Monthly Archives: January 2015

Join Us for Speech Trek on Saturday, February 21 by Liz Jordan

  • Speech TrekPlease Join Us for Speech Trek, AAUW Sacramento Branch’s
    Speech Contest For Elk Grove Unified School District High School Students
  • Saturday, February 21, 2015
    9 a.m. –Noon
  • Valley Hi-Laguna North Library
    7400 Imagination Parkway
    Off Bruceville Road, Across from CRC

This is the “feel good” event of our branch’s calendar year as we listen to 9th – 12th grade students express their opinions and tell us about their futures.

This year, students will speak on the very timely topic, “Is college worth the time and expense?”  Rising tuition, decreasing public funding, impacted majors requiring more years in school, and skyrocketing student loan debt is on the negative side of the coin.  The opportunities for more interesting and challenging employment, higher pay, better benefits and an all-around better life than was had by previous generations is on the positive side of this question.  How will they answer this question of Shakespearean scope?  Please join us to hear their responses.

Please let us know you are planning to attend.  To register online, please follow the Orange RSVP button to RSVP on Eventbrite.  You may also call Reservations Coordinator Dawn Boyd at (916) 942-9227 to attend this FREE Event.

Eventbrite - AAUW Sacramento Speech Trek Contest 2015

President’s Message February 2015 by Cherril Peabody

We have a couple of great events coming up that I hope you will be able to attend. Our branch needs the support of all of us in order to be successful.

The Speech Trek Contest is scheduled for Saturday, February 21, at Valley Hi-North Laguna Library in Elk Grove. Students from several Elk Grove high schools will be speaking on a very interesting topic for our membership: “College: Is It Worth the Time and Expense?” AAUW has always promoted higher education as a way for women to achieve financial equity in the world, but it has become so expensive that it often takes many years to pay off college debt. Therefore, the topic is a pertinent question for not just young women but young men as well, and the answer may be different for different people, depending on their goals. Come and see what our local young people have to say.

I hope you will join me on March 15 in supporting live theatre and our AAUW projects when we have a date to see “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” at the Sierra 2 Center. This fun musical show tells the story of a real character, Molly Brown, who grew up poor in Colorado and married a man who became rich mining for silver. Her adventures came to be widely known and inspired this hit Broadway show as well as a popular movie musical featuring Debbie Reynolds as Molly. Proceeds from the show will benefit our local programs as well as the national AAUW Funds. Please invite your friends and family to join us, too. It is a way to do something good for our community while having a great afternoon at the theater.

Finally, I want to thank two of our members for stepping up to fill two of our vacant positions: Charlotte Luallin has agreed to take over the position of Secretary from Susana Mullen, who had to resign for family reasons. Thank you for your service, Susana, and thank you for agreeing to finish the year for us, Charlotte! And Robin Howlett has offered to take over the vacant Public Policy Director position. Thank you, Robin!

Cherril Peabody, AAUW Sacramento President for 2014-15

Cherril Peabody, AAUW Sacramento President for 2014-15

Join AAUW for “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” March 15 Fundraiser by Cherril Peabody

unsinkable.mollyAre you looking for an entertaining way to spend a wintery Sunday afternoon? Well, we have the answer: Come and bring your friends and family to see “The Unsinkable Molly Brown,” the lively musical of stage and screen fame featuring the adventures of that unique, spirited woman of the old west, Molly Brown. Runaway Stage is presenting this stage production, and we will have the entire house at the matinee performance on Sunday, March 15, at 2 p.m. at the Sierra 2 Center, 2791 24th St. A wine and cheese reception during intermission is included in your ticket price. Tickets are $35 per person, $20 of which is tax-deductible. This will be our major fundraising event for the AAUW Sacramento 2014-15 program year.

As you may recall, three years ago we had a theatre party with Runaway Stage for a performance of a musical version of “Legally Blond,” and everyone enjoyed the event, so we are doing it again with this new production. Proceeds will benefit our local Scholarships, Tech Trek and Speech Trek projects, plus our national Funds programs.

We need to sell lots of tickets in order to make a profit, so encourage your family and friends to come, too. You can purchase tickets either by sending in the flier, found either online here or in the hard-copy newsletter, along with your check or purchase tickets online here by clicking the orange “Buy Tickets” button below. This time we won’t be holding a silent auction or selling raffle tickets, so you will not be asked to pay for anything else beyond the tickets.

We hope to see you there!

Eventbrite - The Unsinkable Molly Brown Theater Party & Fundraiser for AAUW Sacramento

Happy Hour at Lucca Restaurant & Bar, Thursday Feb. 12

HappyHour

  • Where:  Lucca Restaurant & Bar, 1615 J Street (Corner of 16th &  J Street)
  • When: Thursday, February 12,  5-7 p.m.

Lucca has affordable Mediterranean Food, and Happy Hour goes from 3 p.m. until closing time on Thursdays.

Be the first to bring a new prospective member to Happy Hour and earn $20 worth of food and drinks. As this is a public event, any new members may join that night for the reduced rate.   Please contact Angela Scarlett at angela.scarlett@gmail.com or 916-612-8442 to give her an idea of how many will be attending.

Lucca has both $5 valet parking, and there is street parking along J Street and its branching streets, north of 16th Street.

 

Author’s Luncheon Preview by Gloria Yost

literature-300x210

  • Author’Luncheon Coming April 11!
  • Plates Café & Catering
  • 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Hear local author Karen Levy discuss her memoir, My Father’s Gardens.

Levy writes, “My Father’s Gardens is the story of a young girl who comes of age in two languages, and on two shores, between warring parents and rules that change depending on the landscape and the proximity of her mother. Struggling to find her voice and her place in the world as a result of her frequent travels between her native Israel and the United States, she feels that she must choose a place to call home.”

Levy earned a B.A. in Comparative Literature from the University of California, Davis, and an M.A. in English/Creative Writing from California State University, Sacramento, where she teaches composition and interpretation of literature.

Mark your calendars and plan to attend.

Do You Remember Carolyn Martin? Our 1972-73 AAUW Sacramento President by Linda Tinker

DO YOU REMEMBER CAROLYN MARTIN? 1972-73 AAUW SACRAMENTO President

Welcome back to Carolyn Martin, who served as AAUW Sacramento President in 1972-73. Since that time she has led an exciting, challenging life. I am going to spend this column talking about what she has done since she was President and in next month’s column, I will ask Carolyn to recall her term as President and to compare our organization in 1972 with the current group.

For the past 53 years, Carolyn has been married to Barry, who is a retired Administrative Law judge and currently writes books. His last book is called “Forgotten Aviator: The Adventures of Royal Leonard.” They are long-time Sacramento residents, and their two children also live in Sacramento. She has one grandson.

Carolyn worked as an adult education ESL instructor and part-time area community college U.S. history instructor.

In 1964 Carolyn, joined AAUW Walnut Creek, “and when our son was 12 days old, my husband said, ‘You will never be happy staying home. I can take care of this baby. Why don’t you go to that AAUW meeting?’” She became involved in the AAUW Walnut Creek branch, and when she and her family moved to Sacramento, she transferred her membership to our branch.

AAUW Sacramento had workshops on “Leadership can be Learned,” and Carolyn attributes that training to her future success in her anti-tobacco campaign and other leadership roles. Carolyn recalls, “The ‘Leadership can be Learned’ was excellent training; for example, after receiving the training, I started the Friends of Arden-Dimick Branch Library. “

Carolyn served as AAUW Sacramento President in 1972 -73 and following that service, she was State Legislative President and hired and trained the first AAUW state lobbyist.

She began her legislative activities as a State Legislative President for AAUW in the 1970s, and AAUW was very instrumental in getting coastal environmental and policy changes passed.

In 1988, voters passed an initiative to raise the tobacco tax 25 cents, 5 cents of which was to go to tobacco education. In 1990 Carolyn was appointed as President for the Advisory Committee of Tobacco Education. It was an innovative tobacco control program that pioneered the practice of television and radio ads against tobacco use. It was the most successful tobacco education program in the world because it combined media, local projects, and policy changes locally and in the state. For example, the ban on smoking in work places is an example of a policy change that had a tremendous impact. This model has been used by most states and many foreign countries. Even the pubs in Ireland are smoke-free!

Carolyn was chosen for this committee because she had signed the initiative petition, served on the campaign committee of the Lung Association as a volunteer, and had lots of experience at the Capitol as a volunteer advocate.

Carolyn is an avid reader, plays tennis, serves as a docent at the State Capitol and the California State Library, and enjoys travel.

Check this column in March to hear Carolyn’s impressions of the changes in our AAUW Sacramento branch.

 

Sacramento 100th Anniversary Fund Update by Marty McKnew & Donna Holmes

Thermometer 34 Percent

 Great news! We are making phenomenal progress on our 100th Anniversary Grant.

To celebrate our 100th anniversary in 2020, the branch started a research and progress grant. The grant requires donations of $75,000 in a 10-year span before grants can be awarded with the earnings. We requested that the grants be used for community action projects, which are awarded annually to AAUW members submitting the best proposals. One project that started this way was Tech Trek, which has been so successful it has now gone nationwide.

Since starting the grant just two years ago, we have amassed $25,413, or 34 percent of our goal. This includes $15,653 from our branch members and fundraisers, and $9,860 from other branches. Many thanks go to the members of the following branches: Turlock, Redlands, Citrus-Heights-American River, and especially Nevada County, which donated their entire fundraising effort of $4,900. If you are a member of another branch, or have connections to other branches, please ask them to consider the Sacramento 100th Anniversary grant #4372 when they send in their donations at the end of the year.

 

Open AAUW Sacramento Leadership Positions for 2015-16

The Nominating Committee is seeking volunteers who are interested in serving on the Sacramento branch’s Board of Directors for 2015-2016. The committee is looking for people interested in the following positions:

  • President-Elect
  • 2 Program Directors
  • 1 Co-Membership Director
  • 2 AAUW Funds Directors
  • Secretary

Even if you have not served in a leadership role with AAUW, please consider trying it this year. The branch provides mentoring and training for people who are new to the board. It’s a terrific way to get involved in AAUW’s mission and philanthropic programs, make new friends and learn new skills.

If you would like more information, please contact Nominating Committee Chair Molly Dugan at madugan@hotmail.com. We can provide you with job descriptions and answer any questions you have about the open positions.
Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Sharon Anderson, Molly Dugan, Barbara Smith, Pam Vaughn and Shirley Wheeler

“New AAUW Newsletter Options” by Angela Scarlett

Hi folks,

Happy New Year!  Here is the latest and greatest version of our newsletter “Capital Ideas.”  You can read it two ways.

  1. You can either download the pdf here (AAUW Sacramento January 2015)
  2. Or you can read the articles directly in this email.  There is a table of contents to the right of the email, or you can scroll down.  Find something you like, start reading and click the blue “Read More” button to get the rest of the article on our website
  3. Please note that there are two lovely pieces by Gloria, recapping both our holiday party and Karen Duncanwood’s talk for WOW.  They are both on the website, and you can read them after the “Meet a New AAUW Member” spotlight piece by Membership Co-Director Linda Tinker.
  4. The reservation form for the IBC luncheon is on the website.  It’s a PDF I couldn’t edit into the pdf edition of the newsletter.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Angela