Nov-Dec-Jan | 2019-2020

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Dear Members, There’s no place like home for the holidays, and as we enter the festive season at our home away from home, I wish you peace and joy in abundance. Many holiday traditions remind us of the impor tance of kindness and gratitude. They allow us the oppor tunity to give thanks and reflect on the good for tune we have experienced over the past year. As the year comes to a close and I end my term as a General Committee Member and leave the board, I would like to share my gratitude and thankfulness to have had the oppor tunity to ser ve my fellow Members and to have done so alongside so many amazing volunteers. I have been in awe of the time and energy our Members give, often in challenging situations, with the simple desire to make The Club the best it could possibly be for their fellow Members. These volunteers frequently bring to my mind the famous passage known as “The Man in the Arena” fromTheodore Roosevelt’s speech Citizenship in a Republic. They have striven valiantly and dared greatly.These Members ser ve with such grace and dignity, and their ser vice has been an inspiration to me each day. I am also inspired by our fellow Members and the moments of genuine kindness shown by them towards one another and towards the staff. Their generosity of spirit is not only a sign of the season but a tenet of our community. It is evidenced in the suppor t our fellow Members have shown for the EAGLE Fund and in the smile shared as one Member holds the door for another. I am thankful for the hard work, patience, and flexibility of our Members and staff as the major components of redevelopment come to a close. As we settle into our new Clubhouse, I know we will bring the holiday traditions of cheer, generosity, and kinship not only to our new spaces and events but to our community throughout the year.

The Club community has a lot to celebrate, and we look forward to celebrating with you. Our Festive Guide offers a wealth of holiday favorites from food to wine, and we invite you to enjoy the American Thanksgiving feast and Christmas Tree Lighting, our Christmas and New Year’s celebrations, and the Chinese New Year festivities at The Club. Our annual Ang Pow Holiday Fund is also a way to give thanks for the extraordinar y effor ts of our staff. The Club is for tunate to have amazing staff that genuinely care about our Members. They ensure that The Club is our home away from home, and for that, I am deeply grateful. Without our community of staff and Members, The Club is merely four walls and a roof, but with them, it is a home. With The Club’s 71 st bir thday behind us and the holidays and New Year ahead, we look with gratitude to those that built our community and ingrained in it a culture of kindness and generosity.We also look to the future with the knowledge that our revitalized Clubhouse will help sustain our vibrant community for generations to come. I personally look forward to seeing The Club filled with the delight of ever yday activities, friendships, family, and community. Thank you for allowing me to ser ve as a Club volunteer for the past 20 years. It has truly been an honor. I hope each of you has a joyous holiday season filled with love and countless reasons to feel grateful. Warmest wishes,

Dana Hvide

1 THE AMERICAN CLUB SINGAPORE