WELCOME TO WASHINGTON PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Welcome to this wonderful group of women from all around the world.  There was a dream over sixty years ago to bridge cultural differences with a simple motto:

                                    Friendship through Understanding

                                    Understanding through Friendship

On that rock, our Founders built Welcome to Washington in 1959.  That dream is real today because of members like you, keeping that spirit of openness and curiosity thriving. To have the opportunity to develop internationally minded friendships is what makes our beloved  club so special. 

Our Interest Groups, Informal Activities, and Pop-up events reflect who we are, what we want to learn, skills we want to build, and experiences we want to share. Your active volunteering to imagine and present these programs ensures that our strong and vibrant club continues to flourish.  This year we add a new Interest Group, Healthy Living, to our roster, along with Art World, Cultural Expressions, Designing Women,  Garden Group, Gourmet, Literature Travel & More, Telling Our Stories, and Washington Behind the Scenes.  There is truly something for everyone in WTW. 

In collaboration with the Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide  we have access to presentations led by Embassies, and State Department lectures from ambassadors. We are also part of a global link of over 3,500 women in Welcome Clubs International who welcome our sisters from other WCI clubs and who gather biennially  to celebrate our various cultures. 

While our club works by sharing experiences, the real gem is in the lifelong friendships that we make.  Our members move around the country and around the world.  Some leave Washington.  Some come back.  Our work, our families, even our health, may change but the warm bonds of friendship that we make right here in WTW endure.

This Directory, prepared with care by our Immediate Past President, Lea Hesse, is an excellent reference. In addition to contact information about our members, it has tips on how to navigate the website on pages 3 to 8,  and information about our  programs, our leaders and, of course, our rules.    I will see you soon at our many interesting events.

In Friendship

Gail Landau