Presidents’ Message by Liz Jordan and Donna Holmes

Liz Jordan

We started off the year with another great turnout for the IBC Luncheon. We had 100 attendees representing all eight branches. We raised money for Funds, got updated on Public Policy, and heard from two wonderful fellows. Donna and Marty were able to announce that the Alicia Hetman Research and Project Grant is complete! The money our branch raised went to the National Conference for College Women Student Leaders (NCCWSL), and we are sending our first student this year. Her name is Billie Veerkamp and she is a sophomore at CSUS as well as a member of the CSUS AAUW chapter who wants to be the chapter president next year. You will be hearing more from and about Billie. Congratulations team on reaching another one of our branch goals!

Six days of great meetings – ours, IBC and Lodi Branch – are coming up this spring. More details will come by e-blast and newsletter. Here is the list to spark your interest:

  1. Friday, March 8, 5-7:30 p.m. is the Sacramento for Women and Girls kick-off event. AAUW Sacramento is a sponsor of this group who is working to reestablish the Sacramento County Commission on the Status of Women.
  2. Saturday, March 16 – independent film “Dark Money” followed by a discussion is offered by AAUW Lodi at Lodi Public Library, 201 W. Locust Street, Lodi.
  3. Saturday, March 30 is the branch meeting at Center for Sacramento Archives from 10 a.m. to noon.
  4. Monday, April 1 is Equal Pay Day event at the State Capitol, arranged by our Interbranch Council.
  5. Saturday, April 27 is Author’s luncheon at Plates Café with Sacramento playwright Ginger Rutland. This is also our branch election meeting.
  6. Congratulations to Public Policy Director Ashley Anglesey for raising awareness of AAUW with NOW California and more.

Donna Holmes

Lastly, I want to share an accomplishment of some young women I met last fall who came to our Fall Showcase event to see what we do and to interview me. Vivian Tran, Jessica Le and Natalyn Tran are all 11th grade students at Franklin High School in the Elk Grove Unified School District. They made a documentary film on Women’s Rights for their digital media and filmmaking class that I want to share with you. Take a look:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg1Iyr6mKj4

women’s rights doc