Founder's Message
From its founding more than 30 years ago, International Women Associates (IWA) has been a cultural resource for women from other countries who reside in the Chicago area. IWA programs and activities have long provided an opportunity for transition and integration into the community, in the company of others who have had the experience of adjusting to a new and different society. IWA has also made it possible for Americans with international experience to share their knowledge and to fulfill the role of citizen/diplomat.
IWA reaches out in friendship to all members of Chicago’s international community. Through cultural exchange, dialogue, and friendship—both within and outside of the membership—IWA creates links among diverse people and other organizations and advocates for global understanding and universal human rights.
Doe Thornburg
Founder
Online Reservations for IWA Events
To register for many of our upcoming, exciting events, click HERE to go to the main IWA Event Registration Page.
IWA is proud to announce the 2010 Woman Extraordinaire,
Marjorie Craig Benton
The Woman Extraordinaire Award Committee selected Ms. Benton for her special international work with women and children. A biography of her extensive accomplishments will be included
in the invitation to be sent out in late January.
The committee was motivated in its selection process by the book, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, written by Pulitzer Prize winners Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. Their premise is that “it is the brutality inflicted on so many women and girls around the globe” that is the moral challenge of the 21st century. The committee felt our award recipient should be addressing these vital issues in her work. Ms. Benton, a Chicagoan as the award requires, has spent her life helping others, and in particular, women and children around the world.
Click here for more information and to register for the IWA 2010 Woman Extraordinaire program honoring Marjorie Craig Benton.
Nancy Knapp,
Woman Extraordinaire Chair 2010