Our thanks to Toledo Chapter for hosting the Fall Board Meeting. Also, we owe our appreciation to Louise Bankey for opening her lovely home on Friday evening with a reception to welcome out-of-town members. The Board Meeting took place Saturday morning, November 5, 2005 at the Renaissance Place Facility in Sylvania, Ohio.
Helen Chong, Judith Grodin, and Corrine Pearson attended the 58th Annual DPI/NPO Conference last September at the United Nations. Corrine read “A Call to Action” motion to all NGOs which was approved by all the attendees at the UN conference. “We, the hundreds of NGOs meeting at the UN today, urge, at this crucial time in the world’s need for security, peace and development, that you embrace the larger vision of the UN to benefit all the people of the world. We urge you to yield narrow interests, and to compromise with each other for real change expressed in concrete terms in the 2005 World Summit Outcomes Document. Please do not squander this important opportunity.”
Norma Wells, Membership Chair, reported that the membership count was 248. Ladies, I hope we can build our membership in 2006! Please invite a prospective member to your next PPSEAWA meeting or event.
Toledo Chapter presented the “Disaster Relief Benefit Luncheon” following the Board Meeting. We enjoyed an entertaining presentation by Phineas Anderson, “Amazing Places - Travels in Southeast Asia.” Toledo Chapter President, Norma Wells and Elizabeth Balint did a fantastic job co-chairing the benefit.
Thanks to the generosity of members and other contributors, a total of $1200 was raised to help children affected by natural disasters in the U. S. and overseas. Hopefully, our support has given hope for the future to some children! $200 was sent to Lanka Mahila Samiti, a non-profit organization supported by PPSEAWA Sri Lanka to purchase fabric to make school uniforms for children affected by the tsunami. A $600 check was given to DOSTI Foundation to help children and build temporary schools in Northern Pakistan after the earthquake. Covington County Schools in Mississippi received $400 from the benefit to assist 40 students who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina and are currently attending three of their local schools. PPSEAWA-USA agreed to donate an additional $500 to the Covington County Schools from the support that we received from PPSEAWA-Korea to help Katrina victims. Toledo member, Margaret Barron visited Mississippi and presented Covington County Schools with the check from PPSEAWA-Korea. Margaret resides in Toledo, but she also has a home in MS, which was badly damaged by the hurricane.
Our spring Board Meeting will be held in New York on Friday, May 5, 2006 in New York City, as well as the Annual General Membership Meeting. Luncheon at the United Nations will follow. I look forward to seeing all of you there.