Daily Archives: January 31, 2018

Presidents’ Message by Marty McKnew and Donna Holmes

Gosh, we are past the halfway point in our branch year, and we have still more exciting programs to come! Over 28 of our members attended January’s IBC lunch, and we are thrilled with our branch’s attendance!

This month’s Speech Trek contest will be held on the campus of our latest C/U partner, Cosumnes River College. Besides hearing from these wonderful high school students, we will have the opportunity to help the students attending CRC. During our Deeper in Debt program last November, Funds co-director Alicia Hetman asked our presenters what our branch could do to help college students in our area. One request was food for an on-campus food locker. The details are in this newsletter.

Congratulations to our branch, Liz Jordan, her helpers and the Citrus Heights-American River branch as the Equal Means Equal program was selected by AAUW-CA for recognition for the 4th quarter of 2017! We have won several program awards, reflecting our focused, determined and dedicated members who live our mission and values as well as our theme: AAUW Speaks Out for Women.

February 25 is our branch’s 98th birthday! Only two years to our big 100th, and many of you are preparing. Every month you will see an article in the newsletter highlighting our upcoming centennial, and you will be given opportunities to participate.

See you at a program or event soon! Hugs and Cheers, Donna & Marty

Deeper in Debt Follow-Up: Cosumnes River College Food Closet Assistance by Deborah Dunn

At the November Branch Program, “Deeper in Debt: Women and Student Loans,” we learned from Yolanda Garcia, the Financial Aid Supervisor at Cosumnes River College, that the college is addressing the needs of its homeless and food insecure students by providing a food closet called The Hawk Spot. The food closet, a partnership between the Elk Grove Food Bank and CRC, is assisting about 500 students per month and is in need of non-perishable food.

As a follow-up to our “Deeper in Debt” program, during February, our Sacramento AAUW Branch will be collecting non-perishable items from members and donating them to The Hawk Spot. The most popular items students ask for are cereals, small bags of rice, pastas, flavored oatmeal, Jelly/jams, macaroni and cheese, and tuna. Other items to consider include soups, peanut/almond butter, and pasta sauce.

If you would like to assist The Hawk Spot with a voluntary food donation, there are a couple of ways to do so. If you are going to the Speech Trek Competition on Saturday, Feb. 17 at Cosumnes River College in Winn 150, please consider taking a bag of non-perishable food. Branch members will collect all the food brought to Speech Trek, and members of our Program Committee will arrange to deliver it to CRC during their drop off hours. If you are not attending Speech Trek but still want to help, you can drop off your bag of food at any the homes of the following members of the Program Committee: Deborah Dunn (located in Greenhaven/Pocket area), Nancy Nolen Swanson (located in the Folsom area) or Gloria Yost (located in the Fair Oaks area). Please email Deborah (deborahdunn80@gmail.com), Nancy (nancy.shipman@yahoo.com), or Gloria (gloriayost@aol.com) to make arrangements for dropping off your bag of food.

Thank you for your help in supporting student wellness and reducing the impact of food insecurity on learning. If you have questions or need additional information, please contact Deborah Dunn, Program Co-Director, AAUW Sacramento.

Exploring Our Interest Groups: Cultural History by Cherril Peabody

One of our interest groups started out with a name I have forgotten. Then it was called the History of the World, but a couple of years ago it morphed into Cultural History. Members are curious about the world and people and what makes us tick. They pick books to read during the year that seek out perspectives on different aspects of life. In March, they will be starting a new book, Unnaturally Delicious: How Science and Technology Are Serving Up Super Foods to Save the World by Jason Lusk.

Here is what Group Chair Rosa Lee Black has to say about this book: “Our fears about foods include chemical use, high obesity rates, climate change, water availability, rising health care costs and insufficient food to feed the world. There is optimism with scientists, entrepreneurs and progressive farmers developing software to help farmers increase yields with less water and geneticists creating new varieties in order to grow more with less. Nutrient-enhanced rice and sweet potatoes are helping to solve malnutrition in the developing world. New developments are improving animal welfare, and 3D foods are becoming available at the same time, so that foods are more affordable for all to enjoy. The world has new challenges that are changing the way we think about food.”

The Cultural History interest group welcomes new members. The group meets the first Thursday of each month at 1 p.m. Call or email Rosa Lee Black (916) 453-0201 or rosaleeblack99@yahoo.com for more information about the group.

Applause Please by Kathleen Asay, Funds Co-Director

Did you know that AAUW is one of the world’s largest sources of funding for graduate women? For the academic year 2017-18, more than $3.7 million in fellowships and grants was awarded to 250 women and nonprofit organizations. And thanks to the longstanding generosity of AAUW members, a broad community of women continues to gain access to educational and economic opportunities.

The Sacramento branch’s 100th Anniversary Grant Fund, when completed, will join AAUW’s extended family of stipend-producing Research and Projects Funds. Since 1972, Research and Projects Funds have provided support to hundreds of individuals and communities around the nation to advance education and equality for women and girls through Community Action Grants. While early projects sought to help women balance family and education or supported the establishment of women’s resource centers on college campuses, that phrase “to advance education and equality for women and girls” is today’s focus. Special consideration is given to applicants’ projects centered on K-12 and community college girls’ and women’s achievements in science, technology, engineering, and math. Grants are awarded to individuals, AAUW branches and state organizations, and to local community-based nonprofits for innovative programs or non-degree research projects that promote education and equality for women and girls. Projects have become increasingly collaborative and girl-focused, bringing together AAUW branches and local community groups (for example, Tech Trek started with an R & P grant).

Sacramento AAUW has a proud 100-year history of working to improve the lives and education of women and girls in the Sacramento region and beyond. Our Anniversary Fund will continue that tradition for years to come.

We Want to Hear your AAUW Story! by Linda Whitney

At AAUW’s National Convention in Washington, D.C., last June, Gloria Yost and I attended a workshop on “Telling Your Story.” We heard about some amazing women who made positive differences in their communities. Some changed what was happening in our country and the world. For example, First Lady Lou Henry Hoover was an AAUW member and two-term National President of the Girl Scouts. During her tenure, the Girl Scouts began their first cookie sale.

We know some women in the Sacramento Branch have helped make positive changes in our branch, our city, and our state. Wouldn’t it be great if those women shared their stories with all of us?

The 100th Anniversary of the founding of the Sacramento Branch is in February 2020. A group of us are working to gather stories that help tell the story of interesting (and sometimes amazing) things Sacramento branch members have done over the past 100 years. Do you have a story relating to our branch that you could share? We are looking for all types of stories, from major contributions to special events, friendships, funny anecdotes and more. Click here for the form to share your story.