Happy (Western) New Year, everyone! As another year starts for the IWCV, we would like to
take this time to thank our out-going Board Members Lauren Baker (Recording Secretary) and Phyllis So (VP – Membership) for their hard work and all their contributions to the success of the IWCV over the past years. Thank you both, Ladies! We also thank Susan Kaplan, who is now transitioning from her role as VP – Membership to her new role as Member-at-Large. And, we welcome our new Recording Secretary Norma Acland and our new VP – Activities Susan Burke March to the Board. We are all looking forward to working with you over the coming months!
Read on to find out about the activities we have already planned for you in the coming months, and don’t forget to check the IWCV website (www.iwc-valencia.com) periodically as events are added all the time!
MEMBERSHIP
Events for January & February (so far):
First Tuesday Coffee, on a new date and at a new location, Tuesday 9 January, 10:30am indoors at Rogel, C/Sant Francesc de Borja 13. Open to all women in Valencia, both IWCV members and those who haven’t formally joined us yet. No need to register in advance; just drop by for a cuppa and a chat!
Fellows of the IWCV January Lunch, Thursday 11 January, 13:00 for drinks & mingling, 2:00 for lunch, at Restaurante Secreto de Ana. Open to the male spouses/partners of IWCV members, past and current. Show the details to the man in your life at Fellows of the IWCV – January Lunch | IWC - Valencia. To register, he can email Carey Hepler at carey.hepler@gmail.com or WhatsApp Carey at 613 39 56 39.
Can You Detox Your Way to Better Health?, Friday 12 January, 15:45pm, Plaça de Rodrigo Botet 1, Piso 1. Do ‘detoxes’ and ‘cleansing regimens’ work? Join Nutritionist Susan Burke March and get ready for the healthiest 2024! For complete details and to sign up, click here: Can You Detox Your Way to Better Health? | IWC - Valencia
IWCV January Luncheon for Members & Partners/Spouses, Thursday 18 January, 2:00pm at Kathmandu Canovas Restaurante. Join us as we taste some of the best Nepali & Indian food that we’ve found in Valencia! For details and to register, click here: January Luncheon | IWC - Valencia
2024 Writing Workshops with May Leong, 4 sessions starting 1 February. Have you been wanting to work on your writing but haven’t had the time or inspiration to do it? Now’s the time! For full details and to register, go to 2024 Writing Workshops with May Leong | IWC - Valencia
How to Spend Your Summer Vacation: Lifelong Learning, Thursday 29 February, 4:00pm. Join us for an informative presentation about the Lifelong Learners Summer School Program at Cambridge University, England! What better way to beat the Valencia summer heat? Open to IWCV members, their partners/spouses, Fellows of the IWCV, and out-of-town guests. For full details and to register, click on How to Spend Your Summer Vacation: Lifelong Learning | IWC - Valencia
January Recipe Exchange - I'm certain many of you dusted off your recipe books and served some of your favorite meals to your friends and family over the holiday season. I did, too! Our recipe theme this month is Favorite Appetizers. Visit our new Recipes page and find one of my favorites, Sicilian caponata! From there you can also download the template to submit your recipe!
Please remember that you cannot cancel your place at any IWCV activity by clicking a link on our website. It will not work! Instead, please email pres.iwcvalencia@gmail.com so that we can cancel your place and give the next person on the waitlist a chance to attend. Thank you for understanding.
New Members in December
Eve Kanne Ulin - American
Lorna Bullock - American
Wanda Gordon - American
Vilma Ortiz - American
Anna Rivera - American
Susana Brieva Suarez - American
Didi Cann - British
Doreen Denecker - North American
Anne Marie Gundersen - Norwegian/American
Michalina Śliwińska - Poland
Marta Slomiak - Poland
Sue Fernie - United Kingdom
Happy Birthday to our January Birthday Members!
Bonnie Noble
Brenda Price
Corine Bisiacco O’keeffe
Cynthia Marin
Diane Millar
Elaine Weckwerth
Eve Kanne Ulin
Jana Johnson
Julie Turner
Masami Fox
Ruth Ann Hepler
Susan Kaplan
Zorana Durkovic
Charities & Fundraising
Pauline Fitzgerald, Charities Chair
While the holiday season has been a busy time for our Charities Team, we continue to focus on the needs to support our three charities into 2024.
For those of you who wish to make a private donation, the bank details of our charities are below. Please ensure that you note IWCV in the reference box.
Casa Caridad
LA Caixa: ES47 2100 0736 0022 0061 2310
Banco Sabadell: ES75 0081 7352 4300 0105 7311
Casa Ronald
ES27 0081 1518 9300 0150 8057
Proyecto Vivir
ES75 3159 0066 9828 5328 2123
Casa Ronald
Casa Ronald have shared with us the success of The Valencian Marathon. Records were broken for participation and also in the fundraising achieved for the Casa. Donations exceeded €60,000, and the sale of the cute stuffed animals with the official t-shirt brought in €36,000. It was greatly appreciated by CR to have the opportunity on their 10th anniversary to be the beneficiary entity of one of the most important marathons in the world. It was an important opportunity for CR to raise awareness and a significant amount of funds which will cover all the necessary expenses for four months as they continue to support the families of seriously ill children when they come to Valencia to receive medical treatment.
In December IWCV members sold 41 Solidarity Christmas Baskets to raise money for CR.
Amigos de la Calle gifts for the homeless
Once again Missy Anobile did a fantastic job in coordinating the gifts for the Homeless and you ladies as always have been so generous. We donated lots of clothing, cool-weather gear, edible treats and hygiene products! It's so lovely to bring a little holiday cheer to those less fortunate.
Sponsor a Child
What a result!! This year we sponsored 101 children. Thanks again to Claire O'Keefe and the wonderful work she does to coordinate this. I understand from her that the IWCV ladies have been so generous with their gifts. We can only imagine the excitement and joy of the children when they receive their gifts.
On behalf of the charities team, we would like to wish you all a Happy & Peaceful New Year and with your support we look forward to new fundraising opportunities in 2024. Watch the website for updates.
Activities
Phyllis So, VP Activities
Let me take this opportunity to sign off and hand the baton to Susan March, your new VP – Activities. It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed getting to know all of you and look forward to being a member hosting and attending activities! Thank you for this fabulous opportunity to do something I really love – getting people together.
Recap of December's Events
Due to the holidays we only had three events in December, but they were great!
On 7 December, Nutritionist Susan Burke March talked to us about the “Power of Spices and Herbs”. There were so many things to learn, including how old my spices are. I got rid of a bunch of well-expired spices and herbs following this fabulous talk!
On Tuesday 12 December, we had a special holiday gift sale where our members were able to purchase gorgeous gifts designed by IWCV member Olimpia Cerdà, at special IWCV member prices.
And, on Thursday 14 December, we were treated to a tour of the Turia and its bridges with our wonderful English-speaking guide David. David will be back each month to take us (and our partners/spouses, out-of-town guests and Fellows of the IWCV) on more fascinating tours of Valencia.
Ongoing Events
All the following on-going activities have their own private WhatsApp groups to keep members informed of what’s happening with that particular activity. Please visit the Activities page of the website to learn more about each activity.
Send a WhatsApp message to the coordinator if you are interested in joining a particular group, contact numbers are below.
Mah Jong Mondays
Contact info: Jane Buck – forjbuck@aol.com (WhatsApp 672 228 427)
Spanish and Coffee
Contact Info: Mary Reeves, +34 686 50 20 90
Stitches and Yarns
Contact Info: Cathy Cleaver, +34 635 97 89 98
Women Who Walk
Contact Info: Liz Humphreys +34 637 74 89 90
Board Games and More
Contact info: Ann Linton - +1 (312) 208-8666
Chicas de Libros
Contact: Ruth Ann Hepler ruthannhepler@gmail.com or What’s App +34 613 395 458
Do you have ideas for other activities? It’s our members who make this work and you, our members, have so much talent to share! If you have any ideas, please contact Susan, (vpactivities.iwcvalencia@gmail.com).
Fellows of the IWCV
Carey Hepler, Coordinator
This group is for men only and is open to the spouses/partners of IWCV members, current & former. To join the group, please have your fellow email Carey Hepler at carey.hepler@gmail.com. If there is a particular activity that you are interested in and would like to coordinate, let Carey know!
January Holidays in Valencia
Monday 1 January - New Year’s Day
Saturday 6 January - Epiphany (“Reyes” – Three Kings Day)
We are looking forward to an exciting 2024, and hope to see you all at our Tuesday Coffee on 9 January at Rogel!
Jane Buck,
President