Monthly Archives: November 2015

Elaine Mayumi Whitefeather, California’s 2015 Woman of the Year, to speak November 18 by Linda Patterson

Elaine Mayumi Whitefeather receiving her woman of the year award

Elaine Mayumi Whitefeather, Executive Director of A Community for Peace, a domestic violence provider for Sacramento County, is the November AAUW Sacramento Branch Women of the World Program speaker. Visionary, passionate and fiercely dedicated to the empowerment of every victim of trauma and abuse, Ms. Whitefeather has spent her last 38 years in human service work, 36 of those years in the field of domestic violence, Motivated by personal experiences that included childhood abuse, racial violence, sexual assault and cancer, she has turned these obstacles into opportunities of empowerment, healing and wholeness.

In just seven years, Ms. Whitefeather has developed A Community for Peace from a crisis line advocacy program to a full service state and county certified provider. She envisioned the Domestic Violence Response Team First Responder program with the Citrus Heights Police Department which has now become a model for Sacramento County in collaboration with Child Protective Services. Her latest endeavor is Next Generations, a trauma informed preschool for children exposed to domestic violence located in Carmichael, which opened recently.

In March 2015, Ms. Whitefeather was honored by Assemblyman Ken Cooley and the California Women’s Legislative Caucus as Woman of the Year for her innovative work in the field of domestic violence.

Please mark your calendar to join us at 7 p.m., Wed, November 18, at the Robbie Waters Pocket-Greenhaven Public Library, 7335 Gloria Dr, to hear Ms Whitefeather’s presentation entitled, “Many Blessings: The Gifts Are In the Journey,” She says, “Everyone has burdens to bear from our life’s journey. The choice we make to find strength and meaning and purpose from that pain can lead you to your greatest purposefulness. Everything you experience in life can be used to make this world a better place for many others. It’s all in how you look at it…it’s all in how you will use what you have been given.”

Click here to register for free with EventBrite or send an email to Dawn Boyd at darnone1@att.net.

Holiday Luncheon on December 12 by Donna Holmes

Our annual holiday luncheon is on Saturday, December 12^th at the North Ridge Country Club. Music provided by our own Mary Williams. We will once again collect books for the Oak Park Preschool that serves 3 and 4 year old children. And, as a special treat, Dennis Mangers, Chairman, Board of Directors, Sacramento Region Community Foundation, will speak on “The Status of the Performing Arts in Sacramento”.

Meal choices are either Chicken Havarti Crepes or Quiche Vegetable (vegetarian)
A vegan option is available upon request
Garden salad, fruit skewers, bread and butter included
Coffee, tea and cookies are included
Cost is $28 per person
Parking is free
Reservations are due December 5^th
Click
to buy tickets with a credit card on Eventbrite option
print a hardcopy form and contact Dawn B. at darnone1@att.net or 925-321-9946 if you wish to send her a check directly.

2015 Holiday Gift Books by Mary Schneider

Thank you in advance for once again generously giving books to the Oak Park Preschool at our Holiday Luncheon. Many of these 3- and 4-year-olds do not have books at home or parents who read to them. They really appreciate our books. Preschool books should have mostly pictures with a few words on each page. They love little surprises like doors that open to show something hidden or push buttons that play a song or say something. Both English and Spanish paperback and hardcover books are welcome. Here are some helpful suggestions for popular books with preschool children:

“Press Here” by Herve Tullet
“Go Away Big Green Monster” by Ed Emberley
“Where the Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak
“The Napping House” by Audrey Wood
“We’re Going on a Bear Hunt” by Michael Rosen
“The Kissing Hand” by Audrey Penn
Scaredy Squirrel books by Melanie Watt
“I Will Never, Not Ever Eat a Tomato” by Lauren Child
“I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More” by Karen Beaumont
“Diary of a Wombat” by Jackie French
Peter the Cat books by Eric Litwin
“This is Not My Hat” by Jon Klassen
Many titles by Bill Martin Jr., Mo Williams, Eric Carle, Janell Cannon, and Antionette Portis
Dr. Seuss books are usually a safe choice as well, but lots of children already have some of these.

Thank you again for helping to open the world of reading for our Sacramento children. The world is a richer place for it.

President’s Message by Nancy McCabe

AAUW Sacramento president Nancy McCabe and her granddaughter.

“Well-behaved women rarely make history,” is a quote attributed to Laurel Thatcher Ulrich and

the message on the bumper stickers we gave out at the recent Women Take Back the Night event. Membership Co-Chair Shirley Wheeler, Past-President Cherril Peabody, and I tabled at this event to support young women in their struggle for equality and to make our presence known in the community. There is a lot of truth in this statement and one that I hope resonates with our membership. AAUW has a long and illustrious history of rocking the proverbial boat to improve the lives of women and girls.

From our first study in 1888, “Health Statistics of Women College Graduates,” which challenged the belief that women college graduates’ health was adversely affected by attending college, to the 2015 study, “The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap,” AAUW has been out front putting our dues to work studying and advocating for women’s issues. We can be proud of what our forebears have done, and we need to continue to advocate for our daughters and granddaughters. We can build on the shoulders of the suffragettes and women of our youth who campaigned for equality. Change has been made, but there is always more that can be done.

I enjoy meeting the young women who are committed to making things better for society. During the event, we were approached by two groups of high school girls who have feminist groups at their schools. One group asked if we could come to talk to their group. I will have to wear my t-shirt that says, “Well-behaved women rarely make history.” The bumper stickers were hot movers!

Exploring Our Interest Groups: Walk-to-Lunch and Interest Group Updates

Exploring Our Interest Groups: Walk-to-Lunch

The Walk-to-Lunch Crew

Exercise, congeniality, and eating…what better way to spend a day with like-minded friends!

Walk-to-Lunch members choose a monthly walk destination of approximately three miles in distance and a nearby restaurant for lunch. Group chairwoman Susan Potter prepares the year’s calendar, while the monthly leader emails members with suggestions for carpooling and directions for the specific monthly walks.

The accompanying pictures show one of the lovely sites the group visited this past year. Lodi

Deer observed on the Walk-To-Lunch Group’s Last Trip

Lake Park on Turner Road in Lodi is a lovely, small nature preserve with hiking trails, picnic tables, and areas for barbecuing. Because many of the trails are shaded with trees, there are many opportunities to see animals. On our walk in mid-September, we saw a family of deer, a fox, and a variety of birds. The group experienced nature at its finest!

Interest Group Info Updated for New Program Year

The information on Branch interest groups has been revised recently on the branch website so that current group leaders and their contact information are up to date. Each newsletter will publish that information, and it is also available in two places on the AAUW Sacramento website (sacramento-ca.aauw.net): the Activity section of the website and the Calendar. The Calendar will also have extended information about specific activities for the month for groups whose activities change. To access that information, click on the group name on the meeting date, and a brief description of planned activities will come up.

At the Showcase meeting on September 19, two potential new interest groups were suggested. One is Mah Jong, playing a Chinese game with decorated tiles, and the other is TED Talks, viewing and discussing perhaps two short videos each meeting on a variety of topics related to STEM subjects. Please contact Cherril Peabody (capeabody@comcast.net; 916-973-0821) if you are interested in participating in either group.

Funds Update by Donna Holmes and Marty McKnew

AAUW 100th Anniversary Fund Progress

AAUW recently announced that $3.7 million in fellowships and grants was awarded to 244 scholars for the 2014-2015 school year. There are 25 recipients who will be studying in California during the year. Because this money represents the interest earned from completed endowments as the principal is never used, we encourage you to donate to the California unfinished endowments so they too can fund fellowships and grants. “ Sharon Westafer, Director, Funds Committee Chair for California

So, in keeping with this wise advice, thank you for donating to our 100^th Anniversary Fund # 4372. We are making wonderful progress but we are not done yet. Please keep giving. If you want to use a credit card, you may do so at AAUW.org

Get Your Articles, Branch Programming, Book and Interest Group Information for Printing Here!

Programming Calendar

Click here to print the latest programming calendar update, including information for Speech Trek, coming up on Feb. 20, 2016. Their topic this year is “What is gender bias and inequality? What is its impact on people? Why should organizations such as AAUW continue to work to change its practice?”

Here is the holiday luncheon form if you wish to pay by check

Interest Groups, Reading Groups, and Birthday Celebrations

Click here for your interest groups
Click here to read up on the latest reading groups
Click here to find out who is celebrating their birthday this month!

Have you checked out our online calendar?

If you haven’t, please click here. We try to ensure that everything stays up-to-date. Contact Angela at angela.scarlett@gmail.com if you see gaps.

Want to print most of the articles you see here?

Click here to print the news articles.

Membership Matters by Shirley Wheeler and Pat Winkle, Co-Membership Directors

We have recently had 11 people join the Sacramento Branch. This does not include our three scholarship recipients who attend Sacramento State. They are three e-student affiliates to our branch. Please click on this link to see the wonderful people who have joined, their educational backgrounds and any members who referred them. Let’s give everyone a warm welcome.