Our Albert Lea Branch of AAUW will be having our Fall Tour of Homes on Saturday, September 25th from 10 AM to 3 PM. Five area homes will be on tour that day. Tickets can be purchased in advance for $13.00 by contacting me at: callahan@smig.net ; my phone: (507) 377-3201 or at my address below. Tickets may be purchased the day of the tour at the Marion Ross Community Theater, 147 North Broadway in downtown Albert Lea from 9:30 AM until 1:00 PM.
September 2010 Newsletter
Southern Highlights
Austin Minnesota Branch
Volume 9 Number 1 September 2010
Shaping the World One Woman at a Time
Co-President’s Column
Welcome back to all returning AAUW members, and a hearty welcome to you who have recently joined. We are looking forward to a year of working together to advance our goal of breaking through educational and economic barriers so that women have a fair chance. That said, we also look forward to a year of good fellowship and fun. The program committee has many good programs lined up which we feel you will profit from and enjoy.
Marijo Alexander was our president-elect throughout last year, and we admire her courage to tackle the lead job even though she is a relatively new member. Marijo is executive assistant to the president of Riverland Community College and could well have said “I don’t have time” when asked, but with an endless supply of energy and enthusiasm, agreed to tackle the job. I look forward to working with Marijo. I have been a member since 1984 and have served as program V.P., educational foundations chair, secretary, visibility chair, and newsletter editor so I guess my turn has come to be co-president.
One resolution was presented and approved at the state convention in St. Cloud in April, and that stated: “The AAUW Minnesota Board will assist branches through its programming, equality connections, and public policy work to educate members about the ERA issue and actively work to encourage the Minnesota Legislature to put an ERA amendment on the ballot in November 2012.” Needless to say, it passed unanimously.
Why do we need an equal rights amendment? Because:
- Neither the MN Constitution nor the U.S. Constitution explicitly guarantees that all of the rights they protect are held by all of its citizens without regard to sex.
- We need to protect ourselves from a rollback of the significant advances in women’s rights over the past 40 years.
- The U.S. needs to practice what it preaches with respect to equal justice under the law.
Thanks for joining AAUW. Let’s make this one of our best years yet!
Liz Richardson, Co-President
Member Meeting – Annual Banquet- Hormel Historic Home
May 10th 6:00 p.m. Annual Banquet – Hormel Historic Home.
Help us celebrate AAUW’s contributions to the Austin community in the past 75 years. We will highlight the year’s accomplishments and introduce the board members for 2011-12. (Nel)
Morning Book Group – 9:00am at Jerry’s Other Place. We will be discussing the book Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout. New members are always welcome.
Member Meeting – Women’s History Month Winners
April 12th Riverland Community College East Building Room C108.
Dessert will be served at 6:30; Meeting and program will begin at 7:00 p.m.
Women’s History Month Project Presentations. Winners from Austin High present their award-winning projects. (Nel and Sue)
Member Meeting – Riverland East Bldg., Room C108, “Georgia: My Travels to a Post-Soviet Union country” Nel Zellar
March 8th Riverland Community College East Building Room C108
Dessert will be served at 6:30; Meeting and program will begin at 7:00 p.m.
Learn about life in modern-day Georgia during this presentation by one of our members during “Georgia: My Travels to a Post-Soviet Union country.” Nel Zellar will share her experiences during her 2010 three-week trip to the country of Georgia. Nel was inspired to visit the International Student she mentored as part of the Riverland International Friendship Family program. (Nel)
Member Meeting – “Lives For Sale” Austin Public Library Conf. Room
February 8th Austin Public Library Large Meeting Room
Dessert will be served at 6:30; Meeting and program will begin at 7:00 p.m.
Human Trafficking of Women from Mexico DVD and discussion.
Member Meeting – Riverland Community College, Room C108, Alison McGhee “Writing the Last Page First”
January 11th Riverland Community College East Building Room C108.
Dessert will be served at 6:30; Meeting and program will begin at 7:00 p.m.
Our guest speaker is Alison McGhee – Pulitzer Prize nominee and a #1 New York Times bestselling author. She will speak on “Writing the Last Page First.” (Nel)
Member Meeting – HOLIDAY PARTY, 7:00 p.m. Coffee House on Main
December 14th Coffee House on Main – Holiday Celebration.
Dessert will be served at 6:30; Meeting and program will begin at 7:00 p.m.
Members are invited to bring new unwrapped toys or merchant gift cards to donate to Salvation Army. Enjoy Holiday music and reflections or memories from a few of our members. (Sue)
Member Meeting – Equal Pay for Women Austin Public Library Conf. Room
November 9th Austin Public Library Large Meeting Room.
Dessert will be served at 6:30; Meeting and program will begin at 7:00 p.m.
Pay Equity in the Workplace. AAUW works for education and advocacy for equal pay for equal work, an issue that continues to plague working women even in the 21st century. Speaker: Dawn Thompson Director of Human Resources at Good Samaritan Homes discusses Pay Equity and how it affects women of all ages. (Sue)