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Monthly Newsletter May 2009www.amsoc.com.br
Forum
AmSoc members, businessesdonate their time, energy
By
Kim Beecheno
,sta writer
Teenage girls enjoy a group dance class at Grupo Primavera, a non-proft children’s center in Campinas.
Members wanted to participate at AGM on May 12
The AmSoc Annual General Meeting willtake place on May 12
t
from 8-10 p.m. atthe Consul General’s House, a perfect op- portunity to meet many of the Consulatestaff and the Consul General as well asold and new friends.It will take the form of a cocktail partywhere the Executive Committee andBoard of Governors will be elected for thecoming year. There will be a presentationof the activities of the Society’s variouscommittees, and wine and hors d’oeuvreswill be served after the meeting.
Spaces are limited, but all members areencouraged to attend to support AmSoc.The event is free to attend, but membersare asked to please RSVP to the invita-tion letters which have been sent out to all
members by calling the ofce at 5182-2074.Identication in the form of a passport or
RNE card will be checked at the door.
In a country like Brazil where the disparityof wealth is one of the highest in the worldand charitable and non-governmentalorganizations often receive little help,volunteering, teaching and giving your time to help others can be even more re-warding than donating money – for boththe volunteer and the person in need.“Everyone should volunteer at home or abroad,” said AmSoc member ElisabethMckenzie, who recently began tutoringa young girl at Lar Tia Edna, a home for foster children founded by an Americanmissionary more than 30 years ago.“I enjoy it immensely, it’s so rewardingto help someone advance themselves. Payit forward, I say.”AmSoc donates money and helps coor-dinate volunteer programs at 10 differentlocal charities like Lar
In This IssueIn This Issue
R$68,000 already inthe bank
Page 7:
The AmSoc CorporateDonations Drive is off to a promisingstart. Read here what the fundraisinggoal is for 2009, and how your company can help AmSoc succeed.
Answers aplentyat new Web site forforeigners
Page 5:
New Web site AngloInfo SãoPaulo offers factual, researched, hard-to-
nd answers to common questions for
newcomers to SP, like ‘What does it taketo open a darn bank account here?’
Page 13:
A local psychologist has helped
launch São Paulo’s rst ‘Girl Friends
Group,’ a popular free-form meetingconcept in the U.S. that is allowinglocal women to share the joys and
difculties of living abroad.
Ex-pat womensupport one anotherWhat drivesBrazilians’materialistic tastes?
Page 16:
Columnist Sue BanmanSileci ponders why Brazilian-madegoods tend to draw more interest fromforeigners than Brazilian shoppersthemselves.
(Continued on page 8)
Forum
May
2
The American Society of São Paulo
Rua da Paz, 1431
n
04713-001 São Paulo, SPTel: (11) 5182-2074
n
Fax: (11) 5182-9155
forum@amsoc.com.br
Bob Moser
,
editor
Kim Beecheno
,
staff writer
Rita Ferreira,
layout
Thais Adorno,
editorial assistant Forum
is printed by Tom Artes.(www.tomartes.com.br)Views expressed in
Forum
do not
necessarily reect those of the American
Society board of governors, members,or staff.
Forum
reserves the right to editcontent for brevity and/or clarity.
Forum
is published monthly, withthe exception of January and July, by
A b o u t
F o r u m
Newcomerprole
Name:
Zack Henry
Origin, time here:
Brooklyn, NYC, nowin São Paulo for oneyear
Profession
:
I own a
boutique investment
advisory shop. I play
the mideld between Brazilian companies
looking for capital and foreign investorslooking to place capital.
Why São Paulo?:
My wife is from Rio, sowe came to Brazil. … But essentially oneof the key angles of my job is networking,and this (SP) is the place to be. A number of my friends in Rio have been obligatedto move to São Paulo to work. Businesseshave migrated to São Paulo, it has become
the banking capital, nancial capital.
Best thing so far:
I came down here for
about once a quarter for about six years, so
I’m not exactly new here. The neighbor-hood where we live, Vila Nova Conceição,it’s nice discovering there is kind of anisland of serenity in the concrete junglethat is São Paulo.
Early frustrations:
Just learning to play by a different set of rules, which means basically there are no rules, or nobody willenforce the rules. I’ve lived in a number of different countries, and you know, in
most of those I kind of felt like I t in
with the U.S. mentality and background, but here I feel like it’s more of a free-for-all. There’s a lack of order here, there arerules but they are clouded, because theenforcement is weak.
Have
saudade
for anything back home?:
Just my friends and family,
because they’re not here, and I can nd
most other things I have back here in SãoPaulo, but not them.
Progress with Portuguese:
I’ve spo-
ken uently for some time, though I’ve
tweaked it and gained a higher degree of
uency.
Favorite place to hang out:
Just theneighborhood
boteco
, an informal restau-rant/bar. It’s a laid back, fun-loving envi-ronment, generally good mix of
people.
Recommend a newly-relocated ex-pat for this column by e-mailing forum@amsoc.com.br
Outgoing President’sLetter
By
Marlene ChumoRubeiz
,
AmSoc president
May is a nostal-gic month for me.This is the monththat I will turn
over the ofce of
AmSoc presiden-cy at the AnnualGeneral Meeting.According to our bylaws, officersmay be elected and re-elected once,completing a two-year term maxi-mum. They may not serve in thesame position for more than twoyears. Governors are also elected for two-year terms and can be re-electedwithout any limit. Each year, half of the Board comes up for re-election.I am extremely pleased to presentfor election to the presidency TimScott. He has served on the Boardfor nearly two years and has donean exemplary job organizing our Little League Sports program for children. He is an executive of Caterpillar, father of Graded Schoolchildren ,and husband to Lydia, asupporter and active member of thecommunity. They have close ties tothe ex-pat community and are knownas a happy dedicated family. Hischosen vice president, Joe Sherman,is a long-time active member of
AmSoc. Jacques Vaney will continue
as treasurer and Mark Abrams willtake on the job of Secretary.The two years as president of AmSoc will remain in my heartas very special years. I thoroughlyenjoyed my work. I must mentionthe support and untiring patience of my husband, Ricardo, who was andis always there for me. Being guided by Celina Sampaio, our AmSocmanager, guaranteed that nothingwas forgotten. My vice president,Mark Abrams, was really my co- president and must be singled out for his dedication to AmSoc. Workingtogether with him and the wholeBoard, as well as our membershipin general was a tremendouslygratifying experience.I hope that the increased attendanceat activities, increased membershipand inclusion of new activities aresigns that AmSoc members were
satised with our work.
I thank you all for your support of this great organization, and pleaseknow that I will always be ready tohelp whenever called upon.
The American Societyof São Paulo
2009
Forum
3
Renew now, get 16 months for price of 12
By
Richard Wegman
,
AmSoc board member
With the membership contest having
ended in February, AmSoc members and
newcomers to the organization will beencouraged over the coming months totake advantage of this latest offer to saveon membership fees.
The AmSoc calendar year ofcially
starts in August, which is the deadlinefor renewing a membership. Tradition-ally the push for renewal has come inMay or June, before the heavy vacationmonth of July.But this year, members and newcomerswho pay their membership fees now will be covered through August 2010. Thatmeans a possible 16 months for the priceof 12 (if you renew now in April).
Call the AmSoc ofce at 5182-2074
to learn more.
To the right you will nd a list of our
newest AmSoc members. Please go outof your way to make them feel welcomeat upcoming events.
Namemembership typecitizeNship
compaNy or professioN
Robert SCHATZMAN
Family Patron
AmericanErnst&YoungDenis DE CASTRO
Family
BrazilianUniversity of VermontPete LAWLIS
FamilyIrish/Finnish
General MotorsIan COKE
Family
English
Lisa Ann ALFAROFamily
American
Matthew Scott FILERFamily
AmericanCaterpillar - MGEMarcos ZAGURY
Family
Brazilian
Private Law Ofce
Diego GONZALEZ
Family
AmericanMarsh Inc.Oswaldo Guerra SCHMIDT
Family
BrazilianEstrutura Investimentos
Jose E. FUXAFamily Patron
AmericanEli Lilly do Brasil LtdaRichard POLLARD
Family
BritishJennifer TRAN
Family
BrazilianNokia Siemens NetworksTatiana MARTINEZ
Family
AmericanCiscoCarlos H CHRISTENSEN
Family
Argentinean
Charles Gully Frewen
WEBSTER
Family
Brazilian/British
Wood 4 Life Part. Ltda.
Rodrigo RIVERA
Family
Brazilian/Ameri-canCalyon Bank - Newedge USAZach HENRY
Family
AmericanCarcará PartnersGian Battista SERRASingleItalianCaroleana Obrien MATTOS
Family
AmericanMercedes Emilio Ltd.Chris CORCORANHelping HandsAmericanBoyden GlobalExecutive SearchMathew SVETICHSingleAmericanKPMGJuan O. A. ADORNO
Family
BrazilianClinica Neurologica e NeurocirurgicaMary Ann B. DURHAMSingle PatronAmericanU.S. ConsulateDouglas Campbell SMITH
Family Patron
AmericanMicrosoftMarcio BERGSingleBrazilian
English in the Ofce
Wilfried DAASSingleDutchAdriana Rillo MONTINI
Family
BrazilianAvon CosmeticsMatthew David SMITH
Family
BritishSchering-Plough
Muriel ASSERAF
Single
FrenchIFESP
William James MCCROSSENSingleAmericanNext Level Training &CommunicationGuilherme MEYERSingle PatronBrazilianDresdner Bank RepresentaçãoDavid BOWLERSingle PatronAmericanIGC PartnersJonathan EELES
Family
BritishInglesa Comunicação eMarketing São PauloArmando ALMEIDA Jr.Helping HandsBrazilianCristina COIMBRASingleBrazilianAndrea RODRIGUESSingleBrazilianConsultórioCindy BARRETT
Family Patron
American
AmSoc held a very successul Cocktail Party orcorporate donors, and AmSoc helping hands andpatron-level members, on April 2 . O the manymembers and donors in attendance, pictured atthe party rom let to right are: Lynne Couri, CarlosAlonso, Veraci Street, Eric Street and Simone Kliass.
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