PAST AND FUTURE TOGETHER: WFWP BOSTON HONORS FORMER LEADERS AND YOUNG LEADERS AT 25TH ANNIVERSARY
The grand ballroom of the former Jordan Marsh mansion was all aglow, as 45 WFWP members and friends gathered to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of WFWP in Boston on October 28th. The speakers for the night shared a message of empowering younger women to become leaders and to be more involved in WFWP, by helping them understand the importance and value of WFWP. Women from New York, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island joined with our Massachusetts members. We were so lucky to have WFWP's first president, Nora Spurgin, and our second president, Alexa Ward, bless us with their attendance. Our current president, Angelika Selle, was not able to attend, but she sent a greeting through our Vice President, Katarina Connery, in the form of a warm letter of congratulations to all present, honoring and thanking Mrs. Peggy Brewster and all former chairwomen and women for their tireless commitment and investment in the WFWP Boston Chapter. Fannie Smith, who is Coordinator of the Schools of Africa project, also sent wishes for success.
Our first speaker of the night was Christina Lange who is Office Administrator for the UN Office of WFWP in New York. She has an interesting job coordinating 6 staff members and 4 interns. She has been instrumental in reaching out to the younger generation and helping with the events of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) that the UN hosts every year. She spoke very eloquently on some of the major projects that her office focuses on each year and how they work to bring change within the UN. One story she recounted was how a WFWP delegation of young women participating in a UN Department of Public Information (DPI) conference in South Korea were able to shift a negative conversation by sharing a message of understanding and gratitude for the foundation they stand on as young leaders. They carry with them wherever they go a power to positively impact those around them.
Alexa Ward, who is currently Deputy Director of the WFWP UN Office, had just returned from South America. She gave us a broader vision of the work WFWP is doing internationally. Our Schools of Africa project is one of the reasons we have General Consultative Status at the UN. She is very involved in strategic planning, which she said is an eleven-step process to define the WFWP UN Office goals, as we go into our next 25 years. She said that twenty present and former UN leaders have been willing to meet with her staff, and mentor them in this planning.
One highlight of the evening was when Mrs. Ward raffled a UN Pass to one of the young women in attendance. The winner, Sayaka Shishido, will be able to visit the UN for one week to learn more about the work of the UN and WFWP’s work there, and possibly attend some public sessions and forums, expanding her understanding of what it takes to build peace. WFWP Boston Chairwoman, Mrs. Peggy Brewster, also received a one-week UN pass, as acknowledgement of her long service in WFWP.
Beyond the wonderful food, information, and camaraderie, we were also able to raise $1,600 for the Schools of Africa, through raffling several beautiful items.
