July-August (Summer) Newsletter

Monthly Newsletter

Summer (July & August) 2026

Being on the Board of the IWCV is a commitment that impacts the lives of each and every Board member. Most of us are supposed to be retired now. We don’t really need the extra “work” we’ve taken on, and sometimes we don’t even know if what we do matters. But, every now and then, something happens that shows us that the answer to the question “is this worth it?” is definitely yes!

A week or so ago I received a phone call from an IWCV member who was out of town on vacation. She had gotten a WhatsApp voice message from a neighbor in her apartment building in Valencia and couldn’t understand the neighbor’s Spanish. She asked me if I could translate it for her. The message was garbled, but it was clear that there were police at the member’s home and something was going on. The member’s dogs were at home with the dog sitter. This member didn’t know what to do and was worried about her puppies. I was tied up and couldn’t help her myself, but she knew she had to contact her neighbor to find out what was happening – but she only speaks English and the neighbor only speaks Spanish. I suggested that she call one of our members who volunteer to translate for non-Spanish speaking members. She got the list of volunteers from our website, called the first person on the list, and within minutes that person had called the neighbor and gotten the scoop on what was going on. The member’s fears were put to rest when she learned her puppies were fine and being cared for.

So, thank you to those of you who have volunteered their time to help other members. You ladies are wonderful. And if you’re not sure, please believe me: You – and the IWCV – really do matter!

Now we’re headed into the slow months of summer. Many of you will escape to cooler climates, and our events and activities will slow down until September. But, there are still many things to do – just take a look below to see what’s on offer in July and August and into the autumn! And please, please – don’t forget to check the IWCV website periodically as new things are being added all the time!

Remember, if an event you’d like to try is full when you try to sign up, just email president@iwc-valencia.com to be added to the waitlist. You will be surprised how often a place will open for you!

FIRST TUESDAY COFFEE, Tuesday 7 July, 10:30 indoors at Rogel, C/Sant Francesc de Borja 13. Open to all women of Valencia, both members and those who have not officially joined us yet. No need to sign up in advance; just stop by for a cuppa, a tostada, and a chat!

ELAINE WECKWERTH WINE TOURS, Thursday 9 July. Open to IWCV members, their partners/spouses, Fellows of the IWCV and out-of-town guests. Join sommelier Elaine Weckwerth for an unforgettable day visiting two family-owned wineries, La Casa de las Vides and Toni Beneito. For complete details and to register, click here: Elaine Weckwerth Wine Tours | IWC - Valencia

NEW FELLOWS OF THE IWCV MEET-UP, 5:00pm – 6:30pm on Thursday 9 July. Open to to all new Fellows of the IWCV, plus anyone who would like to meet some of the new guys! Stop by El Corte Ingles on C/Colon, 6th floor Cafeteria (The Samsung store is on the ground floor) for our quarterly "Welcome Event" for new Fellows For complete details, go to New Fellows of the IWCV Meet-Up | IWC - Valencia.

THE FOUNTAINS OF VALENCIA, Wednesday 15 July. Open to IWCV members, their partners/spouses, Fellows of the IWCV and out-of-town guests. Fountains are far more than decorative landmarks — they tell stories of art, history, symbolism, and city life. On this fascinating walk through Valencia’s historic center, art historian Helena Navarro will reveal the hidden meanings, legends, and artistry behind some of the city’s most beautiful fountains. For complete details and to register, click here: THE FOUNTAINS OF VALENCIA | IWC - Valencia

KIMCHI MAKING CLASS, Saturday 18 July. Open to IWCV members, their partners/spouses, Fellows of the IWCV and out-of-town guests. Learn to make kimchi from scratch in charming La Canyada, and enjoy a home-made lunch including - Korean veggie pancakes with a dipping sauce (made on the spot), Korean Chicken Glass Noodles, and Lemon Posset dessert. For complete details and to sign up, click here: Kimchi - Making Class | IWC - Valencia

FELLOWS OF THE IWCV HAPPY HOUR, 7pm – 9pm on Thursday 23 July at Pantalan 5 in the Mercat Central. Open to Everyone! There is no need to sign up in advance; just stop by to see your old friends and to make some new ones!

IWCV OWL (“OUT WITH THE LADIES”) HAPPY HOUR, Wednesday 29 July, 6:00pm at Taberna La Mora (C/Sant Francesc de Borja 1 at C/Marques de Zenete). Open to everyone – members, their partners/spouses, Fellows, and guests. No need to register in advance for this event; just stop by for something cool to drink, to see old friends, and to make new ones!

THE HOLY CHALICE OF VALENCIA, Monday 10 August. Open to IWCV members, their partners/spouses, Fellows of the IWCV and out-of-town guests. Join art historian Helena Navarro as we step into the fascinating story of the Holy Chalice — believed by many to be the cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper — and discover why Valencia is home to one of the most historically documented relics in Christendom. For complete details and to register, click here: The Holy Chalice of Valencia | IWC - Valencia

DISCOVER LA MALVAROSSA, Tuesday 29 September at Blasco Ibañez home and museum. Open to IWCV members, their partners/spouses, Fellows of the IWCV and out-of-town guests. While El Cabanyal has become a well-known stop on Valencia’s tourist circuit, La Malvarrosa remains a quieter, more residential seaside neighborhood — less discovered, yet rich in history, architecture, and local character. Join art historian Helena Navarro as we explore this fascinating neighborhood. For complete details and to register, click here: Discover La Malvarrosa | IWC - Valencia

MEMBERSHIP

Janine Forbes, VP Membership

New Members in June 2026

Welcoming all our new members who joined us from far and wide in June!

Members join us from -Ireland , France , Brazil and the States! Our membership is now 532 !!

We are so glad you found us and extend a huge welcome to all our new members!

Angelique Ward

Brooke Noriega

Caroline De Vries

Dawn Wade

Dina Wahl

Emanuelle Soares

Lauren Schulze

Lea Holcer

Linda Mc Govern

Lisa Elford

Martha Fowler

Mercedes Cua

Rachael Buchholz

Raynell Clark

Renee Wroten

Tiffany Gregorczyk

A huge Happy Birthday to all our members with a July Birthday - Feliz Cumpleaños !

Amy Gaido

Andrea Lois Alzate

Brooke Noriega

Dana Rubalcava

Dana Trumpeter

Davida Saligen

Didi Cann

Elizabeth Miller

Ellen Horowitz

Ellis Graham

Eva Calman

Gee Clark

Ida Thursesson

Jean Mira

Joyce Gemperlein

Juanita Wicha

Julia Serrano

Karla de Oliveria

Kim Rennie

Kyoto Shiotani

Lauren Kelly

Lee Warzecka

Lindsay Church

Lisa Christopulous

Lisa Elford

Melania Avila

Pamela Dominguez

Sandra Kim

Shirley Gowland

Stephanie Clippert

Teresa Lucas

Tricia Bryan

Troyce Thome

Wendy Hoover

New members found us through other members referrals, web searches and increasingly, Facebook recommendations.

Input from Membership VP - Janine Forbes

Welcome to ALL our new members.

Goodbye Famke Grootswagers - Our lovely (previous) Ambassador Co-ordinator is leaving Valencia. We would like to thank you for all your hard work and friendship, while bringing new members together. We really appreciate all you did for the club and will miss you. Best wishes with your move.

Our final coffee morning before summer break is Tuesday 7th July at Rogel on C/Sant Francesc de Borja 13 at 10:30 am. We hope to see you all there. We will be collecting for Proyecto Vivir at Coffee – details below under “Charities & Fundraising”!

If you are new to the club and don’t know anyone, please come and find me, I will be wearing a bright Orange lanyard!

If you are very new to your area or the city please speak to Veronica Lopez who is our Ambassador Co-ordinator. Her e mail is iwcvwelcome@gmail.com

New members really appreciate the support of an IWC Ambassador when they are relatively new to the city and we always appreciate the help of “longer term” members.

Remember, all the really useful information about What’s On within the Club and the many, many events is on the IWC website. If you would like to join one of the many WhatsApp groups, just contact the relevant lead member or any Board Member including myself, janine_forbes@hotmail.com . Of course, If you know any women in your personal network who you think would enjoy being a member of our club, please pass on the www.iwc-valencia.com website and bring them along to an event. This is how the majority of women find us and referral is the best recommendation of all.

CHARITIES & FUNDRAISING

Pauline Fitzgerald, VP – Charities

Even though things will slow down over the summer, our charities still need our support! They will appreciate any donation you are able to make, no matter how small. Please consider helping those less fortunate than you!

Bank details of our three charities:

Proyecto Vivir

ES75 3159 0066 9828 5328 2123

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

While you are enjoying the the Summer, Ladies, please think about a tour of Casa Ronald in the fall – and for those of you Crafty Ladies, after Summer you can consider creating Amigurumi Animals to help raise funds for Casa Ronald. 

PROYECTO VIVIR

We turn our attention to Proyecto Vivir in July with our double donation drive. A sincere thank you, ladies for your continued support.

We will run two donation drives in July to cover some of the requirements for PV for July & August.  The normal drive will be on the second Tuesday July 12^th, at Proyecto Vivir. If you can help in any way, please drop off your donations between 10:30 and 12:00 at:

Proyecto Vivir

Plaça de l'Horticultor Corset, nº4, 

Extramurs, 46008

Evelyn Smith, our Proyecto Vivir Co-ordinator, will be at PV to assist with donations. If you have any questions, please contact Evelyn by email on evcelina@gmail.com

The second drive will be held at our First Tuesday Coffee on Tuesday July 7th. at Rogel, C/Sant Francesc de Borja 13 in Arrancapins. 

I will be at Coffee Morning to collect donations from 10:30am.

Here is a list of PV's needs for July & August

1.DIAPERS

Size 4  x 20Packs

Size 5  x 20 Packs

Size 6  x  20 Packs

2. LONG GRAIN RICE x 80 Packs

3. PEACHES IN NATURAL SYRUP - 60 Tins

4. WHITE BEANS x 50 Jars

5. PASTA x 80 Packs

6. ADULT TOOTH BRUSHES x 50 Packs

7. TOMATOES FRITO/TRITURADO x 80 Tins

8. TINS OF TUNA X 80 Packs

9. SEMI-SKIMMED MILK x 80 Litres or 14 Packs of 6 Litres

10. SANITARY TOWELS x 80 Packs

Every little bit helps, thank you for your support! 

CASA RONALD

I plan to organise another tour of Casa Ronald in September/October. Before I do I would be grateful for members to register their interest with me in a short email to ensure we have  enough interest before we proceed to plan.E-mail pauline.fitzgerald9@gmail.com

Our last tour had to be cancelled due to the small number of participants

AMIGURUMI ANIMALS

For those of you nimble-fingered ladies who crochet and would like to help Casa Ronald, please see below atttached photos of these animals. Free patterns are available on the site https://www.amigurumi.com If you can help, please email me on pauline.fitzgerald9@gmail.com.  We can arrange a collection point and all the animals can be delivered together to Casa Ronald.

Thank you all for your continued support, Ladies, and have a wonderful summer!

ACTIVITIES

Susan Burke March, VP—Activities

Hola Everyone!

Even though we’re going into summer and things will definitely slow down a bit, we will still have events to keep you busy, so take a look above for what’s already been scheduled and keep an eye on the Events posted on our website!

For on-going activities during the summer (Women Who Walk, Mahjong, Solo Women, Spanish Conversation, etc.) please check with the coordinator for each activity to find out what their summer schedule will be. Just go to our website and click on “Activities” for the coordinators’ contacts.

FELLOWS OF THE IWCV

Carey Hepler, Coordinator

The Fellows of the IWCV is open to all men of Valencia. For questions or to join, please contact me (Carey Hepler) at carey.hepler@gmail.com.

Join the Fellows’ friendly weekly Spanish Conversation Meetup for expats in Valencia, designed for beginner to low-intermediate Spanish speakers. This is a friendly and supportive group where we can practice one of the most difficult parts of learning Spanish: speaking it!When: Mondays at 4pmWhere: Colon El Corte Inglés cafeteria (6th floor), Carrer de Colón, 27 (the Samsung store is on the ground floor).>>This is a link to join the Fellows’ Spanish Leaners WhatsApp group:  https://chat.whatsapp.com/FtYhG2uf003IbhOKCWzrkQ>>

here is a link to join the Fellows’ Tuesday Night Movies WhatsApp group:  https://chat.whatsapp.com/CGqP2oDVE4aFFRJ4E1vBCQ

We hope to see you at our Happy Hour on Thursday 9 July (see details above)!

JULY – AUGUST HOLIDAYS IN VALENCIA

Saturday 15 August Asunción de la Virgen

It’s now time to say goodbye to our Newsletter for the summer – and we’ll see you again in September!

All my best,

Jane Buck,

President