Whenever moments of crisis and uncertainty arise, there are those who sit on the sidelines and wait for the crisis to pass and there are others who take the situation in hand and lead the way. Lisa Woliner is one of those leaders.

 

When COVID struck and ICCJ and Sisterhood were forced to suspend in-person activities, Lisa would not accept this decision. She sought ways to bring her Sisterhood into the 21st century, using Zoom to keep members connected. She transformed the last major in-house event, the ICCJ Sisterhood Designer Pocketbook Bingo, into a monthly program. For nearly 2 years, bingo has been averaging 40 Zoom participants per month. Lisa’s ability to network has introduced this event to other Sisterhoods by providing tutorials on how to make this program work. In fact, her outreach has added several new members to the ICCJ Sisterhood roster!

 

Additionally, from the pandemic’s onset, Lisa led the weekly “How are you and can we help in any way?” calls to let ICCJ members know that they are not alone.

 

From its inception, ICCJ’s Sisterhood has been an integral part of Lisa’s life and Lisa has been a vital part of Sisterhood. In addition to serving as Co-President of Sisterhood, she was a former Cultural Vice President. As such, Lisa implemented innovative monthly programs and activities. By making use of online talent platforms, Lisa was able to bring gifted artists to ICCJ on a regular basis.

 

Lisa’s dedication goes beyond her involvement with Sisterhood. When Hurricane Harvey hit Texas in the summer of 2017, Lisa organized the raising of funds for relief and was personally involved in shopping for needed items, as well as packing and shipping. When a disaster strikes, Lisa’s first words are always, “What can we do to help?”

 

Before the pandemic, Lisa and her husband, Jay, served as docents at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in Lower Manhattan, helping to ensure that the history of that day is always remembered. As a survivor of 9/11, for 2 decades she has spearheaded ICCJ’s annual commemoration and tribute to the victims, the survivors, and the first responders of this American tragedy. In fact, this past year on the 20th anniversary of 9/11, Lisa was able to arrange for the former mayor of Gander, Newfoundland, Claude Elliott, to address the gathering on Zoom, sharing how his townspeople opened their homes and hearts to stranded Americans.