A Few Thoughts from, Beverly
A FEW THOUGHTS FROM BEVERLY (OCT 2021)
We began our new season for 2021-2022 last month with our General Meeting at La Palma Community Center. Thank you to the following: MaryAnn Quinn who filled in for me as President Pro Tem, Celia Spitzer for presenting the STEM Program with the Tech Trek girls, and Harriet Moses for conducting the Installation of Officers. Congratulations to our Named Gift Honorees Tobi Balma and Carol Marsh. And thank you to all the Officers, Committee persons and Interest Group leaders for assistance in making the meeting run smoothly.
We may be trying Zoom Board Meetings for the next few months until it is considered safe to meet in person. Our General Meetings for October at La Palma Community Center and November at Cerritos Library are set as in person gatherings although attempts are being made to also include Zoom at those meetings if feasible. And we have our annual Holiday Get-Together planned for December.
As Covid-19 and its variants are still around and causing havoc everyone needs to remain safe and healthy. Those who prefer to meet in person are in a minority and do so at their own risk.
October will be a month of a few holidays. October 11th is Columbus Day but probably more thought of as Indigenous Peoples’ Day – Day of Respect for Cultural Diversity, October 16th National Boss Day and Sweetest Day, October 18th Alaska Day – a regional state holiday observed in Alaska commemorating the anniversary of the formal transfer of the Territory of Alaska from Russia to the United States, which took place on October 18th 1867, October 24th United Nations Day, October 29th Nevada Day – commemorates the admission of the state of Nevada into the union on October 31st 1864, when it became the 36th state in the union and lastly a favorite of all who are young at heart children October 31st Halloween.
I want to acknowledge those having birthdays for the month of October: Mimi Wolf 10/6, Joan Flax 10/14, and Cathleen Niederman 10/24. Happy Birthday to all and may you have a long and healthy life.
May we all look forward to Sweet Memories in 2021 and 2022 by being well 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.
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
La Palma Cerritos AAUW General Meeting
Thursday, October 21st
La Palma Community Center
6:30 Social
Meeting at 7:PM
Guest Speaker at 7:00 p.m. will be Professor Jodi Balma, who will be discussing the topic of “Voter Suppression and Restrictions on the Right to Vote.”
Jodi Balma is an active member of the League of Women Voters of North Orange County and Professor of Political Science at Fullerton College since 2000. Balma was recognized as Fullerton College Teacher of the Year in 2014 and 2021. She was also honored by Senator Josh Newman as the 2021 Woman of the Year for Senate District 29. She was named as one of six Orange County Teachers of the Year for 2022 by the Orange County Department of Education (OCDE) because they “encouraged and uplifted students during one of the most challenging years in a century.”
There will be a “Question and Answer” period following Professor Balma’s presentation followed by the branch business meeting.
Face masks strongly encouraged.
Please note: All our meetings comply with local rules and the accepted health guidance of Los Angeles and Orange counties for in-person meetings.
If you are not able to participate in group meetings yet, it is possible to phone up a friend who is attending and at least be able to listen.
Women’s Issues/ Community Service:
The Su Casa Grocery Shoppers are back in action starting October 2021. We have four teams that will be shopping for the families at the shelter every other week. Thank you to the following members for volunteering to be shoppers: Marilyn Forsstrom, a 30 + year veteran, Harriett Moses, Joan Pylman, Mary Ann Quinn, Norma Williamson, and Diann Zenda. Norma and Diann are new to the team this year. Hurray!
We could use some subs. If interested call Joan Pylman, 562-865-6592
Membership will be joining with Gourmet to meet in the Cerritos Sports Complex on October 16. Please bring a friend or relative who supports our mission.
Gourmet will meet in the Cerritos Sports Complex on Saturday, October 16 at 12 noon. Please let Joan Flax know if you will be joining us, so you can be notified of any last minute changes…weather, unreserved picnic spot taken etc.
Please bring a chair, a mask, and your own food….nothing to share.
Bring your spouse, partner or friend. This is open to ALL AAUW members, not limited to Gourmet members.
FALCON’S NEST
Info will be coming, if we decide to continue this project.
Tech Trek, Celia and Edna
For those of you who were unable to attend our September General meeting, you missed a wonderful presentation by our four Tech Trek girls. They described their experience at AAUW California Virtual Tech Trek in July and brought their “wearable tech” for “show and tell.” We all should be very proud of having provided the Tech Trek opportunity for them.
On October 10 the AAUW CA Tech Trek committee will be meeting to discuss the future of Tech Trek in California for 2022 and beyond. Hopefully, there will be something definitive to tell you in the November newsletter. Right now we do not know if Tech Trek will be virtual again or done in person on college and university campuses. Stay tuned.
Link to our Tech Trek page for more camper information. Link HERE
AAUW Fund, Esther, Thea
What is AAUW Fund all about? Most of us have been members for many years and understand the Mission and the issues that AAUW supports. If you would like to see tangible evidence of the impact and use of some of the AAUW Fund money raised, the California AAUW has three Zoom programs (indicated below) featuring award recipients describing their research and projects.
Anyone can register and sit in on any or all of the presentations.
Black Holes? Rural women’s health? Social classification? What incredible topics are the 37(!) AAUW-funded fellowship and grant recipients studying? Attend these live virtual events showcasing their personal stories and fascinating studies. But wait, there’s more! This is a chance to see the great speakers who can be scheduled for branch programs!
Registration is required.
October 23, 2021, 10:00 am
October 30, 2021, 10:00 am
November 7, 2021, 1:00 pm
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
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
Women’s Equality Day
Pictured from left: Alessa Gomez, Krishna Hajari, Alejandra Espinoza, Leah Triana, Jamie Gokim and Amber Wang.
Young Women from the Legacy Project, a partnership between Career Tech Education/Community Partnership Office of ABCUSD and La Palma – Cerritos AAUW, are stepping up and showing leadership!
At the end of the August 26th, Women’s Equality Day event, 6 young women, under the leadership of Cerritos High School sophomore student, Aleesa Gomez, created an Instagram account pictured here They have 31 followers! Congratulations Aleesa!
Amber Wang, a junior from Whitney High School, started a digital Voter Pre-Registration Drive at her high school in collaboration with 4 history teachers at the junior and senior level and with approval from school administration. Interested students were provided with the California Voter Registration website and reminded to know by heart, the last 4 digits of their social security number. Teachers also shared information on the drive to recruit high school poll workers. Students used their own electronic devices to pre-register. Great job Amber!
Academic Achievement Awards, Joan P
Permanent Name Tag Orders are now 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.
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.
REGISTER FOR THE 2021 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING!
On Friday, October 15 at 8 PM we will kick of our Annual General Meeting with a pre-event. Our keynote speaker is Dr. Elizabeth (Beth) Ferris, who will speak to us on
“Refugee and Displaced Women: Narratives of Courage and Resilience”
Dr. Ferris is a Research Professor with the Institute for the Study of International Migration at Georgetown University. She also served as Senior Advisor to the UN General Assembly’s Summit for Refugees and Migrants in New York. Prior to joining Georgetown, she was a Senior Fellow and co-director of the Brookings-LSE Project on Internal Displacement and spent 20 years working in the field of humanitarian assistance, most recently in Geneva, Switzerland at the World Council of Churches. She has written extensively on humanitarian issues, including Consequences of Chaos: Syria’s Humanitarian Crisis and the Failure to Protect, with Kemal Kirsici (Brookings Institution Press, 2016). Her latest book – Refugees, Migration and Global Governance: Negotiating the Global Compacts (with Katharine Donato) was published by Routledge in July 2019.
Following our keynoter, we will recognize and celebrate our work in 2021. President Fay will lead us in a celebration of all things WG—including recognition for an “Academy of Stars”, WG members who have gone over and above the call of duty to make our organization operate successfully. Bring your favorite beverage and toast WG for being an organization that brings value to your life.
The link to register for the Friday evening meeting.
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAkdumhrjsiGdKOMZYjOxiApcJkJIsyYhZj.
Once you register, you will get a link to the meetings in response.
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.