Happy New Year!

I hope all of you have had enjoyable holidays and are looking forward to the new year.

I have been thinking about the message that Dr. Yvonne Katz gave at our December meeting. She spoke of the need for financial security and the many issues that girls and women face. I always enjoy her enthusiastic presence and I appreciated her emphasis on projecting confidence. She gave us six ways to project confidence: Get active, ramp up your smile, exude a body language of self-respect (she even demonstrated how to walk and stand), optimize color in your clothing, wear scent strategically and keep a positive attitude. So many folks these days are concerned about the state of the world and/or having personal challenges. Remembering to smile, walk with a sense of confidence, stay active and stay positive are all good goals for the new year that can ward off some of these worries. I know I am going to keep them in mind. The book that Dr. Katz recommended that everyone read is Smart Women Finish Rich by David Bach. As always, Dr. Katz left her audience with a sense of optimism.

Dr. Katz encouraged us to get involved by joining local boards and organizations that make a difference in the community. If you are a member of a board or hold other positions in the community, we would like to let our other members know. We as AAUW members have access to the Two Minute Activist to contact our representatives in Washington. Don’t forget that we can also email city and county leaders in order to have our voices heard at the local level. We will meet with our state and U.S. Representatives at their local offices on Equal Pay Day this year. Look for emails with more information on this as we approach Equal Pay Day.

We won’t have a meeting in January, but hope to see you at Wine, Women and Wisdom this month and then at our meetings in February, March, April and May.

Suzanne Benson
President