Tag Archives: Programs

AAUW Program year ends with honors, speeches, hope for our city

AAUW Program year ends with honors, speeches, hope for our city – By Kim Rutledge

The final program of the AAUW Sacramento Branch was held on Saturday, May 15 on Zoom. The meeting started with the installation of new officers for the 2021-22 branch year, led by Gloria Yost. Marty McKnew and Donna Holmes were sworn in as membership co-directors, and Carole Cline was sworn in as secretary.

Liz Jordan presented President Angela Scarlett with her past-presidents’ pin, even though she will serve as president for another year. Liz also gave us a fascinating history of the pin’s origins and design. Other past presidents in the meeting shared about what the pin means to them.

Outgoing Membership Co-director Bonnie Pennix honored the branch’s 50-year members: Dorie Bracchi, Susan McLearan, Elaine Moody, Pat Stilwell and Gloria Yost. Each 50-year member received a certificate, which was mailed to their home.

Speech Trek winner Saher Haidari delivered her winning speech and impressed us all with her intelligence and poise, even over Zoom.

Funds Director Charmen Goehring presented this year’s branch named gift honorees: Karen Burley, Sharon Anderson, Marty McKnew, Arlene Cullum and Pat Winkle.

Our keynote speaker was Sacramento City Councilmember Katie Valenzuela. She engaged our members in a discussion about her priorities for the city, including addressing housing and homelessness issues. She also spoke about the importance of having more women in leadership roles at all levels of government.

Looking ahead to the 2021-22 program year, please save the following dates for the Fall 2021 programs: Saturday, Sept. 11; Saturday, Oct. 23; Saturday, Nov. 13; and Saturday, Dec. 11. More program details will come in the next newsletter. If you are interested in helping plan next year’s programs, please email Kim Rutledge – you will find her contact information in the Sacramento Branch Membership Directory.

A Glimpse of the Future

AAUW Sacramento presents: A Glimpse of the Future By Gloria Yost

Saturday, May 15, 2021, 10 a.m. – 12:00, on Zoom

Please join our spring celebration as we wrap up our regular program schedule for the 2020-2021 year and take a glimpse of the future. We will have a busy agenda, including the installation of our new officers as they begin their two-year terms. They are: Donna Holmes and Marty McKnew, membership co-directors, and Carole Cline, secretary. The other elected officers are continuing.

A special treat will be the chance to hear our 2021 Speech Trek winner, Saher Haidari, present

Saher Haidari

her winning speech. Saher is a junior at Pleasant Grove High School in the Elk Grove USD, where she competed against 15 students from six different district high schools. As the contest winner, Saher received the top award of $500. She will be delivering her speech in person on the topic “Has social media helped or hindered the breaking down of barriers for women and girls?”

We will also recognize five new 50-year members — Dorie Bracchi, Susan McLearan, Elaine Moody, Pat Stilwell and Gloria Yost. In addition, we’ll learn who our named-gift honoree recipients are for this past year.

Katie Valenzuela

Our special guest speaker will be Councilwoman Katie Valenzuela. She was elected in March 2020 to serve on the Sacramento City Council for District 4. Valenzuela has over 10 years of state and local policy and community organizing experience. She was born and raised in Oildale, California, and holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in community development from UC Davis.

We will hear about her journey to elective office, as well as her vision for the future of Sacramento, and learn what she sees as the greatest needs for the advancement of women and social justice reforms.

Please invite your friends and prospective members to catch a glimpse of the future and hear from Councilwoman Valenzuela as we celebrate together. To join us, please register at Eventbrite here. The Zoom link will be sent to you two days before the event.

AAUW Sacramento Annual Authors Event

AAUW Sacramento Annual Authors Event By Kim Rutledge

Saturday, April 10, 2021

12:30 – 2 p.m. via Zoom

Featuring historical fiction writer

Jillian Cantor

Please join us as we celebrate our annual Authors Event to hear Jillian Cantor speak. Cantor, a

Photo of Jillian Cantor by Galen Evans

best-selling author of 11 books for teens and adults, is known for her works of historical fiction, including “The Lost Letter” and “In Another Time”. In her latest book, “Half Life”, Cantor reimagines the life of Marie Curie, using a parallel structure to create two alternative timelines –one that mirrors her real life, and one that explores the consequences for Marie and for science if she had made a different choice.

Cantor has a BA in English from Penn State University and an MFA from the University of Arizona. She will be speaking to us via zoom from her home in Arizona, where she currently resides with her husband and two sons.

April is also the month for our annual meeting, and we will be electing new officers during the business portion of our gathering. The business meeting will begin at 12:30 p.m.

Cantor’s latest book, “Half Life”, is scheduled for release by Harper Perennial on March 23. In partnership with local women-owned bookstores, we are encouraging members to order and purchase “Half Life” from them, thus supporting both local small businesses and AAUW’s mission. In exchange, these bookstores are publicizing our Authors Event.

Underground Books: 2814 35^th St., Sacramento, CA 95817

916-737-3333 gwest@underground-books.com

Ruby’s Books: 724 Sutter St., Folsom, CA 95630

916-790-8760 INFO@RUBYSFOLSOM.COM

Face in a Book: 4359 Town Center Blvd., El Dorado Hills, CA 95762

916-941-9401

Crawford’s Books: 5301 Freeport Blvd., #200, Sacramento, CA 95822

916-731-8001 sue@crawfordbooks.net

This meeting is open to the public so please invite friends, family and prospective members who can join AAUW at this event and receive a discount as well as a bonus of three extra months on their 2021-2022 membership.

Register with EventBrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/142636576841. The Zoom link will be sent out two days before the event.

March Program Explores Aging Issues

March Program Explores Aging Issues in California By Kim Rutledge

Aging is changing in California. Our state’s over-6o population is projected to diversify and grow faster than any other age group. By 2030, 10.8 million Californians will be an older adult, making up one-quarter of the state’s population. This aging population will be ethnically diverse and dominated by women.

In June 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order calling for the creation of a Master Plan for Aging. The executive order affirmed the priority of the health and well-being of older Californians and the need for policies that promote healthy aging. It also called for a “blueprint” for state government, local government, the private sector and philanthropy to prepare the state for the coming demographic changes and continue California’s leadership in aging, disability and equity. The Master Plan covers five bold goals: housing for all ages and stages; health reimagined; inclusion and equity; caregiving that works; and affordable aging.

On Wednesday, March 24 at 7 p.m., AAUW Sacramento will host a panel discussion on the Master Plan for Aging and its five bold goals and 23 strategies to build a California for All Ages by 2030. The panel will focus on women’s issues and equity considerations in the Master Plan. We will be joined on Zoom by the following experts who helped shape the Master Plan. To register for the March program, go to the Eventbrite link here.

Amanda Lawrence, MPH, is the project director of the Master Plan for Aging at the California Department of Aging (CDA). Immediately prior to joining CDA, Lawrence served as strategist and program consultant on several projects at the California Department of Public Health, including the launch of the Department’s Healthy Aging Initiative. Following graduation from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a passion for health and social justice led her to earn a Master of Public Health degree and to work for international, community-based and healthcare nonprofits promoting health and equity, including the planning and implementation of community organizing efforts with and for older adults in Nicaragua.

Edie Yau is the director of diversity, equity and inclusion for the Alzheimer’s Association, Northern California and Northern Nevada Chapter. She provides leadership and strategic direction in equity and inclusion in the pursuit of a world without Alzheimer’s and all other dementia. She is responsible for developing culturally relevant programs to effectively reach underserved communities. Yau serves on the Executive Council for AARP California and is a member of the Master Plan for Aging Equity Advisory Committee. She has been in the field of aging for more than 20 years and has an MA in gerontology.

Ellen Schmeding is the chair of the California Commission on Aging and currently serves as the chief operating officer for St. Paul’s Senior Services. Prior to joining St. Paul’s in 2017, Schmeding worked with the County of San Diego for 30 years, most recently as the director of Aging & Independence Services (the Area Agency on Aging for San Diego County) as well as serving as the Public Administrator, Public Guardian and Public Conservator for San Diego County.

Kiara Harris is co-founder of Sistahs Aging with Grace & Elegance (https://sagesistahs.org). Founded in 2012, the mission is to empower and support African-American women with tools and resources they need to implement a plan of action that enhances their quality of life from midlife and throughout their senior years. Harris began her justice and equity work in 2015 at Sacramento City College in the Department of Student Equity and Success. Harris also served as a member of the Equity Work Group for the California Master Plan on Aging. She has more than 30 years of professional experience in executive-level communications and public policy-related positions. Harris owned H&H Ecoprises, an environmental and public health marketing and communications consulting firm in Oakland, CA for more than 10 years. She has a master’s degree in public administration from Cal State East Bay and a bachelor’s degree in mass media communication from Hampton University, a historically black college in Hampton, Virginia.

To register on Eventbrite for the March program, click here. We look forward to a fruitful discussion about this important project.

April Authors Event – Save the Date!

Novelist Jillian Cantor to speak at April Authors Event By Cathy Locke

Mark your calendars for Saturday, April 10, for Sacramento AAUW’s annual “Authors

Photo of Jillian Cantor by Galen Evans

Luncheon” – minus the luncheon in this pandemic year. Jillian Cantor, the best-selling author of 11 novels for teens and adults, will speak to us via Zoom from her home in Arizona. The virtual event will be held from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. and will include a Q & A session with the author.

Cantor is known for her works of historical fiction, including “The Lost Letter” and “In Another Time”. Her latest novel, “Half Life”, is scheduled for release March 23 by Harper Perennial. In “Half Life”, Cantor juxtaposes the real life of physicist Marie Curie with the life Curie might have lived had she chosen to marry her first love and remain in her native Poland. The novel explores how an alternative path might have affected Curie’s life and the history of science.

This year’s Authors Event is free of charge and members are encouraged to invite guests. Click here to register on Eventbrite.

Branch Holiday Party – Online Edition

Branch Holiday Party – Online Edition by Kim Rutledge

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to upend our lives, the AAUW Sacramento Branch Program Committee continues to find new, creative ways of upholding our branch’s time-honored traditions. The pandemic will keep us from celebrating the holiday season with a luncheon at the Northridge Country Club this year, but it will not keep us from gathering online for a festive celebration.

On Dec. 12 from 10 to 11:30 a.m., grab a mug of cider, put on your favorite ugly holiday sweater and join us on Zoom for the AAUW Sacramento Branch Holiday Party – Online Edition. Our guest speakers will be three local women artists – visual artist Franceska Gamez (http://www.franceskagamez.com), jewelry designer and metalworker Omonivie Okhade (https://www.tulainbloom.com), and abstract painter Caiti Chan (http://www.caitichan.com). The women will each give a brief presentation on their work and experiences in the Sacramento art scene. We will also enjoy holiday music by the California State University, Sacramento, Clarinet Quartet.

To keep things fun, festive, and interactive, we will hold an ugly holiday sweater contest – judged by our artist guests. Prizes will be awarded to the three branch members with the tackiest sweaters. There will also be time for virtual socializing at the end of the program.

To join in the holiday fun, please sign up at Eventbrite by clicking here. We look forward to celebrating this unusual holiday season with you all.

Policies Affecting California Women’s Well Being Are November Program Focus By Cathy Locke

Women have made considerable progress since securing the vote 100 years ago, but they still face disparities on a range of issues including economic security, health and participation in political leadership.

Representatives of the California Budget & Policy Center will update us on the status of women in Sacramento County and statewide during a November 14 presentation on the California Women’s Well Being Index. This free meeting will be held virtually, using Zoom. Please mark your calendars!

The Women’s Well Being Index, prepared by the California Budget & Policy Center, is a multifaceted composite measure looking at five dimensions of women’s well-being by county: health, personal safety, employment and earnings, economic security and political empowerment.

The California Budget & Policy Center (calbudgetcenter.org), formerly the California Budget Project, was founded in 1995 to provide an independent source of information on how budget and tax policies affect low- and middle-income Californians. The center provides analyses and commentary on issues including tax policy, economic trends, health and criminal justice.

Come learn about the issues affecting California women and how you can advocate for change.

Registration required by April 17th for April 25th Branch Meeting! No walk-ins will be allowed

The meeting is Featuring Our special Guest Speaker, Assemblyman Richard Pan.

We will be electing the Sacramento Branch Officers for the 2013-2014 Year. We need a branch quorum For the Election.

April 25th, 6:30 pm (check in at 6pm) at the Rancho Cordova Library, located at 9845 Folsom Blvd. Sacramento, CA 95827

You must register to attend this event with Brandy Shiners by April 17th. Please email Brandy Shiners at brandyshiners@gmail.com.

If you do not receive a confirmation email, please resubmit your request to Brandy Shiners.