Advancing Gender Equity for Women and Girls | |
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NOVEMBER 2023 NEWSLETTER
edited by Dottie Burk, Jeanne Lese, Cherie Sorokin and Ann Vercoutere
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Art Therapy, Efflux Pumps, Education Inequity, Ground Water Contamination and More! | |
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The headline above lists just some of the topics being studied by 34 (!) women who have received graduate fellowships and grants from AAUW and who are pursuing their studies at universities in California or whose projects are based here. AAUW CA has put together three videos that enable these women to tell us about their studies. You can watch using this link.
Dipping in and out may be the best way to understand the full scope of studies being undertaken by these amazing women. Each video is 60 to 90 minutes, but AAUW CA has provided the time each separate presentation begins in the videos as well as text that summarizes the nature of the project or research for each woman, making it easy to select who you want to hear first. For inspiration from a young woman of color getting her MBA at Stanford thanks to AAUW, be sure to check out Katelyn Harris. For the reality of female immigrants seeking immigration on our southern board, check out Carla Salazar Gonzales. And for those of you passionate about the power of arts, check out Georgia Van Cuylenberg on arts, tech and virtual reality and Julia Best on art therapy. There are 31 others to check out too!
Whether or not you find the time to watch these videos, we hope you'll spread the word that AAUW has been one of the largest funders of graduate education for women since 1888. For the 2023-2024 academic year alone, we gave over $6 million in graduate fellowships, career development grants, and community project grants to over three hundred women!
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Public Policy is a priority for AAUW and for AAUW CA! Our state Public Policy Committee is very busy, supporting and tracking CA legislation and working to help ensure those seeking school board positions don’t have an agenda to ban books or censor curricula or establish policies harmful to LGBTQ students. You can check out the results of our state public policy committee efforts here.
This is vital grassroots work. You can help by joining Nancy Major, our branch public policy chair, on the state committee! The committee is seeking additional members and supporters. There are a variety of ways to contribute: attend school board meetings, write articles on legislation, help determine legislative priorities with our lobbyist, attend and encourage others to attend AAUW lobby days.
Locally, Nancy Major could use your help right here in Marin. Can you help introduce AAUW to local politicians who ought to know about us and our public policy priorities? Nancy plans to visit local politicians, starting with our board of supervisors, to increase awareness of AAUW and our public policy concerns. Right now she’s looking for personal connections to Katie Rice (District 2 Central Marin), Stephanie Moulton-Peters (District 3 Southern Marin) and Dennis Rodini (District 4 West Marin and parts of Corte Madera and Greenbrae). Contact Nancy directly if you can help her connect to these supervisors or their staff members or are willing visit them. Nancypezdekmajor@icloud.com
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Chat with Leslie
Hello all!
Do you know the difference between STEM and STEAM? STEM focuses on science, technology, engineering, and math skills to drive progress or create new concepts. In a STEAM curricula, collaboration is encouraged and integration of the arts deepens understanding of those STEM skills. When you think TechTrek, do you think STEM or STEAM?
Many hands make light work is a saying from the 1300s. Marin AAUW has about 140 members and so if each of us chooses one or two tasks to which we can dedicate a little time, the work of a thriving organization can get done. Choose something! Reach out! Here are four options for you:
Marin AAUW Auction: Let’s educate more of the Marin community about our scholarship fund and our AAUW Marin mission. Let your friends, colleagues, and family know about the auction! We want lots of donors and bidders! Don't forget there is a prize for a lucky member who solicits a donation! Contact: Dottie or Dianne for details.
Public Policy Committee: Public Policy is mission-driven work, interesting, and there is lots of support from AAUW-CA. How about an AAUW Marin Public Policy Committee? Interested in exploring the idea? Contact: Nancy M
Tech Trek Alumnae Group (TTAG): Interested in helping Trekkers keep in touch? Volunteers are needed to update alumnae contact information. Contact: Angela
AAUW Fund Team: Needed: a small team of members to brainstorm ways to support and promote AAUW national projects: Greatest Needs, Education and Training, Economic Security, and Leadership. Let me know if you would like to join us.
Reminder: Don’t forget Katherine Brinnier would like copies of 2024 calendars for Homeward Bound. Please bring calendars to our November 18 meeting at Book Passage. Katherine will collect the calendars at that event. Thank you!
See you soon!
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Elaine Petrocelli at Book Passage! Need We Say More?
Saturday, November 18, 11:00 am
Book Passage in Corte Madera
Our annual program with Elaine Petrocelli, owner of Book Passage, is always fun. Join us at 11:00 am to hear Elaine and her staff hold forth on their favorite picks for the holiday season and beyond. Bring a guest, come early (the store opens at 10:00) or stay afterward to shop. Book Passage is a great place to pick up gifts for the holiday season, plus Elaine gives our branch a percentage of sales to members and guests attending this program.
Please watch for the invitation that will be sent next week and RSVP so we know how many to expect. If you are bringing guests, please let Katherine Brinnier know so we can have a nametag for them as well. A $5 donation per person to AAUW Marin will be requested when you sign in and pick up your name tag.
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Scholarship Winners Announced
Dominican University and College of Marin have announced the recipients of the 2023-24 scholarships funded by the AAUW Marin Scholarship Fund.
Dominican selected the recipients of the AAUW Marin Ann Ruane Lubamersky Scholarship, which is awarded to a nontraditional or re-entry woman. This year's $6,000 award is being shared among three students: Whitney Bynum - $2,000 (Nursing);
Cherie Frink-Hunter -- $2,350 (Business); and Mahnaz Shahroudi -- $1,650 (Biology).
Three $1,000 scholarships were awarded to College of Marin women planning to transfer to a four-year university. The recipients, Sara Angulo, Rosa Mendez, and Kyla Seeley, were honored, along with all COM scholarship winners, at a ceremony on October 9. (Nancy Major, Sarah Pruden, and Dottie Burk attended the ceremony.) In addition, three $1,000 STEM Achievement awards were given to COM women last May.
Congratulations to all!
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Tech Trek Gets Ad in the IJ
Quarter page ads for Tech Trek were featured in the October 4 and October 26 issues of the Marin IJ. We are grateful to Giving Marin, a community partnership of businesses and institutions, for donating advertising space to raise the level of exposure for 501(c)3 nonprofits organizations like our AAUW Marin Scholarship Fund.
The October 4 Tech Trek ad was sponsored by Volvo Cars Marin and the October 26 ad by CPi Developers.
Kudos to Angela Nuckles, Tech Trek Coordinator, and Nancy Finston for designing and submitting the ad.
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Fall Fundraising for Scholarships and Tech Trek
Three Ways You Can Help!
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DONATE to the AAUW Marin Scholarship Fund.
Respond generously to the fund-raising letter from Scholarship Chair Laura O’Malley. Look for the email letter coming soon. Your donation will support our local college scholarships and awards as well as Tech Trek sponsorships and enabling college students to attend AAUW's National Conference for College Women Student Leaders (NCCWSL).
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BID in our online Silent Auction and ask your Marin friends and neighbors to bid as well.
The auction opens for bidding on November 24. We are building a nice selection of tickets, restaurant and merchant gift certificates, gift baskets, experiences, and more. Something for everyone! We will also have some items for purchase at the Holiday Luncheon on December 2. The more bidders, the more money we raise!
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Fold a gift card holder
Back by popular demand, for $20.00 per person, origami expert Amy Anderson will provide instructions and materials to create three gift card holders. Proceeds will be donated to the Scholarship Fund. Class will be held on Friday, November 17 at 1:00 pm at the home of Dottie Burk, 41 Bayview Terrace, Mill Valley. RSVP to Amy or text 415-259-8892
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Welcome Three New Members | |
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Paula Nichols
I hope you were all able to attend our art program in September to admire Paula's Flash Memoir poems, about her time growing up in Minnesota. She doesn't miss the weather extremes and has lived in California for years. Paula retired as a school counselor in 2020 and now works part time advising seniors on college admission essays. She loves water walking, visiting the library, board games, eating curry with her son and daughter-in-law here in Marin, and visiting her daughter and boyfriend in Seattle. Thanks Paula for becoming an active member of the AAUW community.
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Janet Lynn
Janet is already known to us from the hiking group. She is an avid hiker, hiking many miles a week, and combining that with her love of travel. Starting with a trip to France at age 19 and ending with a trip to Turkey this year, she has visited 42 countries, usually hiking, skiing or kayaking while traveling. Since retiring from a career in corporate development, she has been a dedicated tutor through Experience Corps and a nature guide for children at the Bouverie Preserve in Glen Ellen. You'll often find her with her terrier, Jackie, hiking in Peacock Gap and China Camp State Park. She also has a deep interest in art, especially architecture. Welcome Janet.
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Marianne Gallup
Marianne's family has a long history of residing in Florida. She decided to try a new place and completed her degree in Sciences at Sonoma State. She has had an interesting career, working in the VA and UCSF labs on ground-breaking research in heart disease, stem cells, and lung cancer and other airway diseases. Since retiring, Marianne has directed her expertise to animals, volunteering at Wildcare. She likes to work in her garden, spend time with her son and his family, and hike with her Australian shepherd, Jackson. We look forward to getting to know Marianne better.
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Congratulations Denise Lucy!
Our own Dr. Denise Lucy received the 2023 Women of Industry Community Benefit Leader award from the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce during its annual Women of Industry ceremony last week. Read about it HERE.
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Ready to join a new interest group?
All groups welcome new members. Just contact the group leader for information or to be added to the group email list. For a list of all Marin branch interest groups with leader contact information, click HERE. Note: Interest Groups are just for members of AAUW Marin, but guests who may be thinking of joining are welcome to visit an interest group twice before being asked join.
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Art Tours
BIG CHANGE: Due to the difficulties of getting tickets for SFMOMAs Yayoi Kusama, we are postponing the visit to 2024. The exhibition continues until Sep. 7, 2024.
The next museum visit will be Wednesday, November 15 to the OAKLAND MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA. Please order your tickets for 11a.m. Seniors $16, members free, general admission $19. Lunch will be at the museum’s café. 10 a.m. Carpool at Strawberry Village south of WestAmerica Bank. RSVP to Julia Geist, Cell for Wednesday only is 415-819-0164.
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Hiking Group
Our next hike is planned for November 7, weather permitting. We will, once again, plan to hike up to Kent Lake. The trip is about 5 miles. (We plan hikes often on the first Tuesday and the third weekend of each month with distance and destination determined by the hikers.) Please contact Ann Vercoutere if you are interested in joining us.
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LitWits Reading Group
LitWits will read its third and final novel by Philip Roth for its meeting on Wednesday, November 15 at 10 AM. The November book is The Human Stain, a parable following the politics of race and sex, the Vietnam War, the absurdity of extreme political correctness, the dumbing down of academia, and President Clinton's impeachment. LitWits reads literary fiction by writers from any era or country, meets 3rd Wednesday, via in-person and Zoom, and welcomes new members. The group does not meet in December. Contact Ann Thomas 415-924-9559.
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Reading Arts
The Reading Arts group will meet on Thursday, November 16th at 1PM, to discuss Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. Please contact group leader Ann Jessup for more information.
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What Are You Reading?
What Are You Reading group will meet at it’s regular new time on Zoom at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, November 13. Members share what they are reading. If you are interested in joining the group, please email Cherie Sorokin.
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Nonfiction Reading Group
The Nonfiction Book Group is changing its schedule from the 4th Monday to the 2nd Monday at 1:00 on Zoom, starting in November. We will be meeting November 13 at 1:00 on Zoom to discuss Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error by Kathryn Schultz. This is the bestselling history of and investigation into human error by beloved New Yorker writer Kathryn Schulz. “Both wise and clever, full of fun and surprise about a topic so central to our lives that we almost never even think about it.” If you would like to be on the group’s email list and join us, please email either co-leader for the Zoom link: Phyllis Kuehn or Olivia Ruel .
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Behind the Headlines
Behind the Headlines will meet on Zoom at 6:00 pm on Wednesday, November 8 for our annual presentation by Supreme Court watcher Barbara Creed. Please contact Cherie if you would like to attend or join the Behind the Headlines group. Cherie Sorokin or 415 730-0204.
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Happy Hour Group
Our next Happy Hour is Thursday, November 2. If you would like to join the group email list, contact Dottie Burk.
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Meet Me at the Movies!
In October we saw Dumb Money, a docudrama about the little investors flipping the script on Wall Street when buying Game Stop, followed by dinner/discussion at Farm Shop Local, all trying their wood-fired pizza. It was not our favorite movie, but we found it an interesting look at a piece of our recent history. The November movie will be November 14 and will be selected close to the date. Contact Mary Mossteller or Freddie Greene if you have any questions
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Handcraft Circle
Handcraft Circle will move its November meeting to the 4th Tuesday this month because of the holidays. We will meet at Amy Anderson’s from 12:30 to 3:30 on November 28, 726 Fawn Drive in San Anselmo and then won’t meet again until January 16 on the regular 3rd Tuesday afternoon. Contact Mary Mossteller or at 415-924-3096 if interested.
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Play Mah Jongg?
Join us for our weekly games on Wednesdays in members' homes 1:30 to 3:30. If you are interested in joining or would like to get on the list, email the group leader Chris O'Neill. We play American Mah Jongg. You need the card to play and should have a basic knowledge of the game. Chris can also give you information on where to take lessons if you'd like to learn to play. Come join us!
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Interest Group Photo of the Month | |
Chantel Walker speaks on book banning at the October Behind the Headlines meeting. | |
October 14 Program Celebrating Tech Trek
On a beautiful day in the Marin Bocce rose garden, Marin and Novato branch members gathered to meet the girls who attended Tech Trek at Sonoma State last summer. The girls shared demonstrations of camp activities -- Think surface tension, diffusion, and hot air balloons made of tea bags!
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So Much to Do, So Little Time | |
Interested in Attending a Homeward Bound Chef Event?
We have started an AAUW Table for the Chef Event on January 22, 2024 at 6:30 p.m. Chef Ron Siegel will lead the session with recipes from Madcap, his Michelin-starred restaurant in San Anselmo. For $100 your experience includes a delicious dinner prepared by the Homeward Bound team from the chef’s recipes and served at your table plus two glasses of wine or other beverages. If you would like to join the table, RSVP ASAP to Cherie Sorokin. This dinner will sell out quickly.
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November 24: The online auction OPENS!
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December 2: Our annual holiday lunch. Always a fun gathering.
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Know Someone Who'd Like to Join AAUW? | |
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AAUW women make an impact on women and girls.
Word of mouth is the best way to recruit new members!
Why Join? AAUW offers multiple ways to stay engaged with our mission of advancing equity for women and girls, as well as to develop friendship with others who understand that the fight for equality is still critical! Excellent national webinars! Engaging monthly branch programs! A wide variety of interest group meetings! Energetic, intellectually curious friends! A mission that is more important than ever! CONTACT Chris O'Neill for membership information.
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© 2019 AAUW
AAUW is a top-rated 501(c)(3) charity. Donations are tax deductible.
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PLEASE NOTE IF YOU HIT THE UNSUBSCRIBE BUTTON BELOW YOU WILL NO LONGER RECEIVE AAUW MARIN NEWSLETTERS. | | | | |
