Daily Archives: August 31, 2016

What’s New with the Interest and Book Groups This Year? by Cherril Peabody

book groupExisting Groups: Several interest groups and book groups have some openings for new
members, so now’s your chance to sign up!

Great Decisions III meets on the third Monday at 1 p.m. They learn about what’s going on in various parts of the world and have great discussions, not to mention a great time!

Have you ever had a secret desire to be an actress? Here’s your opportunity to try it out. Readers’ Theater meets on the second Wednesday in the evening. They read plays (with lots of attitude!) provided by a branch in Southern California.

If you enjoy word games, you’ll enjoy the Scrabble group that meets on the last Monday afternoon of each month. Several twosomes play at once, and then they switch for a second round.

The two Board Games groups also can accept a few new members. One meets the last Thursday of each month at 1 p.m., and the other on the last Friday evening at 7 p.m. They play all kinds of non-computer games.

Walk to Lunch members choose an area to walk in and then go to a restaurant in the area for lunch. They would welcome a few more members.

Book Group 12 members come from all over the county to meet on the first Thursday evening, mostly reading fiction, but sometimes nonfiction.

Book Group 33 members mostly hail from Carmichael and Arden-Arcade, but carpoolers from other areas are most welcome at their meetings bright and early on the first Thursday at 9:30 a.m.

New Groups: A couple of our existing groups are full, and their leaders feel that a new section could be started, so we need to find out if there is sufficient interest and leadership available in order to proceed.

Both Great Decisions evening groups are full, so Great Decisions IV would be another evening group. Obviously, working women can’t fill the openings in Great Decisions III, which meets during the day, so let’s see if there is enough interest to start a new evening one.

Couples Dining Out is pretty full, too. There’s a sense that there would be interest among younger married or committed members for their own dining out group. Is this true? We don’t know unless we ask.

WOW (Women of the World) is not a new program, but it is returning to its roots as an interest group. Since meetings will be held in private homes where space is limited, members will need to enroll moving forward. We do have leadership for WOW, so all you have to do is sign up with Cherril Peabody. You can pre-enroll now or sign up at the Showcase meeting if space is still available.

Contact Interest Group Director Cherril Peabody to pre-enroll for the fall at capeabody@comcast.net or 916-973-0821.

 

2017 Speech Trek – Planning Begins by Liz Jordan

Speech Trek White edgeThe 2017 Speech Trek Contest year has begun for the Sacramento Branch. Committee members Shari Beck, Ann Arneill, Liz Jordan and new member Ellynrose Sheehan recently met to begin planning the next round of informational workshops that the committee provides to interested students at all nine of the Elk Grove Unified School District regular secondary schools.

This year’s topic for students to ponder, analyze, research and speak on is: Is it time to pass the Equal Rights Amendment? If so, how can this be accomplished? How can organizations such as AAUW help in getting this amendment ratified once and for all?

Alice Paul first introduced the proposed Amendment to the U. S. Constitution to Congress in 1923. In 1972, Congress finally passed the ERA. At the time she introduced the Equal Rights Amendment to Congress, Paul said, “…We shall not be safe until the principle of equal rights is written into the framework of our government.”

The next step was ratification by at least 38 State legislatures. By 1977 35 of the necessary 38 states had ratified the amendment when advocates appealed to Congress for an indefinite extension of the time limit for ratification, but they only got an extension until June 30, 1982. When the political tide of the time changed, the ratification process stalled and time ran out. Since then, the ERA has been reintroduced at every Congressional session.

Last year at the Academy Awards, actress Patricia Arquette, brought new attention to the gender pay gap, and has since started a campaign to assure passage of the Equal Rights Amendment. Filmmaker Kamala Lopez has created a new documentary entitled, “Equal Means Equal,” in which she examines the effects of gender inequality in the United States.

The speech contest is scheduled for the third Saturday in February. The contest runs from 9 a.m. to noon, with refreshments and an opportunity to hear what nine young people have to say about critical issues of equity. This will be the February Branch meeting, and the public is invited as well.

If you are interested in joining the committee as we begin to contact school personnel, please contact Liz Jordan, lizjord@msn.com, 916-354-9608; or Shari Beck, gsbeck@surewest.net, 916-451-5143.

The annual speech contest requires a budget of about $1,300. Students are offered a workshop with helpful handouts, coaching assistance, and content and delivery tips. Because our branch membership was so generous with their donations this past year, the committee increased the prize money for 2017 winners to $500 for first place and $250 for second place. Third place still wins $100, and honorable mention gets $50.

Because our donors are so important to this project, we want to thank them for their donations made along with their membership dues:

Becky Anton
Ann Arneill
Kathleen Asay
Alice G. Bauer
Shari Beck
Jean Bonar
Ruth Burgess
Vivian Counts
Gladys Deloney
Lori Franz
Cheryl Fuller
Joan Hammond
Lisa Howard
Catherine Locke
Charlotte Luallin
Vicki L. Nicholson
Kathleen Papst
Anne Rhodes
Marianne Rorden
Hedda Smithson
Pamella Vaughn
Shirley Wheeler
Linda Whitney
Patricia Winkle
Sandra Winter
Gloria Yost