The Breeze The Newsletter of the Wooster, Ohio, Branch

Transcription

1 The Breeze The Newsletter of the Wooster, Ohio, Branch Vol. 90, No. 4 January - February 2018 MESSAGE FROM WOOSTER BRANCH AAUW PRESIDENT Happy New AAUW Year! I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays with friends and family and is managing to keep warm during the recent extended cold spell. Susan Buchwalter The AAUW holiday luncheon at Quailcrest in December was again a huge success. We filled the luncheon rooms to capacity with our members and guests, and we collected a significant number of gift cards and other items for the holiday distribution by People to People Ministries. Unfortunately, Quailcrest will be discontinuing their holiday soup and bread luncheon, so we will need to find alternative arrangements for any future holiday event. In November, our local branch also supported the implementation of a Start Smart workshop for young women at The College of Wooster. Start Smart seeks to address the pay gap between men and women by teaching effective salary negotiation strategies to young women who are just beginning their careers. It is another one of the ways we use our local resources to support the national AAUW goal of advocating for pay equity. And, of course, a thank you to all of the members who came out for our annual business meeting held just before Thanksgiving. Mary Lou LaLonde, who coordinates the Start Smart program at the COW, was present at the meeting to give us an update and to share the impact of that program; and Don Ackerman presented a history and update on the current status of the AAUW/Kiwanis used book sale. Those who attended also learned about the plans and goals of our various committees and social groups and had a chance to review our financial and membership situation. Despite the competition for our members time and the competing priorities for everyone s dollars, we remain a strong and financially viable organization one that not only provides opportunities for us to spend time with like-minded women, but one which is also actively engaged in making a difference in the lives or women and girls. Despite the cold, I hope you will choose to be part of several upcoming AAUW programs, including special presentations by Tami Mosser of The Daily Record and Lori Makin-Boyd from The College of Wooster. You may also want to consider representing our branch at the Ohio AAUW Conference scheduled for March 23 and 24 at the Christopher Conference Center, Quality Inn, Chillicothe. In the meantime, please keep warm! The Scholarship Committee members Letty Nault (chair), Susie Slack, and Clara Ann Fain are now advertising the availability of AAUW scholarship awards of $500 - $2500. Applications are due by May 1, and the application form can be found on the AAUW website as well as the Wayne County Community Foundation website. Letty will be happy to take questions or suggestions concerning the scholarships.

2 JANUARY MEETING PARTICIPANTS LEARN ABOUT THE IMMIGRATION DILEMMA On January 18, some 28 members and guests heard William Evans, Jr., US Immigration Judge (ret) talk about the immigration dilemma and all the problems involved. Appointed to the newly formed Cleveland Immigration Court in 2006, Judge Evans recounted that when he started there was a backlog of some 150,000 cases; when he retired, the backlog was over 260,000. Unlike other judges who work an average of five hours a day, his day was always seven to eight hours. He commented that this occurred because all cases have to go to trial since there is no other way for them to be settled, such as a plea bargain. Attendees asked questions, but there was not enough time to answer every one. Hostesses furnishing refreshments were Helen Atchison and Pam Yarnell. UPCOMING AAUW BRANCH PROGRAMS FROM THE ELEPHANT S BACK TO THE MANURE PIT: ADVENTURES IN THE JOB I NEVER KNEW I LOVED! At 6:45 p.m. on Thursday, February 8, in the Wayne County Library s Conference Room East, Tami Mosser, whom we all enjoy for her wide-ranging and insightful stories in The Daily Record, will speak about her passion for her job at that newspaper. Hostesses are Letty Nault and Mary Ann Merchant; guests are welcome. TITLE IX: WHERE WE VE BEEN AND WHAT THE FUTURE MAY BRING Tuesday, March 6, at 1:00 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church, Lori Makin-Byrd, who is the current Title IX Coordinator and Director of Sexual Violence Prevention and Response at The College of Wooster, will discuss the current status of Title IX. Hostesses will be Mimi Lewellen and another branch volunteer. AAUW WOOSTER BRANCH ANNUAL SPRING LUNCHEON AND MEETING The AAUW Annual Spring Luncheon and Meeting will be held on Saturday, April 14, 11:30 a.m. at The Wooster Inn. We are honored to have President Sarah Bolton of The College of Wooster as our featured speaker There will also be information about out local programs and events. Carol McKiernan and Kris Evans are coordinating this event and note that guests are welcome. MEMBERSHIP NOTES, Anita Greene, Membership Vice President, notes that our new member campaign will begin March 16, If a new member joins at this time, he/she would not need to renew membership until May of The current member renewal window will be April - May 31. Our AAUW membership year runs from June 30 - July 1 of the following year. National and State offices request membership dues before June 30 of the fiscal year. The Wooster AAUW membership application is posted on our Branch website. Current members will also receive a renewal form with the Spring Luncheon reservation form and at the luncheon itself. Since National has increased their dues by $10, total Branch membership dues will equal $80 for the year.

3 Please consider attending the Annual Ohio AAUW convention scheduled for March 23 and 24 in Chillicothe at the Christopher Conference Center, Quality Inn. The theme for this year s convention is Learn, Share, Do. In addition, the state AAUW is looking for volunteers interested in serving on the Ohio AAUW Board. More information is available on the state website, f DECEMBER S OUT-AND-ABOUT TO WOOSTER SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CONCERT The three tenors performing at the WSO Christmas in Vienna concert. Friday, December 1, dinner at The Wooster Inn was followed by the Wooster Symphony Orchestra s performance of Christmas in Vienna as a tribute to the Three Tenors 1999 concert. Members and guests of AAUW attended the concert. The Ohio tenors (from Kent State and the Ohio Light Opera) did a marvelous job and received positive comments from all attendees. The dinner at the Inn, the bus ride from the Inn to the concert, the WSO concert itself all were first-rate. Some 27 members attended with a few members just coming for the reserved seating at the concert.

4 OUT-AND-ABOUT TO TOUR CITY OF WOOSTER SAFETY CENTER With the weather being so unstable this winter, Facilitator Mary Ann Merchant has decided to stay local for our next Out-and-About. We will visit the new City of Woostery Safety Center on Burbank Road which houses the Wooster Police Department and #2 Fire Station. The tour (about an hour or more) will be given by Officer Matt Cruise on Friday, February 16, at 10 a.m. followed by lunch at Gionino s, 120 N. Buckeye Street. We will meet at the Safety Center in their lobby shortly before 10 a.m. Hope most of you, like Mary Ann, have not seen the inside of this building which we all watched going up the past two years. Please let Mary Ann know by Wednesday, February 14, if you will be coming. Hope it will be a good crowd. LITERARY READING FOR WINTER 2018 Judy Mallon (co-facilitator with Mimi Lewellen for Wooster Branch Literary) has listed the books to be read through April All reviews are Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. with refreshments served first and the review starting at 7:15 p.m. unless noted otherwise. Tuesday, February 20 - The Underg4ound Railroad by Colson Whitehead will be reviewed by Betty Raber at the First Presbyterian Church with Co-Hostesses Judy Mallonn and Mimi Lewellen. Tuesday, March 20 - Radium Girls by Kate Moore will be reviewed by Linda Crouch at the Home of Mary Ann Merchant with Lee Peart serving as Co-Hostess. Tuesday, April 17 - Kris Evans will review The Samurai s Garden by Gail Tsukiyama at the home of Carol McKiernan with Jan Steinbrenner serving as Co-Hostess. BEGINNING BRIDGE CLASSES RESUME Beginning bridge classes taught by Mary Ann Merchant in her home have resumed. Classes are held from 4:30-6:00 p.m. on Thursdays. This is still a beginning class, so if any others wish to join us to learn bridge, now is the time. Contact Mary Ann (mahmerch@aol.com or ). NOMINATING COMMITTEE A branch nominating committee is being formed as nominations must be in place for elections to be held at the Annual Meeting, April 14. President Susan Buchwalter and Secretary Mary Hetrick have completed their two years of service and it is now time for them to be replaced. Even though their shoes will be hard to fill, we have members who can fill them. If you are called, please consider the request/position carefully.

5 AAUW/KIWANIS USED BOOK SALE Preparations for the 2018 Used Book Sale are in full swing. Cleaning, pricing, and sorting are scheduled on Thursdays from 1 to 3 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. Book donations are accepted during the Saturday time. Remember that book sale volunteers get first choice on purchasing books before the sale. All this activity takes place at Illusions Screen-Printing. Also, our work space has benefitted from updated heating. Thursday, February 8 Friday, February 16 Monday, February 19 Tuesday, February 20 Tuesday, March 6 Monday, March 19 Tuesday, March 20 Thursday, March 22 Friday, March 23 - Saturday, March 24 Saturday, April 14 Saturday, April 14 Monday, April 16 Tuesday, April 17 General Membership Meeting, 6:45 p.m., Wayne County Library, Conference Room East Out-and-About to visit new City of Wooster Safety Center, 10:00 a.m. AAUW Social Bridge; Hostess is Carolyn Kearney Literary meets at First Presbyterian Church, 7:00 p.m. General Membership meeting, 7:00 p.m., First Presbyterian Church AAUW Social Bridge; Hostess is Kris Evans Literary meets at home of Mary Ann Merchant, 7:00 p.m. AAUW Wooster Board meeting, 6:30 p.m., Buehler s AAUW Ohio Equity Day and Convention, Quality Inn, Chillicothe, Ohio Expanding your Horizons, The College of Wooster, 8 a.m. AAUW Branch Annual Spring Luncheon and Meeting, 11:30 a.m., The Wooster Inn AAUW Social Bridge; Hostess is Leslie Breeden Literary meets at the home of Carol McKiernan, 7:00 p.m. AAUW advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy, and research. AAUW provides funds to advance education, research, and self-development for women, and to foster equity and positive societal change. AAUW provides funding and a support system for women seeking judicial redress for sex discrimination. AAUW, in principle and in practice, values and seeks a diverse membership. There shall be no barriers to full participation in this organization on the basis of gender, race, creed, age, sexual orientation, national origin, disability or class.

6 Mary Ann Merchant Newsletter Editor Wooster Branch AAUW P.O. Box 1191 Wooster, OH 44691