Inter-Branch Council Funds Luncheon Recap!! By Hedda Smithson

Jan. 25, 2025 found AAUW members from our area’s seven branches enjoying one another’s company in the dining room of North Ridge Country Club in Fair Oaks. Each guest was given an event program, a silent auction catalog and a brochure listing tempting programs from each branch for the rest of the year. The names of the branches are on page 3 of your membership directory.

AAUW CA President Charmen Goehring presented a brief history of and answered questions about AAUW Funds, covering more than 100 years.

The two Funds speakers were Essence Wilson of USC and Dena Malakian of Nevada County. Essence joined us via Zoom and explained her efforts to change attitudes of young African Americans toward seeking help with mental health issues by designing a video called Black Jasmin.

Dena was there in person to tell us about Bright Futures for Youth in Grass Valley. This program focuses on support for young people in the community who may be experiencing food and/or housing insecurity, often significant barriers to learning.

Curious? Click <here> and you will find three videos; Essence is on Video #1 – about 53 minutes in. You’ll see details about Bright Futures for Youth in Video #3 about 32 minutes in.

AAUW Sacramento offered two items for the Silent Auction: a basket with 12 books wrapped in blue paper with intriguing gift tags, and a Yeti cooler with two cups. The basket was valued at $75 and sold for $40; the Yeti collection was valued at $270 and went for $115. A total of $1,275 was raised from the nine items donated by six branches.

This event was truly a team effort. Here are some of the major players: Stephanie from Davis found the speakers; Pat from CHAR made the reservation for the venue; Charlene from CHAR made the name tags; Lee from CHAR wrote and arranged for the printing of the handouts (and she made several Zoom meetings happen); Fran from CHAR organized the silent auction; Carol from Nevada County handled the permit and collected the money from the successful bidders; Alexia from Auburn brought beautiful centerpieces with the AAUW colors of blue and orange. There were 71 reservations.  Most people chose the Thai Chicken Salad and the Limoncello cake. The luncheon sold out several days before the deadline.

Mark your calendars! Next year’s event is Jan. 31, 2026 in the ballroom at North Ridge. There should be room for all!

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