Communications have been the heart of our branch operations. This year Nancy Miller and her Communications team of Alice Apkarian, Peggie Thomas and René Williams have put out the Newsblast!, updated our branch website with calendar items and activities, and updated the branch brochures and letterhead to reflect AAUW’s new branding. This has made it possible to keep us informed and up to date on all things AAUW local, State and National.

Despite COVID, AAUW Laguna Beach had a remarkably successful 2022. Starting in February we were able to resume our TLC tutoring of students at El Morro School, led by Peggie Thomas and Kathy Willman. Programs Chair Jean Vivrette, in partnership with Laguna College of Art and Design's Robin Fuld, organized our wonderful February Art Salon with local AAUW member artists and LCAD students displaying their work. In March, for Women’s History month, our Programs Committee partnered with the Women’s Journey Foundation to create a spectacular historical review of Women in History.

In March we also participated in the Laguna Beach State of the City Luncheon at the Montage Resort where Nancy Miller, Madeleine Peterson, Jean Vivrette, and Alison King represented us. Later that week we won 2^nd Prize for our AAUW car in the Laguna Beach Annual Patriots Day Parade. Thank you Madeleine for all your work in organizing these two events.

Our April/May meeting was a Social Gathering at Loren Heller’s lovely home where the emphasis was on meeting and getting to know new members of our AAUW Laguna Beach Branch. On June 26^th we will have the installation of our new officers for 2022-2023 at Sue Reese’s home in Dana Point. We will also be awarding our annual Star Awards for outstanding service to the Branch. I hope all of you will be able to attend.

May and June are the time for graduations. This year has been another wonderful year for awarding scholarships to both graduating high school seniors and to women returning to college after a break in their academic career. Our  Scholarship Committee, led by Lesley Danziger, awarded over $31,000 this year to students from 7 local schools and colleges. We were even able to increase the number of scholarships again this year to 18 recipients. Many thanks to our fundraising leaders and committees, our sponsors, and all of you who donated your time and money to make these scholarships possible.

This summer, we will send 10 middle school students to Tech Trek Camps at Whittier College, UC Santa Barbara, and two Virtual Camps. Tech Trek Coordinator Esther Hessong navigated the challenges of an ever-changing format of in-person and virtual camps, including the reduced number of participating college campuses and camp staffing issues. But we made it! Students are all signed up and off to camp in June and July.

Also, on the STEM front, we sent 8 girls to the Girls in Ocean Science Conference at the Ocean Institute in Dana Point. Finally, our Branch is sponsoring two women student leaders from Orange Coast College to participate in virtual NCCWSL. The National Collegiate Conference for Women Student Leaders has been held in non-COVID years in Washington, DC.

And speaking of saving the date, be sure to mark your calendars for our next Literary Luncheon on Saturday March 11, 2023, at the Surf and Sand Hotel. Luncheon Chairs Roberta Kanter and Audrey Locke are planning another extravaganza for us, and Katie Slattery is on the hunt for author/speakers to entertain and inform us.