Nov-Dec-Jan Magazine

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Dear Members, This is a busy time of year in the cycle of Club life. For many of our Members, the end of the school year is quickly approaching, activities are wrapping up, summer travel plans are being finalized, flurries of par ty invitations appear in mailboxes, backpacks, and inboxes, and thoughts often return to “home”. Reflecting on my own thoughts of home, it occurred to me today that The Club has been the setting for most of the milestones in my family’s life. We celebrated my oldest daughter’s first bir thday in Eagle’s Nest and her graduation from college at the same location, and we have spent countless hours at The Club attending par ties, brunch, swim lessons, ballet classes, bowling, on the tennis cour ts, at That Dance Thing, and in the Gym. My first thought after this realization was that The Club truly has been my family’s home away from home for the past 28 years, and then I realized that The Club is more than that to my family. It is simply home. Our Club is able to operate due to the collaborative effor ts of Member volunteers and a professional management team. I am so grateful to our wonderful staff team and to the many Members that stepped forward to volunteer their time and exper tise on both new and existing committees throughout the redevelopment process. The formation of two new Member Resolution Working Groups reflects our culture of embracing different perspectives and displays the strong spirit of volunteerism within our community. The Audit Review Group and the Constitutional Review Group have been working diligently to implement the two respective Member resolutions that were passed at the Annual General Meeting in 2018, and the Pool Area Working Group has also made significant progress on the longer-term exploration of a pool area redesign. You may have noticed the Club team and our Member volunteers working at a frenzied pace to bring Club spaces and outlets online. I hope you are enjoying the new Claymore Entrance and that you are looking forward to the Lobby opening in the near future. Tradewinds, our new all- day dining outlet, will follow shor tly and will feature the return of the beloved salad bar at lunchtime. The Gym (see

more on page 13) and The Gourmet Pantr y are scheduled to open summer, and I know we are all looking forward to using these new spaces. The Tennis Galler y will be under construction for most of the summer and is scheduled to open together with the back-of-house areas. Once these areas are complete, the staff offices on B1 will move to their permanent locations, and the space will return to its former usage as parking for Members. With the opening of the B1 parking area, the construction phase of the redevelopment project will be complete! While we still have the rectification period of redevelopment ahead and we know that ever ything is not perfect, we have achieved a lot and have much to look forward to as a community. The Club has benefited from new programs like The Entrepreneurs Series, A Literar y Evening book launches, Fintech Forum, and Monthly Stor ytelling sessions for kids. The General Committee is committed to listening to our fellow Members, and new subcommittees have both been formed and are in the process of forming to meet Member requests and interests. One such example is the HEAL (Healthy Eating and Allergies) Subcommittee, which will focus on special dietar y needs and healthy eating alternatives – read more about HEAL on page 23. All of these activities, programs, and subcommittees were made possible through the creative input of Members who contributed not only their ideas but also their time and effor t. In this busy season, please know that you are appreciated and valued as a Member, and that, wherever your travels may take you this summer – whether it’s the US, Canada, or staying in Singapore – home is waiting for you here at The Club. All the best,

Dana Hvide

1 THE AMERICAN CLUB SINGAPORE