Newsletter
August 2004
Volume 1, Number 2

Letter from the President

Dear Friends,

In December of last year, the United Nations launched the first of several international Congresses to commemorate the l0th anniversary of the International Year of the Family (IYF+10). Through these and other events, the United Nations draws the attention of the worldwide community to the family and the role it occupies in shaping society and culture.

In conjunction with IYF+10, the International Federation for Family Development (IFFD), an organization that promotes family orientation initiatives throughout the world, will hold its XVI Congress in New York City at the United Nations, October 29-30. In view of its mission to inspire and assist women in transforming culture, Murray Hill Institute has been invited to participate in this Congress.

The family is the foundation of society, yet the demands and intense pace of professional work often times weaken the family unit, causing parents to neglect their first responsibility, that is, their own family life. This trend is harmful to both men and women, boys and girls. At Murray Hill Institute we believe that professional women have a vital role to play in making the workplace family-friendly, and we intend to address this topic at the IFFD Congress in October. Murray Hill Institute will host two workshop sessions that will deal with work/life balance issues and initiatives that contribute to making the workplace more respectful of the family. This is a very timely topic, as reflected in our Feature Article.

We invite you to attend the IFFD Congress and look forward to seeing you at our workshop sessions. For information, go to: www.IFFD.org

Warm regards,
Kathleen McGarry
President