February 2018 The American Society of São Paulo
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the FORUM monthly newsletter
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Youth Sports Registration Super Bowl Party Happy Hour St. Patrick's Day Party Annual General Meeting Annual Gala
Honoring the Givers
Every Gift Counts!
by Marlene Rubeiz, AmSoc Member
by Amy Brammer, CAC Chairperson
E
ach year, select members of the American Society meet behind closed doors, as part of a special committee. Their purpose is to choose one member of our community who has gone far and beyond, unselfishly contributing time and effort for the good of the entire São Paulo community. We then present this person with the Eric Poliak Award for Community Service. Established in 1984 to honor the memory of Eric Poliak, past president and leader of the community, this award is the highest honor given by our organization for an American in São Paulo. There are many who dedicate themselves to our organization, the charities which we support, and the general
community-in-need around us here in Brazil. But there is usually one person that stands out among the rest. We start the award process by asking the general membership to nominate a person whom they feel has been outstanding in the community. We typically have around six to eight nominations. A committee composed of past winners of the award, as well as other leaders of AmSoc, meet to examine these nominations. This is not an easy task!
T
hank you all for your generous donations of milk during December and January! Also, thank you for the wonderful towels donated at the AmSoc Holiday Party. Four of our organizations took home some muchneeded and appreciated gifts of milk and towels in December.
The decision is kept in strict secrecy until the Annual General Meeting (AGM), which will be held on Thursday, April 12th this year. During continued on page 5 The next big event for the Community Action Committee is Children’s Field Day! It will be held on April 14th at the US Consulate. We invite 150 children from our charity organizations and have a day of swimming, sports/games, crafts, and food! However, we need your help in creating this wonderful day. We need sponsors for the children at R$40/ child, and volunteers to help with the day! Watch your e-mail and AmSoc’s Facebook for sponsorship information! §
Richard Wegman (right) receiving the Eric Poliak Award at the 2017 Annual General Meeting
Cover image: Ponte Estaiada Courtesy of: Ike D. Leo