you can, because you won’t have to allocate hours for traffic, as
yourofficeisjust“stepsaway”.
Wehavealsoexperiencedanewwaytobevirtuallyconnectedtoourfamilyandfriends,
even more present than before. Being more experimental in the kitchen, reading and
meditating more often. Not to forget how the environment is benefiting from our lesspollutedcities.
Above all, COVID-19 has given us the opportunity to look at our lives and be grateful for
our job, our family, and most importantly, our health. And isn’t that amazing that we can
doitallfromthecomfortofourhome?
While in quarantine times, it is crucial to stay mentally well.WomenWork is here to help
with that. Connecting you to a community of inspiring women who share a sense of
responsibility and care for our society. You can connect with us on Instagram
(@womenwork_amsoc),LinkedIn(www.linkedin.com/company/womenwork)orandstay
tunedforourupcomingeventsonourwebsitewomenwork.com.br.§
MembershipBenefitsProgram
Asamember,youcanaccesstheAmericanSocietyofSãoPaulo’sMembershipBenefitsProgram,whichincludesdiscountsandpromotional
offersinmanyofSãoPaulo’sbestrestaurants,hotels,spas,medicalservices,andmore.Pleaseseethisissue’shighlightedoffersbelow.
Ourfulllistofparticipatingorganizationsisalwaysavailableonlinehere:amsoc.com.br/membership-benefit
FlaviaLizDiPaolo
PersonalGuide
www.flavializ.com
Flavia Liz Di Paolo Personal Guide is a
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creating remarkable experiences (such
ascustomizedtours&workshops)forVIP
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Discountoffer:
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Body therapy that uses a Massage that
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The brand best friend is, without any
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Discountoffer:
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TheAmericanSocietyofSãoPauloFORUMNewsletter 7

Publisher, Malcolm Macdonald (malcolm.macdonald@amsoc.com.br);
Managing Editor, JackieWyant (forum@amsoc.com.br); Advertising Sales,
Andrea Berce (sales@amsoc.com.br); Layout by Salt&Unicorns
www.saltandunicorns.com;PrintedbyPrinti(printi.com.br)
FORUM is published bimonthly in print and online (amsoc.com.br/forum).
ViewsexpressedinFORUMdonotreflectthoseofAmSocmembersorstaff.Ads
appearinginFORUMdonotconstituteanendorsementofproductsorservices.