BELMONT, Mass. — On the evening of May 22, the Armenian International Women’s Association (AIWA) New England hosted “Taste of Spring,” a fundraising and networking event held at the Loading Dock restaurant. The event featured Patti Fletcher, a business consultant and coach who gave a brief presentation about her book Disrupters: Success Strategies from Women Who Break the Mold, and about how she draws inspiration from her Armenian roots and her family’s history during the Genocide. Her message to the gathering was, “We are our grandparents’ wildest dreams!”
The event featured hors d’oeuvres and cocktails, as well as a wine raffle, with wines donated by Karas Vineyards, the Loading Dock and several AIWA members. Funds were raised to support AIWA New England and the Women’s Entrepreneurship Program at the American University of Armenia Extension School. This high-powered training program educates and supports women in Armenia who want to become successful entrepreneurs, and AUA is expanding it to include a leadership training course. More than 250 women have graduated from the program since 2002.
In addition to fundraising, a key achievement for the evening was to introduce newcomers to the organization and expand AIWA’s network.
AIWA’s mission is to promote and enrich the social, economic and personal advancement of Armenian women worldwide. Events and membership are open to everyone, male and female, who shares these goals.