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June Kelly (Philanthropy VP), Julie Casso (GFFN President), and six members of the Philanthropy group met with Joe Meyer (Executive Director & CEO of Shelter House) and Nurjan Ahmedova (the new Director of Development at Shelter House) to provide them with the $4,000 check donation generated from the 2020 White House sale.  Together with the $1,500 check from the Harvest Tea, Artemis House received a total of $5,500 of funds, generously donated from our GFFN members and friends.  Joe and Nurjan were very appreciative of the generosity and efforts of our club members.

Picture from the check delivery with Shelter House

Front row: Nurjan Ahmedova (Director of Development at Shelter House) and Joe Meyer (Executive Director and CEO at Shelter House), Michelle Ouellet, Judie Keithley, and June Kelly 

Back row:  Julie Casso Teresa Yurt , Debbie Klett, Diane Lahey Kristi Robson 

The White House ornaments were sold through six local community businesses:  Great Dogs, Toka Salon, Burke Jewelers (in Reston), Krop’s Crops, Studio Salon, and Classic Wines of Great Falls.  These retailers sold the ornaments to support Artemis House and did not receive any compensation from the sales.  GFFN Philanthropy extends deep gratitude to these small business owners.

The successful fundraiser, during a challenging year, would not have been possible without the extraordinary efforts of the philanthropy members, with the great leadership from Maria Volpe and Pat Kuehnel, together with regular sales advice and retail collaboration from Diane Lahey, Karyn Ryan’s ornament sales at Lettuce Munch events, and the constant efforts in retail collaboration and back-up support from Michelle Ouellet, Karen Deardorff, Teresa Yurt, Judie Keithley, Carol Ryan, and Eve Loudenback.  Many thanks are extended to these remarkable women!

The event was also featured in the Great Falls Connection.

Thank you to Leslie Hollander, owner of Sugar Up Sugar!, for the live baking demonstration! Several members baked French macarons alongside Leslie while others listened and took notes on the recipe and baking tips.  Leslie sent a short video on testing if your macarons are fully baked. Click on this link to download the video-  Testing Cooked Macarons.MOV

Check out Emma Reynold and Natalie Lorenz Anderson's finished products! 

Thank you to Betsy Knab for providing a Virtual tour of "Every Eye is Upon Me: First Ladies of the United States" - the first exhibition to explore the historical significance of this prominent position.  The exhibition spans 250 years from Martha Washington to Melania Trump with portraiture, iconic dresses and memorabilia at the National Portrait Gallery. 

 

Click to view the video Betsy presented

Click here to learn more about the exhibit and the portraits.  

In early December, our club member Holly Kuga died suddenly in a car accident. A lovely article was written about our club losing a special member and friend -- Great Falls Club Mourns Member Lost in Car Accident | People | insidenova.com.  GFFN member and long-time friend shares these words.....   

"Holly was my friend, my bridge student, & a big help in pulling off the Bridge Jamboree for the benefit of the GFWC & the GFFN Scholarship Fund for several years. She was bright, funny, caring, & reliable."  -- Karen Magley


 GFFN supports the GFFN Scholarship Fund's Annual Tea.  For more information about the event or to volunteer, please send us an email at gffnsf@gmail.com.  Event details can be found at Gffnsf.org/events. 

Philanthropy 2020-2021 Charities

Great Falls Friends and Neighbors will be supporting the following charities through our annual events.  

      Click the button below for more information and links for GFFN members who would like to make a personal donation in lieu of, or in addition to, attending a philanthropic event. When making the donation, please indicate that you are a GFFN member.  Thank you in advance for your generosity.  We appreciate your support.

      Philanthropy Charities Details

      Upcoming Club Events

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      COVID Update

      The safety and well-being of our members is of paramount importance. Great Falls Friends & Neighbors is mindful of the health risks associated with COVID-19 yet hopes to continue its mission during this unprecedented time.  

      Therefore, with respect to all club “in-person” social gatherings, we ask our members take an extra moment to assess their own health, recent travel, and interactions, and make prudent decisions about participating in any club event if you have had any reason to question whether you may have been exposed to the COVID-19 virus or if your special medical circumstances place you at unique risk.  At a minimum, you should refrain from attending any “ in-person” club events if you have been exposed to the COVID-19 virus within the past 14 days, you are not feeling well or if you have any concerns about your own underlying medical conditions. With this in mind, we will be reasonable and flexible with regard to cancellations due to COVID-19 health issues up to and including the day of the event this club year (2020/2021). Great Falls Friends & Neighbors’s events endeavor to follow all guidelines issued by the Commonwealth of Virginia to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.  Please refer to the  VDH.Virginia.gov  and cdc.gov websites for current information, requirements, and guidance. We will also make virtual events and options a priority, whenever possible.

      Attendance at any of our events is voluntary and at your own risk.  Great Falls Friends & Neighbors does not assume any risk or liability involved with your attendance at any event.

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      Great Falls Friends & Neighbors (GFFN)
      P.O. Box 483
      Great Falls, VA  22066

      Email: info@gffnva.org

      Our Mission Statement

      To develop friendships and a sense of community among our members through social, cultural, civic, and philanthropic activities. 

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