It's Women's History Month! Click the Newsblast header to read about this year's theme: Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories.

Save the Date!

Monday • April 3^rd • 6 – 8pm

Susi Q Senior Center Laguna Beach 

With Speaker

Dr. Miki Purnell, MD, ABFM, AbolM, ABIHM

(from UCI Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute) 

The talk will cover the link between the gut microbiome and our health, as well as strategies to build biodiversity of our gut microbiome and optimize our health.

Last Chance!

34^th Annual Literary Luncheon

Laguna Beach Festival of Women Authors

Our most important annual fundraiser for our programs is the Literary Luncheon with its wonderful silent auction, engaging authors, and the opportunity to visit with friends and members over a delightful lunch. All of this is planned and pulled together by the incredible members of our branch. Your generosity allows us to support the goals and change the lives of our scholarship recipients. Purchase your tickets today!

Tickets $125

To pay online, click the image —>

To pay by check, make check payable to AAUW-LBF and mail to: AAUW-LBF, P.O. Box 189, Laguna Beach 92652.

Part of the fun is always the Silent Auction! Bid on dinners, art classes, spa days, hotel stays, art, jewelry, private chef experiences, and more! Here are a few recently added items:

Another Program Masterpiece!

Our 14th annual Art Salon, February’s program, was enjoyed by 30 branch members at the home of member and collector Johanna Felder. The event featured the work of artists Susan Gale, Karen Phelps, Laci Dontain, and Carly Isabel.

Laci and Carly are students at the Laguna College of Art + Design (LCAD), majoring in Experimental Animation and Fine Arts, respectively. LCAD is an AAUW partner college, providing free AAUW National membership to all students. In addition, our branch awards scholarships annually to LCAD students in financial need, and sponsors one student each year to attend the National College Conference for Women Student Leaders (NCCWSL) in Washington, DC. 

Special thanks to program chair Deana Pink, and to Pamela Broadman and

Loren Michelson, our LCAD Partnership chairs!

International Women's Day Presentation:

The Mission Viejo-Saddleback Valley branch invites us to join them for a special Women's History Month program! Professor Lovett will share insights from conducting research on women's history in colonial Western Tanzania.

You must be on the guest list to be admitted to the meeting so be sure to send your RSVP!

⬆ click to view flyer

Join us for the final session of GovTrek 2023 on Saturday, March 25,10am–12:30pm. Listen to inspirational remarks from Senator Toni G. Atkins, then watch the final competition among eight teams of smart, talented young women who are exploring careers in public service. They have spent four Saturdays crafting a realistic campaign simulation for this competition. Who will win? Who has the best stump speech, the best campaign flyers, the best voter outreach plan? You will be able to vote for your choice for the winning team, but just like the Electoral College, the final awards will be awarded by a panel of VIP judges. Click button to register.

And There's More!

This year our branch has three girls participating in Gov Trek—a virtual program for high school junior and senior girls, designed to inspire the next generation to pursue careers in public service and elected office. Over five two-hour sessions, students engage in interactive and inspiring activities with exposure to women legislators, career options, and the inner workings of a political campaign. The first two sessions are now available for viewing, and the rest will be available later.

Session 1

Session 2

Click here to learn more about Gov Trek —>

MEMBERSHIP MATTERS



We hope that many of you will be attending the Literary Luncheon on March 11th and bringing friends who can be introduced to our AAUW Laguna Beach Branch. The letter you received recently included a Join AAUW brochure describing our branch programs and our AAUW mission: advancing gender equity for women and girls through education, research, and advocacy.  The letter also included a membership application for someone to complete and join that day for reduced dues of $83.50. With your help, we are looking forward to increasing our membership and making 2023-2024 a banner year! We are grateful to all our members who support our branch and our mission. Please give this opportunity your consideration and contact one of us listed below — we would love hearing from you.

~Membership Committee

Gail Brooks

Jean Brotherton

Venita DeSouza

Roberta Kanter  

AAUW Elections!

Review Your Contact information!

AAUW Elections are coming up! Online ballots will be emailed to you at the email address AAUW has on file. This is your chance to influence the policy and direction of AAUW, so be sure to vote! Your vote really does matter.

To confirm or update your contact information with AAUW, click here to sign into the Community Hub. Need help? Contact Roberta Kanter.

Observing—Transgender Day of Visibility

Understanding—Transmisogyny

March 31st is set aside every year as Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV), a day to honor the lives, contributions, and struggles of trans individuals. This article from the AAUW California Public Policy Committee tackles the complex intersection of transphobia and misogyny faced by trans women and girls and gender non-conforming people. The term "transmisogyny" captures layers of gender-based marginalization and systemic mistreatment. 

Did You Know?

Correctly using someone's pronouns is a way to show respect for their gender identity. When someone is referred to with the wrong pronoun, it can make them feel disrespected, invalidated, dismissed, alienated, or dysphoric. Not sure how to ask? Provide your own pronouns! This signals to others that they are welcome to do so with you.

A quick way to start is with Zoom's Pronoun feature that will automatically display your pronouns in a meeting.

Click the Zoom logo to find out how to set this up. —>

AAUW's International Impact

AAUW works to improve the status of women and girls throughout the world. Through AAUW’s special consultative status with the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, AAUW leaders and staff attend briefings, organize events, and participate in coalitions to take action on issues that impact girls and women, including access to education and training, leadership, women’s economic security, opportunities in STEM, ending human trafficking ,and working with the NGO Committee on the Status of Women and the UN Commission on the Status of Women.

AAUW Fund Stars