Monthly Archives: December 2017

Our Annual Holiday Luncheon is Saturday, December 9 at 11:30 a.m. by Nancy McCabe

Annual Holiday Luncheon at 11:30 a.m.  on Saturday, December 9. Reservations due by December 4.

(Editor’s Note:  Folks, as this newsletter is coming out when the reservations are essentially due,  if you were still deciding whether to come to the Holiday Luncheon, please register via Eventbrite immediately or contact Dawn Boyd immediately at 925-321-9946 to let her know that the check is on its way and your menu choice.)

Please join us for our always enjoyable holiday luncheon which will again be held at North Ridge Country Club. The setting is lovely, and you get to enjoy the program, Mothers of Invention, given by our member and renowned speaker Carolyn Martin. When Carolyn earned her M.A. in History from the University of Washington, women rarely appeared in her studies. She later took a Women’s History class at CSUS and has continued to research and teach about women’s contributions in many fields. Her presentation is both fun and enlightening-Did you know that a woman invented disposable diapers? Scotchguard? Permanent Press? Talk about necessity being the mother of invention!

Music will again be provided by our talented member Mary Williams.

The menu selections are Chicken Fusilli Pasta and Vegetarian Lasagna. A vegan meal is available by request. Included in the lunch are salad, bread, coffee, tea and crème brulee. Parking is free and there is a full no-host bar.

  • Click the button below to register and pay with Eventbrite (note that the cost on :

Eventbrite - 2017 Annual Holiday Party

  • Click here to print the form if you wish to pay by check made payable to AAUW Sacramento. Mail to Dawn Boyd to her address in the directory.

Please bring new or gently used children’s books for Love-Talk-Read. Reading to children greatly enhances their chances for success in life. This group donates books for children up to twelve years of age to numerous organizations both here and abroad. If you want to make your book donation go farther, you may want to check out Friends of the Sacramento Public Library Book Den. See their website for location and hours. They have a great selection!

We have approximately 230 members so let’s aim for 230 books!

See you at lunch!

Presidents’ Message by Donna Holmes and Marty McKnew

As we prepare our December message, it is approaching Thanksgiving and we would like to start by saying how grateful we are for our board and all the members who have helped with all our activities. There is power and energy in working together, and we can change the world for the better.

So far there has been a tabling event at California State University, Sacramento with our CSUS affiliate, the “Equal Means Equal” screening with the AAUW Citrus Heights-American River branch on getting the Equal Rights Amendment passed, once again partnering with other women’s groups for Take Back the Night, and November’s Deeper in Debt panel on women and student loans. Special thanks go to the ladies who lead these events: Ashley Anglesey, Deborah Dunn, Morgan Glover, and Liz Jordan. Without their committee leadership, these programs would not have happened.

We also want to express special thanks to our often unseen and unsung heroines, the ladies behind the scenes on EVERY program

  •  Shari Beck – e-blasts
  • Dawn Arnone Boyd – reservations and registration
  • May Ruth Lynch – paying the bills
  • Cherril Peabody – publicity
  • Kim Rutledge & Angela Scarlett – newsletter and website
  • Angela Scarlett – Eventbrite links and set-up

This is only our most recent gratitude list. We cannot say thank you too many times!

If you have not read AAUW’s newest study, Deeper in Debt, please do. You may download the PDF from the website or get a copy at the holiday luncheon on Dec. 9. Our panel provided even more insight, including a fruitful discussion on how housing costs are a much bigger factor than tuition in California. The November issue of the Kiplinger Retirement Report has an article on student loan impact on seniors. “Borrowers age 60 and older had $66.7 billion in student loan debt in 2015, up more than 700% from 2005, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.”

Lastly, the California AAUW vote to fix our charitable status did not pass. In this particular election there can be no NO votes, only yes. Twenty-six people voted no, so we have to do it all over again. This is expensive, and the attorney fees also take large sums of money that then cannot go to mission-based programs. We have been granted the opportunity to repeat the vote, and it will happen after Thanksgiving. Keep an eye on your email, and then vote yes. Questions may be referred to RuthAnn Hines of the State Governance Committee. Thank you.

Have the holiday season of your dreams, Donna & Marty

Funds Updates by Kathleen Asay

Kathy Asay

I am pleased to report that Alicia Hetman has agreed to serve as Funds co-director for this program year. Alicia, as many of you know, is a past president of California AAUW and has served on the national Funds board. She even has an unfinished grant fund in her name. I am sure we will all benefit from her expertise. Thank you, Alicia!

In other good news, because of your generosity and the contributions of other branches, we only need about $11,000 to complete the Sacramento Branch’s 100th Anniversary Research and Projects Fund. We are happy to take contributions at any time, but if you would like a write-off for 2017, please send in your donations now. Checks can be sent to me or to our finance director, May Ruth Lynch, or brought to the holiday luncheon on Dec. 9.

Alicia Hetman

Also, if you shop at Amazon, remember to use Amazon Smile. A percentage of your purchase goes directly to our branch. (Go to smile.amazon.com and choose American Association of University Women, Sacramento as your donation recipient.)

 

 

Then, while you’re busy shopping, cooking, wrapping gifts, and even donating, take a moment to gift yourself. Mark your calendar for Saturday, Jan. 27, and plan to attend the Sacramento area InterBranch Council luncheon, where you will again have the opportunity to hear from an AAUW Funds grant recipient. Happy New Year!

Interest Groups Updates by Cherril Peabody

Cherril Peabody, Interest Group Coordinator

Here is an update on what has happened with the proposed new interest groups. As you may recall, I proposed a Political Action group, but we only had three others sign up for it. After the Showcase, I learned that our Public Policy Committee is going to ask its members to write some postcards and letters to government leaders regarding AAUW-supported issues. As I had foreseen our group would do this activity, I referred the members who had signed up for the interest group to Public Policy.

The other suggested new group was Chamber Music. Since only two members signed up for that group, it will not happen. However, I want to tell those of you who are interested in attending chamber music concerts about a chamber music series at California State University, Sacramento, called New Millennium. The first concert has already taken place, but there are three more scheduled for the Spring semester. The School of Music brings in excellent chamber music groups from all over the world. The performances have been excellent, and the cost is very reasonable. For more detailed information, check out the website: csus.edu/music/newmill. The School of Music also sponsors a piano series featuring world-class pianists. To learn more, contact csus.edu/music.

I am sorry we didn’t have enough interested members to start either of these two groups, but I am very open to trying to start new groups. Please contact me if you have an idea, especially if you would be willing to be a new group’s first chair.

Membership Matters by Linda Patterson and Sharon Norris, Membership Co-Directors

The Foster Youth Education Fund recently honored longtime AAUW member Pat Riley, who died in March, with a scholarship in her honor. They also dedicated the 2017 Foster Youth Fashion Show to her. Pat, who spent most of her career working with foster youth, became an active volunteer with the California Youth Connection and the Foster Youth Education Fund after her retirement, dedicating nearly 20 years as a mentor to foster youth and supporting the Foster Youth Fashion Show. The scholarship created in Pat’s honor will be given to a recipient each year who is following in Pat’s footsteps by giving through volunteering or by dedicating their career to helping in the social service field.

Public Policy Updates by Ashley Anglesey

What Public Policy Is (and means to AAUW Members)

Public Policy is in its slow season, as the Capitol is on winter break until the beginning of 2018. While there are no events or changes in policy being made right now, we don’t have to slow down In fact, now is a perfect time for some “grassroots advocacy,” which you can do even from the comfort of your own home.

Watch your email for blasts on petitions to sign, letters to write, etc., and please make sure that you’re signed up for AAUW National’s “2 Minute Activist.” It really does take 2 minutes or less to make a difference! [https://www.aauw.org/what-we-do/public-policy/two-minute-activist/]

Some good news has been circulated from National, which I’d like to share. “In 2017 a whopping 42 states, plus Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., offered legislative solutions to the gender pay gap. While not all of these bills passed, this growing activity shows that red, blue, and purple states realize that the pay gap is real and that something needs to be done about it.” We’ll keep fighting the good fight! Our next BIG event on the books, which we are beginning to plan, is Equal Pay Day, on April 10. Please watch your emails for updates. If anyone would like to help with this event, please email me at ashleyanglesey@gmail.com.

Speech Trek Thanks Our Donors By Liz Jordan

The Speech Trek Committee wishes to thank the generous donors who are making the upcoming Feb. 17 Speech Trek speech contest possible.  Because of these donors, Speech Trek is able to provide

  • An informational workshop for interested students on each of the nine regular education high school campuses of the Elk Grove Unified School District.
  • Cash awards of $500 for the 1st place winner, $250 for the 2nd place winner, and $100 for the 3rd place winner.

This is a mission-based program administered by AAUW California and offers students the practice of a life skill and the opportunity to compete at the state level against the winning speakers of the 15-20 other California Branches that also offer the contest at the local level.

The following donors included a donation to Speech Trek along with their dues this year:

Ann Arneill

Kathleen Asay

Alice G. Bauer

Shari Beck

Jean Bonar

Ruth Burgess

Vivian Counts

Mary Ann Fleming

Judy Foote

Cheryl Fuller

Joan Hammond

Marlys Huez

Elizabeth Jordan

Virginia Kidd

Inger Lindholm

Catherine Locke

Charlotte Luallin

Carolyn Frame Meeker

Susana Mullen

Vicki L. Nicholson

Kathleen Papst

Bonnie Penix

Anne Rhodes

Elizabeth Rose

Sandi Schoenman

Ellynrose Sheehan

Hedda Smithson

Shirley Wheeler

Linda Whitney

Patricia Winkle

Sandra Winter

Gloria Yost