As I write this message, I realize tha I am completing my second year as President of MWI. It has been a journey that I truly enjoyed. Working closely with Phyllis Biernick and Alyssa Greenwald has made my job so much easier. Both Vice Presidents have been willing and able to step in whenever needed. Thank you both for your dedication and for working so hard on behalf of the MWI memberhip. Together with the entire board, we have managed to offer exciting study groups and meaningful events.
When I joined MWI in 2013, we had over 600 members. Over the years, for many reasons, our membership has dwindled to about one-third of that number. However, despite this decline, we have continued to donate a significant amount of money to various charities.
This resilience is no surprise, knowing the women of our organization. We have shown our strength in many ways. Our first challenge was learning a new technology - Zoom. The next step was figuring out how to use it to our advantage, and fortunately, most of us were able to do just that. We learned to Zoom our meetings, much to everyone's delight. We coped with the COVID pandemic and kept our members engaged with study groups twice a week for three years. When it was finally safe to meet face-to-face again, we were thrilled.
More recently, Mother Nature tested us once again. Even though many of us couldn't leave our homes, we stayed connected through Zoom, email, and-yes-the old fashioned telephone. Things will improve, and we are looking forward to the coming year. Let's continue to face whatever challenges arise and keep attending our study groups and fundraising events.
Please remember that facilitators of our study groups and the members who plan our events work very hard to create meaningful experiences. As members, you can show your appreciation by participating, attending, and supporting our fundraisising efforts.
I hope to see all of you soon. We have many new ideas on the table for the year ahead...
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