Autumnal Greetings and Happy Halloween to all!  

The GWP Steering Committee is preparing to meet for our “in person” Fall Retreat, and I am looking forward to hosting the group in McPherson.  As I prepare for this event, it is with excitement and sadness—after five years of serving on the Steering Committee, this will be the last time I meet with them as my term is ending.  When I was contacted about joining the group, one reason I was excited was because it meant traveling twice a year to meet with old and new friends.  Then COVID hit, and I did not meet “in person” for two years with the group.   We learned how to ”do business” via ZOOM, and things went so well and we saved so much money that we decided to travel just once a year and have more money to send to our projects.

I have worked with Sister Stella and her organization, Shifting Ideas Through Education for African Women or, SITEAW, and one of the highlights was meeting Sister Stella in person.  We met in Indianapolis, and I learned how the project has changed over the years.  We now support Sister Stella and her group, SITEAW, in the construction of an educational destination for girls and women.  Sister Stella also helped change the cultural tradition of female mutilation of young women in her area to a day of celebration with basket races and other games in which the village people participate.  

This is all to say I will greatly miss working with the GWP Steering Committee.  I would encourage each of you to consider not only financially supporting GWP, but to also think about volunteering for the Steering Committee, although we do have a new member who will be joining after our McPherson Retreat, and who will be welcomed in our next e-links!  So stay tuned…

Farewell with love and gratitude,
Karlene Tyler