By CARI MCKENZIE
Contributing Writer
Potluck meets global discussion at the dinner table during the monthly “Dining for Women” program. A group of women meet the second Thursday of every month at the Woman’s Club of Albany at
725 Madison Ave. to talk about problems facing women and children in developing countries.
Dining for Women begins at 6:30 p.m. with a half hour of socializing, followed by a potluck dinner at 7:00 p.m., and the evening’s program and discussion begin at 7:30 p.m.
The program’s next meeting will take place at its regular time at the club on Apr. 11th.
April’s program, CREATE! Center for Renewable Energy and Appropriate Technology for the Environment, will focus on reducing poverty and improving opportunities for women and children in Tieneba, Senegal by promoting self-sufficiency and leadership skills.
Dining for Women is an international organization that has been around for 10 years and includes 400 chapters around the globe. The Albany chapter began in January 2012 and started in the homes of chapter leaders Rosemary Revoir and Sara Combes.
“If this gets big, there’s not going to be room,” said Combes, about the start of the Albany’s Dining for Women chapter. Last March, the chapter found a venue at the Woman’s Club of Albany.
“We liked their philosophy, their accountability work with programs and people in the community,” said Combes.
“Their mission is very similar,” said Revoir, about the Woman’s Club of Albany. Both organizations are aimed at the growth and progress of women through charitable activities.
The monthly dinners raise awareness about issues faced by women and children in developing countries, and also raise funds to support projects to help them. Participants bring a dish to share with the group and donate the amount of money they would have spent on a night out at a restaurant. However, attendees are welcomed to “come to learn,” Revoir said, even if they “don’t have money to contribute.”
The Dining for Women Mar. 14th meeting hosted a dozen women, but sometimes hosts upward of 30. Some of the women were lively, while some were more reserved.
Still, all had a passion for community involvement and charity work. Gail Butler, a retired database designer and program attendee, for instance, is active in community service such as the Red Cross and Meals on Wheels. Talking about the members of Dining for Women, they’re “not ones you meet in everyday life,” said Butler.
“We attract such interesting dynamics. It’s fascinating to hear their stories and backgrounds,” said Revoir about the Dining for Women group.
The program’s dinner meetings make visible the commonalities between women in Albany all across the globe.
“A little village in Nepal, here in New York…as women we want good education, good health care, a living to sustain our family on. Women a world away are no different,” said Revoir.
The organization’s motto is “Changing the World One Dinner at a Time.” In March, participants discussed the Nepal Teacher Training Innovation’s “Her Turn – Girls Education and Empowerment project.” Last month’s specific mission was to bring education, empowerment, and equality to girls of the Sindhupalchok District of Nepal.
Females of this Nepali region are subjected to gender and caste discrimination, child marriages, human trafficking, and an array of health problems resulting from young pregnancies. Her Turn will consist of 20 groups of 20 girls aged 10-14. The four week program will address issues of health; bullying, domestic violence, sexual abuse, child marriages, and human trafficking; leadership and future development; as well implementing a collective project that will positively impact the girls’ community and school.
The Dining for Women program is open to the community and will be hosting its next meeting on April 11th beginning at 6:30 p.m. to talk about Tieneba, Senegal. And if the learning experience isn’t enough, “the food is up there,” said Revoir. “It really is fun.”
For more information on Dining for Women visit diningforwomen.org or for the Woman’s Club of Albany visit womansclubofalbany.com.
