Daily Archives: January 31, 2016

Save the Date for March 10 by Linda Patterson

When: Thursday, March 10

What: Sacramento Branch Meeting and Program

“Human Trafficking in the Sacramento Region”

The Sacramento area and the Central Valley is a hotspot for human trafficking. Federal agents working out of the FBI’s Sacramento field office and local law enforcement in June 2014 rescued nine underage girls working as prostitutes and nabbed seven pimps as part of the Bureau’s Operation Cross Country program, which recovers exploited children. This was the sixth-highest total of recoveries of the FBI’s 54 field offices, officials said at the time.

The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office has set up a special Task Force to address the issue with the public. “It’s up to us to admit that Sacramento has an issue,” said Sacramento Mayor Pro Tem Angelique Ashby in a recent Sacramento Bee article. “An issue equates to an opportunity – an opportunity to be a leader.”

Come hear what is being done to curb these crimes in our community

Guest Speakers: Jenny Williamson, Executive Director, Courage Worldwide; Jan Scully, Founder and Director, Family Justice Center; Holly Gibbs, survivor and health educator at Dignity Healthcare; and Sonia Satchell, Deputy District Attorney, Sacramento District Attorney’s Office and member of the Human Trafficking Task Force

Where: St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, 2391 St. Mark’s Way, Sacramento

Time: Doors open at 6:15 PM, Program begins at 7:00 PM and ends at 9:30 PM

Sponsors/Co-Sponsors: AAUW Sacramento Branch, AAUW California State University Sacramento Branch, Department of Human Assistance, National Council of Jewish Women, Interfaith Council of Greater Sacramento, St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Sacramento Alumni Chapter, Davis Branch AAUW, Assistance League, 100 Black Women and the Daughters of Penelope

What is a Research and Projects Community Action Grant? by Donna Holmes & Marty McKnew

Community Action Grants provide funds to individuals, AAUW branches, and AAUW state
organizations as well as local community-based nonprofit organizations for innovative programs or non-degree research projects that promote education and equality for women and girls.

Since the inauguration of the Research and Projects Fund in 1972, AAUW has provided support to hundreds of communities around the United States to advance education and equality for women and girls. Palo Alto branch member Marie Wolbach founded Tech Trek in 1998 with the help of an AAUW Community Action Grant. Since then, AAUW of California has grown Tech Trek to 10 camps on eight college campuses across the state.

Some other recent projects are Camp GirlForward, which provided educational and leadership opportunities to adolescent refugee girls ages 14–19 who have been resettled in Chicago; and Opening the Door to Higher Ed for 1st-Generation Grads, a Florida project to help at-risk high school girls finish high school and go on to college. Of the 32 grants awarded in 2015-16, five are projects in California.

Why should the Sacramento Branch sponsor a Grant?

In 2020 the Sacramento Branch will be celebrating its 100^th anniversary. In 2012, to honor this occasion, the Branch committed to raising $75,000 to fund a Community Action Grant. We are enlisting the help of other branches in this effort, as donations to AAUW Funds by our branch members have contributed to the completion of many grants through the years.

Once this endowment is complete, AAUW will invest the money, awarding the interest. Typically the interest from a number of endowments would be combined, as in the Florida example above where seven Florida endowments sponsored the grant. Our branch and its 100 years of service will be honored each time a grant is awarded.

Public Policy Updates by Inger Lindholm and Cherril Peabody

Title IX by Inger Lindholm

Title IX was presented at the last meeting as the most important piece of legislation for advancing women’s rights. This occurred 43 years ago, and we continue to celebrate the benefits as an amendment to the Civil Rights Acts under former President Lyndon Johnson.

Many unsung women worked diligently to change the status of women, including college professor Bernice Sandler, Rep. Edith Green (D), and Rep. Patsy Mink (D), a known and respected legislator from Hawaii.

These women and groups such as AAUW, NOW and Women’s Equity Action League provided not only the monetary support for research and hearings, but have held the continued spotlight on other inequities. Foremost are the inequities in education but also in sports, jobs, equal pay, and promotions on the job, just to name a few.

We are not there yet. We need to honor these women and our AAUW founders for their continued work and become a part of the process.

It’s Easy To Become a Two-Minute Activist – Sign Up Today! by Cherril Peabody

National AAUW has a great program called the Two-Minute Activist, sponsored by the AAUW Action Network. Periodically, they email participants information about a current AAUW focus issue that needs support or opposition and an already prepared letter for you to email to your elected representative. You can add your own comments or just send it as is with your signature and zip code. It truly only takes less than two minutes. To register, sign up here: https://www.aauw.org/what-we-do/public-policy/two-minute-activist/.

The AAUW Public Policy Committee has set a goal of recruiting at least half of our members to participate in this program. If you are already a Two-Minute Activist or if you sign up as a result of this message, please contact Cherril Peabody at capeabody@comcast.net and let her know.

Two Scholarship Winners graduate from CSUS in December by Donna Holmes

Sharay and Donna Holmes

Sharay Robinson, awarded three scholarships by our branch, graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BS in Health Care Administration from California State University, Sacramento. Sharay was attending American River College when she received the Gloria Eriksson Scholarship for 2012-2013. She then transferred to CSUS where she received the Dalma Godt Memorial for 2013-2014 and the Donn and Mary Random Memorial Scholarship for 2014-2015. She is 30 years old and a single mother of three children. She had her first child at 14. I sent her a card and letter of congratulations when she graduated on Dec. 20. Here is what she had to say in response:

“There are not enough words to express my gratitude. I feel so blessed to have had the chance to complete my dreams of earning my degree. At the time when I applied for the 2^nd scholarship, I felt like giving up because it was getting extremely hard. But, once I received the letter about being awarded it gave me so much hope. I want to thank you and your family for everything. Love, Sharay & God Bless”

Thanh Ho

Thanh Ho, awarded two scholarships by our branch, graduated with a 3.6 GPA from CSUS with

a BS in Health Care Administration. She immigrated to Sacramento from Vietnam eight years ago with her mother, brother, and sister. For the last 20 years, she has been the caregiver to her mother, who is diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Thanh is currently working as an intern with Covered California. We received the following note from Thanh:

“I am so happy to have finally finished my BS degree, which has taken almost 8 years to complete. Your mental and financial support has given me more strength to overcome the many hardships and obstacles of my long journey. So please consider my achievement is also yours because, without your support, I might not have been able to finish on time. I am so proud to be a part of the Sacramento AAUW Chapter. I hope you will continue to provide support for other women who struggle to attain their educational goals while facing many difficulties in life.”

The Scholarship Committee will meet in March to select four 2016-2017 scholarship awardees. If you know any potential applicants, the application can be downloaded from the Scholarships webpage of the AAUW Sacramento website, or you can email Scholarship Co-Chair Anna Storey at mikeandamo@gmail.com with the applicant’s contact information and she will send her the announcement and application form.

When: Thursday, March 10

What: Sacramento Branch Meeting and Program

“Human Trafficking in the Sacramento Region”

Come hear what is being done to curb these crimes in our community

Membership Matters by Shirley Wheeler and Pat Winkle

Interest Groups and Birthday Celebrations

Printable Articles

Corrections on Last Month’s Newsletter

Why should the Sacramento Branch sponsor a Grant?

Title IX by Inger Lindholm

It’s Easy To Become a Two-Minute Activist – Sign Up Today! by Cherril Peabody