This is a link to minutes direwctory

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1rNTiHHsbObxxiwGy9EPpfEiS8vXjspWt?usp=sharing

We are kicking off our year with a general meeting that will be in-person.  The meeting will be held at Immanuel Lutheran Church, in Saratoga at 10:00a.m. on September 9.  For directions, click here.  The address is:

Immanuel Lutheran Church
14103 Saratoga Ave., Saratoga, CA 95070

This should be a fun meeting after several years of not meeting. There will be refreshments!.

What follows is a little preview of the meeting agenda:

Laurie will talk about the program plans for the 2023-2024 year.  We now have a full program calendar.

We will be introducing our 2023 Local Scholarship recipient, Jessica Velo.  Jessica will tell us just a little bit about her educational goals and what this scholarship means to her, as she transfers to San Jose State University.

We think you will agree that Jessica is a charming and impressive scholarship recipient.  We are proud to introduce her.

Cynthia Miller will talk a little about TechTrek and will introduce some of the girls we sponsored.  In case you haven’t seen it, the new TechTrek logo appears at right.  We were thrilled that girls were able to attend an in-person TechTrek for the first time in several years.

The Armchair Adventure Travel program is continuing on Zoom for the 2023-2024 year.  JoAn Lambert will give us a brief overview of what’s in store for the season.

Unfortunately Margaret Bard, who was scheduled to be our guest speaker, has come down with Covid. We wish her a speedy recovery! October Program Event on Mindfulness We will schedule her later in the year!    instead, we will hear from Kelly Weisberg, who is a dual member with San Jose branch.  She will give us a brief introduction to her Mindfulness program that is being sponsored by the San Jose Branch.  (View the flyer here)

You won’t want to miss this first meeting of the season!  We look forward to seeing you there!  Be sure to bring a friend!

~Arleen and Laurie

Dazzle and Dahlias – Fundraiser for Committee on Homeless Women and Children

The Dazzle and Dahlias event was held on Saturday, September 21 at the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Saratoga. This Committee on Homeless Women and Children supports several worthy causes.

The beautiful dahlias were provided by Nancy Anderson from her own garden.  Here are just a couple of the arrangements.   The youngest person at each table was the lucky recipient of the centerpiece at that table!

Members of the Committee on Homeless Women and children made all of the tea sandwiches and cookies.  They were not only pretty, but very tasty!

Unfortunately, Nancy was not able to be at the program, so we had some wonderful “impromptu” entertainment.

Marlene Lamb’s granddaughter (who was also helping in the kitchen) stepped out to belt out a couple of torch songs including “Dream a Little Dream of Me”.  What a treat!

Were also entertained by Audrey Christensen,  reciting a poem she had written about “Grandmothers”.

Of course the jewelry tables provided shopping fun!  Here are just a few highlights

It was a lovely afternoon!  Didn’t you enjoy all of the hats!   Here are a few pictures of the tables.  (Sorry if some of you were missed in the pictures!)

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Erma Bombeck: By Your Side

The Palo Alto AAUW sponsored a Living History program at the Palo Alto Art Center on May 18, 2019. Susan Marie Frontczak performed as Erma Bombeck. Susan has 25 years of experience in researching, writing and performing in various roles, including Eleanor Roosevelt and Marie Curie. For more details about Susan’s work, please refer to her website at storysmith.org.

The Erma Bombeck presentation was very funny as well as educational.    Here are a couple of pictures from the event, compliments of Mara Otlans:

“I always had a dream that when I am asked to give an accounting of my life to a higher court, it will go like this:  ‘So, empty your pockets.  What have you got left of your life?  Any dreams that were unfulfilled?  Any unused talent that we gave you when you were born that you still have left?  Any unsaid compliments or bits of love that you haven’t spread around?’  And I will answer, ‘I’ve nothing to return.  I spent everything you gave me.  I’m as naked as the day I was born.’”

– Erma Bombeck

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Authors Lunch, January 31, 2019

The authors lunch on January 31, 2019 featured three local authors:  CW Gortner,  Ellison Cooper, and Linda Lambert.

C.W. Gortner

Ellison Cooper

Linda Lambert

The even was held at the Terraces in Los Gatos.  Here are some photo highlights of the event.  Many thanks to photographers Arleen Picket and Louise Quenon.

Kay Duffy generously donated her beautiful artwork at a substantial discount with proceeds donated to the ISPF.

The following are some photos of the room and people attending the event.  (The captions will be updated once the members are all identified)

Virginia Turner and Louise Quenon	Linda King, Silvia Lee	Kay Duffy, Mara Otlans, Sheila Goldstein
Terri Cresmer, Judy Borlase	Joann Lambert, Ann Roberts, Barbara Lea	Elison Cooper, Janice Down, Mary Gardner
Margaret Bard, CW Gortner, Eleanor Yick	Ann Griffin, Bev Wright	Sherri Auchard, Marian Schain, Pyllis Choi
Cathy Foscato, Kerstin Stone, Susan Lange	Linda King, Sylvia Lee, Arleen Picket	Kieu Nguyen, Pat Khan
??, Marlene Lamb, Cynthia Miller	Karolyn Brosz, Marilyn Fuller, Joanna Yates	Pat Khan, Jane Bishop, Laura Sternberg
Authors Luncheon at The Terraces	Terri Raynaud, Cynthia Miller	Linda Lambert, Morgan Lambert, Margaret Bard

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Womens March 2019

On January 19, women in San Jose joined other women throughout the country in theThird Annual Women’s March.  The local AAUW groups were well represented.  Here are a few photos taken at the march:

Thanks to Carol Fitting for providing these photos.

How to describe the dynamic book group I’ve been a member of since 2016?  There are about 20-25 members, all women of “senior,” retired age, all college graduates.  We are single or married, with children and grandchildren, or not.  We meet in the afternoon the third Friday of every month – in person in years past, over Zoom during Pandemic days, and now in person, outdoors, distanced.  Usually 10-15 women attend.

One important attribute of our group is that we have a wide range of interests and reading preferences among us:  mysteries and detective books; current political, educational, scientific and climate nonfiction; old, little-known books and forgotten authors; historical, cultural fiction; and my personal favorite genre of biographies, memoirs and autobiographies, particularly of women.

What I appreciate most is that, uniquely, we do not choose a book a month that all read.  Instead, each attendee gives a 5-10 minute report on any book she loves (or occasionally not) that she has read at any point in her life.

After each meeting, our trusty, organized “leader” sends out an email list of the titles and authors talked about and the reviewers’ names.  I print these out and save them;  it’s where I often go to select my next great read.

All of us are curious, ongoing forever-learners, excited to enrich ourselves with knowledge of cultures, religions, history, science and the wide world!  I do believe that outside of formal education and possibly travel, reading most expands our consciousness, awareness and soul, far more than other endeavors.  Let’s hear it for books!

– Carol Fitting, Cupertino Calif.

– excerpted from bookWOMEN newsletter, Vol.26, No.6, August-September 2022.  Note, the URL to BookWOMEN may cause your browser to emit a security warning because the certificate is not up-to-date.

• Title:  Art and Feminism, Beyond the Conventional West
• Link to Recording:  Art and Feminism on Google Drive

The presentation linked above was presented on June 23 via Zoom.  Please share the link to the recording (above) with your friends!

Rashmi Viswanathan is a historian of Modern and Contemporary Art who looks at the ways that arts move across different cultural, regional, and historical contexts. She is an Assistant Professor at the University of Hartford, Postdoctoral Fellow with the Smithsonian Institution, and a Senior Fellow with the American Institute of Indian Studies. This former Saratogan now lives in Brooklyn.

For further reading, the MoMA link is a smart and clear introduction to the subject and provides links for those who wish to go deeper.

In addition, the Museum of Modern Art (www.moma.org) has many interesting related articles.  Just search with the word “feminism”.

If you have questions or difficulties accessing the video link above, please contact Laurie Lindsey (303-941-1956).

Womens Reproductive Health – 2018 Update

by Claire Noonan, Los Altos-Mountain View AAUW

In 2018, a major obstacle to women’s reproductive health issues came when a second conservative supreme court justice was confirmed in October. Since self-determination of one’s reproductive health decisions is a high public policy priority for AAUW members, it is up to members to act to guarantee equality, individual rights, and social justice for all.

The election provided further hindrances. Alabama enacted a version of the “personhood clause” to its constitution. West Virginia dropped Medicaid funding to clinics that terminate pregnancies and assigned 3-10 years of jail for performing or receiving abortion services. However, the criminalization of reproductive health rights only happens if Roe v Wade is overturned.

On November 7 the Trump administration attacked Affordable Care Act insurers, citing that procedures (already implemented by ACA) are not adequately enforced. The procedures specify that any reproductive services must be displayed separate from other services on forms subsidized by tax payer dollars.
In addition, the administration proposed to let some employers deny contraceptive coverage in their plans for employees.

In June 2018, Iowa’s governor signed off on a measure that prohibits termination of a pregnancy when the heartbeat of the fetus is detected. The law is now in the courts.

In July 2018, SCOTUS decided against California’s FACT Act and for the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA), saying the CA law targeted the speaker rather than free speech. Prior to that decision medical clinics had signs saying other options are available and where. Unlicensed facilities had to have literature telling how to find licensed medical reproductive services.

On the positive side, a March 2018 study determined that, unlike the 34 states that only allow a physician to perform pregnancy termination, clinicians like mid-wives, nurse practitioners, and physician’s assistants can perform the services just as well.

70% of November voters don’t want to overturn Roe v Wade, and the House of Representatives has flipped, including more than 100 seats to women, mostly liberal or progressive on women’s health issues, who agree that fixing problems with ACA is a major focus.

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Voting Information

The article below is the first of a series of articles on public policy issues that the state Public Policy Committee is sending to you. Each article will be on a different topic.  The articles are for you to use in your newsletters to provide public policy information to your members. 

The AAUW CA Public Policy Committee

 Another Opportunity to Use Your Voice – VOTE

We are again approaching a major election on November 6, 2018. This is a critical opportunity to support candidates and ballot issues that impact women, girls and their families.

To ensure appropriate access by eligible voters, the website of the Secretary of State’s office (SOS.CA.Gov) outlines the rights and responsibilities of the voter. This site provides information on registration and pre-registration. You can register by mail or online. The SOS website, HighSchool.SOS.Ca.gov  offers a civic engagement portal for teens.

The deadline to register to vote in the Nov 6 Election is Oct 22, 2018.

More information for all voters, including new voters, is available at 1-800 345-8683. Elections Division staff are available also at (916) 657-2166 or the website, SOS.ca.gov .

The best path forward to equity and progress for women, girls and their families is through the ballot box— register and vote!

“The ballot is stronger than the bullet.” – Abraham Lincoln
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