Please Join Us in Supporting the
2021 International Women of Courage Celebration

Dear AWIU Members and Friends,

First and foremost, we wish you all a safe and healthy holiday season. This year has been unprecedented in so many ways, but one thing that has stayed the same is AWIU's passion and commitment to honor and support women worldwide who are fighting for women’s equality and human rights.

We are excited to announce the virtual 2021 IWOC Celebration! The Department of State has set the date of its 15th Annual IWOC Awards Ceremony to be March 8 or March 9, 2021. We expect AWIU’s IWOC Celebration to be presented in conjunction with the Department of State Ceremony. AWIU sees the 2021 Celebration as an opportunity to provide a unique virtual experience which will allow us to tell each of the IWOC’s stories on a more in-depth and personal level. As it is the 15th year of the IWOC program, we will also celebrate AWIU’s long-standing collaboration with the U.S. Department of State. The virtual IWOC Celebration will increase the world-wide visibility of both the IWOCs and AWIU.

Please join us in this exciting opportunity by becoming a Patron of the 2021 IWOC Celebration. The IWOC Celebration supports both the International Women of Courage and AWIU’s Grant Program. Patron donations at any level allow AWIU to fund IWOC and other grants that will change the lives of women and children forever. It is only through our members’ and friends' financial support that AWIU can continue its good work to support female leaders and changemakers throughout the world.

On behalf of AWIU and the IWOC Committee, we thank you for your support of the 2021 IWOC Celebration. We wish you and your family a joyful holiday season, and peace, happiness, prosperity and, especially, good health in the coming New Year.

Gratefully,
Nancy Annick, Mary Schammel and Janice Trojan
Co-Chairs, AWIU 2021 IWOC Committee
Gifts of $250 and above received by February 15, 2021, will be acknowledged online and in the IWOC Celebration program book. 
AWIU at the International Women of Courage Ceremony
Washington, DC
March 2020
2021
Global Leadership
Sponsor

AWIU salutes Deloitte for its 11th consecutive year as lead sponsor for the International Women of Courage Celebration
Sincere Thanks to our 2020 IWOC
Sponsors and Patrons

Global Leadership
Deloitte

Freedom and Equality
Hahn & Hahn LLP
O’Melveny
The Walt Disney Company
Madvi Raya

Empowerment Through Education
BJs Restaurants and Brewhouse
Griffith Foods
JAMA Network
Providence Foundations of Southern California
USC Viterbi School of Engineering
Nancy Annick • Willow Bay • Denise Hammett Bieker
Susan Chandler • Mellody L. Hobson • Khin-Onma Lwin
Jerilyn McAniff • Cynthy Moffatt • Margaret Sabbag
Janice Trojan • Carol Ann Warren • Jane Mursener Wetzel

Women For Others
Northern Trust
Martha A. Atherton • Jennifer Meagher Convery
Wendy Gladney • Cynthia Heard • Ingrid Johnson

Opening Doors
Coleen M. Ball • Sidney Barney • The Courtney Family Girls
Lian Dolan • Sarah Dusseault • Diane Mitchell Henry
Ann Horton • Mary Kresky • Annette Colin Madden
Marsha Niazmand • Pooja Chandra Pama
Julie Power Pantiskas • Louise Simon Schoene
Maria Emmi Schory • Laura D. Schuldt 

Inclusion and Diversity
Elizabeth Conovitz • Ambassador Tatiana C. Gfoeller • Carole J. Lewis
Carol Robertson Lopez • Patricia Maloney • Diane M. McGlinchey
Sherry Lee Mueller • Ellen A. Pansky • Laura Li Pollard
Barbara Rubio • Mary Machado Schammel
Inez Parker Sharp • Sarah Shelton

Awareness and Appreciation
Suzanne M. Barnes • Debra L. Beck • Mary Ann Bernath
Bloomingdale’s • M. Monique Boutros • Margaret Caldwell
Sheryl Crockey • Molly Davin • Virginia Dedeaux
Earlie Douglas • Merry Lee Eilers • Nancy Emslie
Mitsuko Felton • Stelle Feuers • Suzanne Hart
Katherine Heffernan • Maureen Hollingsworth • Betty J. Houbion
Margaret Huebner • Kathleen Huston • Judith Jakaitis
Sharon Kolby • Linda Kukler • Julie Chan Lin
Lucia Logan • Jane Marks • Deborah H. Marriott
The McAniff Family • Kendra Miller • Stacy Miller
Gayle Graham Morin • Eddie Newman • Robin Winter Odem
Brenda O’Neil • Genny Sanchez • Susan Seitz
Monica E. Skinner • Mary Meg Symes • Jo Ann Troha
Barbara Voron • Carrie Walker • Amy Wohl
AWIU Grants:
Making A Difference Around the World
Together we make a difference. From India to Tanzania to Guatemala, AWIU grants make a difference to women across the world. In 2020, AWIU’s grant program supported ten small NGOs in their work enhancing the lives of women and girls. Together, we provided scholarships to girls from remote villages in Nepal to attend residential school, distributed vegetable seeds to widows in Uganda, supplied reusable sanitary pads to schoolgirls in Tanzania, and helped children in Mumbai stay in a STEM Program that teaches girls to code and create apps. Your financial support of the IWOC Celebration allows AWIU to make these grants.
AWIU Grantee: Hope Revival Children's Organization supports orphans and young children, as well as entrepreneurial projects for the disadvantaged in the community of Musoma, Tanzania.
AWIU Grantee: Dharavi Diary's mission is to empower girls and women living on the fringes of urban & rural lower income communities in India through STEAM learning, storytelling and skill building to become problem solvers, innovators and leaders.
2018 IWOC
Dr. Feride Rushiti
Continues her Work
on Behalf of
Torture Victims of Kosovo’s War
AWIU’s Laura Pollard recently hosted a virtual “Conversation” with 2018 IWOC, Dr. Feride Rushiti of Kosovo. Dr. Rushiti is the founder and Executive Director of the Kosovo Rehabilitation Center for Torture Victims (KRCT). Since 1999, Dr. Rushiti has worked to secure access to justice and healthcare for civilian victims of Kosovo’s 1998-1999 war. Dr. Rushiti described how she, along with her team comprised of 95% women, are helping survivors of rape come forward to speak up for themselves and receive the medical and financial support they deserve. Survivors battle a “code of silence” because there is a culture of shame which keeps many survivors from speaking up. Last year, on the 20th anniversary of the war in Kosovo, KRCT launched the “Be My Voice” Campaign to raise awareness of the sexual violence committed during the war and the stigma and challenges that victims face within their communities, and to promote social inclusion for survivors.

At the end of the Conversation with AWIU, Dr. Rushiti stated, “I want to express my appreciation for the important impact AWIU has on empowering women leaders and encouraging gender equality in developing countries. Receiving the International Women of Courage Award was not only a great honor, but it has opened many doors for my work and raised the profile of KRCT, which in turn has provided more opportunities to help survivors.”

To read the full story about AWIU’s Conversation with Dr. Rushiti, please click here.

To learn more about Dr. Rushiti’s work at the Kosovo Center for the Rehabilitation of Torture Victims, please click here.

What You Need to Know About the 2020 CARES Act
All taxpayers can take a charitable deduction of up to $300, even if you do not itemize deductions. For those who do itemize deductions, cash contributions to qualified charities can be deducted up to 100% of your adjusted gross income for the 2020 calendar year. Those aged 70½ or older can make a tax-free gift from their IRA. (Please consult with your tax advisor for more information.)

Promotes woman-to-woman interaction and understanding worldwide through delegations, grants, educational programs and support of the US State Department's International Women of Courage. Please visit our website by clicking here.