THE AMERICAN WOMEN’S ORGANIZATION OF MOSCOW
Newsletter FEBRUARY 2020
Time to play!
Letter from the President I have always admired and loved the magical winter wonderland that Moscow transforms into during the Winter Season. I would always boast to friends and family about the beauty of Moscow covered in snow, as they were all afraid to venture to this side of the world for a Christmas visit fearing the cold. However, these days have been more like scenes from the the dark sleepy hollow than the whimsical fairy tale that we were all waiting for! It’s definitely been more difficult to be out and about and to get into the groove of things when the atmosphere around us keeps dragging us down. However, don’t lose hope, we know there will once again be sunshine and blue skies at the end of this dark tunnel. Until then we are here to help brighten those dull days! Join us at our coffee mornings at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel for some good company and a fancy cup of tea. We also have lots of interest group activities happening weekly (please read the Monday Updates). Also have you been to one of our AWO Ladies Night Out events? It’s a great way to get to know members better in a fun setting and also an opportunity for the women who work to get to know the other members. We are here and have planned all theses amazing activities to keep our organization interesting and fun. All you have to do is show up and have a good time! Looking forward to seeing you out with us!
Michele
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Save the Date
13 Spread Sunshine Updates
5
Events of the Month
15 News from FAWCO
7
Live from NASA
17 Intermark Club Events Calendar
8
Call for AGM
18 Special Offers for AWO Members
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Member Spotlight: Danielle Kuznetsov
25 AWO 2019-2020 Board Members
11 Green News
26 Thank You to our Sponsors & Donors
12 Review: The Christmas Bazaar
27 Credits
3 February 2020
Save the Date for: AWO Quiz Night
the
February 28, 2020.
date
AWO Charity Canvas March 5, 2020. The Philippine Embassy The Annual General Meeting
March 18, 2020. (Please be flexible as we may have to move the date to a week later, March 25. We will confirm as soon as possible. )
Our Coffee Mornings take place at:
O2 Lounge The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Tverskaya Ulitsa 3. from 11:00 - 13:00
mo r ni
4 February 2020
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on February 12 and 26, 2020.
Events of the Month:
Exhibition: Salvador Dali’s “Magic Art”, until March 25, 2020 The exhibition will feature more than 180 works by Dali: paintings, drawings, watercolors and prints. The visitors will be able to trace the entire long career of Salvador Dali, to explore all stages of his development as a painter. The exhibition will feature paintings from the youthful impressionistic landscapes of the 1910s to the last abstract canvases of the 1980s. Venue: Central Manege, Red Square https://dali2020.ru/
Fair: Honey and Farm Delicacies, until February 17, 2020 Farmers from all over Russia will participate in the fair to be held in the historical Merchant Hall of Moscow. As part of the event, there will be a mini-museum that introduces the intricacies of the work of beekeepers and the life of insects. Visitors can taste and purchase different varieties of honey, as well as lavender, linden, milkweed, heather, padevy and many more. Venue: Gostiny Dvor / Metro: Kitay-Gorod https://mos-holidays.ru/festival-meda-i-fermerskixdelikatesov/
Concert: “Our Pushkin” - February 8, 2020. Moskontsert on Pushechnaya invites you to the concert "Our Pushkin" on February 8th. The Concert is comprised of the songs from the regions of Russia that A.S. Pushkin visited; fragments of folk dramas and rites reflected in his works; musical performance - paraphernalia by V. Nikolaev, based on fairy tales by Pushkin, “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish” and “The Tale of the Priest and His Worker Balda”. Venue: Moskontsert / Metro: Kuznetsky Most https://mosconcert.com/product/nash-pushkin/
5 February 2020
Exhibition: Yuri Annenkov “Revolution behind the Door” - February 13 - May 24, 2020 On February 13th, the Museum of Russian Impressionism opens the exhibition of the works by the famous artist Yuri Annenkov in such a volume for the first time: more than 100 paintings, graphic portraits and sketches for productions from leading museums and private collections in Russia and France. Venue: The Museum of Russian Impressionism http://www.rusimp.su/ru/exhibitions?id=26
Winter entertainments at VDNH” - until March 1, 2020 With the onset of cold weather, VDNH is an ideal place to go skating, attend dance parties on ice, admire stunning winter art installations, and sled down a huge ice slide. Even without the real snow, you can skate on the artificial ice rinks and enjoy tubing slides. As soon as there is enough snow, you can rent snowmobiles and 4wheelers.You may go down a 7m high mountain and ride a dog sled at the largest skating rink in Moscow! Venue: VDNH Park, Prospekt Mira, 119. . https://moscowseasons.com/en/event/skates-skissnowmobiles-and-bright-shows-winterentertainments-at-vdnkh/
Exhibitions: Medieval Embroidery - until 23 February 2020 Kolomenskoye Museum Reserve, Alexei Mikhailovich's Palace's basement, hosts an exhibition 'History of Russian Embroidery of the 16th— early 20th century'. The exhibition has brought together church, folk and secular works by Russian embroiderers. Venue: Kolomenskoye Museum Reserve https://www.mos.ru/en/news/item/64316073/
6 February 2020
Would you be intertested in watching a space homerun this week? The International Space Station is an orbiting scientific platform and current home to 6 astronauts and cosmonauts. It is an amazing collaboration from 5 space agencies: NASA, Roscosmos, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Canadian Space Agency and the European Space Agency. The first piece arrived on orbit in November 1998 and people have lived continually on the Station for 19+ years! A typical stay is about 6 months, however, Christina Cook (NASA) is about to complete her stay of almost a year. She and her fellow crewmembers, Luca Parmitano (ESA) and Alexander Skvortsov (Roscosmos) will be returning to earth in their Soyuz spacecraft on February 6 at 12:14 PM Moscow time. You can watch the landing and the recovery of the crew on www.nasa.gov and select the “TV� link for live coverage from the steppes of Kazakhstan where we will retrieve them via helicopter.
7 February 2020
Dear Members, We will be holding our Annual General Meeting (AGM) on March 18, 2020 (Please be flexible as we may have to move the date to a week later, March 25. We will confirm as soon as possible). During the AGM we are required to vote in the Executive Board for the 2020-2021 period. At this time it is our responsibility to let our current membership know we have vacancies on both the Executive Board and the Board. The Executive Board Positions are: * President * Vice President
* Treasurer
* Secretary
Executive Board members must hold a North American Passport. The other board positions can be filled by both Full and Associate Members. At this time we are seeking dedicated women to fill the positions of the above-mentioned roles on the Executive Board. Please submit your candidacy at your earliest convenience for these positions. We will also be voting on a change to our Constitution, which will increase our ratio of Associate Members from 33% to 40%. We are also seeking women to fill Board positions for the following: -Interest Group Coordinator -Spread Sunshine Leader The following positions are board positions but are not voted on at the AGM. Our club can only be as strong as our members, so we need the participation of our members to fill our Board positions. Please give strong consideration to how you can contribute to keeping our organization alive and making the AWO of Moscow even stronger and more successful!
8 February 2020
Member Spotlight: Danielle Kuznetsov by Cindy Knight
Q: What brought you to Moscow? When? How long have you been living here? A: We have lived in Moscow for a bit over 12 years in total. My husband, Alex, brought us to Moscow for work. We have lived in Perm, Russia for 3 years, and then in Moscow on 2 separate assignments, each lasting more than 5 years. I met Alex in Moscow in 1990 when I came for a 6 week summer course in Russian. We fell in LUST! Q: Tell me about yourself! Career, hobbies? A: After university, and marrying my husband, we decided to put all the "eggs into my husband's basket". Within a few years, Alex got his MBA and a connection was made where Alex was offered a position at a company creating a joint venture in Russia. We had two children by this time when we moved to Perm. My role was to raise my kids and serve in the community. There I learned to understand and speak Russian. In Perm, we adopted twin orphans. From that time on, my career was the home education of my kids and the rehabilitation of our son. We have been fortunate that Alex has had this Russian niche and it has supported our family well while I have done the work with our children. Q: When did you become a member of the AWO? How did you hear about us? A: Three years ago, realizing my kids were grown, it was time to develop ME. I signed up for courses to become a life coach and worked on the charity board of one of the women's organizations in Moscow. I met Michele Kuhlen who encouraged me to join AWO and work on our charity program.
9 February 2020
Q: How has the AWO impacted your life? A: I had heard about AWO before this time, but the idea of joining a women's social organization did not appeal to me. I had plenty of friends, a full time job with my kids, and spoke Russian so I didn't feel displaced in Moscow at all. That being said, AWO has won me over and I have often thought, "I should have joined earlier." As I reflect back over the two years I have been with AWO, I have to say the community, the activities, and the opportunity to make a difference in the world have filled me up in the most unexpected ways. This last year has been the BYOML (best year of my life) in terms of working collaboratively, being unified in purpose, and building friendships. I believe that AWO has something to offer to everyone. Q: How have you contributed to the AWO? A: My agenda from the beginning has been to gain more than just coffee twice a month. I wanted to create projects with other women. I wanted to learn from women and have their smarts rub off on me. I wanted to perfect my coaching skills and share them to see how effective they were. I also wanted to serve the local community in a deep way. This was completely selfish on my part and I have gotten EVERYTHING I WANTED and MORE from this experience. My hope is that I have given my peers, the club, and the community much more than I took. I am the Spread Sunshine Coordinator, the FAWCO Representative, and this year the Vice President. Q: If you had five minutes with a person, how would you convince them to join the AWO of Moscow? A: AWO is a women's group that welcomes, enjoys, and invests in their women members. The unstated AWO mission, in my experience, has been to serve the North American and international women in Moscow by creating a warm and friendly atmosphere to come and BE,
10 February 2020
by connecting women to better know Russia and experience their time in here, and by providing an opportunity for women to actively use their professional and personal gifts and talents on a corporate level. AWO is a BIG WIN for both personally and professionally.
Green News: by Masha Megrelis
SMALL CHANGES ADD UP TO HUGE RESULTS • Reusable water bottles are also an easy way to immediately reduce the one-use plastics in your life. • And of course remember to bring your reusable bags with you when you go shopping! In addition to your shopping bags, using cloth fruit and vegetable bags is another way to significantly cut down on your use of disposable plastics. All of these items can be found in zero waste stores in Moscow or online. Some swaps may be harder to make. Disposable razors are convenient, inexpensive and seem pretty harmless. But when you learn that in the United States alone, it’s estimated that 2 billion disposable razors are thrown away each year, you may consider switching to a good quality, reusable razor that will last for many years.
The beginning of a new year is a great time to make small eco-friendly changes in our daily lives. The good news is that these small changes add up to huge results! Many disposable items have reusable alternatives: • You can replace disposable cotton rounds for removing make up with washable, cotton ones. • There are also reusable alternatives to ziploc bags. • Replace disposable coffee cups with a reusable mug. Think of how many cups you can save from landfill if you drink one takeout coffee a day and remember to bring your reusable cup!
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Let’s make 2020 the year we all make an effort to become conscious consumers, mindful of our impact on the planet, and try to live a greener life.
Review: The Christmas Bazaar by Kelley Jackson
On December 3rd, we had our annual Christmas Bazaar partnering with the British Women’s Club and the British Embassy, and raised a fantastic amount for our sponsored charities. We had a grand time with both Santa and Father Frost, listening to carols from the Anglo-American School of Moscow choir and sipping bubbles and mulled wine. The raffle was a huge success and there were a great number of vendors offering a variety of items to purchase. With your kind donations and volunteering, we were able to raise over 550,000 rubles!
12 February 2020
Spread Sunshine Updates by Danielle Kuznetsov Dear Members, I hope you had a good rest over the holidays because 2020 is off to the races and Spread Sunshine is already moving fast and furious - in a good way, of course! I want to recap what YOU have contributed to in fall and give you a heads up on the upcoming months. Consider this as your invitation to put the icing on the AWO Charity cake this year as we celebrate generosity in action. If you remember, AWO is raising funds for charities in 2-3 month time increments. We began in September with MPC Pensioner’s Program. YOU helped us raise enough money to supply MPC senior citizens with groceries twice per month until the end of May 2020. We also visited the pensioners, brought cookies, and served coffee and tea several times. During our last visit we gave them wonderful holiday bags filled with goodies to ring in the new year. A special thanks go to Black Star for the bags and Colgate for making this possible.
13 February 2020
Again, thanks to your contributions in collecting warms socks for the homeless, SamuSocial received almost 500 pairs of socks from us in December. We delivered another 50 pairs of socks and the remaining Colgate donations to the Samu office on the 26th of January. AWO will continue to collect socks for the homeless throughout the spring so please bring them in. SamuSocial has also received a donation of 30,000 rubles to allocate towards monthly birthday gifts for homeless women that French women organise each month. We also gave our first month’s donations of 148,347 rubles to purchase medical supplies needed to care for those living on the streets through Samu’s Mediko-Social Help program. These medicines will be distributed this week to those in need living on the streets. We have 220,000 rubles allocated for medicine/supplies, so we will keep you posted on a monthly basis with pictures and news for your review.
On January 29, at our coffee meeting, Anna Vinogradova, Vice President of Otkazniki Fund (otkazniki.ru) came not only to receive AWO’s 90,000 rubles donation toward their programs, but also to share their organisation’s mission for orphan children. Our first donation will provide help in three key areas for Otkazniki: 45,000 rubles will be allocated to providing hospital nannies so that disabled orphans can receive proper medical care. In this system, a parent or caregiver must be available to care for an infant/child needing medical attention at a hospital. Sick orphans usually lose out as they have no one to care for them. Second, 30,000 rubles is going to provide uncovered medical care for two disabled orphans. Finally, 15,000 rubles will cover the utilities for the Women’s Shelter. AWO will support Otkazniki over the next two months.
Finally, Spread Sunshine is a TEAM effort. Given our very full lives, there is no one person carrying the load alone. To that end, we need you! If each of us steps up and brings a small offering, we can TOGETHER make a long lasting impact. If you are interested in participating, please contact me at kuznetsov.danielle@gmail.com or 985-613-6195. In March, we will feature the Spread Sunshine Team to connect you with the women behind the scenes!
14 February 2020
About Otkazniki Fund
Otkazniki Fund (Volunteers to Help Orphans) grew out of a social movement in 2004 for children left behind in hospital wards. These children were either disabled or an unwanted member of a dysfunctional family and were abandoned by the mothers after birth. What makes this fund unique is the fact that it looks at all areas of the situation of a child who is abandoned and tries to solve the problem at all levels. They have four main areas of focus: * As part of the Prevention of Social Orphanage program, they provide support to families in situations of potential threat of removal or abandonment of a child. They advocate that it is possible to keep a child in the family with preventive measures, and that many children would not end up in orphanages if their parents were provided with a timely assistance. * The Helping Children in Institutions program is aimed to improve the living conditions of children who have lost their families and are in hospitals or boarding schools. They communicate with children from orphanages, help them to study and choose a profession, provide assistance in treating children, and pay for nannies in hospitals. * The purpose of the Family Device program is to help orphans find a family and parents to adopt a child. They assist in the dissemination of information about orphans and children left without parental care, provide legal, psychological, and informational assistance to families who are just preparing to raise an orphan and to adopted foster parents. * The On the Side of the Child program aims to change the situation of social orphanhood, legislation, public opinion and the entire system of assistance to families and children in difficult situations. They organize the work of lawyers on legislative changes, train employees of organizations for orphans and the sphere of protection of childhood rights, and monitor institutions.
News from FAWCO by Danielle Kuznetsov 2020 is under way and not wasting any time moving us forward. The women of FAWCO are already hard at work in their local communities and preparing for this year’s conference in Luxembourg. Here is the link to register if you are interested in attending https://www.fawco.org/about/conferences/upc oming-conference. As an AWO Moscow member, you are automatically eligible to become a member of the FAWCO family: 60 clubs in 30 countries (mothers and daughters!) that join forces together to enact change in the world. The conferences not only serve to manage the “business” of FAWCO, but also to build
15 February 2020
community, connect club members to each other, and raise funds to support the FAWCO Foundation’s programs that focus on improving the lives of women and girls worldwide. FAWCO is volunteering at its best and offers something for everyone! If you are interested in global issues and want to partner globally with other women, this IS the organization to join. For US citizens, FAWCO offers several ways to be informed on issues important to Americans living and working overseas. Check out this link to read about the upcoming elections, tax information resources, and REAL ID, and changes affecting children born outside the US: https://www.fawco.org/us-issues.
For clubs, the Development Awards are a fantastic way to bring FAWCO’s power back to your local community. Is there an organisation you want to support or invest in? FAWCO offers grants in Education, Human Rights, Health, Environment, and Global Issues. The application period for 2020 is closed, but don’t let that deter you from taking this opportunity seriously for 2021. Here is the link to read more about it: https://www.fawcofoundation.org/programs/de velopment-grants.
The Target Project is funded and invested in by FAWCO members to empower women and girls. Target Programs follow a three year cycle of awareness, education, and project selection. Once a project is voted on, clubs work together to fundraise, monitor the project, and provide review and evaluation. All funds raised during the three years support the Target Project. Take a look at the short listed projects coming up for vote in Luxembourg: https://www.fawco.org/global-issues/targetprogram/health/blog-health-matters/4248-thethree-shortlisted-target-project-proposals. Finally, FAWCO is a United Nations accredited non-governmental organization (NGO) with special consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). If you are interested in UN advocacy and getting involved, follow this link for more information: https://www.fawco.org/un-advocacy.
For individual members, The Education Awards are there for YOU or your family members daughters and sons- to learn and grow. $45,000 worth of Academic, Member, and Dual Cultural Awards are available to apply for yearly. Why not take advantage of this? To read more about them and those who have received them, click on this link: https://www.fawcofoundation.org/programs/ed ucation-awards.
16 February 2020
FAWCO is waiting for you! Come and experience the rewards of investing your time and talents to improve the lives of women and girls both near and far. Bring your daughters as well and let the women inspire them to dream big. I will close with a quote from Emily Van Eerten, FAWCO President. “Our children don't necessarily listen to what we SAY, but they do model our behaviors — I can't think of a better mindset to model to our children than volunteering with FAWCO.”
Intermark Club is a life-hack for foreigners in Moscow!
Join us and enjoy your benefits: Get discounts and privileges from our partners Learn about living in Russia Find the most exciting events in Moscow Connect with other Club members and share your knowledge and experience with each other!
Intermarkclub.ru
17 February 2020
Ladies Night in O2 Lounge
Gifts for Her and for Him
18 February 2020
Valentine’s Day in O2 Lounge
Sartoria Lamberti
19 February 2020
Gentlemen’s Day February 23rd
Saint Valentine’s Day at The Ritz-Carlton Spa
Gentlemen’s Offer at The Ritz-Carlton Spa
20 February 2020
We are proud to present our orthodontic consultant, Dr. Sam Alkhoury, with over 15 years of experience in the United States, certified by the American Dental Association, American Association of Orthodontics and the Massachusetts Dental Society.
Special Promotion for AWO members and their families: free ortho consultation cashback of 25000 rubles for the first orthodontic treatment
This offer is valid only during February 29 - March 1, 2020!
24 February 21 December2020 2019
www.expatsalon.ru www.facebook.com/Expatsalon www.instagram.com/expatsalon
22 February 2020
Tsar Voyages along with Anna Schipper are organizing a trip to the most ancient cities of the Golden Ring – Vladimir and Suzdal - by train. Anna is going to accompany the group to make sure everything goes smoothly and just for fun. Anna: It’s is a beautiful trip, for me personally Suzdal is like a small Russian paradise, I always want to return to this place because it is never enough for me! And even if you've been there before, it’s still worth going again and again - to rediscover....! If interested, please reply direct to Anna Schipper (actingroups@gmail.com, +7 903 576 55 33) and please cc (copy) to Anna Ivanova from Tsar Voyages (anna.ivanova@tsarvoyages.com, +7 915 381 58 59) the tour needs to be paid till Feb 3th.
23 February 2020
FREE TOUR: “The Secrets of Famous Tverskaya Street"
WHAT: "The Secrets of famous Tverskaya Street"walking tour that will help you to take a fresh look at places you thought you knew! WHEN: 10 February Monday, meeting time 11.00 finishing at +-12.30, Optional: After the tour we can have business lunch together in famous cafe Pushkin (about 840 rub) Number of people: min 5, max 20 Meeting place: The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Lobby. RSVP till February 6: AWO Tverskaya Tour with/without lunch (please indicate) If interested, please reply direct to Anna Schipper (actingroups@gmail.com, +7 903 576 55 33) (AWO member HAD group and a guide )
24 February 2020
AWO 2019 - 2020 Board Members:
Michele Kuhlen President
Kelley Jackson Special Events
Danielle Kuznetsov Salma Nurmohamed Vice President Secretary FAWCO Representative, Spread Sunshine Coordinator
Irem Sunar Newsletter
Alla Anastos Membership
25 February 2020
Meg Aw Treasurer
Cindy Knight Social Media Website
Eugenie Kim Membership Chair
Beth Osowski Monday Updates
A Big Thank You to our sponsors and donors for raffle prizes given in January to raise funds for our charity organizations at our meetings held at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel.
Naturale
Alternativa
26 February 2020
Photo Credits: Pages 1-3, 9-10: Cindy Knight cindyknight.com
Pages 5-6: mos.ru Pages 10,12: Deborah Hoehner deborahhoehner.com
Editor: Irem Sunar Layout Design: Irem Sunar iremsunar.com
Proofreaders: Michele Kuhlen, Beth Osowski
