President’s Message
As I begin my year as president, please allow me to say
thank you for placing your trust in me and giving me
the opportunity to work with you, a truly inspirational
group of wise, funny, interesting, curious, and empow-
ering women. My desire to serve this club comes primar-
ily from YOU, the women of the AWCH, who constantly
share their time, talents, ideas, and passion in building a
club we are all proud of. In 2017, my family and I found
ourselves in a new and totally foreign environment ex-
actly 5,630 miles from our sunny home in Burbank, CA.
It was so unfamiliar to me, and I was very unsure, un-
happy, and honestly scared in my new city. Thankfully,
I found the AWCH. Through the the club, I have gained
new life-long friends with these things in common: love
for all things American, strength, compassion, and the
eagerness to take care of each other. This is the essence
of the AWCH, and I felt immediately at home.
As we gathered at the AGM in January, we said good-
bye to the old board, elected a new board, and had our
annual Silent Auction. Board service is probably one of
the toughest volunteer roles of all, and I would like to
acknowledge that the 2019 board performed with such
dedication and tenacity that the club’s achievements
would not have been possi-
ble without them all. There
are not enough words to
recognize and appreciate
our super women: Carol S.,
Shelly S., Tracy M., Jordan
B.W., Holly T., Anne-Marie
S., Carol H., and Christine
R.
International Women’s Day
is March 8 th , and the theme
this year is An Equal World
is an Enabled World. Indi-
vidually we can improve
and celebrate women’s achievements, and collectively
we can help create a gender-equal world. March is also
Women’s History Month, and the 2020 theme is Valiant
Women of the Vote. The theme honors “the brave wom-
en who fought to win suffrage rights for women, and for the
women who continue to fight for the voting rights of others.” I
believe that we were not “given” the right to vote per se,
but rather that women fought and died for the right, and
we must always remember that.
Before I forget, I am especially proud of the success of
our (hopefully annual) play-reading on V-Day 2020 of
The Vagina Monologues on February 14th. Tickets were
sold out way before the deadline, yummy baked goods
were provided by our team of fantastic volunteers and,
to top it off, we got a standing ovation! I’d like to extend
my never-ending gratitude to my partner-in-crime Jen-
nifer L. for being the powerhouse that she is and helping
me make the event a reality. V-Day is a global activist
movement to end violence toward women and girls, and
we collected over €850 for our own charity, the 5. Ham-
burger Frauenhaus. Mark your calendars, as I plan on
having another play-reading the weekend of V-day 2021
on February 12–14. More about V-day here: www.vday.
org
As I look forward to getting to know you better and see-
ing you at the many exciting events we have planned for
2020, I am proud of the AWCH and know that this is a
sisterhood, united in our purpose to put our best selves
forward and make a meaningful difference in our lives
and the community.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to
reach out to me anytime at [email protected]. Until
next time, be kind to yourself and others.
“Spread love everywhere you go, let no one ever come to
you without leaving happier.” – Mother Teresa
Sincerely
Julia R .
AWCH President
March 2020
Photo of Staatsoper Hamburg by Michael
Beherns, see p. 24 for more on the Opera
Club.
Anne Collier (1970), Woman Crying (Comic),
#8, 2019, C-print, 126 x 150 cm, see p. 30 for
full citation and more of David Hockney‘s
work.
V -DAY
2
AWCH Currents Spring Edition
Photo from World Wildlife Fund, see p. 26 for more on our Environmen-
tally Mindful club.