I was happy to catch up with two of our club members for an interview, who have caught the FAWCO Fever. Vicki F M and Geysa W both took advantage of the one-day workshop offer during the 2006 FAWCO conference in Berlin, celebrating its 75th Anniversary.
Karen: I am so glad that you are here to take part in this special event. Is this your first FAWCO conference?
Geysa: Yes, I am happy to be here.
Vicki: It is exciting! It is interesting! Some of these faces are so familiar.
K: Have you been to other conferences just for women?
G: No
V: I don't think so...You can feel the energy...You can hear it for sure... (ha ha ha)... The reason why I wanted to attend was because if was especially for women.
K: When you arrived last night to the conference hotel for the Foundation Dinner and Silent Auction, what were your first impressions?
G: My first impression was that I was very welcomed and it was very organized. We sat at a table only for the people coming to the conference from Hamburg which was delightful and the decorations were nicely done. There was a very warm atmosphere and it was just what I expected because I am here also on a Wellness Weekend. It was most impressive to receive the Queen of the Diamonds at the beginning of the evening and was so fun and enjoyable....just overwhelmingly nice! I enjoyed the nice company at my table with Vicki and the others from Hamburg. We had lots of fun. It was fantastic.
V: Noisy and very organized. Everyone looked so full of energy and ready to do something.... "to be a doer" or to take part in something exciting. I observed that these are women of a special class and that is why I wanted to come for the weekend and be around that atmosphere. It is interesting to see all these women from all over the world gravitating together to put their energies towards a common goal. (FAWCO was started in 1931 to address the issue of world peace.)
K: You experienced a typical fundraiser from the philanthropy arm of FAWCO; what stood out to you in regard on how the evening was run?
V: It gave me some ideas for our Club's up-coming 50th Birthday Gala. For example: the theme was really fun..."Diamonds in the Rough" commemorating FAWCO's 75th Anniversary. The Silent Auction got people up and mingling and the live auction was wonderful and exciting. You had more of your high end gifts being auctioned in that arena, like vacation homes and real diamonds, etc. I even bid on the home near Disneyland and when I told my husband about it, he thought that I should have bid higher to win it...live and learn! Geysa told me to keep bidding: "Vicki, you got the green light, so go girl go!" This was one of the most fun ways to donate to charity. It was a wonderfully fun evening and the entertainment with a smooth jazz combo made it accessible for a variety of speeches to be heard. The evening ran smoothly and was entertaining. I didn't have the feeling I was sitting and eating the whole night away. It was midnight before we knew it!
K: What were your workshops like?
G: I am very impressed with the workshops that I attended on Sunday. I attended one on "Overcoming Adversities" and "The New Berlin". The atmosphere was very nice and the lunch was excellent here in the hotel. Everything was very nice; we were very happy with the whole program that we attended. The style was partly lecture and partly time for Q and A.
V: I attended the info regarding information related to ExPats with the IRS and Social Security....I received a lot of helpful information. See me for details! I attended the workshop with Carlana Stone Lawson about overcoming adversities. Wow! She is a true survivor and chose not to be a victim of her circumstances. She looks great and dresses up and sits in a wheel chair....she is so positive. I bought her book, Never Give In, Never Give Up!
K: Did you relate to both of the topics?
G: Yes, well... but in the first workshop I personally would not be that open to sharing but I could relate and I appreciated very much what was shared in both workshops.
K: As you return home, what will you do with this conference energy?
V: Well, I have two little boys full of energy waiting for me at home. First and foremost, I will be focusing my energy on them (husband Tom included) but what I will take home from the conference is that it makes me know that I can do more things in addition to caring for my own family. It's like: the more you do, the more you do!
K: That sounds like a book title, "The More You Do, The More You Do"!
V: Hey, well, there you go!
K: Thank you very much for the time you took to talk with me about your impressions and experience of the FAWCO Conference Berlin 2006.
G: Thank you, I appreciated being here with you and having your daily information of what actually goes on here...it is very well done...I hope to attend another conference.
K: Ok, We will see you in Lyon, France, next year....
G: Who knows? Never say never!
