Category Archives: Programs

Anything related to program activities for the AAUW Sacramento Branch.

February Program – Speech Trek Contest

Speech Trek Contest By Ann Arneill

The 18th Annual Speech Trek contest will be held on Feb. 15, 2025 from 10a.m. to 1p.m. at Cosumnes River College off Bruceville Road in Room Winn 150. Students from the Elk Grove Unified High School District will be participating.

The topic this year 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.” Students will deliver 5- to 6-minute speeches for cash prizes.

The Speech Trek Committee just hosted the Speech Trek Challenge where AAUW
members had stimulating discussions about the topic in small groups after hearing a
background presentation orienting them to the subject. We encourage members to
attend this event every year as a lead-up to the contest.

We have had significant interest from students this year, and we hope that many AAUW
members come to the contest to give them an enthusiastic audience! To register for the event, click <here>,

March Program – Equal Rights for All

Lights! Camera! Action!

Equal Rights for All By Lisa Howard

Saturday, March 15, 2025

10:30 AM – 1:00 PM at Roberts Family Development Center

766 Darina Avenue, Sacramento

AAUW members have long raised awareness through their impactful initiatives, programs and research. We recognize the need to attract and retain members, and to celebrate the diversity that all individuals bring.

At a national level, AAUW is prioritizing the skills we need to hone to be able to have the bold and challenging conversations that we are likely to encounter as we work our way out of the divisive conditions in which we find ourselves.  National AAUW will host a webinar on “Bold Conversations” Wednesday, Jan. 29 at 4 p.m. PST to review key skills like active listening so critical to engaging in difficult topics. Click <here> to register for the webinar.

To further prepare our members, Lisa Howard and Jessica Waugh will use the AAUW best practice toolkit materials discussing diversity, equity and inclusion and will lead the group in exploring how our unconscious bias informs how we are perceived when we engage with people with different life experiences from our own.

We will gather for this panel discussion at the Roberts Family Development Center in Del Paso on Saturday, March 15 from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. RFDC is located at 766 Darina Ave., Sacramento. At the meeting we will take participants through the AAUW DEI Toolkit to explore the terminology for greater understanding.

Hope to see you there!

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Corner

As an organization, AAUW strives to remove barriers for women.  As educated white women of means, much of the AAUW membership has lived through a hopeful and dynamic phase of history.  With such a noble mission, it is easy to assume that all women had the same experiences that we have, which is not true.

Women of color within our generations experienced the shared history quite differently. Young women today face less economic stability and often less reproductive freedom than most of our current membership. In support of attracting members to the mission, diversity is first about taking steps to understand the context that people may bring.  For 2025, I will be sharing a recommended reading each month that can be used to guide a learning journey for those interested in exploring our diversity.

The first recommended book is The Sum of Us – What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGee. One of today’s most insightful and influential thinkers offers a powerful exploration of inequality and the lesson that generations of Americans have failed to learn: Racism has a cost for everyone — not just for people of color. The book is available standard, adapted for Young Readers, audio  and even as a podcast.

In preparation for Black History Month in February, we’ve included a month of challenges for members to consider as recognition for the month.  Click <here> for the Challenge Sheet. Bring your sheet with you to the March meeting where we’ll award a prize for the most items completed.

AAUW Fund Luncheon–SOLD OUT!

AAUW Fund Luncheon By Hedda Smithson

Sponsored by your Capitol Counties Interbranch Council

Saturday, January 25, 2025

Noon – 2:30 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 and speak on our current challenges, opportunities, and the positive work of AAUW Funds. In addition, two active AAUW Fund Scholars will share their remarkable journeys, highlighting the details and progress of the work AAUW is supporting.

Join the party! Make sure you have a place at the table! Enjoy a fun meal, listen to brilliant young women, and glow with pride to be an AAUW member supporting these determined, intelligent scholars.

Cost is $32. To pay by credit card (with a small convenience fee), tickets are SOLD OUT on Eventbrite. When you register, you can select your meal options:
1. Entree: Turkey Breast/mashed potatoes/veg. or Thai Chicken Salad, or Pasta Primavera (vegetarian)
2. Dessert: Limoncello Cake or Fruit Cup.

Wait! There’s More!!!

Traditionally this event has offered the opportunity to raise money for Funds. You are welcome to bring your checkbook or lots of cash with you to donate on the spot. OR! Join in the fun of a silent auction. Here are the items that have been offered so far:

  • From the Auburn Branch: A “Take Me Out to the Ballgame basket”: an old- fashioned hotdog and bun roaster, popcorn and lots of other snacks.
  • From CHAR: A two-night stay in a Treetop Pavilion Suite in Marin County.
  • From Nevada County: A basket from Grey Pine Winery – two bottles of wine and two glasses.
  • From Sacramento: A Yeti Roadie Cooler, two 20 oz. Yeti cups and two baseball caps.
  • From Sacramento: Basket of 12 (wrapped) books, bookmarks and tiny notebooks.

Keep in mind there may be more baskets offered. So –

  • Make sure you have made a reservation.
  • Ask a friend to come with you.
  • Bring your checkbook.

See you there!!

 

Recap: AAUW Holiday Luncheon

December 14 Branch Meeting – Rewind! By Hedda Smithson

Oh, the weather outside was frightful – but inside was so delightful.

Did we see a group of very determined women making their way toward North Ridge Country Club through rain and wind and questionable water depths? Our attendance was amazing!! We did enjoy one another’s company as we listened to seasonal music. Many commented on the success of the event.

Trivia: More wrote checks than used Eventbrite. More ordered quiche than chicken. All enjoyed the delicious candies on the table – our dessert!

We heard from president Nancy McCabe about our search for new leaders and how much easier board meetings and communications have become. Gloria Yost helped us welcome new members and women from the Citrus Heights/American River Branch. Shannon Datwyler, a new member who works at CSUS, reviewed the history of the Food Pantry and answered some pretty astute questions. Barbara Smith pointed out she was preaching to the choir as she discussed the many benefits of reading.

And the haul was incredible: Nancy McCabe’s red Lexus was ladened with books for the Love Talk Read project – developed by our own Celeste Roseberry-McKibbin. Hedda Smithson’s red Prius was filled to about 3 feet with boxes of cereal, bags of rice, etc., as well as personal items. We are reminded that cookbooks are appreciated – so keep that in mind. Books will be delivered when Celeste returns from travel. Food items were taken to CSUS Dec. 16.

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.

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.

November Program-Celebrate 50th Anniversary of Title IX

AAUW Sacramento  Branch Presents

“The Rights Stuff”

Lights, Camera, Action!

The Right to Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Title IX

Saturday, November 16, 10:30 AM to 1:00 PM
Eskaton Village, 3939 Walnut Avenue, Carmichael
South Auditorium

This year we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of Title IX, which was enacted into law by Richard M. Nixon on June 23, 1972. Title IX changed the Federal Education Amendments to “prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

Join us as we continue our mission of equity for women and girls by learning the history of Title IX in U.S. schools. What started this legislation? How has it changed? What protections have been expanded? What outside forces threaten its future?

Tickets are available only on Eventbrite until Wednesday, Nov. 13. Please click <here> for tickets.

Our program guest speaker is Aileen Rizo, associate director of the AIMS Center for Math and Science, a graduate math/science education professor and is currently pursuing a PhD in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education.

In 2012 Aileen began a fight for pay equity and became an advocate for the economic security of women in our state and throughout the country, working with legislators to pass some of the strongest pay equity bills in the nation.

This program should be very informative. We encourage you to invite friends to accompany you. The Membership Committee will have AAUW membership applications available for interested attendees. Seats may be limited, so please act soon. Refreshments will be provided. Wear your name tag if you have one.

December Program-Winter Luncheon

Lights, Camera, Action!

The Right to Reading Opportunities and Food Security

Saturday, December 14, 11 AM
North Ridge Country Club, 7600 Madison Ave., Fair Oaks

Our program year continues with the beloved Winter Luncheon where we will welcome and recognize all our new members.

The focus of this event is Reading Opportunities and Food Security. Plans are underway for our meal and our speaker(s). Stay tuned. Be aware that because of requirements from North Ridge, the deadline for making reservations is Friday, Dec. 6. PLAN AHEAD!! <Here> is the reservation form which is needed for the check payment registration.

There are two entrée choices, and both include a  garden salad, coffee, tea, water:

A. Chicken  with whipped potatoes and vegetables
B. Quiche with seasonal garden vegetables

There are two ways to register:

  1. Use a credit card and pay during your Eventbrite registration. Fees will apply. The Eventbrite link can be found <here>.
  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

Want to start shopping? We will be collecting new and gently used children’s books to share with at-risk children and families. Our own Celeste Roseberry-McKibbin founded Love, Talk, Read, a Children’s Book Drive and Literacy Program. In addition to the usual places to shop – Barnes & Noble, Amazon and the like, consider the your local library, the Book Den, Underground Books, Half Price Books, Time Tested Books, Crawford’s Books, etc.

The focus for food security is the Associated Students Inc. (ASI) Food Pantry at CSUS. Their mission is to provide food and basic necessities to Sac State students with financial hardships and low food security, at no cost. The wish list includes nonperishable food items, menstrual products and toiletries. That web page is ASI Food Pantry .

Please remember to register by Dec. 6th!

October Program-The Right to be Informed Voters

Sacramento and Citrus Heights/American Branches of AAUW Present

“The Rights Stuff”

Lights, Camera, Action!

The right to be informed voters

Saturday, October 19, 9:30 AM to 12 noon

Carmichael Presbyterian Church

5645 Marconi Ave.,  Carmichael CAHas everyone noticed this is an election year? Well – we have heard of  “Political Junkies” – we would like to make you aware of a subspecies – and we call them the “Proposition Junkies.”

Is your proposition knowledge and history up to date? Here is a quick quiz to get you engaged:

  1. How are propositions placed on the California Ballot?
  2. How often are propositions renumbered?
  3. Proposition 4 passed in 1911 did what? (AAUW would have supported it!!)
  4. What was the target of Proposition 65, passed in 1965?
  5. Proposition 73 in 2005 and Proposition 85 the next year failed. What was the issue?
  6. Proposition 8 in 2008 passed and then was declared unconstitutional. What was the issue?

Join us for a panel discussion about the 10 propositions on our November ballots. Helping us to become educated voters will be Professor Mary-Beth Moylan and students from the McGeorge School of Law.

Here are three propositions we think will be interesting:

  1. Proposition 36: Increase drug crime and theft penalties; allow drug and mental health treatment.
  2. Proposition 5: Lower the vote threshold from 2/3 to 55% for local bond issues.
  3. Proposition 6: Remove involuntary servitude as punishment for a crime from the constitution.

The doors open at 9:30 a.m. and the meeting starts at 10. Light refreshments will be offered. Seating is limited to 80 guests so reserve a spot through Eventbrite (click here) or call Lee Battershell, (916) 230-1110 to leave a clear message; spell your name slowly.

Lights? Check! Camera? Check! And now we look for Action!!

  • Register for the event: (click here) or call Lee at the number above.
  • Invite a friend to come with you and be sure to let us know.
  • Look at the 10 Propositions and come to the meeting with questions.
  • Remember to wear a name tag but know that if you forget or don’t have one, a name tag will be provided. We want to get to know you!!
  • Educate yourself by checking out Ballotpedia and other online sources.
  • VOTE!!

                                       

 

 

 

 

 

AAUW Priorities

AAUW Priorities By Kathy Papst

First, I want to thank Karen Burley for stepping up to be the chairperson of Funds. This is
especially great with all the other jobs she oversees in our branch. Thank you for your selfless
commitment to our branch mission.

There is so much happening with the state organization to further our goals for equity for women in many ways. It is easy to think that we have made so much progress that we can all rest and think that the mission has been accomplished. That is not the case, and we need to continue to work toward moving forward and to keep outside forces from trying to erase all of the work that AAUW has fought hard to enact.

Some interesting news from the state website: If you wish to find out what is new, take a few
minutes to read what is happening in Public Policy, Equal Rights, Title IX, Pay Equity, and
Discrimination issues. The Sept. Public Policy newsletter can be found <here>.

In 2024, even though the federal government has laws in effect regarding pay equity, women still make 84 cents for every dollar that men make. The state website has a 2024 voter issue guide available to download.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed into law AB 1078, which prevents school districts from banning
books and censoring curriculum.

The Nobel Prize in Economics has been awarded to 77-year-old Claudia Goldin without men as
collaborators. Claudia is a professor of economics at Harvard University.

We have some very exciting programs coming up this year, and I strongly encourage all branch
members to consider attending these mission-based programs. Remember that we can make great friends and get together for book discussion groups, dining groups, Art & Architecture, etc. because of our involvement with AAUW.

The Oct. 19 program will feature a discussion of ballot measures in the 2024 election. This will
be led by law students from McGeorge Law School.

On Nov. 16, I will host a meeting regarding the 50th anniversary of the passage of Title IX into law. I am working on having a speaker(s) talk about pay-equity cases that went to the higher courts for deliberation in California. I am crossing my fingers to schedule a very prominent
speaker on this issue. Please put these dates on your calendar.

Once again, if you would like to help work on any part of Priorities, please contact me and we can find some way to contribute to this important cause.

Happy Autumn,
Kathy

From the CA AAUW President:

This is a reminder of the critical impact school board races have on our communities.

Though they may seem small, school boards make vital decisions about what students learn, how resources are allocated, and the policies affecting the health, safety, and equity of our schools. They also influence essential issues like sex education, mental health services, and inclusion, while managing key decisions about land use and school closures that directly affect neighborhoods.

With the upcoming election, it’s important that we all participate. These elections determine the quality of education and fairness in our communities, and often serve as stepping stones for future political leaders. Please be sure to research your local school district, review your sample ballot, and learn about the candidates.

In some parts of California, school boards may challenge the state’s pro-choice and health equity values, which makes your vote even more urgent.

Your involvement ensures that all students receive the education and resources they deserve in a supportive and inclusive environment. Voting in these elections helps shape not just our schools, but the future of leadership in our communities.

Your vote matters!

 ***
This message was sent to you from the Capital Women’s Campaign (CWC).  Chaired by former Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo, CWC is an alliance of pro-choice activists from the greater Sacramento region determined to flex our collective power. If you have information to share, especially regarding bringing more pro-choice women into the political process, please send to info@capitalwomenscampaign.com  Note that if you prefer not to receive information/calls to action from CWC, simply reply to this email with a request to be removed from our mailing list.