Monthly Archives: May 2015
“Join the 95th Anniversary Celebration Tea” by Gloria Yost
Saturday, May 16, 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Rancho Cordova City Hall,
2729 Prospect Park Drive
Rancho Cordova, 95670
We are celebrating AAUW Sacramento’s 95th Anniversary with an afternoon tea that program committee members have been very busy planning. Members are encouraged to bring a teacup and saucer, especially one that may have a family story connected to it. (There will be teacups and saucers available for everyone else.)
Ciera Miller, our Speech Trek winner, will give her prize-winning speech, our past presidents and 50-year members will be recognized, and Named Gift Honorees will be presented after our networking time. In addition, we will install incoming President Nancy McCabe and our 2015-16 officers and show our support for their efforts this coming year.
This event is open to the public, so bring friends and family. Any proceeds above expenses will go to our 100th Anniversary Sacramento Branch Research and Projects Grant.
You should have received a special invitation and reservations form in the mail. Contact Gloria Yost, (916) 961-3306, or gloriayost@aol.com if you have any questions or concerns.
If you would like to pay for the tea online, please click the orange button below
“President’s Message” by Cherril Peabody
It was so nice to see everyone at the Authors Luncheon on April 11. It was a lovely event – good food, a fascinating speaker, a nice venue that we can feel good about supporting with our business as they help women reinvent themselves in a positive direction. Not only that, we proved one more time as we elected a new board of directors that women will say yes to stepping up to leadership roles in an organization that is important to all of us.
Cherril Peabody, AAUW Sacramento President for 2014-15
You will have received your renewal forms for the AAUW 2015-2016 program year by now. I hope you will be prompt in returning your form with your check, since we must have the money turned in to state and national AAUW by the beginning of the new program year on July 1. That means we need to receive all the renewal checks and process them well in advance of that date. Also, please consider signing up to work on a committee when you fill out your form. It’s a great way to meet new friends, plus you will be helping us do the work that needs to be done to make this organization effective.
We have decided to schedule some programming this summer, which we haven’t done in a long time. Watch for more information about the WOW meeting scheduled for July – it sounds fascinating!
I hope to see many of you at the Installation Tea on May 16! It is shaping up to be a really special occasion.
“Writer Karen Levy Fascinates at Authors Luncheon” by Cherril Peabody
AAUW Sacramento Members Socializing
You may have thought, as I did, that Karen Levy’s talk at the Authors Luncheon was going to be about gardening. But it wasn’t, at least not for the most part. It was about goodbyes – too many of them in Karen’s life as she and her family moved back and forth between Israel and California too many times. She has struggled with trying to figure out who she is and where she belongs, but it sounds as if she has mostly made peace with her life.
Guest Speaker & Author Karen Levy
The gardening comes in because she brings Israeli plants back with her when she visits her father there now, so she has a little bit of Israel transplanted in Davis. Ms. Levy read passages from her book that were full of evocative imagery, and she answered our questions honestly with wry humor – a most satisfying program.
Member Barbara Smith Introducing Karen Levy
The election of a new Board of Directors made up most of the business part of the program. The new officers, who will take office in July are Nancy McCabe, President; Linda Patterson, Program Director; Linda Tinker and Shirley Wheeler, Membership Co-Directors; Donna Holmes and Marty McKnew, AAUW Funds Co-Directors; May Ruth Lynch, Finance Director; and Jenny Woltz, Secretary. The President-Elect position remains vacant. Thank you to all of them for their willingness to serve!
“June Potluck Social to Provide Networking Opportunity ” by Gloria Yost
Saturday, June 13, 2015
4 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Della & John Knowles’s beautiful back yard
3743 College Avenue, 95819 (next to South Land Park)
You’re all invited to share food and fellowship at the last branch event of the year. We’ll be bringing appetizers, salads, main dishes, and desserts, so be thinking about what you will bring. Beverages will be provided, and there is no charge other than the cost of your potluck item.
Spouses and friends are welcome. Contact Gloria Yost, (916) 961-3306 or
gloriayost@aol.com for questions.
“Congratulations to our Named Branch Gift Honorees” by Donna Holmes
This month we are featuring two of our Named Branch Gift Honorees, Nancy Lawrence and Marty McKnew. These two amazing ladies have close to 100 years of AAUW membership and achievements to their names.
Nancy Lawrence has been a member of our branch for more than 50 years and has been active in giving her whole life. In our branch she has been finance officer, newsletter editor, president twice (a total of four years), book group member, and HUGE supporter of Tech Trek. In my last six years on the board I have only met her once and spoken to her on the phone once, but her name and generosity come up all the time. As I worked on this I was surprised to find we live in the same neighborhood, and I hope to get to know her better. Besides all she has done for our branch and AAUW at large, Nancy has found the time and energy to work with the Girl Scouts, the Crocker Art Museum, and the Sacramento Public Library Foundation. Thank you, Nancy. Women like you make AAUW the prestigious organization it is today.
Named Branch Honoree Marty McKnew
Marty McKnew has been active in AAUW for more than 30 years. I have had the pleasure of working with her on the board for four and a half years, and we are continuing together for another year. Marty started in the Salinas Branch, where she was president in 1986-87. She has served in many positions for AAUW-CA, including Central Coast District Director, Nominating Committee, Northern District Director, Educational Foundation Committee, and she is an AAUW Legacy Circle Member. In our branch, Marty has served many years in various Funds Director positions, nominating committee, and she was branch president in 2009-10. Her devotion to our national mission and programs was publically recognized when she was named the AAUW California 2012 Named Gift Honoree. Additionally, she has worked tirelessly on the past three branch fundraisers, helped anyone who calls and needs an assist, and single-handedly published our newsletter one month when we lost our coordinator suddenly and had not found a replacement. And, just like Nancy, her efforts and generosity are not limited to AAUW. Somehow Marty has found the time and energy to travel extensively with Friendship Force (international travel group) as well as being their president for the past two years. Additionally, she has been a docent at the California State Capitol since 2000 and was president of the docents from 2008 to 2010. Thank you, Marty, for your willingness to always step up and do a stellar job!
“Branch Speech Trek Winner Takes 3rd Place in State AAUW CA Finals” by Liz Jordan
Tech Trek Branch Winner Ciera Miller Placed 3rd Statewide
Sacramento Branch Speech Trek winner Ciera Miller earned 3rd place in the statewide competition at the AAUW CA Annual Meeting at the Manhattan Beach Marriott on April 18, taking home another $500 award. Ciera spoke on the state topic of College: Is it worth the time and expense?
Fourteen AAUW branches from around California entered their contest’s winning speaker in the statewide semi-finals. In the finals competition, Sydney Jones from Sonora Branch earned 2nd place, and Emma Harrington from Napa Branch earned 1st place. This marks the fourth time in the eight-year history of Sacramento AAUW’s participation in Speech Trek that the Sacramento Branch winner has gone on to earn placement in the state semi-finals, and the third time our winner has been invited to the three-branch finals competition.
If you would like to hear Ciera speak, she will be a featured speaker at our May Installation Tea on May 16. Congratulations, Ciera!
“Happy Hour at Esquire Grill on May 13” by Angela Scarlett
Where:
Esquire Grille 1213 K St
Sacramento, CA 95814
When: Wednesday, May 13, 5-7 p.m.
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.
Esquire Grill is downtown on K Street. There is valet parking and parking garages near restaurant. Use Parking Panda (https://www.parkingpanda.com/) to help plan your trip.
“Sacramento Branch Members Participate in The Bite of Reality Program” by Shari Beck
On April 8, five AAUW Sacramento branch members volunteered at Pleasant Grove High School in Elk Grove in The Bite of Reality Program, directed by the Schools Financial Credit Union.
The Bite of Reality program teaches basic money management skills in a fun, interactive setting. It is a hands-on simulation designed to provide teens with a taste of real-world financial realities such as paying off student loans, obtaining medical insurance, and paying for basic necessities like groceries and utilities. The goal of the event is to provide students the opportunity to experience the financial responsibility of being an adult in a safe environment where the results of a financial misstep do not have real-world consequences.
At the start of the session, teens are given a fictional identity, including an occupation, salary, family, credit cards, and a checking account. They then visit a variety of table-top stations to purchase housing, transportation, food, clothing, household necessities, daycare and other needs. Branch members Cherril Peabody, Robin Howlett, May Ruth Lynch, Nancy McCabe, and Shari Beck participated in these stations.
Although a tiring day, it was a most worthwhile and valuable experience, and one we as a branch may want to pursue in a volunteering capacity. If you have ideas, and/or wish to be a part of this effort, please contact Cherril Peabody.
“Bylaw Change: Eliminate the Degree Requirement for Membership Rationale” by Robin Howlett
The proposed bylaw change to eliminate the degree requirement for AAUW membership has caused concern among members in the lead up to the AAUW National election. Many have expressed an interest in this matter and indicated they need more information as to the rationale for such a change put forth by National AAUW. A distillation of the AAUW rationale from the Voter’s guide will help.
The purpose of AAUW is to advance equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy, and research. The notion of restricting membership only to degreed persons is anathema to the AAUW’s strategic planning and constrains AAUW’s influence in the community. Over time, AAUW’s membership requirements have evolved considerably. With each update, AAUW has enjoyed expanding membership and become more relevant in our communities. Members need to recognize the potential benefit to be derived from welcoming anyone who supports our mission. The reasons for change, as stated by AAUW are ethical and practical.
First, AAUW opened membership to men for the first time in 1987. Our demographics have not changed substantially since then, however, the men who have joined have made important contributions to AAUW’s vital work. National AAUW believes we can only benefit by offering that same openness to any person who supports AAUW’s mission irrespective of educational status.
Second, National AAUW has reasoned that requiring a college degree for membership inadvertently lends the impression that only degreed persons value our goals and aspirations to advocate education for girls and women and other important issues relating to women’s lives. A perception that needs repair.
Also, National AAUW asserts that maintaining the degree requirement for membership is a barrier and runs counter AAUW’s stated objective to break down barriers for women throughout society and continuing such a requirement means AAUW is not in accordance with its own goals.
In addition, National AAUW has envisioned that the recruitment and processing of membership would be streamlined and avoid the awkward process of inquiry associated with determining a “qualified” member. In addition, the change will not prevent the continued appreciation and celebration for our members’ educational accomplishments and aspirations.
Finally, and particularly important, College/university partner members, student affiliates and their reduced fees, or the many programs that AAUW supports on campuses across the country would be unaffected by such a change.