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Branching Out

Paradise Branch Newsletter

Vol. 29, No. 5 • May 2009

 

Branching Out is published five times a year by the Paradise Branch of the American Association of University Women.

AAUW SPRING LUNCHEON

Saturday, May 2nd at 11:45 AM

Oak Knoll Senior Center

1007 Buschmann Road, Paradise

Cost: $10.00 per person

(NOTE: Reservations were due to Paulette Jones  or jonespaulette@sbcglobal.net by April 23rd.)

Slate of Officers for the 2009/2010 Fiscal Year

The list of nominees will be voted on at the April 22nd annual meeting:

President: Satsie Veith

President-Elect: Open

Membership: Katie Rosenberg

EF/LAF: Connie Ferrell

Secretaries: Dianne Lorenz

Merrie McLaughlin

Treasurer: Kay Hinerman

Program: Open

A big "thank you" goes to each of these members for agreeing to serve in a branch leadership role next year.

Call to Members for Program Suggestions

The Paradise Branch will have no official Program Vice President for the 2009/2010 fiscal year. The Board would like suggestions from members for topics and presenters for our branch meetings and for the Inter-Branch Council meeting in February 2010. (continued next column)

AAUW Paradise Branch is committed to advancing lifelong education opportunities and equity for girls and women. We will do this while providing growth opportunities and support for our members and establishing a positive visible presence on the Paradise Ridge.

AAUW promotes equity for all women and girls, lifelong education and positive societal change.

The View From Here

Congratulations and thank you to the Women’s History team who worked so hard bringing living history presentations to Ridge school children again this year. Carole Chumbler, the project coordinator, did a great job planning, organizing and carrying out the schedule, as well as appearing as Julia Morgan. Thanks also to Sara Baz and Kay Hinerman for introducing the children to Annie K. Bidwell and Dame Shirley, and thank you to the members who helped out at the presentations. And thanks especially to Carole Chumbler, on behalf of our branch and the schools, for agreeing to do this job again next year! You are a treasure.

The branch Women’s History meeting in March featured member Louise Ross, who talked about her ongoing work as a midwife with the Lakota, Navaho and other tribes. Louise’s job takes her away for weeks at a time, and we were fortunate that she was here to give us a fascinating and thought-provoking insight into the lives of the people she helps and the difficulties and rewards of her work.

As I write it is a few days before our April 22nd annual meeting, but I anticipate that the members will approve our nominees for officers for the 2009/2010 year. Thank you to those officers and chairs that have agreed to stay on another year, and thanks to Connie Ferrell, the new nominee for EF/LAF.

We will not have a Program Vice-President next year, or a Hospitality Chair, so the responsibility for these jobs will be shared by us all. Please be thinking of ideas for programs and presenters for next year’s branch meetings, and for the Inter-Branch Council Meeting next February; it is our branch’s job to arrange the program. You may communicate your ideas to me or another branch member by any method you prefer. We’ll have a program planning meeting sometime this summer to go over the suggestions and start making arrangements.

It’s been a real honor and joy to serve as Branch President this year. The job has been made

 

 

easy by all the support and help I’ve gotten from our members.

- Satsie Veith

President

Soup Supper and Tech Trek Donations…

…will help three young women join twenty-seven others, who will have attended during our eleven years’ participation at Stanford’s Camp Marie Curie. Also, we have a good start financially on 2010 scholarships. It now costs $750 plus a $50 fee paid by each camper.

Thank you again to everyone that donated raffle items, prepared food or took charge of set up and clean up. A special thanks to the men who not only moved tables but also helped in clean up after the event. It was great not to have to worry about blowing fuses, with the help of Chris Hoffman’s expertise in electricity. This year’s event cleared close to $1000.

Special thanks go to Jackie Westbrook, who takes on the raffle event each year, and Connie Ferrell, who took charge of reservations. Thanks to Kay Hinerman, Kay Zimmerlee and Satsie Veith, who kept all the various monies accounted for. Connie Rogers, Paulette Jones and Stanford Camp Director Carol Holzgrafe all helped make up those wonderful baskets. Connie and Carol again joined me in the camper nominees selection process.

We continue to track our past campers, even through their college years, and are very proud of their accomplishments. It appears that the Paradise High School valedictorian will be Tanya Angell (2004), who wrote in her seventh grade essay that she would be valedictorian of her class. She hopes to attend UC San Diego, majoring in Marine Biology.

Our 2009 scholarship recipients are Breanna Beach and Elise Saeger from Paradise Intermediate School, and Kaitlyn McElroy from Pine Ridge School. Lauren Gregario, 2006 camper, will return to Stanford as a Junior Counselor.

- Marygrace Colby

Tech Trek Coordinator 

NOTE: Thanks to whoever donated the Kinkaide painting for the Soup Supper, Karen Hilleman was able to sell it on E-bay for $125.

Go to the Web!

http://www.aauwparadise.org

March Branching Out deadline is February 20th. Please e-mail your articles to leeads@comcast.net.

 

AAUW – Paradise

 

2009/2010 Dues Notice

 

Please return completed form with payment

by June 13, 2009

  

 

AAUW-CA Says Vote Yes

The State AAUW Public Policy Committee asks AAUW members to vote "Yes" on the budget proposals on the May 19 ballot. The notice from the committee states:

"We believe the budget proposals are the best we can expect in this difficult time. AAUW members are asked to take a deep breath and vote yes for the budget items 1-A, 1-B, 1-C, 1-D, 1-E and 1-F on the May 19th special election ballot."

The committee made this recommendation in support of its earlier statement urging "a balanced approach of revenue increase and expenditure reduction geared to maintaining a safety net of vital government services."

To read the full ballot measures, go to www.sos.ca.gov and click on ballot measures.

- Connie Rogers

Public Policy Chair

Dates for Your Calendar

Annual Spring Luncheon, Saturday, May 2nd, 11:30 a.m., Oak Knoll Senior Center

Board meeting, Tuesday, May 12th, 7:00 p.m., Oak Knoll Library

Evening Book Group will meet Friday, May 29th at 7:30 p.m. to discuss The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. If you’re interested in joining us, call Joan Regan (872-4613) or Dianne Lorenz (872-8967).

Former Member

Sadly, we report that former member Barbara Muhl passed away in April 2009 from complications of Alzheimer’s Disease.

 

 

 

AAUW President VP Membership VP EF/LAF Co-VP Program

2008/2009 Satsie Veith Katie Rosenberg Connie Rogers Sara Baz

Carole Chumbler

Co-Secretary Treasurer Newsletter Editor

Dianne Lorenz Kay Hinerman Lynn Eads

Merrie McLaughlin

 

 

 

AAUW-Paradise Branch

P. O. Box 1585

Paradise, CA 95967-1585

 

 

 

Branching Out

Paradise Branch Newsletter

Vol. 29, No. 4 • March 2009

 

Branching Out is published five times a year by the Paradise Branch of the American Association of University Women.

March Branch Meeting to

Celebrate Women’s History Month

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

7:00 P.M.

Oak Knoll Senior Living Center

1007 Buschmann Road, Paradise

Learn about the interesting professional history of one of our AAUW members at our March branch meeting.

Since l981 Louise Ross has had a career as a midwife assisting in the birth of hundreds of babies. She works part-time for a local doctor and also does short term assignments with the Sioux in South Dakota and the Navajo in Arizona. In addition to delivering babies Louise teaches Women’s Health Care classes. She will be sharing some of her medical experiences from the past 29 years and discussing issues in women’s health care.

The evening’s program will also include a short report on our Branch’s school-based Women’s History project. Memorial books will be presented to the Paradise Unified School District for distribution to the school libraries.

Join us on March 17th for a celebration of Women’s History.

April Branch Meeting

April 22, 2009, 7:00 P.M.

Pine Ridge Elementary School Library

13878 Compton Drive, Magalia

The scheduled presenter on water issues, April Grossberger, has just accepted a five-month position checking water sources in the backcountry of Yosemite Park and will be unavailable for our April meeting. Perhaps we can get her to speak to our group in the fall. You will be contacted concerning the replacement topic.

AAUW Paradise Branch is committed to advancing lifelong education opportunities and equity for girls and women. We will do this while providing growth opportunities and support for our members and establishing a positive visible presence on the Paradise Ridge.

AAUW promotes equity for all women and girls, lifelong education and positive societal change.

The View from Here

We had a great turnout for the Soup Supper on January 26, and it was once again a very successful fundraiser for our Tech Trek scholarship fund. The event raised nearly $1000 for the fund, including monies from a used book sale and a raffle of items ranging from movie tickets to teacups. Of course the soups were delicious as always and the former Tech Trek scholars who spoke were, I thought, funny, touching and inspiring.

This summer, thanks to our members’ generosity, we will be able to send three girls to science camp. Thank you to everyone who has contributed soup, money, time, and effort, and most especially to our indefatigable Tech Trek chair, Marygrace Colby. State Tech Trek coordinator and Paradise branch member Carol Holzgrafe told the Soup Supper audience that of the 40 Tech Trek chairs she works with, Marygrace is the best!

I couldn’t make it to the February 10 general meeting at the Family Resource Center, but those who were there tell me that the DA Investigator’s presentation on Identity Theft was very interesting and informative. See Carole Chumbler’s article for more information. This month’s upcoming Women’s History March 17 general meeting will feature our own Louise Ross speaking about her career as a midwife—luckily, I won’t have to miss that.

The Interbranch Council held its annual luncheon on February 7 at the Italian Cottage in Chico, with a crowd of about 60. The program, presented by the Oroville Branch, was a DVD called "The Story of Stuff"—meant, it’s safe to say, to wake us up a bit about the costs of our consumer way of life—and a general discussion afterward. See Pat Nohrnberg’s article for more details. Six of our members attended. I hope that all our members know that the IBC luncheons are open to all branch members and well worth attending.

Please see my separate article on another great event, Career Trek on January 10.

- Satsie Veith

Branch President

Women's History Project

Fourth graders in Paradise schools will have the opportunity to meet women of California history during classroom presentations the weeks of March 9-13 and March 16-20. Members of our Branch are portraying Annie Bidwell (Sara Baz), Julia Morgan (Carole Chumbler) and Louise Clapp, the author of the Shirley Letters (Kay Hinerman). 

Presentations will be made to students at Paradise Elementary, Ponderosa, Achieve Charter, Cedarwood, Pine Ridge School and the Children’s Community Charter School. Costumed presenters tell stories about their character’s life, answer questions from the students and share vintage photos and artifacts. Dame Shirley teaches the students songs from the gold mining period. Annie Bidwell hands out her calling cards and Julia Morgan tells the inside story of how Hearst Castle was built. 

The 4th graders are studying California History in their social studies and our program helps them understand the contributions of these three women to the history of our state. 

 

Tutors Needed at our Elementary Schools

The Boys and Girls Club runs a fine organization at our elementary schools, where the children participate in a varied curriculum of wonderful activities. At present one important thing lacking is enough adult tutors. Some of our members volunteer at Paradise Elementary School, and I am the only tutor at Ponderosa Elementary School. The children really need the one-to-one help and encouragement of an adult mentor. It only takes one or two hours a week of your time. If you have other talents you would like to share, e.g. art, it is also appreciated.

To volunteer to help, please call the Director, Scott Bennett, at 899-0335. He would love to hear from you.

- Paulette Jones

Go to the Web!

http://www.aauwparadise.org

May Branching Out deadline is April 20th. Please e-mail your articles to leeads@comcast.net.

EF/LAF Donors Support the Cause

Paradise branch members’ response to the November Educational Foundation/Legal Advocacy Fund fundraiser has been generous. As of late January, members had donated $1,430.00 to the combined funds—$982.50 to EF and $447.50 to LAF. Good job!

Both funds support justice for women and girls. EF provides funds "to advance education, research and self-development for women and to foster equity and positive societal change." The LAF mission is "to combat sex discrimination in higher education and the workplace."

So thanks to the generous members who contributed to these important efforts.

- Connie Rogers

EF/LAF Vice President

 

"Career Trek" Shows Girls How To Do It

On Saturday, January 10, 2009, "Career Trek" took place at the Butte College Main Campus. About 75 8th-grade girls, 12 of them from Paradise and Magalia, got to choose three presentations from a wide array of professions, but all requiring math and science training. The presenters, all women, introduced the girls to what the job is about and what kind of education and training are needed to pursue it. As a helper, I got to see terrific presentations by a physical therapist, state park rangers, and a psychologist—our own Linda Menicucci.

Butte College staff was very much a part of this event. Before the presentations, President Diana Van Der Ploeg and a financial aid administrator spoke to the girls about the importance of a college education and how to finance it. After lunch, the girls saw four mini-presentations by college faculty and staff, designed to get them excited about math, engineering, biology, physics, chemistry, and geology, and to let them know it’s okay to want to do that stuff—even though they’re girls.

The plan is that "Career Trek" will be an annual event, and it has the potential to attract a lot more students. The cost to each student was only $5.00, plus whatever the transportation costs were. In return the girls got a look into career and life possibilities they might not get any other way.

- Satsie Veith

Branch President

IBC Annual Luncheon Report

The IBC annual luncheon was held on February 7 in Chico. It was well attended by AAUW women from Marysville-Yuba City, Oroville, Chico, Gridley and six members from Paradise.

This year’s program was a DVD presentation titled "The Story of Stuff" with Annie Leonard, followed by a discussion.

This is a good video promoting sustainability at multiple levels; extraction, production, distribution, consumption and disposal. Three interesting facts from the "The Story of Stuff:"

• In the past three decades, one-third of the planet’s natural resource base has been consumed.

• In the United States less than 4% of our original forests remain.

• For every garbage can of waste you put out on the curb, 70 garbage cans of waste were made upstream to make the junk in that one garbage can.

In the film Annie says, "The good thing about such an all pervasive problem is that there are so many points of intervention." Everyone can make a difference with a little or big action.

Below are a few suggestions:

• Power down (use less energy, drive less, buy local, buy less packaging)

• Waste less (use both sides of paper, carry own mugs and shopping bags, repair not replace)

• Talk to everyone about these issues. (raise awareness, build community, inspire others to action)

• Unplug (TV and Internet) and plug in (community)

• Park your car and walk

• Recycle

• Change light bulbs

• Buy green, buy fair, buy local, buy used, buy less

For more information, go to www.storyofstuff.com.

 

 

Tech Trek Soup Supper Event

Thanks again to everyone for their part in making our annual Tech Trek Soup Supper fundraiser a success. After all bills were paid, our profit was $965. We will be able o send three young women to Stanford in July and have a start on next year’s camp funding.

We found that raffle items that provide services, movies or food seem to be very popular. It is not too early to start on potential services/vendors for next year, so think about all the places/people you visit locally and let us know of potential contacts. If you are willing to make the contact, we can give you fliers and information on Tech Trek.

In these tough economic times, fewer donations are being made. However, I have found that several places I did not contact have said if I had asked them they would have provided a gift certificate, because they believe in the help we give the young women who live on the Ridge. Also, please say thank you when you shop at Joy Lyn’s Candy, Noble Orchard, Cinema 7, PostNet or Heaven Scent Candles or eat at Debbie's Restaurant.

Individual donations, written to AAUW-CA Special Projects Fund, are welcome at any time and should be sent to AAUW, P.O. Box 1585, Paradise, 95967.

For any services or donor suggestions please contact Jackie Westbrook or Marygrace Colby.

- Marygrace Colby

Tech Trek Coordinator

 

New Book Focuses on Minority Girls and Science Education

A new book, Swimming Against the Tide: African American Girls and Science Education, takes a look at how a race-biased education systems and low expectations of African American women and other minorities in classroom settings, particularly science classes, translate into negative effects on self-confidence, attitudes and achievement. In an interview with Inside Higher Ed, author Sandra L. Hanson, a professor of sociology at Catholic University, explains how the unequal distribution of educational resources to different schools also has limiting effects on the ability of students to achieve.

 

Fraud and Identity Theft

Tips on how to avoid having your personal information captured by skilled identity thieves were shared by Investigator Jos Van Haut from the Butte County District Attorney’s Office at our February 10th branch meeting. Important points that were mentioned include:

1. Never give out personal information over the phone or the internet unless you initiated the contact.

2. Deposit outgoing mail that contains your personal information only in a secure/ locked mail box or give directly to your letter carrier.

3. Shred or tear up unwanted documents that contain personal information before discarding them.

4. Use a combination of letters (lower and upper case) and numbers for personal passwords.

5. Keep your social security number in a secure location and not in a purse or wallet where it might be stolen. Don’t give your number out unless absolutely necessary.

6. Consider getting a low value credit card to use in restaurants and other places where your card may be taken out of your sight to be run.

7. Keep income tax returns in a secure location. A burglar who steals them would have access to a mountain of your personal information.

8. Get a credit report and clean up any errors. Go to www.annualcreditreport.com (877-322-8228) for information about a free yearly service.

9. Don’t be afraid to admit if you are the victim of identity theft. Many seniors do not report cases of fraud because of embarrassment.

Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in America. A worsening economy will only increase the number of thieves looking to capture your identity. The local Indian casinos donate the funds that pay for community educational programs on Identity Theft such as the one Mr. Van Hout presented to our ranch.

Pay Equity Was First Bill Signed by Obama

AAUW applauds President Barack Obama for signing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which restores the long-standing interpretation of civil rights laws and EEOC policies that allow employees to challenge any discriminatory paycheck they receive.

"President Obama has put pay discrimination at the top of the agenda, right where it belongs. The wage gap doesn’t just hurt working women, it hurts families as well," said AAUW Executive Director Linda D. Hallman, CAE, who attended the signing ceremony. "We are especially pleased that this measure is the first bill moved by Congress and signed by our new president, sending a strong message that economic issues and pay equity are a top priority."

Statistics on women in the workplace speak to the need for action. The average woman earns just 78 cents of every dollar earned by her male counterparts, and disparities appear just one year out of college—even for those with the same job and the same major. Women of color make even less.

"AAUW is hopeful that the swift action on this important law is a harbinger of what we can expect from both the new Congress and the new administration," said Lisa Maatz, AAUW director of public policy and government relations. "Thanks to the remarkable Lilly Ledbetter, who stood up to injustice despite great personal sacrifice, women and others in her shoes will be able to seek a fair day in court."

Lilly Ledbetter is perhaps the best-known face of pay equity. She worked for nearly two decades at the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company in Gadsden, AL. Despite receiving top performance awards, Ledbetter discovered that she had been paid significantly less than male co-workers with the same job. After her November 1998 retirement, she filed suit under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and was awarded back pay and other remedies in a jury trial. The U.S. Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision not only erased Ledbetter’s award, but also left women, minorities, and others in Ledbetter’s situation with virtually no recourse to pay discrimination.

"The wage gap not only affects a woman’s paycheck, it can eventually reduce retirement and social security income. That could mean the loss of

(continued next column)

$1 million or more over one woman’s lifespan," Hallman said. "This victory has energized us," said Maatz. "President Obama and Congress have made a good down payment on their promise to close the wage gap, but we’re not resting on our laurels. The House also passed the Paycheck Fairness Act, a bill which would close loopholes in the Equal Pay Act, and AAUW and our allies are determined to see the Senate do the same."

Read more about AAUW’s "Keep the Change" pay equity campaign at www.aauw.org/advocacy/issue_advocacy/actionpages/payequity.efm.

 

Boxer Starts New Subcommittee on Global Women

Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) will be chairing a new Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on International Operations and Organizations, Human Rights, Democracy, and Global Women’s Issues. This is the first ever subcommittee to encompass a specific focus on global women, the New York Times reported.

In a similar vein, Sen. Boxer introduced the International Women’s Freedom Act of 2009 (H.R. 606/S. 230) last month. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) sponsored the act in the House. The bill would create a new State Department office to focus on international women’s rights. An ambassador-at-large and a federal commission would lead the new department and inform Congress and President Obama about the status of women’s rights abroad according to Women’s eNews.

New Member Information

Please note for your directory:

• Jan Keller

P. O. Box 341

Paradise, CA 95954

email: cruizinfools@att.net

• Sidne Gray

13434 Adrian Drive

Magalia, CA 95954

email: graydolp@clearwire.net

Interest Group News

The Evening Book Group will meet Friday, March 27 at 7:30 p.m. to discuss Bless Me Ultima by Rodulfo Anaya. The book for the following meeting in April or May is The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. If you’re interested in joining us at either gathering, call Mary Johnson  or Joan Regan.

Gourmet Group will be gathering on Sunday, March 1 for "A Taste of Southern Germany." Contact Karen Hilleman  if you are interested in participating in the preparation and enjoyment of regional and international cuisines. Dinners are hosted at members’ homes on a rotating cycle. If there is enough interest, a second group can be formed.

(Note: This item arrived too late for the print version of the newsletter but is included here for your information.)

The Paradise AAUW Hiking Group is breaking new ground, going to new heights, pushing the limits! They are leaving The Ridge, driving to Nevada City and hiking the famous Empire Mine Trails. And lunching. Would you like to be part of this exciting day trip on Friday, March 20, 2009?

Details: Leave at approximately 8:00 a.m. from Paradise Park and Ride; carpool to Nevada City (2± hours).

Hike: We can choose from several formal trails, none too long or too strenuous (2 to 4 miles and degree of difficulty

(continued next column)

2 to 4). Hike participants will decide which one to take.

Food: We plan to picnic to leave more time to hike and tour so bring a bag lunch or picnic food (ice chests will be available).

Shopping: If time permits, we can wander the town—the entire downtown is on the National Register of Historic Places so, if you haven't been there recently….

Tour: We can choose to tour the Empire Mine and/or wander the grounds. Check out everything the mine has to offer at www.empiremine.org/. To go directly to the hiking page, click on this link: www.empiremine.org/trail.html.

For questions or to sign up, just give Carol Holzgrafe  a call. Please let us know by Monday, March 16th if you plan to join us.

Dates for your Calendar

• Board meeting, Tuesday, March 10th, 7:00 p.m., Oak Knoll Senior Center

• General meeting "Women’s History," Tuesday, March 17th, 7:00 p.m., Oak Knoll Senior Living Center

• Board meeting, Tuesday, April 14th, 7:00 p.m., Oak Knoll Senior Center

• General meeting, topic to be announced, Wednesday, April 22nd, 7:00 p.m., Pine Ridge School Library

• Board meeting, Tuesday, May 12th, 7:00 p.m., Oak Knoll Library

• Annual Spring Luncheon, Saturday, May 16th (time and location TBA)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AAUW President VP Membership VP EF/LAF Co-VP Program

2008/2009 Satsie Veith Katie Rosenberg Connie Rogers Sara Baz

Carole Chumbler

Co-Secretary Treasurer Newsletter Editor

Dianne Lorenz Kay Hinerman Lynn Eads

Merrie McLaughlin

 

Branching Out

Paradise Branch Newsletter

Vol. 29, No. 3 • January 2009

Branching Out is published five times a year by the Paradise Branch of the American Association of University Women.

 

TECH TREK SOUP SUPPER, 2009

Monday January 26th, 6:00 p.m.

Apple Tree Village

1400 Kilcrease Circle, Paradise

The Soup Supper dinner, which is our major fundraiser for Tech Trek campership scholarships, is priced at $12, which includes food, beverages and two prize tickets. Dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. Please bring your own table service. Follow­ing dinner, Tech Trekkers will update us on their lives since attending camp.

Reservations are required! Call Connie Ferrell (873-0725) and leave your name, phone number and the number attending. Payment may be made at the event. Please remember that if you signed up to work or bring food, you still need to make a reservation. The reservation deadline is January 20th.

New tax rules and AAUW insurance coverage requirements have required some changes. Wine cannot be sold, but donations can be accepted. You will be provided with tax information at the event. It would be helpful if you bring CASH (particu­larly $1’s) for prize tickets, book sales, etc.

Donations for prize drawings and books for the book sale may be dropped off, starting January 5th, at Graphic Impressions (Dianne Lorenz), 7654-B Skyway, just above Bille Road, and at Post Net (Kelley Connor), 6038-A Clark Road, next to Round Table Pizza. Deadline for donations is January 16th. If you have any questions about prize drawings or books, contact Jackie Westbrook  (877-8711).

Volunteers are still needed to help during the evening. Please contact Marygrace Colby        (873-6252) to let her know how you can help.

 (NOTE: The backup date for this event is Monday, February 2nd.)

IBC Luncheon

This year’s Interbranch Council Luncheon will be on Saturday, February 7th at Angelo’s Cucina Trincria, 407 Walnut Street, Chico (time TBA).

The Oroville branch has arranged a presentation on environmental sustainability.

The price of the lunch is $14.50 per person, including tax and gratuity. Wine is available at additional cost. Menu choices are chicken piccata or spinach and cheese ravioli.

If you would like to attend, please send a check in that amount to our treasurer, Kay Hinerman, or to Satsie Veith by Wednesday, January 28th, so that we can let the Chico branch know how many attendees to expect.

Please also let Satsie know if you need direc­tions to the restaurant or want to carpool.

 

Satsie Veith Is EF Honoree

Satsie Veith, our branch president, is this year’s Paradise AAUW Education Foundation Named Honoree. The award was made at the December holiday meeting, when Satsie was presented the Named Honoree pin.

Each year, the branch is allowed to name one honoree for each $750 we donate to the Educa­tion Foundation. The person is selected by a secret ballot of the branch board of directors for out­standing contribution to the branch. All members are eligible except those who have been named within the past five years.

Satsie is more than qualified for the honor, having served as bylaws chair, secretary, treasurer and, now, president. Having joined the branch in 2001, she has been busy on our behalf. Thank you, Satsie!

                                 Connie Rogers

                        EF/LAF Vice President

 

 

AAUW Paradise Branch is committed to advancing lifelong education opportunities and equity for girls and women. We will do this while providing growth opportunities and support for our members and establishing a posi­tive visible presence on the Paradise Ridge.

 

AAUW promotes equity for all women and girls, lifelong education and positive societal change.

The View from Here

Holiday Party: Thank you to everyone who helped with the Holiday Party on December 9th, particularly to Carole Chantal and her music students who put on a perfectly lovely program of Christmas music, and to Connie Rogers and the Gold Nugget Museum for letting us use their won­derful space again.

I missed the November branch meeting due to illness, but I have gotten great reports from those who did attend. Some of our branch members spoke about their experiences and observations about getting by on less during hard times. Thanks to Sara Baz and Carole Chumbler for thinking of the program and organizing it, to Laurie Baker, Lynn Layton, Shirley Liston and Connie Rogers for their participation on the panel, and to all others who helped.

Upcoming Events: The Butte County AAUW “Career Trek” event is taking place on Saturday, January 10th, and is written about elsewhere in this newsletter. Twelve Ridge 8th-grade girls responded that they plan to attend. Thanks are due to our members Marygrace Colby and Madeleine Caton for help in getting the applications to and from the schools. This event has the potential to be a great contribution to expanding the horizons for girls in our community, which is, after all, AAUW’s core mission.

                              Satsie Veith

                                 President

 

 

EF/LAF Donations Still Welcome

Thanks to the members who have donated to the EF/LAF fund raising drive. Branch members received a solicitation letter in November and have donated generously. Thank you!

There is no firm end date to the funding drive, so if you haven’t yet contributed, please consider doing so. Scholarship and research for gender equity and education of women and girls need our support. Times are tight, and every donation helps.

                              Connie Rogers

                     EF/LAF Vice President

“Career Trek” Event – Helpers Needed!

Saturday, January 10, 2009 is the “Career Trek” event at the Butte College Main Campus. About 75 8th-grade girls and parents from all over Butte County, including Paradise and Magalia, will be attending presentations by professional women who will tell the girls about their jobs and the kind of skills and education required. The girls got to choose three presentations from professions including a civil engineer, ER nurse, criminalist, dermatologist, accountant, naturalist, veterinarian, fire fighter, psychologist and several others. Lunch and a tour of the campus will follow the presentations.

We are looking for a few of our members to attend the event and help make it run smoothly. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. and the program will conclude at 2 p.m.

Please let Satsie Veith (sadveith@cs.com, 873-9566) know if you are interested in helping out.

 

 

AAUW Partnership with Barnes & Noble

Exciting news! Beginning immediately, AAUW has a new partnership with Barnes & Noble's online sales site, BN.com. Customized for AAUW mem­bers, the www.bn.com/aauw website is our own AAUW bookstore. AAUW members automatically receive a 5 percent discount on purchases (10 per­cent periodically)…and that’s on top of other avail­able discounts that apply to the purchase. You will also find information on

  AAUW’s ¡Adelante! book club reading list

  publications by AAUW members

  AAUW award-winning books

  International Affairs Committee reading list

                     Cordy Galligan

            Director of Corporate Relationships

            AAUW National Association

 

 

 

Go to the Web!

http://www.aauwparadise.org

March Branching Out deadline is February 20th. Please e-mail your articles to leeads@comcast.net.

 

 

 AAUW-Paradise Branch Policies Review

Reminder to board members: Board members were recently sent a scanned version of our current Policies and Procedures, as it has been quite a while since these were reviewed and updated.

Please remember to review the Policies and Procedures as it relates to the job description for your particular board position, and then make sug­gestions for any changes that you think ought to be made. (Of course feel free to review the rest of it if you want to!)

Email your suggested changes to Satsie (sadveith@cs.com) before the next board meeting, which is January 13th. If you have no changes to recommend, please email that message to her.

 

 

Props Needed for Women’s History Presentations

The 4th graders who view our presentations on historical women important to the development of California enjoy handling the various props repre­senting the period. If you have any of the following items, please consider loaning or donating them so we can expand our collection of vintage props. The use of these items would be carefully supervised by our presenters, teachers and classroom assistants.

  Annie Bidwell: plant press, button-up shoes, draw­string corset

  Dr. Ella Gatchell: vintage glass medicine bottles, turn-of-the-century medical tools or other doctor equipment

  Julia Morgan: architectural plans, drawings and models

  Dame Shirley: straw hat for mining camp wear

Please contact Carole Chumbler (877-5635) if you have materials to share.

 

 

Classroom Assistants Needed for Women’s History Presentations

Would you like to make history come alive for 4th graders here on the Ridge? If you have one or more mornings available during the second or third week of March (9-13, 16-20), consider volunteering as a classroom assistant for our Women’s History presentations.

Assistants attend a dress rehearsal to familiarize themselves with historical character and then assist

(continued next column)

Classroom Assistants (continued)

in the classroom by setting out props and photos and interacting with the students as they examine the materials. You would be providing valuable support and have the fun of seeing the 4th graders “meet” our four historical women. Contact Phyllis Larsen (877-3369) to volunteer.

 

 

Memorial Book Donations

Is there an AAUW member you would like to honor? Consider donating funds towards the pur­chase of school library materials as part of our Branch's celebration of Women’s History in March. Books such as Julia Morgan Builds a Castle, Grace Hopper: Computer Whiz or Light Shining Through the Mist: The Photobiography of Dian Fossey could be purchased and donated to local school libraries with a book plate inside indicating the honoree’s name.

Send your check in any amount to AAUW, P.O. Box 1585, Paradise 95967 and indi­cate that the funds are for purchase of Memorial Books.

 

 

Interest Group News

The Evening Book Group will meet Friday, January 9th at 7:30 p.m. to discuss Hard Times by Studs Terkel. The book for our fol­lowing meeting in February or March is Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. If you’re interested in join­ing us at either gathering, call Mary Johnson (877-3906) or Joan Regan (872-4613).

The Hiking Group will see a new view of Paradise Lake on Tuesday, February 3rd. We will meet at 9:00 a.m. in the parking lot of Jackie’s Hilltop Restaurant on Skyway in Magalia. The hike takes about one hour and is level most of the way. We will be walking around the back side of the lake, which is very picturesque and pristine. Snow or heavy rain will cancel the hike. Please call Phyllis Larsen (877-3369) with any questions.

 

 

 

 

Dates for your Calendar

  “Career Trek” Day, Saturday, January 10th, Butte College

  Board meeting, Tuesday, January 13th, 7:00 p.m., Oak Knoll Senior Center

  Tech Trek Soup Supper, Monday, January 26th. Apple Tree Village

  IBC Luncheon, Saturday, February 7th, time to be arranged, Angelo’s Cucina Trincria ,Chico

  General meeting “Identity Theft,” Tuesday, February 10th, 11:30 a.m., Family Resource Center (brown bag lunch)

  Board meeting, Tuesday, February 10th, 7:00 p.m., Oak Knoll Senior Center

  

  Board meeting, Tuesday, March 10th, 7:00 p.m., Oak Knoll Senior Center

  General meeting “Women’s History,” Tuesday, March 17th, 7:00 p.m. (location TBA)

  Board meeting, Tuesday, April 14th, 7:00 p.m., Oak Knoll Senior Center

  General meeting “Water Issues,” Wednesday, April 22nd, 7:00 p.m., Pine Ridge School Library

  Board meeting, Tuesday, May 12th, 7:00 p.m., Oak Knoll Library

  Annual Spring Luncheon, Saturday, May 16th (time and location TBA)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AAUW                   President                                VP Membership                       VP EF/LAF                                 Co-VP Program

2008/2009            Satsie Veith                             Katie Rosenberg                      Connie Rogers                            Sara Baz

                                                                                                                                                                                            Carole Chumbler

                                Co-Secretary                          Treasurer                                 Newsletter Editor

                                Dianne Lorenz                        Kay Hinerman                           Lynn Eads

                                Merrie McLaughlin

 

 

 

Branching Out

Paradise Branch Newsletter

Vol. 29, No. 1 • September 2008

Branching Out is published five times a year by the Paradise Branch of the American Association of University Women.

Annual Fall Luncheon

Saturday, September 20, 2008, 10:30 a.m.

Paradise Chamber of Commerce

5550 Skyway, Paradise

Our full luncheon will be on Saturday,

September 20th at 11:00 a.m. at the Paradise

Chamber of Commerce. Access to the meeting

room is from the parking lot to the east (uphill)

side of the building. There will be a salad bar buffet,

including drinks, for $12.00 per person.

Our program will be our two Pence Reentry

Scholarship recipients. We will also have interest

group information and sign-up sheets.

For reservations, call Kay Zimmerlee (872-

9222). Reservations must be made by noon on

Friday, September 12th. Please pay at the door.

Prospective members are welcome as guests free

of charge, but be sure to let Kay know if you are

bringing guests.

For more information, call Marygrace Colby

 or Satsie Veith.

AAUW 2nd Annual Art Fest

When: October 11, 2008

Time: 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

(various workshop times)

The second annual Paradise Art Fest will feature

three local artists in a beautiful, natural and

inspiring setting. Noble Orchard, located at 7050

Pentz Road, is the last orchard in Paradise. Each

workshop gives the participants the chance to

explore new art forms or expand on already

acquired skills. It is an opportunity to meet and

learn from three talented Butte County artists:

• Melony Hannah – Stamping and Paper Arts

• Ashley Rasmussen – Jewelry Making

• Kim Victoria – Drawing Techniques

Classes are kept small so that individual attention

can be given. Attendees, in addition to creating their

own finished art piece, will have the opportunity to

view and purchase the artist’s work.

Free coffee and tea will be available during the

day, as well as delicious snacks and lunch available

for purchase. Proceeds from this event fund Frances

Pence Reentry Scholarships.

The cost to attend one workshop is $20, two

workshops is $30 and three workshops is $40. Reservations

are required and space is limited. For more

information, visit www.aauwparadise.org/artfest

For questions or to make a reservation, contact Pat

Nohrnberg or pnartfest2@gmail.com.

AAUW Paradise Branch is committed to advancing lifelong education opportunities and equity for girls and

women. We will do this while providing growth opportunities and support for our members and establishing a positive

visible presence on the Paradise Ridge.

AAUW promotes equity for all women and girls, lifelong education and positive societal change.

 

The View from Here

Our 2008-2009 year is just beginning, but our

members are already hard at work planning some

great events.

The Art Fest, a fundraiser for the Pence Scholarship

that was a big success last year, will be held

this October (see article) and of course the Soup

Supper in January will benefit our Tech Trek

scholarship fund. Paradise was able to send three

girls to science camp this August, and we hope to

do as well next summer.

The Butte County branches of AAUW are

teaming together to put on a Career Day at Butte

College on January 10th. Eighth grade girls from

around the county will be invited to hear from

women in various walks of life about some of the

opportunities that are open to them. (See information

in this newsletter.)

Our Program VP’s this year are Carole Chumbler

and Sara Baz, and they have planned an excellent

series of general meeting programs, with a

variety of topics and speakers – from our own

members discussing “how to get by in hard times”

to Butte County water issues.

Our Membership VP this year is Katie Rosenberg.

She will be planning a New Member’s event

for this fall. Be sure to let Katie know of any folks

out there who may be interested in our group – you

might also invite them to the Fall Lunch.

In addition to all that, our interest groups will

be reforming. The Interest Group Coordinator this

year is Gail Prince. She will have sign-up sheets at

the Fall Lunch. If you have ideas for a new group,

please let Gail know.

Finally — please keep in mind that we still

have opportunities for our members to step forward

and help out: we need committees to help

with program and decorations for the Holiday

Party (December 9th at the Gold Nugget Museum)

and to help plan the Spring Luncheon (May 16th).

- Satsie Veith

President

Tech Trek Campers Celebrate

Even though Tech Trek celebrated its 11th

summer, Paradise Branch celebrated its 10th year

of involvement by sending a total of twenty-seven

Ridge young women to Stanford University. Our

2008 campers are now in the eighth grade. We

continue to track our campers through at least high

school. Many of our girls have graduated from

high school and gone on to college; it is possible

that the campers from our first two years in attendance

have graduated from college.

As you may remember, our own branch member,

Carol Holzgrafe, has been the Stanford Camp

Director for four years. With the split into two

separate camps this year, she coordinated both

camps (Marie Curie for week 1 and Grace Hopper

for week 2) in terms of housing and registration as

well as numerous aspects of program organization.

Each camp had approximately eighty girls in

attendance, instead of 130 involved in one week.

The result was an opportunity for more participation

for smaller groups of campers. Since Marie

Wolbach, the founder of Tech Trek, has “really”

retired, Carol will serve as the AAUW-CA Tech

Trek Coordinator for all seven camps, as well as

directing a week at Stanford. I will again serve as

the AAUW-CA volunteer coordinator, responding

to any and all volunteer inquires received from

members.

This year I had an extra challenge in locating

two of our campers and their parents and pets

(found one family of five, plus two cats and a dog,

in a small motel room in Paradise) during the July

Camp Fire evacuations. They got off safely on

July 13th. Also, Carol and Jim Holzgrafe, along

with their cat, fled to relatives during the week

prior to camp.

In reading our camper thank you notes, I

learned that Natalie Crawford, Paradise Intermediate

School, was in the Cooking Chemistry core

class, learning about what she eats. Since she lives

with two brothers, she was thrilled to leave camp

with twenty new “sisters.” Tia Strand, Paradise

Intermediate School, has wanted to pursue a career

as a marine biologist, and her camp experience

made her want even more to continue on that path.

She especially enjoyed living with her “big” family

in the dorms. Melodie Glasser, Paradise Charter

Middle School, talked about her

bio-technology core class, DNA, proteins and

making bacteria fluorescent. Listening to professional

women tell their stories was a special

event and living in such a friendly dorm environment

made this adventure one of the best weeks in

her life.

- Marygrace Colby

Tech Trek Coordinator

This Fall Voting Is What Counts

The major effort of AAUW’s Public Policy this

fall is of course getting out the vote. In a program

called “Woman to Woman,” the organization is

encouraging all of us to get ourselves and the

women around us to the polls. In the process, of

course, we need to support issues important to

women and the candidates who support those

issues.

Local, state and national elections all matter,

and in most cases we have clear choices. Whether

it’s pay equity, reproductive rights, environmental

issues, or even constitutional rights, each vote

counts. Be sure you are registered to vote, particularly

if you have moved recently.

And then vote. Each vote counts!

- Connie Rogers

Public Policy Chair

Coming Events

October General Meeting

During the recent fires many of us experienced

a sense of panic when we weren’t able to

quickly retrieve important documents upon receiving

the order to evacuate our homes. Wouldn’t it

reduce stress to know just how to organize and

safeguard those critical papers that we all have? The

speaker for our October general meeting is local

attorney John D'Ewart. He will guide us through

issues such as determining which documents are

critical ones, where originals should be stored,

home storage of documents, how long papers need

to be kept and how to obtain copies should the

originals be destroyed. Bring your questions and

concerns and we’ll learn what we can do to reduce

stress in this one area of our lives.

The meeting will be held on October 21, 2008

at 7:00 p.m. in the upstairs (elevator available)

meeting room at Oak Knoll at 1007 Buschmann

Road in Paradise.

Interbranch Council (IBC) Career Day Event

Branches that are located in Butte County

(Chico, Gridley, Oroville and Paradise) hopefully

will undertake a new Career Day event, which will

be scheduled on Saturday, January 10, 2009 at

Butte College. Eighth grade girls from each branch

may participate on a first-come, first-served basis.

People are needed to find and communicate

with speakers, handle registration, coordinate publicity

efforts in schools, prepare handouts, coordinate

logistics with Butte College and be there to

help on the day of the conference. Enthusiasm has

been high and with enough woman power to pull

off such an event, we can provide an outstanding

Career Day.

Volunteers are needed from our branch to be

involved in this venture. Please contact Marygrace

Colby (873-6252) as soon as possible if you are

willing to participate in some way and/or to offer

any ideas for potential career presenters.

Annual Soup Supper

Save Monday, January 26, 2009 for Tech

Trek’s Annual Soup Supper Fundraiser.

Thanks again especially to Carol Holzgrafe and

Connie Ferrell for being on the camper selection

committee and to Jackie Westbrook for the great

raffle event each year. Branch members’ continuing

support, contributions and efforts have made it possible

to provide so many Ridge girls an opportunity

of a lifetime.

It’s A Non-Event Fund Raiser Again This Year

Each year, the branch honors one (or two) of its

own as a named-gift honoree of AAUW’s Educational

Foundation. For each honoree, we donate

$750 to the national Educational Foundation. To

make the donation, the branch conducts a special

fundraiser.

Given everyone’s busy schedules, we won’t be

holding an actual event this year but instead will

ask members to contribute to EF and LAF by mail.

You will receive a letter from me later in the fall

explaining the need and asking for your generosity

and support.

The Educational Foundation supports research

and higher education for women and the Legal

Advocacy Fund fights gender discrimination in

higher education. They need our support.

- Connie Rogers

EF/LAF Vice President

Interest Group News

The Evening Book Group will meet Friday,

September 12th at 7:30 p.m. to discuss In the Time

of Butterflies by Julian Alvarez. If you are interested

in joining us, call Mary Johnson

or Joan Regan.

The Potluck Group will meet for appetizers

and wine on Sunday, September 7th at the home of

Louise and Charlie Ross. We will meet at 3:00 p.m.

We would welcome new members, singles or couples.

You fix only one dish and end up with a full

and delicious dinner plus good conversation and

companionship. Call Marilyn Eldridge

if you would like to join us.

Come join the Hiking Group on a new walk/

hike in the Upper Pines area above Lovelock on

September 23rd. The forest trail is a fairly level dirt

toad and less than three miles total walking. At the

end of the trail, we will view a sparkling waterfall

and wading pool.

Meet at 9:00 a.m. at the parking lot in front of

Susan’s on the Ridge Restaurant in Magalia, where

we will carpool to the hiking trail. Bring drinking

water and bug spray. Call Phyllis Larsen  with any questions.

Meet Our New Members

Diane and Jim Handley have lived in Paradise

for 13 years. Diane is a counselor at Las Plumas

High School in Oroville and Jim is a project manager

for PG&E.

Diane joined AAUW when she lived in

Lafayette but with a young family to care for she

didn’t have time to become active. Now, with her

children safely on their way to adulthood, she looks

forward to having some “me” time and plans to get

involved

Diane has a Bachelor of Science degree in education

from University of the Pacific in Stockton

and a Masters Degree in counseling from Humboldt

State University. She and Jim have four children.

Their daughter Heather is a graduate of UC San

Diego and recently performed as “Crystal Waters”

in the much-acclaimed Gold Nugget Days melodrama.

Two sons attend UC Santa Barbara and the

third son is a senior at Paradise High School. All

three boys have played football for Paradise High

School.

We are delighted to welcome Diane to our

branch.

Meet Sally Lee. Sally has a Bachelor’s degree

in math from University of Akron and a Master’s

Degree in Systems Management from the University

of Southern California. Sally and husband

Robert first retired to Sarasota, Florida. Robert is

an engineer and had been a professor of engineering

at California Polytechnic University in San Luis

Obispo. Sally worked as a civil servant at the

Pacific Missile Test Center at Point Mugu.

Eventually a serious hurricane blew Sally and

Robert back to California where they settled in

Paradise. Before leaving Sarasota Sally attended

the Ringling School of Art and became a certified

botanical artist. Here Sally is a member of the

Paradise Art Center where she works in watercolor,

acrylic and silver point. She is also a member of the

Paradise Garden Club. Robert plays violin locally.

Daughter Sandra is curator of the Warner

Brothers collection at USC. A stepson owns a business

in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Welcome, Sally. You will be a wonderful addition

to our organization.

AAUW PARADISE
CALENDAR OF EVENTS 2008-2009

September 2008

Tuesday, 9th – Board Meeting, 7 PM, Oak Knoll Library

Saturday, 20th – Fall Luncheon, 11:30 AM, Paradise Chamber of Commerce

October 2008

Saturday, 11th – ARTFEST, 10 AM – 4 PM, Noble Orchard

Tuesday, 14th – Board Meeting, 7 PM, Oak Knoll Library

Tuesday, 21st – General Meeting, 7 PM, Oak Knoll, “Safeguarding Documents”

November 2008

Tuesday, 11th – Board Meeting, 7 PM, Oak Knoll Library

Saturday, 22nd – General Meeting, 10 AM – 12 PM, Paradise Library, “How to Get By on

Less”

December 2008

No Board Meeting.

Tuesday, 9th – Holiday Party, Gold Nugget Museum, 5 PM – 7 PM

January 2009

Saturday, 10th – Career Day, Butte College

Tuesday, 13th – Board Meeting, 7 PM, Oak Knoll Library

Monday, 26th – Soup Supper, Appletree Village

February 2009

Saturday, 7th – IBC Luncheon, Chico

Tuesday, 10th – General Meeting, 11:30 AM – 1 PM, Family Resource Center, “Identity

Theft” (brown bag lunch)

Tuesday, 10th – Board Meeting, 7 PM, Oak Knoll Library

March 2009

Tuesday, 10th – Board Meeting, 7 PM, Oak Knoll Library

Tuesday, 17th – General Meeting, 7 PM, Gold Nugget Museum, Women’s History:

Louise Ross

April 2009

Tuesday, 14th – Board Meeting, 7 PM, Oak Knoll Library

Wednesday, 22nd – General Meeting, 7 PM, Pines School Library, “Water Issues”

May 2009

Tuesday, 12th – Board Meeting, 7 PM, Oak Knoll Library

Saturday, 16th – Spring Luncheon, Location TBA

LAF Helps Win Another One

Graciela Chichilnisky, one of Columbia University’s

most distinguished international economists

and mathematicians, has settled her AAUW

LAF-supported suit against the university for pay

discrimination under the Equal Pay Act and Title

VII of the Civil Rights Act.

“I was rewarded a substantive monetary settlement,”

Chichilnisky said. “I am pleased and ready

to move forward.”

Chichilnisky has been a tenured, full professor

at Columbia since 1979. She studied at MIT and

UC Berkeley and has two doctoral degrees, one in

mathematics and one in economics.

“Despite being internationally recognized for

her research and publications, Professor Chichilnisky

was still confronted by pay discrimination,”

said AAUW Executive Director Linda Hallman.

“Her case illustrates the inequities women continue

to face.”

AAUW’s Legal Advocacy Fund contributed

significant funds to offset Chichilnisky’s latest

round of legal expenses.

- Connie Rogers

EF/LAF Vice President

 

AAUW-Paradise Branch

P. O. Box 1585

Paradise, CA 95967-1585

 

Go to the Web!

http://www.aauwparadise.org

November Branching Out deadline is October 20th.

Please e-mail your articles to leeads@comcast.ne

file:///C:/Documents and Settings/Hilleman/My Documents/AAUW11-08newsletter.pdf