AAUW-Big Rapids is pleased to participate in the 2025 Big Rapids Festival of the Arts with a program we've titled "Feminomenon: Feminist Music Through History." We are delighted that local singer/songwriter Kelley Samuels will perform feminist-inspired music before and during the program. Come to Artworks in Big Rapids at 5:30 p.m., February 17, to hear Kelley and nosh on refreshments, and at 6:00 p.m., join us on a musical tour of the songs and anthems that have characterized the four waves of feminism, from the Suffrage period to the present. It will be a fun and informative evening! 

Thank you Roxanne, Susan, Tracy, Deb, Kathi, and Leah for participating in the planning for this event. Kathi is coordinating light refreshments. Please call or email Kathi to volunteer to bring something.

March is Women’s History Month, and the theme is "Moving Forward Together! Women Educating & Inspiring Generations." In keeping with that theme, we are happy to announce that our speaker for our March meeting will be Dr. Kasey Thompson.

Dr. Thompson earned a Ph.D. in Values-Driven Leadership from Benedictine University in Lisle, IL and joined Ferris State University’s College of Business in 2017.

She has over twenty-five years of professional experience including leading Global strategic initiatives for McDonald’s Corporation where she served as the Director of Global Menu Strategy. Dr. Thompson led platform innovation teams for the 35,000 restaurants globally as a strategic director for the world’s 90th largest economy. Most notably, Dr. Thompson co-wrote the full strategic marketing plan for Redbox, the world’s first fully automated DVD system. 

Dr. Kasey Thompson

Dr. Thompson is an Associate Professor of Management; passionate about strategic innovation, leadership, ethics, and entrepreneurship, she also serves as Special Assistant to the President for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. She will be talking to us about the challenges and opportunities for women in these career paths.

Our March meeting will be held on March 27 at 5:30 P.M. at the Mecosta County Services Building, 14485 Northland Drive, Big Rapids. Please enter through Door #3, around the north side of the building.

Please mark the morning of Saturday, March 29 on your calendar for a book sorting party in Leah's garage. We usually start at 9:00 a.m. If most of the books are pre-sorted before delivery to Leah's garage, we should be able to make quick work of what's left. We were done in just a couple hours last year. We need not-too-large cartons with lids/flaps for storing and stacking, so if you can bring empty boxes with you, that would be much appreciated.

If you are collecting books at your house and beginning to run out of space, Leah is happy to make arrangements to pick up books when she is in town or to make arrangements for a drop-off at her house. Just know that until the snow melts, there's only a path cleared to the garage's service door, and you need to turn around near the house if you don't want to back out the driveway to the road. Call or text Leah to make arrangements.

First the good news. Kristen, who was chairing the scholarship committee, recently started a new job at Western Michigan University, so we congratulate her on her new position. The not so good news is that the scholarship has not been posted in the Ferris scholarship portal, and since it closes at the end of this month, it is too late now to make arrangements to do so. The board is meeting on February 17, and developing a plan C for advertising the scholarships will be on the agenda. Stay tuned for new details.

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