Daily Archives: November 28, 2024

Winter Luncheon – Dec. 14th

Sacramento Branch of AAUW Presents

Episode Four of “The Rights Stuff”

The Right to Food Security and Reading Opportunities

Lights, Camera, Action!!

Saturday, December 14, 2024 11 AM

North Ridge Country Club, 7600 Madison Ave. Fair Oaks

Reservations are due by December 6, 2024Entrée choices:
1. Chicken with whipped potatoes and vegetables
2. Quiche with seasonal garden vegetables
Each entrée includes a garden salad, coffee, tea, water

There are two ways of registering:

  1. Use a credit card and Eventbrite by clicking here. Fees will apply
  2. Write a check to AAUW Sacramento for $30. Write A or B in the memo section to select your choice of entrée. Mail it to Reservations Coordinator, Hedda Smithson, 4033 Main Street, Fair Oaks, CA 95628

They say the secret to success in school is the ability to read. They say we learn to read and then we read to learn. Wise words indeed. Did you know there are at least 7 benefits of reading every day? For a full list, visit  here

Here are the first three:

  1. Readers live longer
  2. Slows Cognitive Decline as You Age
  3. Reduces Stress

In this lovely setting we will enjoy one another’s company as we recognize and welcome all our new members.

We know reading is important to AAUW members. For many of us, a book group was the first introduction to the branch. So let’s pay it forward. See the November issue of Capital Ideas for more about  Love, Talk, Read. We will be collecting new and lightly used children’s books.

Wait! There’s more! It seems that each AAUW meeting we attend we are offered refreshments. Food for the body is very important to students at CSUS as well. Again, take a look at last month’s issue of Capital Ideas. We are supporting the  ASI Food Pantry with donations of non-perishable food items and toiletries.

So here your check list:

  • Register for this event! See above
  • Bring a couple of children’s books for one of our projects
  • Think about what a college student might appreciate and help them out.
  • Find and wear your cool AAUW name tag from Shop AAUW and wear it proudly. (Yes, we will have one for you if you can’t find yours or you don’t have one yet.)
  • Think about a book you have read recently that you would recommend to another. Be ready to share.

President’s Message

President’s Message By Nancy McCabe

As we head into the holiday season, we hope you are able to spend time with loved ones, with gratitude for all that we enjoy living in the Sacramento area.

Also reflect on what you might do to help keep our branch a vibrant community focused on equity for women as well as enjoying interest groups with other members of the AAUW Sacramento branch. When you get involved, you will get to know other active members who just could become your great friends. There are a number of areas we could use some help, such as the Branch Local Projects team, the Tech Trek team, Hospitality or Communications, to name a few.

That old saying is so true “many hands make light work.” It takes a lot of hands to accomplish our goals, and we would like to have your time and talents to help accomplish our goal of advancing gender equity for women and girls! Be in touch!

SEE YOU AT THE HOLIDAY PARTY!

Interest Group Happenings

Interest Group Happenings By Pat Winkle

If you would like to propose a new Interest Group for our branch, please contact me and I will present your ideas to the board for approval. My contact information, as well as the contacts for each of the Interest Groups, is in your branch directory.

 

  • Art & Architecture: Friday. Dec. 6, 10 a.m.Visit to a local artist’s studio. There will be no meeting in January. Contact: Deborah Dunn
  • Great Decisions I: No Meeting in December.
    No meeting in December or January. Meetings will resume in February. Contact: Cathy Locke
  • Great Decisions II: Thursday, Dec. 12, 7 p.m. on Zoom. Contact: Lynn Blair Wood
  • Great Decisions III: Monday, Dec. 16, 1 p.m. Meets in a member’s home. Contact: Margaret McCarthy
  • Healthy Heart Lunch: Friday, Dec. 13, 11:30 a.m.at Zocalo’s in University Village 466 Howe Ave. Contact: Jane Cooley
  • Reader’s Theater: Contact: Diane Petersen for updates.
  • Scrabble Just for Fun: Monday, Dec. 30, 1 p.m. in the game room at Eskaton Village Carmichael.  Contact: Vivian Counts
  • Singles Dining Out: Sunday, Dec. 1, 6 p.m. at Far East Cafe 5014 Freeport. Contact: Nancy McCabe

Speech Trek News

Speech Trek News By Ann Arneill

The Speech Trek Committee has completed its efforts to recruit students from the Elk Grove high schools for the contest.  The contest will be held on Feb. 15, 2025 at 10AM at Cosumnes River College, so put that on your calendars!

Don’t forget about the Speech Trek Challenge that will be held via Zoom from 10:30AM to 11:30AM on Jan. 11, 2025.  Members will have a chance to discuss the topic in advance of the contest to pique their interest.  This year’s very timely topic is “Climate change is happening.  The effects are widespread and touch upon almost all aspects of our life on this planet.  Select an area of impact and explore the effects climate change is having on women in the USA, and around the world.”

Committee members have been preparing for the Challenge so that attendees will have background information to help them understand issues related to the topic and thought-provoking prompts to stimulate discussion.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the many branch members who contributed to Speech Trek in 2023-24.  We appreciate our long-standing contributors and welcome the many new contributors this year.  Because of your generosity, we can award $1,075 in cash prizes to our winners each year.  Donors include Becky Anton, Kathleen Asay, Alice G. Bauer, Shari Beck, RosaLee Black, Jean Bonar, Margaret Brown, Karen Burley, Jane Cooley, Kathleen Deaver, Deborah Dunn, Judy Foote, Lori Franz, Cheryl Fuller, Joan Hammond, Marlys Huez, Elizabeth Jordan, Della Knowles, Catherine Locke, Mary Miller, Bonnie Penix, Diane Petersen, Ann Pickens, Anne Rhodes, Marianne Rorden, Elizabeth Rose, Sandi Schoenman, Kathryn Schrumpf, Gloria Sears, Barbara Smith, Hedda Smithson, Diana Squire, Shirley Wheeler, Linda Whitney, Patricia Winkle and Gloria Yost.

AAUW Fund Luncheon – Jan. 25th

AAUW Fund Luncheon By Hedda Smithson

Sponsored by your Capitol Counties Interbranch Council

Saturday, January 25, 2025

Noon – 2 PM; doors open 11:30

North Ridge Country Club, 7600 Madison Ave. Fair Oaks

Keynote speaker: Charmen Goehring, AAUW California President, will give us the history of AAUW Funds, including the varied ways the Funds support women. In addition, two current AAUW Fund Scholars will share their educational journeys, focusing on details and progress of the work AAUW has funded.

Be a part of this annual tradition. Enjoy a fun meal, listen to brilliant young women share their remarkable learning journeys, and glow with pride to be an AAUW member supporting these determined, intelligent scholars.

Tickets are available on Eventbrite; click <here> to register. When you register, you can select your meal options:
1. Entree: Turkey Breast or Thai Chicken Salad, or Angel Hair Pasta
2. Dessert: Limoncello Cake or Fruit Cup.

Deadline for reservations is January 17, 2025.

Campaign to Publish the Equal Rights Amendment

Campaign to Publish the Equal Rights Amendment By Liz Jordan

Our sister branch Nevada County AAUW has launched a grass roots campaign to get the Equal Rights Amendment published in the Constitution before the new Presidential Administration takes office on Jan. 20, 2025.

Additionally, if you want to encourage President Biden to ask the Archivist to publish the 28th Amendment, the White House phone numbers are:
1 (202) 456-1111
1 (202) 456-1414 Alternate Phone

Write out your script before calling, keeping your message direct and to the point. The Senate Joint Resolution 4 removes the deadline for ratification of the ERA.  State your request and a few words about why you make this request.  To send a message to the President, you may try the following online method:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/share/

Once we have a published constitutional amendment, the Supreme Court is obligated to consider gender as a protected class: statistically, positive outcomes to gender discrimination lawsuits increase significantly. Examples of potential positive outcomes are increased pay equity, greater access to leadership positions, reduced gender-based harassment and improved access to healthcare.

Sample Script:  Please pass Senate Joint Resolution 4 to remove the deadline for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment.  No other amendment has had such a deadline, and we have waited for 52 years for this 28th Amendment.  We need gender protection spelled out in the Constitution.

MEMBERSHIP DOINGS

MEMBERSHIP DOINGS By Gloria Yost

We Have More New Members!

Kim McDaniel
* A former administrator at CRC, Kim will complete work on her MSW in December and wants to be active in our outreach programs.

Fran Clarke
* Joins us as a dual member (primary branch is CHAR). Fran has been a member of AAUW for 53 years

Shannon Datwyler
* Acting dean of College of Natural Sciences & Mathematics at CSUS who will help us reinstate Sac State’s CU partnership

Viki Montero-Hackman
* Lives in Davis and has a Sonoma State email.

Miriam Beloglovsky

WELCOME    Kim – Fran – Shannon — Viki — Miriam
We are glad you have joined!

More Membership Ambassadors!

New ambassadors joining Jan Stuter, Charmen Goehring and Gloria Yost are:
Hedda Smithson, PJ Missman
Congratulations to Charmen, our November drawing winner!

  • Bring in a new member — get your name on our Wall of Honor
  • Bring in a new member — get your name added for our drawings
  • Monthly drawing for prizes at meetings
  • Recruit the most new members — WIN a free AAUW membership for 2025-26

Help us Strengthen our Branch connections and friendships. Contact Gloria Yost or Vicky Lovell, our contact information can be found in the Membership Directory.

Celebrating December Birthdays! 

Happy Birthday to All!

  • Becky Anton                                 12/1
  • Diana Squire                                12/1
  • Jean Bonar                                    12/4
  • Jeannie London                            12/6
  • Marcia Becwar                              12/8
  • Diane Petersen                             12/8
  • Angela Scarlett                              12/11
  • Karen Burley                                 12/12
  • Laraine Silberstein                       12/14
  • Lynn Anderson                             12/17
  • Linda Whitney                               12/27
  • Bonnie Penix                                 12/30
  • Susan O’Connell                           12/31

Book Groups Update

Book Groups Update By Sharon Anderson

If you wish to see what others are reading, or get ideas for your book group or yourself, please refer to the “books” page under “Activities” on our branch website (https://sacramento-ca.aauw.net/bookgroups/).

Each book group has its own tab, by book group number.  (These book group numbers correlate with page 6 of the branch Membership Directory.)  On each list, the meeting days, times and coordinator are listed.

December Book Groups

Book Group 1:
No meeting in December; coordinator is Joy Clous

Book Group 3: 
No meeting in December; coordinator is Carolyn Meeker

Book Group 4: 
Lessons in Chemistry, by Bonnie Garmus, on Dec. 11; coordinator is Pat Morehead

Book Group 6:
Bad Mexicans: Race, Empire, and Revolution in the Borderlands, by Kelly Lytle Hernandez, on Dec. 16; coordinator is Susana Mullen

Book Group 8:
No meeting in December; coordinator is Diana Squire

Book Group 10: 
Holiday party on Dec. 19; coordinator is Sandi Schoenman

Book Group 12: 
Holiday party on Dec. 5; coordinator is Linda Cook

Living Our Mission of Equity By Charmen Goehring

We hope you will join us in a monthly equity conversation where we look at our own biases, seek actions we can take to attract diversity to our branch and become better people in the process. Each month, we read a section of our selected book then meet to discuss what we have learned, along with exploring other issues related to race and equity. We meet the first Wednesday of each month from 7 to 8 PM on Zoom.

The Zoom meeting code is 737 420 3780 or you can join using this link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7374203780  We will discuss our current book, Subversive Southerner: Anne Braden and the Struggle for Racial Justice in the Cold War South, on Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. We will discuss the Intro through chapter 4. If you have questions and to RSVP, please email Charmen at charminme@yahoo.com.

Did You Know?

Did You Know? By Karen Burley

Public Policy News – from CA State AAUW

Please click <HERE> for the November issue of Public Policy News. Included is an article about the outcome of the 2024 Legislative Agenda, and another article about Lilly Ledbetter, the icon of the equal pay movement who passed away in October. The newsletter also includes a scorecard of the 2024 Legislative Agenda, and a pre-election reminder from the School Board Project.

Sunshine Chair

Pat Winkle is our Sunshine Chair and needs to hear from you if you know members who might appreciate a get well, sympathy or “thinking of you” card. As she doesn’t know everyone, she needs your help in remembering our friends. Her contact information is in the directory.

Printable Newsletter Articles

Click here for Printable Newsletter Articles.