And we are finally getting it NOW!
Click here for a great video: What AAUW does Be proud!
The gender pay gap won’t close until 2119 at the current rate of change.
AAUW is doing something about it. Take action now!
Empowering women since 1881
February 2022
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A Few Thoughts from, Beverly
Today the L.A. Rams won over the San Francisco 49ers for the NFC championship game at SoFi Stadium. They will be the second team in NFL history to play a Super Bowl in their home stadium and that will be on Sunday, February 13th. Women have been trying to break into football and have made small strides. Maybe someday we will have a female team playing in the Super Bowl. Young girls should be encouraged to fulfill their desires.
We will not be having our Funds Luncheon until later in the year due to considerations of Covid-19. We will not have a General Meeting in February but will resume in March with a dual program that will include a presentation reflecting the theme of Women’s History month. Norma Williamson clarified that the high school girls involved in the Legacy Project will speak in Marc
The month of February begins with Chinese Lunar New Year on the 1st and then Ground Hog on the 2nd, Lincoln’s Birthday on the 12th, Valentine’s Day on the 14th, followed by President’s Day on the 21st and Washington’s Birthday on the 22nd. Our Branch members celebrating a birthday this month are Barbara Dunstan on February 10th and Francine DeFrance on February 27th. Happy Birthday wishes and may you have a long and healthy life.
THANK YOU to everyone who has assisted and helped to keep our meetings running smoothly especially our three Program VPs and Joan Flax Membership Co-Chair. I truly appreciate all the hard work.
May we continue to look forward to Sweet Memories in 2022 by being well, staying safe and staying healthy.
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Please note: All our meetings comply with local rules and the accepted health guidance of Los Angeles and Orange counties for in-person meetings. Your board voted unanimously in November to hold board and general meetings in-person with due respect to members who do not wish to attend in-person. Those members may choose to easily attend and participate in meetings by connecting via phone to another member in attendance and have been doing so successfully.
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Please welcome and support your new officers. Remember that their job is to lead and encourage other members. Please offer to help them when they ask.
Reminder to members: As is written in your directory, the AAUW mail/email list is to be used for AAUW business only. If you wish to share something personal with selected members, please verify with the members first, if they want to be included. Members who find themselves receiving email they do not want should feel free to ask to be removed. We’re all friends here.
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Meeting & Program, Karen, Nancy & Mary Ann
No meeting this month
> > > > > > >> News Flash << < < < < < <
Mark your calendars! Cerritos City Council approved our branch request for a candidates forum. It will be held at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, March 1, in Council Chambers.
If you would like to volunteer to assist please contact Harriet or Sondra (562 257-0115). Attendance is open to all.
Face masks required in Cerritos facilities.
Please note: All our meetings comply with local rules and the accepted health guidance of Los Angeles and Orange counties for in-person meetings. Your board voted unanimously in November to hold board and general meetings in-person with due respect to members who do not wish to attend in-person. Those members may choose to easily attend and participate in meetings by connecting via phone to another member in attendance and have been doing so successfully.
Women’s Issues/ Community Service:
Falcon’s Den – Cerritos College
We will be collecting food for the Falcon’s Den in February. There has been a request for canned soup, tuna, and chicken. Students are also in need of shampoo and conditioner. Please deliver these items to me between 2/13-2/20. My address is 3210 Lama Ave. Long Beach 90808.
A card was mailed to me from Pamela Sepulveda after she spoke at our meeting in November, 2021. She enjoyed meeting all of us and thanked us for the plants by Nancy. She has appreciated all of our support.
Gourmet will be starting in March. If anyone is interested who has not been contacted and wishes to join let Gail Ross or Joan Flax know. We will be meeting in homes with each couple bringing a part of the meal. A couple may be two women members of AAUW or member and guest.
Tech Trek, Celia and Edna
California Tech Trek plans to hold in-person camps in the summer of 2022. However, at this time, not all potential campuses have been confirmed. From the information we now have, the branch board plans to participate in Tech Trek 2022 and hopes to sponsor two girls to attend camp. We already have enough money to do so and no fund-raising efforts would be needed. We hope to be able to send two girls to the Whittier College location. UC San Diego is no longer an in-person option.
Link to our Tech Trek page for more camper information. Link HERE
AAUW Fund, Esther, Thea
During “normal times”, in the month of February our branch traditionally enjoyed an AAUW Fund Luncheon which was usually held in a member’s home or restaurant and was also an AAUW Fund fundraiser. We were able to engage a recent Fund recipient to speak in person which provided real insight into the FUND’s benefits.
Unfortunately, these are not “normal times”. At the January Board Meeting, there was discussion about whether we should arrange a Fund Luncheon and Tobi developed a survey to ascertain the member’s feelings about gathering either indoors or outdoors at a restaurant. The results of that survey are shown below: (note: these were not commitments to attend).
20 replies Inside: Outside:
Yes 9 Yes 15
No 10 No 3
Maybe 1 Maybe 2
Although Thea and Esther had investigated restaurant sites that might provide an appropriate venue (outdoor patio that afforded some protection from February weather), little appeared to meet our needs and restaurants required nonrefundable reservation deposits.
In addition, obtaining a former grant recipient appears to be a challenge. Because we had a grant recipient last year on ZOOM when we could not have a luncheon due to COVID, this year, the speaker would only be available on ZOOM which would not be logistically possible at a restaurant.
Because of the prevalence of Omicron, unreliable February weather and the costs involved in arranging a restaurant with uncertain attendance, we will not be having a Fund Luncheon this year. Let’s hope that COVID will not be an issue next year and we can return to what has been a LaPalma-Cerritos AAUW highlight event.
News from AAUW National
Year-End Matching Gift Thank You
Thank you for your many special gifts to AAUW’s 140th anniversary and the historic yearend matching gift of $75,000, which was made possible by our board, volunteers and staff. While we are still tabulating the numbers, we are proud to share that we greatly exceeded this record-breaking match. We could not be more grateful for your support. If you haven’t already, please visit and share within your branch and state our 140th Anniversary hub where you can learn more about the vibrant history made possible through your support and our shared success in 2021. Because of supporters like you, we will accomplish even more together in 2022!
You can…
Create Change,
Advance Equity,
Empower Women and Girls,
By helping to raise money for AAUW Fund.
AAUW Fund supports aspiring scholars around the globe – activists in local communities, women at critical stages of their careers and those pursuing professions where women are under-represented. It also provides funding and a support system for women seeking judicial redress for sex discrimination in higher education.
This tax-deductible fund now includes:
Legal Advocacy Fund
Eleanor Roosevelt Fund
Funding for a variety of College Student Seminars
AAUW Greatest Neds Fund
And many other advocacy and support funds
Due to the Covid 19 virus and the new variant many of our restaurant visits may not occur. However, we will continue to do fundraising for takeout. This would occur about several times a year. We usually have a restaurant luncheon where we invite a speaker for our February meeting. Again, depending on the state mandate on the virus, we may or may not continue with the luncheon. In that regard, we may have a non-event.
Both Esther and I have appreciated your support last year, and hope that you will continue to help us with the AAUW Fund this year.
The La Palma-Cerritos branch of AAUW created our own memorial fund in July 2017, called the Alberta Brose Memorial Fund, to go to women who return to school just as she did. We currently have completed our goal. This was a short time, two year fund with a goal of $5000 for completion by June 30, 2019. The branch got CA State and National recognition for completion. Final donation has gone to AAUW Fund for Career Development Grants for graduate students returning to school after 5+ year absence.
Elsie Carbajal is the recipient of our own Alberta Brose Memorial Fund. We are proud!
Career Development Grants
Name: Elsie Carbajal
Award Year: 2018-19
Award: Career Development Grant
Institution: Brandman University
Location: Irvine, California
Discipline: Education
Degree and Specialization: M.A., Education leadership
Elsie Carbajal is a seasoned special education teacher who is passionate about meeting the diverse needs of public school students with special needs. Her goal is to strategically reform outdated practices that limit the growth and progress of the unique population she services. She plans to obtain her master’s in education leadership to collaborate with stakeholders and make informed decisions to enhance student outcomes in and out of school.
Sponsors:
4431 – Alberta Brose Memorial Fund
1262 – Laguna Beach (CA) Branch/Laguna Hills (CA) Branch
1285 – San Diego County (CA) Branch/Marilyn George Poluzzi
1298 – Los Angeles (CA) Branch/Dallas Shenk
1484 – San Clemente-Capistrano Bay (CA) Branch
4105 – Redlands (CA) Branch/Bernice Black Johndrew
1491 – Somerset Hills (NJ) Branch—Science and Technology
Public Policy, Sondra & Harriet
Legacy Project, Norma & Gail
On January 15, 2022, Dr. Tina Cho, psychologist and former elected member of the Cerritos College Board sat down for a virtual interview with the Legacy of the Women’s Suffrage Movement Project. The two purposes of the project is to develop youth leadership skills and to expose young women to female elected officials and allow them the opportunity of exploring public office as a career choice. Leah Triana, a junior at Gahr High School and Jamie Gokim, a junior at Cerritos High were the moderators who graciously introduced the participants in attendance and welcomed and introduced Dr. Cho.Each of the young high school women took turns asking Dr. Cho three questions as well as extemporaneously commenting on her responses.
In spite of Dr. Cho’s Saturday work schedule, she made time in her work day to meet with the project participants. The Legacy participants were surprised to hear that community colleges as well as universities have boards of trustees. When they learned that the reason Dr. Cho got involved as a board of trustee member was to improve the salary scale of classified college employees, they all agreed that classified employees contribute immensely to the educational environment of schools.
Academic Achievement Awards, Joan P
Permanent Name Tag Orders are still being taken. The Tags will have the current AAUW Logo in green and blue. Your choice of backing – pin or magnet. Three lines of print.
Only $15, $6 of which will go to the AAA Fund.
Order yours now. Sale ending February 28th.
Contact Joan Pylman vis email: mojopylman@hotmail.com
Update: Haya Chehada
Haya is enrolled and attending her university of choice, USC. Her first Quarter has already begun.
Haya has been named a Transfer Merit Scholar and has been awarded a USC Transfer Merit Scholarship worth one quarter tuition. It is renewable each quarter as she progresses toward her degree.
Congratulations to this high achieving AAUW 2021 Academic Achievement Award recipient.
Help support other deserving women by donating to the La Palma-Cerritos AAUW Academic Achievement Awards fund.
International Issues, Jackie Shahzadi
…through its global focus and reach, empowers all women and girls to create a secure and just world built on education, advocacy, friendship and mutual respect.
WG-USA is an online organization based in the United States focusing on global issues *Support and Advocacy for Refugee and Migrant Women and Girls
*Safe Access to Education
*Human Trafficking Advocacy and Action
*Women, Peace and Security
Join WG-USA at www.wg-usa.org
In 2019, Graduate Women International celebrated its 100th anniversary with a Centennial Celebration in Geneva, July 25-28. GWI was founded in 1919, by representatives of AAUW, and other international women’s groups. It used to be known as the IFUW, International Federation of University Women. Currently, Women Graduates-USA is the organization representing American women at GWI.