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To the Alaska Women’s Network Members:
Report on the Annual Meeting March 12, 2011
The AWN Board wishes to express its appreciation to each of you for your continued support of the Alaska Women’s Network website. The Annual Meeting was held on Saturday, March 12, 2011 and the following officers were elected for the coming year:
Yeganeh Ataian, President
Jan Blanchard, Vice President
Susan Olsen, Treasurer
Carolyn Fleming, Secretary
Deborah Collins continues to serve as the Web Goddess for the AWN website. The AWN Board members express their heartfelt appreciation for Deborah’s continued service caring for the website with diligence and expertise.
AWN board reaffirmed its plan to provide resources and links for women across Alaska and is open to new information that will continue to keep our website current with the latest resources supporting the mission of AWN as seen on the homepage of the website. If you have a resource or link that would benefit the website, please share it.
In the past year AWN has been out in the community providing support and encouragement as we are able either financially or as volunteers. A few examples are as follows:
Received a citation from the 27th AK State Legislature dated 15 Feb 2011 in recognition for AWN’s work accomplished for the betterment of our community.
Sponsor of the Alaska Women’s Hall of Fame.
Financial donation to support the Alaska Women’s Hall of Fame
Financial donation to support the Annual Kachemak Bay Writers’ Conference in Homer with scholarship funds for a woman writer
Financial donation for an ad to support the Alaska Chapter of Women in Wind Energy
Financial donation for an ad to support Alaska Women Speak
Established a homepage on Facebook for the Alaska Women’s Network to exchange information and resources with women.
Former AWN President was elected President of Gather the Women
According to a representative from the Alaska State Office, the Domestic Violence site on AWN website is used more often that the state-sponsored site since it is easy to use and to find needed information regarding helps available against domestic violence.
We would like to encourage each of you to talk about the AWN website and to invite your friends and colleagues to visit the web site and become a member.
This year AWN’s goal is to provide a scholarship to help a woman participate in the Kachemak Bay Writers’ Conference.
Donations from members of AWN to support this scholarship are welcomed and should be received before March 2012. To send moneys to support this scholarship, please address envelopes to
Susan Olsen,
AWN Treasurer,
8601 Sultana,
Anchorage, AK 99516.
Thank you again for your continued support of the Alaska Women’s Network this year.
With warm appreciation,
Alaska Women’s Network Board
The History of the Alaska Women’s Network
The Alaska Women's Network was founded in Juneau, Alaska, during the Alaska Women's Conference held in March 1996. Over the three-day gathering, women sought each other out to talk about a lasting legacy of the conference. As the tables and chairs were being put away at the end of the last day, a group of 25 to 30 women from different Alaskan communities gathered together to talk about some kind of organization that would serve as a statewide clearinghouse for information of interest to the women of the state.
A major catalyst for action was the 1995 United Nations Conference on Women held in Beijing, China. Many of the women who had traveled to China for this historic event were at the Alaska Women's Conference. They wanted to continue the momentum and fervor they had experienced in China. Their passion and excitement was contagious. Many of the women also wanted some kind of replacement for the Alaska Women's Commission, which had been phased out by state government.
After a few hours of spirited discussion, it was agreed that there would be an organization based on a website. The Internet seemed like the logical answer to how information could be shared on a shoestring budget in a state the size of Alaska. The Alaska Women's Network was born. (Many of the founding mothers are still board members.) Working through e-mail and by telephone, a Board of Directors was selected. The Alaska Women's Network website was up and running by August 1996. Within a few years, AWN became a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation and the idea of a "cyberspace organization" with no regular meetings, chapters, or dues was no longer strange.
AWN now has almost 200 members in 27 communities throughout Alaska, as well as women who have left Alaska and stay in touch through AWN.
How AWN Works
There is a board of traditional officers with the exception of a Web Goddess position. Since AWN is the website, the Web Goddess is critically important. An Executive Committee handles business between board meetings and makes recommendations to the full board. All communication is done electronically with the exception of quarterly teleconferences and an annual face-to-face meeting.
The primary functions of the board are to ensure that the website reflects the mission, to approve the budget, to contribute ideas for projects and additions to the website content, and to recruit members.
A major cornerstone of AWN is the Platform for Action from the 1995 UN Conference on Women in Beijing. Board members also look for opportunities to act on the Platform recommendations in Alaska. Funding for teleconferences and special events comes from grants, donations and voluntary contributions by the board members. Board members are recruited through AWN's list serve and every effort is made to have representation from different regions of the state.
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Website Disclaimer:
All information on the Alaska Women's Network (AWN) website is published in good faith and for general information purpose only. AWN does not make any warranties about the completeness, reliability and accuracy of this information. Any action you take upon the information on our website is strictly at your own risk. AWN will not be liable for any losses and damages in connection with the use of our website.
Please be also aware that when you leave our website, other sites may have different privacy policies and terms which are beyond our control.
From our website, you can visit other websites by following hyperlinks to these sites. AWN strives to provide links to useful and ethical websites, we have no control over the content and nature of these sites and the links to other websites do not imply a recommendation for all the content found on these sites.
Many fine things can be done in a day if you don’t always make that day tomorrow.
Author Unknown
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