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About The American Women's Group
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3 February 2010
AWG is a non-profit, non-political, and non-sectarian organization. We are composed of Regular, Associate, and Honorary members: Regular Members are women who are either citizens of the USA, or wives, daughters, or mothers of US Citizens. Associate Members are English-speaking residents of the Languedoc-Roussillon area who are not eligible for Regular membership. Honorary Members are those who have provided exceptional service to the AWG.Members of the AWG live in the Languedoc-Roussillon area, centered on Montpellier and its surroundings, in the south of France.
We also have non-resident members as well, who live all over the world.
We run a 10-month program; no events are scheduled during summer vacation.
What is unique about AWG?
Membership in FAWCO (the Federation of American Women's Clubs Overseas), which holds United Nations NGO status, affords us the opportunity to be active in the promotion of women's and children's rights, and in protecting the environment, and gives us a stronger voice on the world scene than we would have as individuals, or as an individual club.
Mission Statement:
The mission of the club is to stimulate the exchange of ideas and interests between the American/Anglophone and French communities of Languedoc-Roussillon by:
Promoting friendship and sharing of American language and customs with members of the French community
Helping women adapt to a new or different culture while still maintaining their own
Encouraging understanding and good fellowship through social and culture activities and service to the community
Fundraising and Philanthropy
AWG is a member of FAWCO (Federation of American Women's Clubs Overseas), which supports numerous scholarship and other philanthropic activities throughout the world.
Our fundraising activities are divided between international projects, under FAWCO's auspices, and local charities. We are, for the most part, foreigners living in France and feel strongly about contributing to a local effort to improve conditions here.
Over the years our fund raising has gone toward an association providing guide dogs for the blind, one that helps bring children needing operations from underdeveloped countries to Montpellier for medical treatment, and another which operates a center for battered women. This year AWG has chosen to support the Resto Bebes de Montpellier, a special activity within the Restaurants du Coeur Association.
We make our fundraising fun - dinners were organized at members' homes in 2007 to "Dine-in Against Malaria", and in 2008 we organized a Chili Cook-off. These are warm social evenings where everyone has fun in aid of a good cause.
We respond to major disasters with special fundraising events - e.g., Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, U.S.A. in 2005.
AWG Structure:
American Women’s Group of Languedoc-Roussillon AWG – LR was founded in 1986 by Dora Taylor. The Executive Board meets monthly, and is comprised of:
President
Vice President, Internal Affairs
Vice President, External Affairs
Secretary
Treasurer
Parliamentarian (this is a non-voting appointment made by the President)
The officers of AWG are elected annually in June at the Annual General Meeting
History
A description of AWG's history just provided for BlaBlaBlah by AWG members (see their October 2008 edition):
Who could have predicted the results in May,1986, when a small postcard notice appeared on the bulletin board at the American Library in Montpellier? Four American women gathered at that first meeting, where they shared their experiences as expatriates of the United States.These four drew others who had lived abroad, were married to French citizens, were connected in some way to the university, hospital or medical community, or telecommunication and computer industries located here, or anglophones who wanted a place to continue using that language.
Thus it began, and quickly became large enough to be included as a sister club to more than seventy other such clubs around the world known as the Federation of American Women's Clubs Overseas, FAWCO). In its short history Montpellier's AWG-LR, as a non-political, non-sectarian organization has increased its membership more than tenfold and now offers a wide selection of activities, all of which take a page from the relaxing lifestyle of this part of France. These include groups that focus on hiking, gardening, cooking, art and historical tours, educational workshops, book club, family and children's activities, and community service projects to connect with the larger French community.