PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Thank you for the warm welcome we received from Welcome Clubs International. I look forward to working together and to share thoughts and experiences. Our club consists of around 60 members, mostly Lebanese Americans ( naturalized immigrants that returned home), or American Lebanese (American women married to Lebanese men). Thus our club is unique in the sense that we are more or less permanently living her, and not transitory like most American clubs worldwide. We have the dual aim of bringing a sense of American culture to members and their families, and to contribute to the Lebanese society through charitable activities. We hold a general meeting once a month and do various activities throughout the month; like a book club, bowling, card games, cultural outings, lunches, fundraisers etc. Our club is also a member of FAWCO (Federation of American Women's Clubs Overseas), which hold annual conferences in different parts of the world. Last year the conference was in Morrocco, and this year it will be in Ireland. Furthermore last December, the first ever regional conference was held in Dubai. As you can see we are very active.

Randa Theodory

President,

American Women's Club of Lebanon

 

WELCOME TO LONDON INTERNATIONAL CLUB

Dear Lovely Ladies,

“Knowledge and understanding are life’s companions who will never prove untrue to you. For knowledge is your crown, and understanding your staff, and when they are with you, you can possess no greater treasures”. These words of Khalil Jibran sent me to bed to prepare for the AGM the next day, at the University Women’s Club, but their beauty and sincerity expressed my feelings on the day I was relinquishing the Chair to Jennifer Habib. My great thanks to my Committee whose support and loyalty were my treasure. As I looked around at the faces which enhanced my treasure, to thank them individually for fostering friendship and understanding among us and for showing that our Club has resilience and strength to succeed. One of our lovely members Edna Dozell had to be rushed to hospital. During this tragic mayhem while awaiting the ambulance I was presented with a beautiful photograph frame. This is my first opportunity to thank the generous members wholeheartedly for such an exquisite gift. Although, I had to accompany Edna to hospital and miss the luncheon at the Royal Automobile Club I am glad the members had a wonderful lunch. I am also glad to confirm that Edna is recuperating at home.

I look forward to seeing you at some of the functions.

Dee Medawar

Past President

 

PRESIDENT'S LETTER

Dear members,

Winter has finally arrived; I do hope that you have all kept your winter jumpers to hand. February is usually a time of reflection following the over indulgence of Christmas and New Year and WIC is no exception! We have no extra trips or presentations for you this month, but March will be back with a vengeance, so please remember to sign up for the Carnival in Limoux – the details are later in the bulletin – and for the pot luck lunch for next month’s Women’s International Day. Please also contact Shirley Wainwright ( her email and telephone number are at the back of the bulletin) if you would like to take part in our entertainment – whether you sing, play an instrument, recite poetry, are a stand up comedienne, anything which you think would help our lunch go with a swing.  
Whilst writing my letter you will see that as promised we have attached a photograph of the current committee. It is with regret that we received Zofia Denning’s resignation from the committee due to health reasons, but I am sure that you would all like to say thank you for the hard work that she has put in to our meetings over the last year.
My usual few appeals.  Please can you all remember that you need to bring your own cup to the meeting for your tea or coffee? We currently have a small supply of polystyrene ones, but when they have run out we will have to make a small charge for purchasing others. Elaine is still collecting the bottle tops in aid of the Animal Charity, so please remember to collect them and take out any cardboard from inside the lids. Also, Yvonne Philpott is still requiring your used cards to recycle.

Theresa Hall, President
Women's International Club du Languedoc-Roussillon

INTERNATIONAL LIAISON

This month, I am giving my attention to Welcome Clubs International  (WCI). WCI is an umbrella organization that unites women’s clubs through the world. It co-ordinates and facilitates the exchange of information and activities of all member clubs.
The President of WCI, Julia Banks, is very active in promoting the importance of WCI and recruiting new Clubs to the organization. In 2011, Clubs in Kensington-Chelsea, London; .the London Club for Turkish Women; Kingston Jamaica and Lebanon were all welcomed

A Sister’s News report is issued bi-monthly telling us of activities of Clubs.

Clubs are encouraged to participate in the organization by attending its Conferences. This year, the 12th Biennial Conference will  be held in  the mile- high city of  Denver, Colorado from June 21 –25. The theme of this is The Power of Friendship….Women Making a Difference. The Conference will have a serious side and include roundtable discussions on subjects important to the WCI and our Clubs and will also include featured speakers. However, there will also be opportunity for members and spouses to visit important sites around Denver and learn of its historical importance as well as its cultural activities. Of course, paramount is to enjoy the hospitality and friendship of the members of WCI Denver and also other attendees from the Clubs within WCI. The ladies there have been working hard for a long time now and aim to make this a memorable, friendly but thrilling experience for anyone who takes part.

As well as the opportunity to take part in the Conference, a post trip programme has been arranged from June 26 to Monday July 2., This includes visits to Sante Fe  and its Indian culture; then onto the natural splendour of the Grand Canyon; and finally to Las Vegas , joining the parade on the “Strip.”
There is still time to register for the Conference, if you require more information, please contact me or look at the web site  .(www.welcomeclubs.org)

In friendship,

Pearl Casteleyn, Liaison
Women's International Club du Languedoc-Roussillon

INTERNATIONAL SISTER CLUBS


Note: To view the Newsletter or Web Site of a particular Club, please click on the link (where a little hand appears) at the end of the description of the Club. It does take a few minutes for the file to come up.

 Armenia: The Diplomats' Spouses Association of Armenia. 

The Diplomats' Spouses Association of Armenia is located in Yerevan.  The association is currently going through the process of reorganizing.  The objectives of the DSA are to initiate and undertake social, cultural, and charity events to assist vulnerable women and children of Armenia.

Liaison: Lucia Nazarian. luciade245@gmail.com

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Brazil: International Women's Club of Porto Alegre has over 70 members. Every month we send out a newsletter with photos of our current and future events.  There is a monthly brunch or happy hour offered by members in their homes. We have monthly fund raising meetings and our Board meets weekly.

We have three free projects:  after school studies of the Children's Club and Music Club that work with children from the first to the eighth grades. Additionally, there is a Computer Club that is a two-year course for high school students, which provides them with an orientation on how to work and behave in their future jobs. 

2012 May Newsletter

President: Maria Helena Pilla do Valle. MHValle@terra.com.br
Liaison:     Suzy Tse Lee. stlee@terra.com.br
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Bulgaria: Welcome to Sofia International Club was founded in 2004 and currently consists of about 20 members representing several nationalities.

Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria with a population of about 1.15 million. Bulgaria offers beaches on the Black Sea, dramatic mountains, skiing, has beautiful haven-like monasteries, excellent coffee and is the 5th largest exporter of wine.

President: Teodora Andreeva. theodoraandreeva@yahoo.com
Liaison:     Stefanka-Tanya Kmetova. tkmetova@gmail.com
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Czech Republic:  The International Women's Association of Prague (IWAP) was founded in January 1991 and is celebrating it's 20th anniversary. It has approximately 330 members composed of 15% local and 85% Intrnational members. We are happy to have IWAP as one of our Sister Clubs.
We at WCI welcome this very active, vibrant Club into our family in February 2011!
Click here to view their web site IWAP web site

The Bridge Magazine December 2011 and January 2012

President:  Beth Powers bethypowers@gmail.com
Liaison:      Lisbhit Fajardo lisbhit.fajardo@gmail.com 
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France: Women's International Club du Languedoc-Roussillon was founded in 1998 with a total of 110 members representing 12 nationalities. It is located in the rural region of Languedoc-Roussillon, which produces more wine than any other region in France, with a population of over 60 million people. Members live in the villages of the Montagnes Noires and the Corbieres Moutains and meet in St. Chinian. To view our web site please go to www.wic-lr.com


May 2012 Bulletin

President:   Theresa Hall. theresa.hall@orange.fr
Liaison:       Pearl Casteleyn. fam.casteleyn@orange.fr
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Germany: The International Women's Club of Hamburg was founded in 1991. It has about 210 members representing 49 nationalities. It is located in Hamburg, Germany’s second largest city, which has an enormous Port situated right in the center of the city. It has a variety of architectural styles, art and cultural establishments, attractive parks and lakes. The population is about 1.7 million. To visit the International Women's Club of Hamburg website, please click here.

President: Kim Reidel  president.iwchh@googlemail.com
Liaison:     Elizabeth Baars. ebaars@web.de
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Israel: Founded in 1969 in Tel Aviv, the International Women's Club of Israel currently has around 380 members representing 68 nationalities. Tel Aviv is Israel’s largest and most cosmopolitan city situated on a beach strip of the Mediterranean Sea. The modern nation of Israel was created in 1948. The population of the country is about 6 million. About a fifth of Israel’s landmass is national parks. To visit Israel's web site go to www.iwc-israel.com

March 2012 Newsletter

President: Patty Willis  pwillis.iwc.israel@gmail.com
Liaison:     Mary-Clare Adam Murvitz maryclareadam@yahoo.com

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Italy: Founded in February 2010, the Welcome to Rome International Club was created to further friendship and understanding throughout the world. It is located in the ancient and beautiful city of Rome.  

President :  Anna Maria Cambria (Please send emails to Liaison Edmea Demeglio Knutson)
Liaison:       Rosalba Coppola. formiana@gmail.com         
                   Edmea Demeglio Knutson. lvknutson@tiscali.it
                  

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Jamaica: The Latin American Women's Club started in 1966 with the purpose of gathering all Latin American ladies in Kingston. We have 40 members and are very active helping spread the word about the culture and history of Latin America. We do community service and maintain relations with national ind international organizations.

February 2012 Newsletter

President : Maria Pinchin mariapinchin@hotmail.com 
Liaison: Sara Fontana lawckj@gmail.com

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Lebanon: The Women's League of Beirut was founded in 1919 and is Located in Beirut, home to about 1.8 million people (2.1 million if the surrounding metropolitan areas are included), and is the commercial, banking and financial center of the region. Beirut was known as "The Paris of the East" prior to the civil war because of its cosmopolitan atmosphere. This city is regaining that reputation as a result of major reconstruction. To visit the website of the Women's League of Beirut, please click here.   To view the League's Bulletins, click here March Bulletin

President: Salwa Damiani damiami.s@hotmail.com
Liaison:     Rihab Ouri. rouri46@gmail.com


Welcome Clubs International is very proud to announce a new addition to our family of Sister Clubs!
It is with pleasure that we welcome this group of outstanding women just in the beggining of our new year 2012!
American Women's Club of Lebanon was stablished in 1953. It is based in Beirut and has approximately 65 members.


January 2012 Newsletter

Newsletter President: Randa Theodory  randa19@hotmail.com
Liaison:     Dianne Debs Liaison:  diannedebs@hotmail.com 


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Taiwan: Welcome to Taiwan Republic of China International Club was founded in 1986 and has about 210 members representing over 40 nationalities. Taipei is the capital city of Taiwan located on the northern part of this island nation, The Republic of China (ROC), formerly known as Formosa (which means beautiful). Taipei is a modern industrialized megalopolis of 2.7 million people. The Taipei National Palace is home to the finest collection of Chinese artifacts. To visit the Welcome to Taipei International Club web site, please click here.

President: Enid Shen. tseyuan@hotmail.com
Liaison:     Joan Lin Fuh. Joanlinfuh@gmail.com                 
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Turkey: known officially as the Republic of Turkey, is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia, in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe. Three women's clubs have been founded in this country:

International Women's Club in Ankara: was founded in the Capital of Turkey in 1997 and currently has 150 members.

President: Aytul Gokce. Please send emails to Maria Berent
Liaisons:   Maria Berent. mariaberent@hotmail.com
                 Hifziye Zincir. hzincir@yahoo.com

Istanbul Women's Club: founded in 1999, it has 25 members.  Istanbul is a port city located on the Bosporus, also known as the Strait of Istanbul.

President: Umran Kumcuoglu. umran@kumcuoglu.org
Liaison:     Deniz Birsen. deniz@birsen.com

 
Welcome to Turkish Cyprus Club: was founded in 2000 in the city of Nicosa, the Capital. Cypress is an island off the coast of Turkey.

 
President: Fahriye Ersoy. ersoy.ferdiye@gmail.com
Liaison:     Heybeti Balman. heybeti@yahoo.com

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United Kingdom: Welcome to London International Club was founded in 1983 and currently has about 120 members representing 40 nationalities. London is a lively cosmopolitan city bursting with history and culture. It has a population of approximately 7 million and millions more visit each year to enjoy the fine museums, historic buildings and theatres.

Spring/Summer 2012 Bulletin

President: Jenny Habib. jhabib@intlworld.com
Liaison:    Dee Phillips Medawar. beeandhoney@btinternet

Association of Turkish Women in Britain  was founded in 2002; it has approximately 200 members. Quoting from their bylaws, its purpose is "to help people from all religions, nationalities, races, age and gender." You can reach their web site by clicking here www.atwib.org.uk

President:  Mavis Fuchs. fuchs18687@aol.com
Liaison:      Funda Aksanoglu. fufu13ma@yahoo.co.uk


Kensington Chelsea Women's Club is an "Association of World Women".
Founded in 1983 by a small group of international women friends living in the London neighborhoods of Kensington and Chelsea, KCWC now numbers 1,200 members representing more than 50 countries.
Just as the founders envisioned, the purpose of the Club is to promote social contacts and interaction between members while helping to enhance and enrich their experience through the development and offering of social, educational and cultural activities. There are no residential, ethnic or age restrictions to membership in KCWC - we welcome women of all countries living in all of greater London.
We are almost entirely run by our members on a volunteer basis. While not a registered charity itself, KCWC is proud to support two charities, nominated every three years, with fundraising efforts through special events in our calendar year. 

President: Mary T. Narvell narvell@btopenworld.com
Liaison: Madeline Morrow madelinemorrow@hotmail.com
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