Our Next Meeting:
Monday, September 11, 2017 7:00 pm. High Street United Methodist Church.
Summer Arts Festival Picnic with Links, July 14, 6:00 pm.
Veteran’s Memorial Park. Please bring a side dish and $5.00 to help cover the cost of the meal. Stay to enjoy the free Summer Arts Festival production of Masters of Soul, the legends of Motown. Be sure to set up a lawn chair in the morning! RSVP to me (joaneelder@yahoo.com) so I we know how much fried chicken to buy, and if you can help pass the hat at intermission. Partners and close friends are welcome to join us!
Party at the Lake July 22–Contact Kathie Harbaugh
Noon to 6:00. Bring a side dish, adult beverages, swimwear and/or fishing gear. Carpooling is recommended because of limited parking. RSVP to Kathie at kathieharbaugh@gmail.com.
Study and Advocate!
July:
Study: Read the AAUW Adelante book selection, Euphoria by Lily King. See a description of the book at https://www.aauw.org/resource/adelante-book-of-the-month-club/.
Advocate: Contact your Ohio State legislators to express your opinion about a cause that’s important to you. To find your representatives go tohttps://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislators/find-my-legislators. To learn about AAUW’s position on current state issues, visit aauwoh.org.
August:
Study: Read the AAUW Adelante book selection, Louisa Catherine: The Other Mrs. Adamsby Margery M. Heffron. See a description of the book athttps://www.aauw.org/resource/adelante-book-of-the-month-club/.
Advocate: Contact your U.S. representatives to express your opinion about a cause that’s important to you. To find your representatives go tohttps://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/OH. To learn about AAUW’s position on national issues, visit aauw.org
Gourmet Group Update:
We have been having a blast experimenting with food. Come join us! Our next dinner is set for August 26, 2017. It’s delicious! This fun event is open to all members, so contact Cheri Crothers if interested.
2016 Highlights:
We had a blast celebrating the holidays at the Meadows restaurant on December 10, then on Monday December 12 we celebrated with our friends and clients at Project Woman. We made sock snowmen and exchanged yummy cookies! Both events were a big success. Thanks everyone for coming out!
Our branch served on March 9 through… GIRLS GO: Solving the STEM Equation, Girls in STEM
from Kathie Harbaugh, AAUW Springfield President: I am still trying to take in the March 9 successful Girls in STEM event. More than 60 middle school girls and their families made up a standing room-only crowd of over 120 guests plus presenters and volunteers. Everyone had a wonderful time, and the excitement and passion of those involved left no doubt in my mind that our branch was spot on with its assessment of the need for encouragement in this area. I am so grateful to Anne Kaup Fett, Karen Duncan, Joan Elder, Barbara Matthies, Denise Wells, and Kristen and Morgan Howell for your support and help before, during and after this event. In addition to addressing a real need for girls in our community, we began a friendship with the Springfield Chapter of The Links (Londa Holliday) and look forward to getting to know each other and working together in the future! We are thrilled that Springfield City Schools embraced this idea and took the project to greater heights than we could have imagined possible. Our branch gathered a full-page list of summer STEM camps and other opportunities for girls and included it in the event backpack that attendees received. Finally, my hat is off (and tossed straight up into the air) to my friend and STEM panelist Besa Sharrah, who traveled from Columbus to share with us. While it is true that there are few mechanical engineers who could describe how to take things apart in six different languages, it was Besa’s deeply heartfelt passion and enthusiasm for girls entering the STEM field that left us speechless and hungering for more. In response to the panel question, “Why would I encourage girls to go into a STEM related field,” her answer was straightforward. “Why would I not? As women we are our own worst self-critics, if it’s not perfect it is not good enough. I believe women to be just as great at tearing down engines as they are at playing with dolls. We need role models. We need to be able to follow in someone’s footsteps. Perhaps, you are the role model, perhaps you are the one to cure cancer, walk on a new planet or discover a new technology. And if you fail, get back in there, FAIL AGAIN, FAIL BETTER.” Branch representatives will continue to meet with other STEM sponsors to vision additional ways to support these excited young women as they move forward to fulfill their dreams.
We played at a Sip & Dipity Event on April 30. Members painted “Water Lilies.”
Our annual meeting, potluck and awards was held May 9, 2016 at 5:30 pm.
We celebrated two local girls who were awarded $500 Helen K. Trout scholarships to assist in furthering their education. Our annual potluck included the girls and members of their families, along with state AAUW President Christine Siebeneck who talked about AAUW state inititiatives. Following the awards, the branch discussed what we’ve accomplished this past year and what our upcoming year might look like.
2014-2015 Event Highlights:
September 8, 2014
Laura Baxter from Project Woman discusses human trafficking at the September 8, 2014 meeting. 
Labeling hotel-sized bars of soap for the S.O.A.P. (Save Our Adolescents from Prostitution) program at the September 8, 2014 meeting.
October 13, 2014: Project Woman
November 10, 2014: SKYPE with Christina Siebeneck, AAUW Ohio President.
December 8, 2014: Holiday Gatherin
January 12, 2015 – Book discussion with Peggy Hanna, local writer and activist. Her book is Patriotism, Peace, and Vietnam: A Memoir. Rescheduled due to weather.
February 11, 2015: Trivia night fundraiser at Buffalo Wild Wings for the AAUW scholarship
March 9, 2015: Women Business Owners
April 13, 2015: Immigration Issues in Clark and Champaign Counties
May 11, 2015: Potluck and election of officers. Planning for 2015-2016 programming.
2013 Event Highlights:
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- Our branch did a “cake drop” on Rep. John Boehner’s office on Wednesday, June 12, 2013. The cake had a “23%” slice taken out of it to emphasize that women in Ohio and Clark County make 23% less than their male counterparts in jobs that require equal or comparable training.
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- We delivered the cake with our compliments to his staff to enjoy our sweet treat and to let Mr. Boehner know that the women of Clark County and the 8th District are watching and listening and encourage his support of equal pay legislation.
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- Local farmer Dave Filbrun at our April 2013 “Eat Local” event at the Sunrise Café in Yellow Springs.
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- Local authors at our April 2013 Authors’ Night: Addie J. King, Constance Cupps, Mary Jo Groves, and Nancy Flinchbaugh.
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- Holiday Party, December 2012.
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- We kicked off our 2012-13 year with a wine tasting event at the Founder’s Pub at Wittenberg University.