Charity
New AWCCS Charity
The New Charity for AWCCS will be….
Amina MWRC – Sahara Scotland. It was a tight competition over the entire week and a bit of voting, and in the end it won by a margin of only one vote over Wise Women, which certainly deserves a mention, and is a very worthy charity.
A very heartfelt thank you to all of you who voted! It really was great to see everyone come together as a community to choose a charity.
Here is a summary of Sahara Scotland:
Amina MWRC’s Sahara Scotland project supports Muslim and minority ethnic women across Central Scotland. Some of the women they serve have limited rights, no access to public funds, and are trapped in abuse with no safe escape. Others may be eligible for certain support, but still face isolation, hardship, and barriers to services. Referrals have surged, leaving the charity stretched to its limits.
Help Us Keep the Momentum Going 💜
Since July 2025, we’ve raised over £1,000 for charity — an amazing achievement. But we could really use a little extra help to keep that momentum going.
At the moment, we don’t have a Charity Chair or a dedicated group focused on fundraising. That’s where you come in.
Are you a walker who could organise a Kiltwalk or another charity walk for our chosen charity, Amina?
Do you have experience reaching out to businesses for raffle prizes or donations?
Are you a creative person who enjoys hosting events or activities to raise money?
To borrow a line from Tesco: every little helps. You don’t need to take on everything — even putting yourself forward for one idea or activity makes a difference. We can also form a small charity committee if that works better.
If you’re interested or have ideas, we’d love to hear from you.
Just email Treasurer@awccs.org
Greetings from your President
AWCCS is currently without a president. If you are interested in this role, please contact the board.
Upcoming Events
Save The Date
Dear Members: See our lengthy list of further upcoming activities available for all our AWCCS members – this is for all our pan Central Scotland, you can go to any activity irrespective of where you live.
Edinburgh Based Glasgow Based Virtual Activities
February:Sunday 8th, 2pm – Afternoon Tea at the Bonham, EdinburghMonday 9th, 7:30pm – Novo Quartet Concert at Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh (buy your own ticket)
Saturday 14th, 10:30am – Tenement House Tour, GlasgowThursday 19th, 6pm – Edinburgh Birthday Bash, The Court at Caledonian Hilton, EdinburghWednesday, 25th, Edinburgh Coffee Morning, Location: TBDThursday 26th, 7:15pm – Kahoot, from the comforts of your own homeSaturday 28th, 10:00am – Glasgow Coffee Morning, Location: TBD March:Wednesday, 11th, 5:30pm – Scottish Opera – Tristan & Isolde, Usher Hall, Edinburgh (buy your own ticket)Saturday 21st, 1:00pm – Glasgow Book Group; The Last BookstoreSaturday 28th or Sunday 29th, 10:00am – Glasgow Coffee Morning, Location: TBD April:April 2nd, 7:15pm – Kahoot, from the comforts of your own home
Recent Events
Once again we gathered to celebrate Edinburgh Thanksgiving at the Braid Hills Hotel.
We had a great turn out and everyone had a fantastic time.
Many thanks to the hard working organisers – Nancy, Kathy and Quonya.
Glasgow held a fantastic Thanksgiving dinner in the lovely setting of The Ingram Steakhouse.
This year we replaced the Christmas cookie exchange with a much healthier holiday book swap!
Thanks to Stacey Wilkins for hosting.
Edinburgh had a lovely coffee morning at Cafe Barbera in November.
Club Announcements
Tentative Date for AWCCS Annual General Meeting
Our Honorary President is Kathryn Porter, the US Consul-General here in Scotland. She has tentatively agreed that our club may hold our Annual General Meeting on Tuesday May 4, 2026 from 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM at the US Consulate General Edinburgh. The address is 3 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh.
If anyone would like to be on a team to help with Set up, Clean up, and Catering, let Nancy Lynner know at her email address nlynner@gmail.com
All AWCCS members in good standing are welcome.
Thanksgiving Committee
We’re inviting AWCCS members to join the 2026 Edinburgh Thanksgiving Planning Committee. This is our largest and best-attended annual event and includes our most successful fundraiser, the Silent Auction. To support the committee, Nancy Lynner, Kathy McGlew, and Quonya Huff have created a Thanksgiving Guidebook Handover outlining how the event has traditionally been managed. I (Quonya Huff) will remain on the committee as Event Manager/Treasurer, and I am looking for help with the following roles and tasks:
Marketing/Promotion
Seating Chart
Children’s Activities
Quiz
Silent Auction
Interested? Please contact (Quonya) – Treasurer@awccs.org – An initial planning meeting is expected in February, with monthly meetings leading up to the event.
Voting/Tax
VOTING in 2026
2026 will be a midterm election year, and with the current close balance in the House, where all members will be up for (re)election, and the Senate, where 1/3 of members will be retained or replaced. it will be even more important than the 2024 election in determining the outcome for American democracy and presidential power. Overseas voters have less time and greater barriers to voting than those in the US and must therefore register early to secure their participation in the election and to assist as many of their compatriots as possible to vote to help preserve democracy and their own rights.
Unlike US residents, Overseas Voters are required to register to vote annually. Some states will retain your registration if you voted in the previous election, but there is no guarantee that this will continue, and Overseas Voters, who tend to vote for Democrats, may become the target of the current administration. If you have not yet registered, do so now so you are eligible to vote in primaries, special elections, and the general election in November 2026.
There are several safe, secure websites that are easy to navigate and provide all the information you need, including the US Vote Foundation (https://www.usvotefoundation.org/vote/request-overseas-absentee-ballot), the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) (https://www.fvap.gov/citizen-voter), or Vote From Abroad (https://www.votefromabroad.org/). Fill out the form to register/request a ballot for the 2026 US elections. Voter-suppression laws have moved registration deadlines up in the calendar. Further, while federal law requires states to send ballots to overseas voters in September, at least 45 days before the election, we need to return our ballots about a month before Election Day (Tuesday, November 3, 2026) to be sure that our votes are counted.
Note that you should register to vote at the address from which you last voted, however long ago that may have been.
Taxation
Want to learn how to legally avoid double taxation pitfalls as an American abroad? Join us on February 11 for a Zoom webinar focused on common areas of double taxation and the tools available to help: How to Avoid Double Taxation for Americans Abroad.
To buy a ticket, go to: https://www.democratsabroad.org/doubletax2026?utm_campaign=2026_double_tax_webinar_emea2&utm_medium=email&utm_source=democratsabroad
What: How to Avoid Double Taxation for Americans Abroad
When: Wednesday, February 11, from 6-7 p.m. GMT
Tickets: $15 General Admission or $10 Retired/Student/Unemployed/Veteran. Recording available.
This webinar is for you if you are:
- Scared of getting double taxed
- Don’t understand why you’ve had to pay US tax on top of tax in your country of residence
- Want to avoid paying US tax on the sale of your home, savings, investments, or pension
- Comfortable with your tax situation but want to see if there are any additional areas you could optimize for tax
What we’ll cover:
- What is the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion
- What is the Foreign Tax Credit
- How to use tax treaties to your advantage
- How to avoid or minimize double taxation for pensions, savings, investments, and the sale of your home
- How you can reduce or eliminate double taxation with advanced tax planning
Stolperstein
A Stolperstein in Edinburgh. AWCCS is involved.
By Nancy Lynner
Stolpersteine (German for “stumbling stones”) are small, brass plaques set into the pavement, commemorating victims of Nazi persecution at their last freely chosen residence before they were deported, murdered, or forced to flee. These serve as a decentralized Holocaust memorial to make people “stumble” upon history and remember individual lives. Each stone typically reads “Here lived,” followed by the person’s name, birth, and fate (deportation/death dates/location). Initiated by German artist Gunter Demnig, these stones honor Jews, Roma, homosexuals, disabled people, political opponents, and others, grounding collective memory in specific places.
There are over 116,000 Stolpersteine in 31 countries across the world, and now there is one in Edinburgh. It is the first one in Scotland. This stumbling stone is in memory of Jane Haining, a Church of Scotland missionary and educator who was matron of a school and taught Jewish (and Christian) girls in Budapest, Hungry. In 1940 the Church of Scotland advised Haining to return to Britain but she chose to stay and help her students. In 1944 she was arrested by the Gestapo and taken to Auschwitz-Birkenau, where she died two months later. The location of her Stolpersteine is in front of St Stephen’s church in the Stockbridge area of Edinburgh—this was the last church to which she belonged. Miss Haining is also the only Scot to have been recognised as ‘Righteous Among the Nations’ at Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Centre in Jerusalem.
The American Women’s Club of Central Scotland has volunteered to polish the Edinburgh Stolpersteine annually in perpetuity. Fellow American Women’s Clubs in Germany and other European countries have already been annually polishing the Stolpersteine in their cities. If you’d like to visit the Stolpersteine honoring Jane Haining, contact Nancy at nlynner@gmail.com.
Kahoot
AWCCS offers Kahoot for our members. If you don’t already know kahoot – here is. Good description: Best played in a group setting (virtually for AWCCS). To join a game, you need a unique PIN. If you’re the game host, you need a big screen. Players answer on their own devices, while questions are displayed on a shared screen. In addition to live games, you can also send kahoot challenges that players complete at their own pace. Plus is we are in the friendly confines of our own home. The bonus: we have a good laugh together. All are welcome even if you have not played before. No cost ! RSVP once the invitation has been received.
Member News
February
Karen Cameron
Ann Pickens-Clark
March
Tara Scott
Roseline Marshall
Beth Tope
Sallie Sharp
Katherine Hamilton
Kristin Blocher-Kent
Gecinda Turner
Paige Swinston
Carol Lamason
Welcome New Members
Rhonda Nanney
Paige Swinston
Carol Lamason
Margaret Morgan
Julie Galante
Walking Group
From Mary Jo –
Hello walkers 👋👋👋.
I have signed up to FAWCO’s 2026 Tour de FAUSA! During this walk we will be tracing the route of the longest walkable distance on Earth—a mere 22,890.5 km, or about 14,223 miles. The journey winds through 17 countries. This is a virtual tour, which means no jet lag, no luggage to haul, no passports to guard and not even a cent to spend once you’re “on the road.” We start walking Feb 1st 2026.
I would like to invite you to join me some walk – gentle and easy walks somewhere between Edinburgh and Glasgow. Planning has started so please watch your emails for details. No experience needed – just strap on your walking shoes, bring some water and away we will go. Looking forward to your company. Mary Jo ( still in Glasgow at the moment).
Edinburgh Book Group
Contact: dka.finlayson@gmail.com
Friday, 20 February
TransAtlantic
By Colum McCann
Home of Chris MacLachlan
c.maclachlan@blueyonder.co.uk
Start time: 10am
(note the earlier-than-usual start time)
Friday, 20 March
The Great Gatsby,
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Location TBD
Start time: 10:30
Future dates: 18 April, 16 May
FAWCO
FAWCO Target Program 2025‒2028
Human Rights
Advancing Dignity, Equality and Freedom for Women and Girls
https://www.fawco.org/global-issues/target-program/human-rights-2025-2028
FAWCO Update
The FAWCO Interim Meeting will be held in Malta the weekend of March 20-22. More information can be found here: https://www.fawco.org/about/events/conferences/upcoming-conference
I would like to invite members to give their input for the clubs direction to identify potential synergies or opportunities. For example: a couple of ideas/plans to make the most of your FAWCO membership — Programs the club plans/wants to engage with (Target, Clubs in Motion, Youth, UN Teams, US Issues) and how. Any local FAWCO inspired events members would like to develop or engage in, or how to ensure members know of the benefits and occasional events and opportunities available as a member of FAWCO? Please send any ideas or input to fawcorep@awccs.org
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