Happy New Year and Happy Valentine’s Day!

As we bring in the New Year and look forward to February, I would like for us to think of new beginnings and opportunities to show kindness in all we do and say. I also want to thank Ruth for keeping me informed about our members who are sometimes under the weather. That is a wonderful act of kindness. I am not the type to send cards. It is much more feasible for me to pick up my phone and check-in. If you know of any members who are ill or are not feeling well please contact me so I can give tnem a call.

To Sophie and Debbi, I am glad you are on the mend.

Until next month Just Breathe and Keep Smiling.

Claudia L. Walker, Ed.D.

President

AAUW San Antonio

2024-2025 Branch Leaders

Executive Committee

President

Claudia L. Walker, Ed.D.      

President Elect

Vacant  

Vice President Membership

Debbi Sochia                        

Vice President Programs

Martha Steele             

Secretary

Debbi Sochia    

Treasurer

Kathy Dicke

Parliamentarian

Vacant

Standing Committees

Public Policy

Pat Sanford

Finance/Budget

Kathy Dicke

Scholarships/NCCWSL/CU

Jeanette Pierce

AAUW Funds

Vacant

DEI

Dre Andrepoint

STEM

Vacant

Governance

Jeanette Pierce

Appointed Positions

Membership Outreach

Claudia L. Walker, Ed.D.

Community Coordinator

Claudia L. Walker, Ed.D.

Reservations

Martha Steele

Publicity

Michelle Burk

Historian

Rachel Skelley

Communications

Malinda Gaul

Next Meeting

February 1, 2025

Our next meeting, February 1 at 11:30 a.m., is a change of pace! The goal of the meeting is to allow everyone to get to know the membership. If you are a new member, if you haven’t attended meetings in awhile, or if you attend only meetings of your interest group, please take advantage of this opportunity to meet all of us.

We’ll take an art lesson at Painting With A Twist, 8206 Agora Pkwy., Suite 100, in The Forum at Olympia Pkwy. The art work to the right has been selected by our Membership VP Debbi Sochia. The cost will be $39, and you’ll take home your own painting, based on the picture selected. Our President Claudia Walker assured us that no artistic talent is needed, but an art instructor (or possibly two, depending upon the number who sign up,) will be on hand to help you realize your vision. We’ll have plenty of time for conversation and getting to know one another. We especially hope to meet our new members at this get-together.

Painting With A Twist

 8200 Agora Pkwy, Suite 100

Live Oak, TX 78154

Located in The Forum, next to Best Buy

Bring wine and snacks to share!

No lunch will be served. However, please join us at La Madeleine, for on-your-own brunch at 10:00 a.m. The restaurant is located in the same shopping center at 8134 Agora Pkwy, Suite 100.

1)    You will register online and pay $39 with credit card directly to the studio, giving our hard-working AAUW Treasurer a break. Let me know if you have any problem with the online registration. https://www.paintingwithatwist.com/studio/san-antonio-the-forum/event/3898500/

2)    The password is AAUWSA

3)    If you are interested in carpooling, call Martha Steele, at the number below.

If you have problems with registering, call Martha Steele, 832-425-7477, or call Frances at Painting With A Twist, 210-659-9090.

PLEASE RESPOND BY JANUARY 15

Be Informed and Participate

2025 is the year Governor Greg Abbott says the Texas Legislature will pass a bill that makes vouchers law. The governor also calls vouchers Educational Savings Accounts. By either name, a voucher is a voucher. And money for vouchers is money diverted directly away from public education. Free public schools are an AAUW education priority. See the quote below from AAUW Public Policy Priorities.

“AAUW believes that high-quality public education is the foundation of a democratic society and the key to improving economic prosperity and gender equality. We advocate equitable access to education and climates free of harassment, bullying, and sexual assault. We support academic freedom, civic education, protection from censorship, bias-free education, and responsible funding for all levels of education, including early childhood education and programs for students with disabilities. We advocate for increased and more equitable access to higher education, that is affordable and yields high-quality credentials or degrees. We promote intentional, equity-focused efforts to close the persistent learning and opportunity gaps that disproportionately affect students from low-income and minority groups.”

For years the Texas legislature has treated education as a liability rather than an asset. Abbott continues to push vouchers and has refused to increase school funding or provide pay raises for educators even though Texas currently ranks 40^th in the nation for education spending. The last time the state Legislature increased per-student funding was in 2019. The 88^th session in 2023 started with a $32+ billion surplus and still there was no increase in education funding. School districts have had to make deep budget cuts to keep going. This affects our children and our future.

If you or someone close to you has ever had a serious illness, caregivers may have told you that healing is not linear. Progress is not linear either. The coming year will provide myriad challenges to equity in education, voting fairness, health care, and more. Being informed has seldom been so important. Taking a stand and taking action are increasingly important. You will soon receive a Save the Date invitation to the AAUW TX Legislative Day, March 17^th. Branches will organize members to attend, Zoom training will be provided prior to the event, and our lobbyist Kate Kuhlmann will speak to the group before we fan out in small groups to speak with legislators.

We may have taken a hit in the election, but we are not down and out. Stay informed by reading current information on the AAUW website, heeding AAUW Texas Public Policy Updates sent via Constant Contact, participating in local branch activities, and working with organizations like the League of Women Voters and Raise Your Hand Texas (supports public education) that share our priorities.

If you need a good book for inspiration right now, I highly recommend Becoming Madame Secretary by Stephanie Dray. It is about Frances Perkins, the first female Cabinet Member. Hers is a story of commitment, integrity, determination, service, and great accomplishment for the people of America. Her path was ascendent, but it was definitely not linear. It is a fitting chronicle for the times we live in.

Pat Sanford

AAUW SA Public Policy Chair

AAUW TX Public Policy Committee

The Two-Minute Activist

The Two-Minute Activist is a source of information on topics relating to women’s issues. It also enhances our ability to send emails and texts to legislators to fight for equal pay, family leave, stopping sexual harassment, equality in education and more. Sign up on the AAUW webpage to get regular alerts to be able to take timely action.

You can also text “AAUW” to 21333 to get AAUW action alerts via text. 

Membership Matters

February is a great time to consider new things. Have you considered purchasing a membership for a special person in your family who would enjoy becoming an AAUW-SA member? I promise you, we are not just “ladies who lunch,” but we are members with a purpose! Did you know AAUW offers several fellowship programs that support women in their education and careers?

Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sandra Day O’Connor all received AAUW Achievement Awards.

The director of the World Trade Organization, first woman Finance Minister of Nigeria, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala received both an AAUW International Fellow and AAUW Alumnae Recognition Award!



In 1920, our AAUW members (known then as The Association of Collegiate Alumnae) even helped to raise $100,000 for buy a gram of radium for Marie Curie’s research!

One of our Co-Founders, Ms. Ellen Swallow Richards stated, “To whom shall we look more confidently for leadership in constructive work, for social and national betterment, than to the professionally and technically trained women now coming onto the state?” She was 40 years old when she co-founded AAUW alongside Marion Talbot. She was the first woman to earn a degree in Chemistry and founded the first Home Economics and School Lunch programs. She recognized that our strength remains on calling on our future generations.



Invite a friend, neighbor, family member to attend a meeting! If they join as a New Member after attending a San Antonio AAUW event or meeting, the National dues are half price! Only $36. AAUW Texas dues are $13, and our San Antonio Branch dues are $16, for a total of $65 for their first year! It’s a great deal!

Growing the Next Generation

Many of us are already in good shape having planned for our retirements with estates and trusts. We do this so the next generation, our family and children will be taken care of after we are gone. While this can be a very sensitive topic to discuss, have you considered making a planned gift to AAUW National? In the past, we’ve had several members gift our local AAUW-SA with their homes, or endowments to fund scholarship funds. By contributing a planned gift towards AAUW National, you will become a member of the AAUW Circle and affirm your commitment to our mission of equity. The bequests are donations that you designate in your will, estate or trust. You can choose from a variety of planned giving options including:

·       Bequests

·       Life Insurance

·       Retirement Plans

·       Real Estate

·       Charitable Gift Annuities

·       Charitable Remainder Trusts

·       Charitable Lead Trusts

You can enroll in the Legacy Circle via Email at this link https://www.aauw.org/app/uploads/2024/05/Copy-of-LC-Enrollment-Form-2.png

You can also contact the AAUW Director of Advancement, Katrina Sun Breese at (202) 785-7766 or planned-giving@aauw.org



Email me at dsochia@att.net and I can send you a brochure with more information.

Intentional Living

by Dee Kite

On Thanksgiving I was pleasantly surprised to realize it was just another day. Not because I wasn’t thankful but because I am thankful every day. Rain or shine, sickness or health, at home or not…every day because, three years ago, my friend Don and I committed to sharing daily five new things for which we are grateful.

In one of my first gratitude journals each day the first three of the items were the same. Scott (husband), Trixie (first dog) and Coco (second dog), and while I was grateful for the wonder of these beings in my life, the list wasn’t really changing anything for me.

Years later, realizing my mistake, Don and I agreed to find five new things we’re grateful for each day. No repeats. Daunting at first, but it helped me learn to focus on the details of each moment, to look upon the world with wonder. 

Often I can’t stop my gratitude from overflowing. I woke up! I’m breathing! And look at that! Tiny beads of water on purple flowers, shadows dancing with the wind, the rising sun painting the backs of the elms orange and red. I can type this piece, feel a warm mug in my palms, taste bitter coffee on my tongue, sing, laugh, and feel cold wind against my cheeks.

Texting my lists to Don and receiving his has made all the difference. If it had just been me I would have said it was okay to skip when I was laid out with the Human Metapneumo Virus. Or when I vacationed. Or had a pile of folders on my desk in need of attention. That’s how my other gratitude ventures lost steam and retired to the bookshelf.

Together my friend and I, to paraphrase Ram Dass, have made sacred the world we share. I hope you find a friend who is willing to do this life-changing practice with you. 

Over 1.1M Texas women have joined the workforce in the last decade. Yet, Texas women continue to earn 83% of their male counterparts.

Texas women are worth policies that allow them to thrive.

If women in Texas participated in the labor force at rates comparable to those in countries with paid leave, the state could see an annual boost of $19.1B.

Currently, over 70% of Texas workers do not have paid family leave.

Texans cannot create economic security for themselves or their families without access to healthcare. Yet working age Texas women are uninsured at rates over twice the national average.

Housing is an anchor of economic security. 1 in 3 Texas families is housing cost-burdened, spending more than 30% on housing.

Access to affordable child care is critical for Texas women and families. The child care crisis for infants and toddlers is estimated to cost the state's economy $11.4B annually.

Learn more from @texaswomensfdn new report.

#StrongWomenBetterTexas: txwf.org/research 

American Association of University Women

San Antonio Branch

2024-2025 Programs

Theme for 2024-2025:

Celebrating our Differences As We Advocate for All Women

March 1, 2025 - Women’s History Month

Speaker: Betsy Gerhardt Palsey, author of From the Sidelines to the Headlines: The Legacy of Women’s Sports at Trinity University, Trinity University Press, 2023.

Topic: Title IX of the Educational Amendments Act of 1972. Ms. Palsey’s participation in sports preceded Title IX, but in researching her book, she learned about how this law has affected women’s educational opportunities, including extracurricular programs such as sports. At this year’s Olympics, U.S. women’s participation exceeded men’s participation for the first time.

Location: TBA

*Brunch, not Lunch - This year we hope to recruit more members to attend the March Can We Talk? dinner and program about issues and events affecting women in San Antonio. Date and program details will be announced at our February meeting and in the newsletter.

April 5, 2025 - Scholarship Luncheon

Master of Ceremonies: Jeanette Pierce, Scholarship Committee Chair.

Topic: Announcement of our scholarship winners, and introduction of those winners who can attend.

Location: Restaurant TBA

Remember: The more money that is donated to the Drawing and to the Champagne and Chocolate Fundraiser, the more textbook scholarships we can fund.

May 3, 2025

Speaker: Brian Thompson, Edward Jones Financial Management

Topic: Management of AAUW Endowments, which fund our graduate student scholarships.

Location: Restaurant TBA

AAUW Moviegoers (Let’s All Go to the Movies!)



Moviegoers! I would like to schedule our movie day the last Saturday or Sunday of each month. We have a wide range of movies to choose from that are from all genres.  I will be sending out an email with a list of movies for you to vote on, the week before our outing. You would pick 2 and email me dsochia@att.net with your choices. You will receive notification the next Friday of the movie, time, and place for our next Moviegoers outing. Hope to see you there!

Culinary Adventures

Visiting

The Jerk Shack

Chef Nicola Blaque

Recognized by the Michelin Guide and visited by Guy Fieri

What Does AAUW National Do?

Policy Advocacy: Focuses on national issues affecting women and girls, such as education, equity, pay equity, and reproductive rights.

o   We coordinate our Public Policy Committees, participate in coalition work and partner with other prominent National organizations to raise awareness about our policy priorities (such as the YWCA for our Gen Z Town Hall in Philadelphia).

Subject Matter Expertise: We have historically produced in-depth studies on topics like the gender pay gap and women in leadership roles.

o   While we haven't produced reports recently due to limited funding - we have done high level analysis of pay gap data recently released. We are frequently asked to comment on topics related to pay equity, student loan debt and other issues related to gender equity. You can see our recently updated page on Latinas and the pay gap for example here: https://www.aauw.org/resources/article/latinas-and-the-pay-gap/

o   We have tens of thousands of social media followers across all platforms and have well over 1 million website viewers - ensuring that our brand remains prominent and relevant. CEO Gloria Blackwell has been invited to White House events on at least three occasions recently.

o   On a Global level - Gloria is AAUW's representative to the UN - and our work in this capacity provides great reputational value related to global gender equity work.

Salary Negotiation and Financial Literacy Training: Offers training and resources for women to develop skills to be financially empowered.

o   In particular our Work Smart, Start Smart and Money Smart trainings provide valuable resources and tools for women to become economically empowered. Nationally we work with organizations such as the HBCU Career Center, Tri Delta, Coca Cola Foundation, Finra Foundation, SAGE and others to bring these trainings to thousands of women across the country. These trainings were developed and are updated and managed by the National office. They have been independently evaluated by two separate entitles and continually receive very high ratings from participants.

Fellowships & Grants: We award and administer over $6 million in fellowships and grants each year to hundreds of women in the US and Internationally. 

o   We also connect our members and branches to these awardees and alumnae and have an Alumnae Relations team charged with growing and maintaining relationships with our thousands of distinguished Alumnae.

Membership Services: Provides support and resources for local branches and members, including access to national networks and events.

o   We host all aauw.net websites, process dues, support 990 filings, and maintain our history and globally recognized brand. Without AAUW National - AAUW branches would instead be independently organized entities who would not be networked with one another or have the ability to utilize the AAUW name. 

In essence, while AAUW National sets the strategic direction and focuses on broader issues, local branches implement programs and initiatives that directly benefit their local communities. Together, our aim is to work towards the common goal of advancing gender equity.

Follow AAUW San Antonio on:

Facebook www.facebook.com/aauw.sanantonio