WELCOME TO WASHINGTON PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Dear Members and Friends,
Welcome to our website! Whether you are a longtime member, a recent addition to our Club, or a visitor discovering us for the first time, I am delighted you are here.
More than 65 years ago, nine extraordinary women led by Marian Adair founded the Welcome to Washington International Club. Their goal was simple, yet profound: to provide a social and educational environment that fosters deep friendships between women from the United States and around the world. Since 1959, the Club has remained fiercely true to that mission, growing from 135 Charter Members to nearly 500 members today.
Our founders expressed a desire to "bring together women from different countries, to share mutual interests, to learn from each other, and to establish deep and lasting friendships." Those words ring just as true today.
The heartbeat of our Club lies in our Interest Groups, a concept that was established from the beginning as the central core of the organization. Today those groups include Art World, Cultural Expressions, Designing Women, Garden Group, Gourmet, Healthy Living, Literature Travel and More, Telling Our Stories, and Washington Behind the Scenes. Additional activities include a Sunday Brunch Around, an evening Dine Around, language groups, and informal gatherings for bridge, knitting and crocheting, and financial planning discussions among others.
By meeting in small groups and volunteering together, our members develop lifelong bonds. Our unique guiding principles — “No Politics, No Protocol, No Projects, No Publicity” — ensure a genuinely supportive, relaxed environment for everyone.
The greater Washington D.C. area provides a vibrant backdrop for our Club. Through our collaboration with the Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide, our members enjoy special access to embassy programs and State Department lectures. The region provides a rich environment from which to draw speakers, while offering unique and varied locales to visit via private tours.
Furthermore, our reach extends far beyond the District. As members have returned to their home countries over the decades, they took the spirit of the Club with them. This led to the creation of Sister Clubs around the world. Under the umbrella of Welcome Clubs International, we are now part of a global network of over 3,500 women who welcome each other’s members during travels and gather biennially to celebrate our diverse cultures.
To our current members: Thank you for your warmth, your curiosity, and your vital contributions. You are what makes this club a truly special place.
To our prospective members: If you value global friendship and cultural exchange, we would love to welcome you. I invite you to explore our website, learn more about our upcoming events, and reach out to join our community.
In Friendship,
Judy Page
President, Welcome to Washington International Club