Presidents’ Message by Liz Jordan and Charmen Goehring

Liz Jordan

A very happy new year to all members of AAUW Sacramento. This year ahead promises to be full of change and tradition, progress, and probably regression, but certainly full of work toward gender equality, planning the future, reunion with friends, and hopefully good health for each of us.

 

 

On your calendars

Mark your calendars for these upcoming events. Information is available here in our Capital Ideas and also by E-blast.

  • January 18, 2020, 4th Annual Women’s March at California State Capitol. Find your friends, daughters, husbands, sons, and grandchildren to march. AAUW Sacramento will march together, raising awareness about our work and goals. Amy Rose, Director of Public Policy, will plan and lead our participation. Contact Amy Rose at amyjane.rose@gmail.com or  Meryl Press at Meryl_Press@yahoo.com
  • January 25, 2020, IBC Luncheon at Plates Café, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. featuring two Funds Recipients, Briana Marela Lizarrage, an electronic musician and sound artist, and Karen Dosanjh, who plans legal assistance for domestic violence victims, as well as victims of sexual assault and human trafficking. Please see the article and flyer in this issue of Capitol Ideas.
  • February 15, 2020, is the Annual Speech Trek Contest at CRC from 9 a.m. to noon on the Cosumnes River College campus. Easy parking! It’s early, but it only takes a morning of listening to high schoolers from the Elk Grove Unified School District to make you smile about the future.
  • 100th Anniversary Party! Plan on attending the luncheon at Northridge Country Club on February 29, 2020. Invitations will be in the mail to each member in January. Invite friends and family to help us celebrate our remarkable past through music and a skit. AAUW CEO Kim Churches is going to preview the future of AAUW.

Recent Excellent Programs

  • Our Holiday Luncheon at Northridge Country Club was a delightful luncheon featuring an informative presentation by Kathrine Lemke Waste, about the American Women Artists initiative “25 in 25” to secure museum exhibitions for women artists. Congrats to Deborah Dunn, Art and Architecture Interest Group, and our Program Directors Kathy Locke and Karen Burley for an excellent program and fun event.
  • In mid-November, the CSUS affiliates held a very successful panel presentation of women in politics on the CSUS campus. Congrats to those who organized and put on this program.

Getting Prepared – Planned Changes Coming Soon 

  • AAUW Sacramento will be converting to online membership renewal this year. This means you will need a secure credit card and access to AAUW.org. Plenty of information will be sent out ahead of time to make this transition more manageable, but we will also be donating more online to our local outreach programs such as Speech Trek, Scholarships, Tech Trek, and AAUW Funds.
  • Look for a renovated website making donations easy as well as finding information about events and programs.
  • AAUW National is asking branches to work for recognition in the 5 Star Award Program. This program helps branches refocus efforts that promote the pillars of the Strategic Plan. Toward this effort, your board is planning some changes to Policies and Procedures that will allow us to vote electronically on questions and elections before the branch. Some policy flexibility is also under consideration in elected board directors’ terms allowing for smoother succession and transitions.

Charmen Goehring

Last Word 

In last month’s issue of the Capital Ideas, Co-President Charmen Goehring wrote about the need for remaining active.

  1. AAUW, as an organization, has an average member age of 72, which means it is vital for us to recruit new members who want to work on behalf of gender equality.
  2. It also means we need everyone to stay involved. Too much inequality still exists; older members, long-time members, new members, younger members, we all must recommit to the mission.

We need each and every member to do whatever she or he can do, as the branch organizes efforts:

  • to educate and train women for lucrative careers and social participation,
  • to provide opportunities for building leadership skills,
  • and to reach out in an effort to support women’s economic security.

The Nominating Committee is looking for members to take board positions. Please consider taking on a Co-Director position. AAUW Sacramento supports each member who takes the risk of serving; we can all learn new skills.

Leadership positions of Membership, Program, and Funds need you, as well as President-Elect and Secretary, are critical to the operation of the branch. To keep AAUW Sacramento strong and engaged in our community, please consider volunteering.