Saturday , November 5 FAWCO AND THE FAWCO FOUNDATION PRESENTATIONS by Shanan Rickert , AWCH
Saturday , November 5 FAWCO AND THE FAWCO FOUNDATION PRESENTATIONS by Shanan Rickert , AWCH
I was very honored to be able to attend the Region 5 Meeting as a recipient of the Frauke Rademacher-Heidmann Memorial Award .
As a first-time attendee , I did not know what to expect but was really happy that the topics ranged from “ internal business or updates ” to hearing about the various projects supported by FAWCO clubs . A highlight was hearing about the different “ club ” opportunities within FAWCO , for example , the link between FAWCO , the global issues team , and the UN .
President Ann Marie Morrow ’ s ( AWC Finland ) presentation was perhaps more helpful for me than for others in the room , as I did not have too much knowledge about FAWCO and the roots . Ann Marie covered a lot of information in this presentation ; for me , the most impactful topic was hearing about the work that FAWCO does with global issues and the opportunities for FAWCO members to participate in UN meetings . I have since signed up for the Global Issues Digest on the FAWCO website . Ann Marie finished her talk by focusing on the magazine Inspiring Women , a publication that I also recommend signing up for . More Frauen power — who doesn ’ t need that !
The foundation president , Janet Davis ( AIWC Cologne ), presented The FAWCO Foundation . It was helpful to understand how it is a separate entity that focuses on aiding charitable and educational programs and supporting the rights of women and children throughout the world . As a mom , the Educational Awards were , of course , interesting to me ; however , the most impactful were the Development Grants and Target Projects , and WOW , these are making a difference on a large scale , and it was so impressive to see the amount of effort / time and fundraising that all FAWCO clubs have committed to these . This was really inspiring and a space where I could really see the passion and dedication from the women of FAWCO .
Tracy Moede ’ s presentation on target fundraising was an additional example of the time , effort , and creativity that goes into this sector of FAWCO . Fundraising was being done “ live ” at the conference at the small market that was open during each break , with a lovely assortment of homemade goods . And the plans for the holiday fundraising sounded really fun and are sure to be effective toward raising money for the Target Project , Awesome Blossoms . It was amazing that two members of the Awesome Blossoms team traveled from Kenya to present live at the conference .
I appreciated My-Linh Kunst ( AWC Berlin ) giving a detailed background on the history of the FAWCO Youth program ; it helps to understand how many women have helped to push this program forward . An additional presentation was given on the youth event chosen for this year in Scotland , and what a great way to bring together children of the world to learn about cultures and to share the ideals and values of FAWCO . An amazing program and agenda has been put together , and I am a little envious that I could not join in on this cultural adventure !
FAWCO members in Hamburg and around Region 5 are really involved in pressing and important topics . The entire experience was a great eyeopener for me on how much FAWCO is involved and how big the reach is . I look forward to more FAWCO meetings and to seeing , and being part of , the impact that FAWCO has !
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