Mary Willis Pomeroy
A Woman for all Women
1925-2023

Mary Willis Pomeroy, a lifelong catalyst for improving women’s lives around the world, died suddenly at her home in Rio Verde, AZ on August 26, 2023. She was 98.

In 2017 the Delegation honored Mary’s 50 years of service with the Mary Pomeroy Friendship Award, a testament to the enduring legacy of her nurturing camaraderie among diverse women.

Spring/Summer 2023

Kim Harms, President

​FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK

Dear Delegates,
​One of the questions that may be on your mind as we prepare for our next visit Delegation visit to Poland is, “Is it safe to travel there with the war in Ukraine raging just across the border?”. Since the safety of our Delegates is of utmost concern to us, we did a little research. The first place I look when it comes to safety is the United States (US) State Department’s Travel Safety Rating. As of this month, here is the latest posting regarding Poland:

“Travel Advisory July 26, 2023 Poland - Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions  Exercise normal precautions in Poland. Read the country information page for additional information on travel to Poland. If you decide to travel to Poland: Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency. Follow the Department of State on Facebook and Twitter. Review the Country Security Report for Poland. Visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) page for the latest Travel Health Information related to your travel. Prepare a contingency plan for emergency situations. Review the Traveler’s Checklist.”

Interestingly enough, France, Germany, and Belgium are rated as more dangerous, at a level 2. With that in mind, I found an interesting explanation as to why Poland would be considered safer than other European countries which have a greater buffer against the war zone. I found this explanation. I do realize that this is not a neutral source of information as it is a Travel Agency that would benefit from tourism to Poland, but when coupled with the State Department information, I found it interesting:

“Russia is using Ukraine as a warning bell, but it should not be confused with a desire to expand westward. Russia simply does not have the military structure to defeat the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and European Union (EU) (both of which Poland is a part of) which is found west of Ukraine and Russia. NATO and the EU will not hesitate to take necessary sanctions against Russia. This is proven by the reaction of EU leaders and institutions; they all 3 strongly condemn Russia’s acts of aggression toward Ukraine. They have already posed some major sanctions against Russia as a response, these sanctions include cutting Russia's access to EU capital markets, prohibiting Russian planes from entering EU airspace, and energy sanctions to make it harder and more expensive for Russia to upgrade their oil refinements. Follow all updates from a credible source; visit the CNN website. As a part of NATO, Poland is backed up by other NATO members through military support as well. As a precaution, some US Armed Forces and troops of other NATO members are stationed in Poland as well.” (AB Poland Tours)

As we continue to plan for our next visit to Poland, please let us know if you have any special contacts there that would connect us with groups of women to whom we can be of service. Special thanks go out to our Delegation Planning Committee headed up by Dr. Carolyn Moats.

And a further thank you to Darlene Miller for her amazing work in getting our Delegation website rebooted.

With much excitement for our future as a Delegation.

Kim