Photos by Jane Pennewell
The air in Rock Creek Park around the Hungarian Embassy was throbbing on Sunday, December 5 where eighty guests, who had purchased tickets to the fundraiser for the Crisis Fund of AAFSW, were dancing the night away. This fund supplies emergency resources to the spouse of any foreign affairs employee who finds herself destitute when her marriage is breaking up.
The Embassy of Hungary generously provided a venue and a program featuring a film about their country, a dance by two women from the Hungarian community, Zsuzsanna Seres and Petra Zahoransky, who each nimbly danced with a wine bottle balanced atop her head. This was followed by a piano piece played by Katalin Szokol. After this cultural feast, the guests were treated to an actual feast of Hungarian cuisine, goulash, and other delicious dishes accompanied by Hungarian wines.
The generous donation of a dinner for fourteen at the Swiss Embassy from the Ambassador, H.E. Jacques Pitteloud and Mme Pitteloud was offered ar a silent auction and sold for satisfying $4000.00 to a benefactor.
Then the DJ went to work spinning a vibrant playlist which produced an enthusiastic crowd of dancers from the international community, Pakistan to Japan, Poland to Mexico, Switzerland, Belgium, Colombia,Iran and India, to name only some of the global community attending the gala.
Our indefatigable Program Chair, Sheila Switzer, threaded her way through the event, greeting, seating, tweaking and chatting for many long hours. She must have been grateful to shed her shoes at home at last and to feel satisfaction for the completion of a big job well done for a great cause.
AAFSW extends heartfelt thanks to the Hungarian Ambassador, H.E. Zsabolcs Takacs, Cultural Attache, Csenge Papp, the DJ, Llaszlo Prekker and the MC, Zsilvia Meszaros for hosting us and providing such a rewarding evening
Bravi tuttti. (See, I studied Italian during the pandemic!.)
Patty Ryan