Monthly Archives: August 2019

Presidents’ Message: We Say Goodbye, We Say Hello Branch Board 2019-2020 & Looking Within to Expand Our Reach Out by Liz Jordan and Charmen Goehring

Liz Jordan

Thank you to all of our outgoing Board members from 2018-2019.

To outgoing board members who gave days and days of their time to AAUW Sacramento, we can never thank you enough, but we greatly appreciate all that you have done and continue to contribute to our branch.

Donna Holmes – Co-President 2017-2019
Deborah Dunn – Program Co-Director
Sharon Norris – Membership Co-Director
Linda Patterson – Membership Co-Director
Danielle Metzinger – AAUW Funds Director
May Ruth Lynch – AAUW Finance Director
Nancy Lawrence – Fundraising Director
Cherril Peabody – Interest Group Director
Ashley Anglesey – Public Policy Director
Susana Mullen – Scholarship Co-Director

New to the 2019-2020 Voting Board:

We want to welcome to the board this year some new-to-the-board members, as well as

some long-time board members in new positions:

Charmen Goehring – Co-President
Angela Scarlett – President-Elect
Karen Burley – Program Co-Director with Cathy Locke
Janice Stuter – Membership Director
Merrie McLaughlin – AAUW Funds Co-Director with Kathy Asay
Donna Holmes – (temporary) Finance Director
Barbara Smith – Fundraising Director
Kathy Papst – Interest Groups Director
Amy Rose – Public Policy Director
Linda Patterson – Scholarship Co-Director with Anna Storey

Continuing 2019-2020 Board Members

These members continue to serve and enjoy the friendships of the board:

Elizabeth (Liz) Jordan – Co-President
Cathy Locke – Program Director
Kathy Asay – AAUW Funds
Tiffany Ardisana James – Secretary
Angela Scarlett – Communications Director
Sharon Anderson – Membership Treasurer
Ruth Ann Hines – Parliamentarian
Anna Storey – Scholarship Co-Director
Shari Beck – Speech Trek Co-Director
Ann Arneill – Speech Trek Co-Director
Jo Reiken – Teck Trek Co-Director
Ashely Gilreath – Teck Trek Co-Director

Board service is a wonderful way to make lifelong friendships, keep up with all the work AAUW CA and National are doing to advance equity for women and girls, and to gain leadership, technical, and interpersonal skills.

What we did at the Board Retreat

The new AAUW Sacramento Branch Board assembled on Saturday, Aug. 3 at Cathy Locke’s home to orient new members, make some plans, set some goals and get to know each other.

The theme for the year

The Co-Presidents presented a theme for our work this year of Equity=Fairness. Under that theme the board decided on two goals:

Expanding our STEM Outreach

Look into a cooperative partnership with a Girl Scout Gold Award seeker
Develop or participate in a Tech Trek Alumni group

Expanding our Equity Self Awareness

Diversity and Accessibility Education
Review member and board recruiting strategies

Board Meetings

The board is undertaking some new efficiency measures to expand time for discussion on important topics. Board members will submit their activity reports by email, and the Presidents will collect, assemble the board meeting agendas and resend all to the board members for review before meeting times. Board meetings are open to the membership, and we welcome your participation. A list of the meeting dates, times and location follow in this issue of Capital Ideas.

Website

The board is researching updates to the branch website at sacramento-ca.aauw.net. As technology changes, our ways of using our website to connect with members is changing. Also, just keeping annual and monthly updates done is an effort we don’t always get it done as well as we might wish. So, we ask for your patience (and offers of help!) as we make some changes to our website in this year ahead.

Year Ahead

The year ahead is full of informative programs, our 100^th Anniversary celebration Feb. 29 at Northridge Country Club, and making new friends. See the Programs listing in your Directory for more details of the year to come. Our Annual Showcase on Sept. 21 at Arden-Dimick Library from 10 a.m. to noon. We will meet our young women student leaders from CSUS, our scholarship recipients and get an overview of branch Outreach Programs and Interest Groups. Come join the fun and bring a friend or potential new member!

Looking Within to Expand Our Reach Out by Charmen Goehring

Charmen Goehring

We live in troubling times. As I write this, the news pundits are discussing the two mass shootings we just experienced in the United States in less than 24 hours. Displays of hate are at an all-time high. Racist comments are tweeted by those in the highest places of power in our government. The risk of irreparable division is real.

Meanwhile, we belong to this amazing organization that has worked tirelessly to help women and girls, and indeed our nation, to move forward in equity and education for over 130 years. Our involvement in AAUW can be a way that we each help to bridge the divide with our community. To that end, the board is making a conscious effort to use an equity lens as we move through this next year – from our meetings to our interest groups to our own attitudes and beliefs. We want to continue seeking out diversity and finding new people to join us. However, in order for that to work well, we have to be something that they see themselves joining and being a part of. I think of it like a restaurant – you might love the food at a certain place, but if you had poor service on your visit, you might think twice about going there again. If the restaurant worked on their service presentation, you wouldn’t hesitate to return and bring your friends, as well. Sometimes, we have to focus inward before we can reach outward.

A website that I highly recommend is Teaching Tolerance | Diversity, Equity And Justice. You can sign up for their monthly e-magazine (or even a hard copy – it used to be free) and there are amazing articles in there. You can also search their archives for articles, lesson plans, and videos on many equity and diversity subjects. I have used it for years and always learn something new that stretches my thinking.

The other thing I suggest is the Harvard Implicit Association Test (IAT). This measures the strength of associations between subjects. It can be found at Project Implicit, and you can either create an account or log in as a guest. It is very interesting and will make you think about your own bias. Nothing to be ashamed of as we all have them, but being aware is the first step towards empathy and being more inclusive and tolerant of others.

We invite you to join us on this journey of self-awareness and reflection.

Membership Matters by Janice Cesolini Stuter

Janice Stuter

As your newly elected Membership Director for the AAUW Sacramento branch, I am very pleased to meet and greet you through our newsletter at the beginning of our 100-year anniversary celebration. In the recent past, two members have served together as joint Membership Directors. This year, I will be a single Director, and I really could use a support group.

The Membership Committee, which is listed in this position’s job description, was officially approved by the Board in August 2012 and reviewed in June/July 2017, but currently has no standing members. The Membership Committee functions as an informal interest group. You could contribute as much or as little time as you prefer to its activities. If, after you have read some of the activities associated with the Membership Committee, you are interested in becoming a member, please email me using the subject heading AAUW Membership Committee and indicate your particular interest area. Thank you for giving thoughtful time to what you are willing to contribute to maintaining and extending AAUW’s lifeline to our community!

Members of this group would fall into various categories:

Those willing to provide on-call, occasional back-up or substitute representation at monthly program meetings. (This involves signing in members and guests in attendance when neither myself nor Reservations Chair Dawn Boyd may be available.)
Those willing to be involved in new member introductions and activities (One example would be the “Happy Networking Hour.” Other possibilities could be explored.)
Those willing to be involved in building existing member involvement and connection with other members (ZIP Code Area meetings, local political activism and cultural trends get-togethers are only some of the possibilities.)
Recruitment brainstorming focusing on increasing diversity, connecting to like-minded political groups and any other possible ideas you might have.
Those interested in updating and streamlining membership procedures and records. (This would involve helping me go through the extensive membership files I’ve received from past membership chairs and winnowing and organizing them for the most effective present-day and future use.)

Interest and Book Group Calendars, Our Proposed Branch Budget, Upcoming Save the Dates and Miscellaneous News

Click here for the Interest Group Calendar
Click here for the Book Group Calendar
Click here for Branch Birthdays
Click here for Printable Articles

2019-20 Budget Needs Branch Approval by Donna Holmes & May Ruth Lynch

The Board of Directors has approved the budget for the fiscal year 2019-20, shown here. Branch members are asked to review the proposed budget, which will be voted on at the September Showcase. Please direct any questions or suggestions to Donna Holmes at 916-863-7551 or wyndelndonna@sbcglobal.net. Many thanks to all of you for your continued support of our branch. Bushels of gratitude to May Ruth Lynch for her years of devotion as our Finance Director! Enjoy not having to attend board meetings and handling this task.

Save the date for Tech Trek brunch By Cathy Locke

Mark your calendars for Saturday, Oct. 19, for a special brunch spotlighting AAUW’s Tech Trek program.

Middle school students will talk about what they experienced during their week at the UC Davis Tech Trek Camp. Members also will have an opportunity to ask questions and get acquainted with the girls.

“They are very excited to meet you all and want to thank you for all your generous support,” said Jo Reiken, branch Tech Trek director.

The event will be held from 10 a.m. to noon in the American River Room at Rancho Cordova City Hall, 2729 Prospect Park Drive, Rancho Cordova.

Look for more information in the October newsletter.

AAUW CA Convention: Save the Date!!!

April 17-19, 2020
Remembering the Past, Rockin’ the Future.
Westin San Francisco Airport

AAUW Sacramento Board Meeting Dates

All meetings are held at 7 p.m. on the first Monday of the month with the exception of September. All meetings are held at County Office of Human Assistance, 2700 Fulton Ave., Sacramento, CA unless otherwise arranged.

September Meeting – Monday, August 26, 2019
October Meeting – Monday, October 7, 2019
November Meeting – Monday, November 4, 2019
December Meeting – Monday, December 2, 2019
January Meeting – Monday, January 6, 2020
February Meeting – Monday, February 3, 2020
March Meeting – Monday, March 2, 2020
April Meeting – Monday, April 6, 2020
May Meeting – Monday, May 4, 2020
June Meeting – Monday, June 1, 2020

Board Briefs: June Board Meeting, June 3, 2019 by Cherril Peabody

Here are the highlights of the June AAUW Sacramento Board Meeting:

Co-President D. Holmes announced that Nancy Lawrence and Barbara Smith will be Co-Directors of Fundraising for 2019-20. She also announced that the Work Smart Challenge is underway, with the goal of having 500 people take the training this summer.
Tech Trek Co-Director J. Reiken reported that the girls who attend camp this summer will talk about their experiences at a branch meeting in October. The Tech Trek Committee is looking for new grant opportunities and fund-raising ideas to support the program.
Program Co-Director D. Dunn announced plans for some of the programs for the rest of the year. Katherine Lemke Waste will speak at the Holiday Luncheon scheduled for Dec. 14 at the Northridge Country Club. An advocate for women artists, she works with an organization called 25 in 25. The IBC Luncheon for AAUW members from seven area branches is slated for the last Saturday in January 2020.

New Business

Jordan presented her outgoing co-president D. Holmes with a name tag that lists her many official past positions in AAUW Sacramento.

A New Year in Funds and Upcoming Funds Luncheon Dates by Kathleen Asay and Merrie McLaughlin

Kathy Asay

It’s time once again to think about AAUW Funds, and my new co-director and I have three items of news for you.

First, while this is now my third term as a co-Funds Director, let me introduce Merrie McLaughlin. Merrie comes to us from the Paradise Branch; in fact, she grew up in Paradise and returned there with her family, joining the new Paradise AAUW in 1982. She went on the hold many positions in the branch including membership, programs and president. Grandchildren lured her and her husband to Sacramento in 2015, and she joined both the Sacramento and CHAR branches. She’s an active member of our movie group. Together we will bring you Funds news and hope to expand your knowledge of AAUW’s remarkable program to improve equity for women and girls.

Many of you donated to Funds with your dues. For some perspective, the following comes from Dianne Owens, AAUW-CA Fund Committee Chair:

Merrie McLaughlin

“AAUW is excited to announce 259 awards and $4 million in funding for fellows and grantees in the 2019-2020 award year! This exceptional group of recipients will pursue academic work and lead innovative projects to empower women and girls. For 130 years, AAUW has been a leading source of funding for graduate women, providing more than $115 million in fellowships and grants to more than 13,000 women and non-profit organizations in the United States and around the world.”

And, if that’s not enough, we are delighted to report that the recently completed Sacramento Branch 100^th Anniversary Research and Projects grant has its first recipient. She’s Yuby Hernandez, an aspiring filmmaker at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Yuby received a Career Development Grant supported by our grant and four others to make for an adequate award. A native New Yorker of Dominican descent, she is dedicated to creating films that highlight women and immigrants. She has already produced two award-winning short documentaries. She seeks an M.A. in Social Documentary. We wish her much success.

AAUW Fund Luncheons

Dianne Owens, Director, AAUW Fund Committee Chair, aauwfund@aauw-ca.org

FANTASTIC SPEAKERS & DELICIOUS LUNCHES!

There are 30 Fellows and Grant recipients studying in California in 2019-2020. We have an opportunity to meet some of these inspiring women at our AAUW Fund Luncheons. All three October luncheons are from noon to 3:00 PM with the check-in at 11:30 AM.

Saturday, October 5, 2019
RSVP: September 20, 2019
Basque Cultural Center
599 Railroad Ave., South San Francisco, CA 94080
Sunday, October 6, 2019
RSVP: September 20, 2019
Crow Canyon Country Club
711 Silver Lake Drive, Danville, CA 94526
Sunday, October 27, 2019
RSVP: October 11, 2019
Old Ranch Country Club
3901 Lampson Ave., Seal Beach, CA 90740

The cost is only $45 per person. Register early online through Eventbrite HERE. Or mail check/credit card information to AAUW CA, 1331 Garden Highway, Suite 100, Sacramento, CA 95833. I look forward to seeing you in October!

The 90’s: Deja Vu–All Over Again! By Anna Storey

In the last decade of the 20^th Century, Sacramento AAUW continued to be vibrant and active. Plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose (the more things change, the more they stay the same). While the music, fashions, and day-to-day life of AAUW members may have undergone many changes, the issues with which they grappled are familiar to members today. Membership was somewhat smaller but still robust throughout the ’90s.

The Sacramento Branch was quite politically active and took positions on various propositions regarding reproductive choice, affirmative action, and welfare reform, to name a few. In addition, committees listed on Board meeting agendas in the ’90s included Educational Foundation Programs, Legal Advocacy, International Relations, Women’s Issues, Corporate Relations, Individual Liberties, and Educational Equity. AAUW Sacramento was one of 22 sponsors and marched and rallied on the Capitol Steps in the We Are United for Choice” celebration of the 19^th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

In the ’90s, branch programs included a Symposium on Environmental Pollution, a Symposium on Health Care, and a Symposium on Choices for Tomorrow’s Women. Other programs of special note in the ’90s included Clean Energy for the Future; Health Care for Women and Children; Women and Self Protection: Prevention Through Awareness; Media Images of Women: How Far Have They Come?; Do Our Schools Short-change Girls?; and Women in Higher Education. The branch also considered issues such as illegal immigration and the problem of homelessness.

The branch was an active participant in Sacramento Reads, described as California’s largest outdoor literacy festival, which was held in Crocker Park. We were one of many sponsors of The Women’s Peace Project, which began in 1987 and continued through the ’90s. Members also participated in Take Back the Night marches.

The ’90s saw a shift in the program for the Author’s Luncheon. In 1994, Mary Mackey, Ph.D. (writer in residence at CSUS and poet, novelist, screenwriter, and co-founder of the Feminist Writers’ Guild) and Nina Boyd, Ph.D. (psychologist, former director of the counseling center at CSUS, and author of “Changing Women, Changing Work”) were the featured speakers. A special event called A Night to Celebrate Writing featured the work of student writers who participated in creative writing workshops sponsored by AAUW Sacramento.

What we were doing in the ’90s makes one breathless. And what we were doing then, we are in many ways still doing today. While much changes, it seems the issues do not.

A Good Year for Scholarships and a Thank-You for Susana Mullen! by Anna Storey

The Scholarship committee has had the great pleasure of awarding five scholarships for the 2019-20 academic year. This is due to the generosity of members when renewing their memberships. Additionally, generous donors like Maggie Roth and Donna Holmes have funded memorial scholarships, and memorial donations made in memory of Ruth Burgess, AAUW member and former president who died in November 2018, helped make these scholarships available.

Three memorial scholarships and two branch scholarships, each for $2,000, will be awarded to these women at the Showcase on Sept. 21.

Athena Aviles

Athena Aviles is a California State University, Sacramento student in the Nursing program who will graduate in the spring of 2020.

Sidra Awais

Sidra Awais is enrolled at CSUS in the Accounting program and hopes to graduate in December 2020.

Brianna Delaney

Brianna Delaney is enrolled at CSUS in the Nursing program and hopes to graduate in May 2020.

Emily Wirth

Emily Wirth is pursuing a BSS in Nursing through CSUS and Sacramento City College and hopes to finish in May 2021.

Asiya Yama

Asiya Yama is enrolled at CSUS, majoring in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She hopes to graduate in May 2020.

All the winners will have a few minutes to introduce themselves to members, speak of their goals, and express their gratitude to AAUW for the financial support that helps to make their goals reality.

We look forward to seeing you at the Showcase so you can meet these amazing women!

Thank you, Susana Mullen!

On behalf of the Scholarship Committee, I would like to thank Susana Mullen for her dedicated work as scholarship committee co-director. A member of the committee for several years, Susana accepted the co-leadership of the committee in 2016 and led us from the 2016-2017 to the 2019-2020 academic years. During her leadership, she directed the revision of the scholarship application. Applicants can now apply on paper or fill out the application online. In addition, she revised the process for assessing the information supplied on the application. She brought our work into the 21^st century!

Her practicality, as well as her sensitivity and gentle manner, have been an asset to our work, and her commitment to AAUW scholarships is strong and heartfelt. As her co-director on the committee, I found Susana to be a wonderful source of wisdom and practical information. I have learned so much from her. Even more, she has become a good friend. We are delighted that Susana will remain on the committee and that we will have the benefit of her insight in the future.

Tribute to Elizabeth-Perry Piazza By Lisa Beauchamp with contributions from Gloria Yost

Elizabeth-Perry Piazza

It is with a sad heart that I write this article.

My friend and mentor, Liz Perry-Piazza, passed away this May. As many of you knew, she was a great lady. A lady that not only believed in the mission of AAUW but lived it.

Liz and I became friends soon after I joined the branch. It was at a board meeting that she asked for help on a fundraiser for Tech Trek. Little did I know by volunteering that we’d become good friends in the process. It also turned out that Liz and I lived just a few streets away from each other, so we spent quite a bit of time drinking tea, sharing stories and planning Tech Trek fundraisers.

Liz was devoted to Tech Trek, and each year she would find ways to raise the money to send the girls to camp. She’d contact the local schools, send out the applications and get ready for the difficult task of interviewing the camper candidates. Anyone who has helped interview the girls before knows what a tough job this is. Liz would always tell me how she wished that she had the money to send all of them. Thanks to Liz and her devotion, we raised more money with her guidance than ever before and created a solid foundation for the future of the program.

Liz believed in the mission of AAUW, and it showed. She was there if you needed help or support, and she always saw friendship in the many faces of AAUW Sacramento, both past and future.

Aunt Lizzy, as she was known by family, had moved to Virginia and later to North Carolina to be closer to her relatives, but she maintained her Sacramento Branch membership until very recently. She enjoyed keeping up with our activities through the newsletter.

The Liz I got to know I will never forget. She will be missed. Please join me in taking a moment to remember this very special lady, Elizabeth Perry-Piazza.