Monthly Archives: January 2018
Exploring Our Interest Groups: Art & Architecture by Cherril Peabody
Art & Architecture on Sacred Heart Holiday Home Tour
One of our most popular interest groups is Art & Architecture, chaired by Deborah Dunn. Currently more than 70 members come at least occasionally when the group explores a museum or visits an artist’s studio or checks out public art, either in Sacramento or elsewhere in the region. Each month a different member volunteers to plan and make arrangements for that month‘s activity. In December, the group took the Sacred Heart Holiday Home Tour.
The group meets on the first Friday of each month. On Jan. 5 the group will visit the home and gallery of internationally-exhibited artist Mehri Yazdani in El Dorado Hills. Yazdani, born in Tehran, Iran, has lived in the United States for 35 years. She has been widely exhibited both here and abroad and has won many awards for her work. Her paintings are semi-abstract, characterized by brilliant color and rich textures, and reflect the influence of ancient frescos and reliefs. Her work is on permanent display at the California State University, Sacramento Library and the Tsakopoulos Library Galleria in Sacramento, and the Crocker Art Museum featured her work in a 2000 exhibit. Nancy Nolen-Swanson is organizing this expedition, and you can contact her for more information.
The Eleanor Roosevelt Fund provides funds for the AAUW Research Reports by Alicia Hetman
The AAUW Eleanor Roosevelt Fund was launched in 1988 and is the funding vehicle for AAUW’s groundbreaking research on issues related to gender equity in education and the workplace. Our work influences the national discussion on topics like the pay gap between women and men, sexual harassment in the schools and on college campuses, and the under-representation of women in science and engineering. AAUW research serves as a catalyst for action.
The Eleanor Roosevelt Fund programs have changed over the years, but the ideals remain the same. AAUW leaders recognize that we must continue our “ongoing support of greater participation by women and girls in actively shaping their future.” In addition to the research conducted, the Eleanor Roosevelt Fund also provides an annual Eleanor Roosevelt Fund Award. The 2017 Award Recipient was SurvJustice, Inc., a national nonprofit that increases the prospect of justice for all survivors through effective legal assistance. I was given the great honor of presenting the Award to Laura L. Dunn, SurvJustice’s founder, during the AAUW 2017 Convention. We were all very impressed with the work of SurvJustice and inspired by Dunn’s life story that led her to start SurvJustice.
There is a critical need for AAUW members to annually contribute to The Eleanor Roosevelt Fund. This Fund is not stipend-producing and relies on “new monies” each year to fund our phenomenal research. I encourage all AAUW Sacramento members to annually contribute to The Eleanor Roosevelt Fund. If each member would make a commitment to give an annual gift specifically to this fund, just think about how those additional contributions will enhance our groundbreaking research. I give my additional gift to The ER Fund every Mother’s Day to honor a woman in my life. I hope you’ll join me by gifting what you can afford to further the work of The Eleanor Roosevelt Fund.
The leaders who created the fund and award were inspired by the words of Eleanor Roosevelt:
It is today that we must create the world of the future. Never have we needed as acutely as now – in a world of ferment, shifting and changing its course, often without direction – the full use of all the brain power we have. We need every single mind. We cannot afford to have any potential talent or ability dulled to apathy.
Deeper in Debt Recap by Alicia Hetman
Alicia Hetman
The “Deeper in Debt: Women and Student Loans” program in October was very informative and provided a great opportunity for the attendees to learn more about how the issue is handled in the Sacramento area. We heard from Assemblymember Kevin McCarty, Chair of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Financing, Lupita Cortez-Alcala, Executive Director of the California Student Aid Commission, and Yolanda Garcia, Financial Aid Supervisor at Consumnes River College.
When asked what AAUW members could do to help students navigate through the maze of student loans, Cortez-Alcala suggested that we receive training and assist in the student trainings offered by the California Student Aid Commission. I have her contact information and in January will begin to see if some of you may be interested in participating in this project. For more information, I can be reached at hetmancard@prodigy.net.
Membership Matters by Linda Patterson and Sharon Norris
It’s a great time to join AAUW. Not only are our programs outstanding and our mission important, but right now membership dues are a bargain. Membership dues paid between Jan. 1 and March 15 are half the cost for new or returning members. During this time National, State and branch dues are halved, bringing the cost to $54.50. New members who join at one of our public events between Jan. 1 and March 15 pay only $42.25. If you or anyone you know is considering membership, now is the time to make the commitment. For more information, please contact either Sharon or Linda at aauwsacmembership@gmail.com.
In It for Life? Make It Official
Empower future generations through your lifetime membership in AAUW! Show your commitment to advancing equity for women and girls. Contact us to upgrade your existing membership today and receive a letter of recognition, a certificate, and a lapel pin that you can wear proudly knowing that you’ve put your values into action to advance AAUW’s mission. Lifetime membership in AAUW is a one-time, fully tax-deductible gift of $980. Become a life member today!