AWCB NEWS

Carl Mir, a short-term sponsor and member of the AWCB, is here to help our members prepare their expat tax returns. Carl is now based back in the USA, but he and his team of  tax advisors work hard to complete your expat tax returns, so you don’t have to. So take the hassle out of tax time and contact us today for a no-obligation, free assessment. 

Carl provided an excellent tutorial to our members in 2022; and we can truly say he helps us living overseas ensure that we receive every tax benefit applicable to our situation.

Now based back in the U.S., Carl and his team of tax advisors work hard to complete your expat tax returns, so you don’t have to. So take the hassle out of tax time and contact us today for a no-obligation, free assessment.

You can contact Carl through his website mirtaxes.com

AWCB Board Members Lorraine, Kristen and Michelle attended the FAWCO Conference held in Bratislava, Austria this March. At the biennial event, the team was able to strengthen ties with  fellow members around the globe, including many repatriated friends in FAUSA - FAWCO Alumnae USA. They returned to Belgium with many new ideas and innovations for our Club.

Thank you to theAWA International Women's Club of Vienna and the IWCB - International Women's Club of Bratislava for hosting this wonderful event. And congratulations to The FAWCO Foundation for a successful fundraiser!

-

Photo: Lorraine, Michelle and Kristen at Foundation Night 2023 in Bratislava. In keeping with FAWCO’s focus on the Environment , the theme for the evening was Old is New Again. Kristen wore a late 80’s dress that belonged to her mother, Michelle wore a vintage necklace that also belonged to her mother and Lorraine wore the uniform of Captain Lillian Kinkella Kiel who was a flight nurse and one of the most accomplished women in the Air Force during World War II and Korean War. Captain Kinkella is also one of the most decorated women in American military history.

Clubs in Motion is a FAWCO initiative to encourage members to stay physically fit so let’s get moving! Our first activity is a Casual Cycling Ride on 12 February 2023. Keep an eye on the AWCB Events page for future upcoming activities.

The Target Program 2023-2025

The Target Project Environment Selection Committee is proud to announce the three shortlisted proposals (in alphabetical order) for the FAWCO Target Project Environment 2023–2025:

Awesome Blossoms: Edible Fresh Fields for Sustainable Life in the Slums, a project of Safe Spaces Organization, submitted by Leslie Janoe, AWC Amsterdam;

Love for the Sea, a project of Caribbean Coral Restoration Center, submitted by Robin Goldsby, AIWC Cologne;

Wing Woman, a project of Stand for Women, submitted by Monica Jubayli, AWC Lebanon.

Please visit The Three Shortlisted Target Project Proposals to read the project summaries and to learn more about the selection process. During the first two weeks of February, the AWCB will have the opportunity to vote for the project they would most want to support. Send a message to michelle@awcb.org if you wish to show your support for one of the projects.

Upcoming FAWCO Events

The 2023 FAWCO Biennial Conference will be hosted by AWA Vienna in Bratislava, Slovakia on March 23-26, 2023. AWCB/FAWCO Members can find out more details about the conference on the FAWCO website.

February 16, Thursday at 19:00 - Global Issues Book Discussion Series (on zoom)

In the Time of Butterflies by Julia Alvarez is a fictionalized account of the lives of the three Mirabalsisters, Patria, Maria Teresa and Minerva, who were murdered on orders from dictator Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic on November 25, 1960 – and of a fourth sister, Dedé, who survived.

The United Nations and human rights activists around the world now mark November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

This book will give us an opportunity to reflect on the origins of the 16 Days of Activism to End Gender-Based Violence against women and girls and to UNITE our efforts to “mobilize all society to become activists for the prevention of violence against women.”

Please register online in advance for this meeting.

On February 9th, we held our first Pasta Luncheon Fundraiser for FAWCO which was a success! We’d like to thank Sue Frick, Director of Philanthropy at FAUSA and past AWCB President for being our guest speaker as well as members who attended and also provided tremendous support throughout the day. A special thank you to those who could not attend but made a donation.

The meal was cooked and donated by AWCB President Lorraine De Bock and raised 400 euros for FAWCO (Federation of American Women’s Clubs Overseas). Together we make wonderful things happen!

The featured recipe for February is Brie with Sun Dried Tomatoes and it comes from the AWCB cookbook. 

Ingredients:

• 2lb/900 gram young brie
• 5 tbsp minced fresh parsley
• 2.5 tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 10 sun dried tomatoes, minced
• 2.5 tbsp sun dried tomato oil
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp minced fresh basil
• 3 tbsp chopped toasted pine nuts

Remove rind from the top of the Brie;place brie on a serving dish. Combine parsley, parmesan cheese, sun dried tomatoes, oil, garlic,basil, and pine nuts. Spread on top of brie. Chill 6 hours. Let stand at room temperature for 30-60 minutes before serving with slices of French bread.

Yield: 16 servings

Variation: To serve warm, bake at 350F/175C for about 15 minutes or just until cheese starts to melt. Serve immediately.

On November 25 AWCB members had a busy day of gift-wrapping and organizing at our Angel Tree gift-wrapping party! A heartfelt thank you to all those who donated to Angel Tree. The donations we received made it possible for AWCB to provide Saint Nicholas gifts to 285 underprivileged children in Brussels this year.

Your support and generosity are everything!

By Michelle, AWCB FAWCO Rep As well as rain and a cold snap, the beginning of November brought the FAWCO Region 4 meeting in The Hague. I was delighted to be able to attend the event, where I learned how to “Make a YOU Turn” to reduce my environmental impact. Having traveled to The Hague by electric car and then cycling to all the events during the weekend with other participants, I felt that we were already doing our bit. We heard from speakers and panelists about sustainable and environmentally friendly initiatives and created a Green Sheet (take a look!) that gives actionable ways to be environmentally responsible in little ways. We hope you can use it at home to make this world a greener place. There was also a special reception at the home of the new US Ambassador to the Netherlands, Shefali Rhazdan Duggal.   On December 2 Michelle hosted FAWCO’s First Friday online, for the latest FAWCO news and a full report on the Regional Meeting as well as information about Development Grants and Education Awards. Look for Upcoming FAWCO’s First Fridays in 2023!

Read the Latest Issue of FAWCO’s Inspiring Women Magazine Who would have thought that toy and hat-makers, a writer, a pianist, a mosaic artist, a reader, a tile maker, a bear hugger and a knitter, amongst others, would find their way into a single issue of Inspiring Women and these women would be living all over the globe? Surprised? Don’t be! Enjoy reading and please share the magazine link with your family and friends. Read the November 2022 Issue

The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women November 25 to December 10 On November 25 the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women kicked off the annual 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. Wondering what you can do to recognize them? Here is an outstanding day-by-day guide to help us all Learn More, Speak Out More, and Do More. Please join us!

On November 18 we held our monthly joint tasting with the ACB. Held at the private Prince Albert Club in Brussels, sommelier Rupert Wittebols guided us to try many wines from across the lesser-known wine regions in France (Loire, Gascogne, Lubéron and Madiron) and we made several very lovely new discoveries of wines we had not had before!  

After each wine we had a discussion around the aromas in the wines, good food pairing combinations and also a guess at the prices of the wines – we have some sharp buyers!  In addition to many interesting facts like how to tell if a wine has gone bad, Rupert also had a few surprises for us – tasting the same wine twice which tasted like different wines because one glass was decanted and the other not. 

JOIN THE NEXT TASTING

Our next wine tasting on December 15th is the "Battle of the Bubbles" which will be a fun and tasty evening. It is already sold out but you can request to be put on the waiting list by emailing the ACB at: info@americanclubbrussels.org

Laura Oppenheimer, of Eat Dessert First, is AWCB’s newest sponsor. AWCB Secretary Nicole Wilder had a chance to do a quick interview with Laura to see where she got her start.

How did you get started in the cake business?
I grew up near San Francisco and was surrounded by food from an early age. In our house, life centered around food-preparing it, talking about it, eating it, then analyzing what we had eaten. My parents were interested in fine foods and took us to some of the famous restaurants of the area. We were constantly cooking and baking in the kitchen. I wanted to share a piece of me and where I come from with my children and then it just turned into something that I was doing for my neighbors. I started a career in marketing and communications but sharing a piece of my California with my family and community in Belgium was something I had dreamed about. It became a passion project for me - I wanted to share special high quality American desserts here. 

What brought you to Belgium?
My husband is Belgian and we came here 17 years ago. About 6 years ago, I had a shift in work and my daughter was diagnosed with a pretty serious health problem. Once she got better, I decided to go ahead and start my business. 

How does your business work?
I have a workshop in my residential home and produce only to order. My initial idea was to be a supplier to local businesses. I work with Rob The Gourmet’s Market, Filigranes Bookstore, and the Royal Theatre of Brussels. During COVID, there wasn’t a big demand from the bigger businesses. I offered free delivery to individual customers, reconfigured my webshop and that sector of the business just took off. I now do a lot of big celebrations and birthday cakes as well as supplying businesses. This Thanksgiving, we made large numbers of pies for Rob in Woluwe. I also now have 2 part-time employees. On a slow day, I have 5-6 orders to get ready. 

What does the future look like for your business?
Now that COVID is pretty much past us, I am starting back up with supplying orders for bigger businesses. I continue to deliver my carrot cakes to Rob every Thursday, decorated gingerbread and sugar cookies for the holiday season, as well as pancakes on a regular basis. I am hopeful that I will be working with The Royal Theatre of Brussels and FIligranes again. I also just signed up to supply for a few branches of Carrefour. I will be at Woluwe-Saint-Lambert Commune’s Marché de Noel December 9-11 with cookies and slices of cake. 

Finally, I’m very pleased to be a part of the AWCB as a member and a sponsor. I look forward to baking for you all soon!

_________

Visit the Eat Dessert First website to discover more and order some amazing desserts!

AWCB President, Lorraine De Bock was invited to attend The Association of American Women in Europe 60th Anniversary celebration at the Cercle de L’Union Interalliée in Paris this afternoon by AAWE President Beth Austin. Guest speaker and author Janet Skeslien Charles gave a touching speech about the life and challenges of expat women that resonated amongst all. Lorraine and Beth will be collaborating on an event for both clubs in the near future and Lorraine has also invited Janet to be a guest speaker for AWCB.

Stay tuned for these wonderful events!