2020-09SeptemberPerspective

AAUW Petaluma Perspective - Sept. 2020

September 2020 -- Volume 66, No. 2

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS

See articles below for more information

Upcoming branch events
Sept. 13 - September Social via Zoom, 2:00 pm

Sept. 15 - Connected-in-Place Zoom meeting, 10 am
Sept. 30 - Deadline for Gold Book inclusion

Oct. 1 - Petaluma City Council Forum via Zoom, 7:00-8:30 pm

AAUW-related events
Aug. 26 - Nov. 8 - Women's Suffrage exhibit at Petaluma Historical Museum

Sept. 12 - American Chemical Society program, "A 48-Year PhD Pathway", 11:00 am

SINCERE THANKS TO OUR PERSPECTIVE SPONSORS

We miss seeing you in the theater!

Check our website for

digital streaming

cinnabartheater.org

Sunday, September 13, 2 PM. Via ZOOM

Join us in coming together to launch Petaluma AAUW's new year!

Even though we can’t meet as we have in the past,

we can bring the spirit of those past events to our new circumstances.

Meet your new Board members
Connect with old friends and make new friends in “ZOOM table talks”
Win a fabulous door prize!!! The prize will be delivered to your door after our meeting!
Hear about upcoming programs
Learn about our new efforts to support Petaluma students and teachers during these difficult times for our educational community
Learn about our new Interest Sections. Discover how to join available sections. Or start a new section based on your interests!
Come early! The meeting room will open at 1:45 – a great time to chat!
Stay late! The meeting room will stay open so members can continue to chat if they wish.
Invite a friend! You can do this by sharing the zoom link and encouraging friends to join us.

Need help with ZOOM? Contact Stefanie Capps at 769-7455 or [email protected].

Stefanie Capps and Kris U’Ren, Program VP’s

Connected In Place

Connect with Branch members via ZOOM!

Starting in September we will be meeting periodically to check-in with one another.

The first meeting will be Tuesday September 15 at 10 am hosted by Jean Reed. There is no agenda. Just drop in to say hi! RSVP to Jean Reed (click here for her email address) to get the ZOOM link.

President's Message

While catching up with a friend the other day I was struck by how exciting and vibrant her life is - age, pandemic, heat, all notwithstanding. She has become a published author in the last year, on top of the children's books she has been illustrating for 16 years. From subjects dealing with bullying to acceptance of other cultures and religions, her continuing engagement in things that she has passion about seem to be the key to her pretty amazing life right now. When I watched the Ted Talk (suggested prior to the 8/20/20 program), by Pat Mitchell about being a dangerous woman, I had to conclude that my friend is indeed a dangerous woman - she is challenging and encouraging her readers in so many ways to be better citizens of our world. She is pointing out approaches to deal with difficult situations for young readers, and likely those reading the books to them.

So let me encourage you to join her, join all of us, to create a better and more just world in the midst of these tumultuous times. Let us all become dangerous women - challenging things that are not just, demanding change so that everyone can feel safe in our world. Let us make our branch full of dangerous women. If you missed that TED talk you can find it here.

Co-President Rory Keller

SINCERE THANKS TO OUR PERSPECTIVE SPONSERS

212 2nd Street, Petaluma CA 94952

707-763-2727

petalumacoffee.com

Sheila Bride, Founder and CFO

[email protected]

PUBLIC POLICY

Get Out The Vote – You Can Help!

Help Get Out The Vote by writing to under-served registered voters. An encouraging letter has proven successful in increasing voter turnout.

Contact Jean Reed (click here) for addresses and a template for a non-partisan letter. First class postage, paper, envelopes & time is all that’s required of GOTV volunteers. Senders are unidentifiable. Mailing date is October 27, 2020. Write on your own time or join our weekly GOTV-ZOOM session on Tuesdays at 4pm.

RSVP to Jean Reed to get the ZOOM link.

Branch Campaign to Help Local Teachers and Students

At the August 10 board meeting, board members present on the ZOOM platform voted overwhelmingly in favor of a branch campaign to help Petaluma students and teachers in this difficult time of virtual instruction.

A preliminary committee is currently exploring three general areas of potential help:

A possible campaign to raise money for supplies for teachers and students
A possible campaign for donations of used, but still functional items that might help students with at-home learning (e.g., retired but still functional computers, used Kindle readers, board games like Monopoly and Scrabble that not only help pass the time, but also provide practice in reading, spelling and math)
Possible opportunities for AAUW members to assist students in the learning process (e.g., possibly by tutoring online, under the auspices of organizations like Mentor Me)

Before our branch can launch any campaign to help Petaluma teachers and students a number of issues need to be clarified:

What kind of help do the teachers and students need, specifically?
How should we allocate donations? (e.g., in proportion to overall student population? Or according to some measure of student need, such as the percentage students who are eligible for free lunches?)
How should we distribute donated items?
To what degree should we coordinate with other organizations?

Any money collected in a fundraising drive will most likely be collected through our Funds account. However, this money-raising campaign is a separate drive from our branch’s annual springtime Non-Event drive, which funds our local scholarships.

SINCERE THANKS TO OUR PERSPECTIVE SPONSORS

Dedicated to improving the health and well-being of the Southern Sonoma County community through leadership, advocacy, support, partnerships, and education.

www.phcd.org (707) 285-2143

Save the Date!

Petaluma City Council Forum

Meet the Candidates!

Thursday, October 1st, 7pm via ZOOM

After 65 years of hosting forums every election year, the Petaluma Branch of the American Association of University Women is inviting you to our first ever ZOOM candidate forum the evening of Thursday, October 1, 7-8:30 pm. We plan to record the event for rebroadcast.

There are eight candidates running for three seats on the Petaluma City Council, just enough to provide us with a good selection and lots of confusion as we sort out our favorites.

Please contact me if you are interested in helping to organize the evening. Help spread the word so that we have an informed community.

Pam Granger, Public Policy

September 30 Deadline for Gold Book Inclusion
and Gold Book Updates

During this shelter-at-home period, the Gold Book is an invaluable resource for keeping in touch with our AAUW friends.

Don’t forget: you need to renew your membership by September 30

in order to be included in this year’s Gold Book

There are two options for renewing:

Renew online at the secure national AAUW website. For detailed instructions, see the July issue of the Perspective (click here).
Write a check to Petaluma AAUW in the amount of $97, and mail it to Co-VP of Membership, Dee Short, PO Box 2537, Petaluma, CA 94953.

The $97 annual membership fee includes branch, state and national AAUW dues. Tax-deductible portion is $56.

Please check your contact information in last year's Gold Book:
Does anything need to be corrected or updated?

If you want your corrected/updated contact information to be in this year’s Gold Book, please contact Co-VP of Membership Pat Riley by September 30 (click here for Pat’s email address).

Shayne Miller

SINCERE THANKS TO OUR PERSPECTIVE SPONSORS

Message from the national AAUW website

Last month we commemorated the anniversary of the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote. Honor the suffragists by voting in every election – and helping others to vote.

Have you checked your registration? Check here and then help others check. We want everyone who is registered to be able to vote. If you know someone who is not registered, send them to registertovote.ca.gov.

WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE EXHIBIT IN PETALUMA

“Petaluma’s Participation in the Women’s Suffrage Movement” exhibit at the Historical Museum runs from August 26 to November 8.

Online tours are available on their website (click here to access their web page).

Kris U'Ren

In honor of the 100th anniversary of women's right to vote, purple, gold and white floodlights lit the front of the museum on the evenings of August 24, 25 and 26.

A number of AAUW members gathered in front of the museum on August 24, the first night of the celebratory floodlights.

"Vote with Love" posters were placed on both sides of the museum's upcoming events sign.

Paula Freund, co-curator of the exhibit along with Katherine Rinehart, speaks to branch members about the exhibit.

SINCERE THANKS TO OUR PERSPECTIVE SPONSORS

AAUW POLICY ON IN-PERSON MEETINGS

COVID Reminder

AAUW does not sanction in-person meetings at this time

or for the foreseeable future.

Our insurance coverage may allow meetings if waivers are signed, but exercising that option would likely be tested in court. AAUW’s guidance is in adherence with California mandates and in the best interests of all our members. Let’s remain safe today and enjoy gatherings in the future!

Jean Reed, Co-President

However ...

Z00M is available for branch committees and sections,

as well as branch-wide meetings !

Through September and possibly longer, the branch is making ZOOM available for our branch committees and sections to stay connected.

Call me if you’d like assistance in scheduling a ZOOM meeting that does not “time out” after 40 minutes. Book groups and the board of directors have all used it successfully. Our general meeting will be a ZOOM, so now is a good time to go on the website: www.zoom.us to see how it works. You can sign up for a free basic account which will make it easier for you to join our ZOOM meetings. Stay connected and involved. It’s an election year!

Kathy Schmidt

AAUW Equity Network

The AAUW Equity Network is an on-line community that provides exciting learning, networking and advocacy resources. Members have access to a range of skill-building webinars and the Equity Express newsletter. .

Anyone can benefit from affiliation with AAUW through the Equity Network even if they have not completed college. Check it out at Equity Network information on the national website (click here). Tell your friends!

SINCERE THANKS TO OUR PERSPECTIVE SPONSORS
In honor of Mrs. Helen M. Loorya

A 48-year Ph.D. Pathway: Secrets to Success in Attaining One's Goals

Saturday, September 12, 2020
11:00 a.m. (Chatting starts at 10:30.)

Members of AAUW are invited to an online presentation by Dr. Cheryl Sundari Dembe, sponsored by the Women Chemists Committee of the American Chemical Society’s California Section. The program is free but reservations are required.

Dr. Dembe will explore supportive educational, role model, and historical influences, along with difficult equity issues along her 48-year pathway to the granting of her Ph.D. The degree was completed in 1971 but blocked from write-up and publication when her advisor died, and those close to her research area refused a woman in their group. In 2000, she discovered that two years after she would have published, very similar parallel research was published, and awarded the Nobel Prize. When she contacted the Noble Laureate, he encouraged her to contact the university about her degree. She was not successful at that time but did receive the degree in 2018.
Despite the lack of a Ph.D., Dr. Dembe had a successful teaching career, including 34 years at Diablo Valley College. She served three times as Department Chair.

For more information, see the website. For reservations, register here before September 8.

For questions, contact Anne Taylor.

AUGUST PROGRAM

At the August 20 branch meeting to celebrate the 100th anniversary of women's right to vote, members who showed up on the Zoom platform made quick runs to their bedrooms to don white clothing, in honor of the women whose work culminated in the Nineteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

SINCERE THANKS TO OUR PERSPECTIVE SPONSORS

At the August Board Meeting ….

The proposed budget for 2020-2021 was approved, together with an accounting change for donations to NCCWSL and roll-over of funds held in a CD.
A committee was created to explore options for helping Petaluma students and teachers in this difficult time of virtual instruction.
At the recommendation of SRJC, the Board accepted the definition for this year of full-time status for students enrolled in 9 units (down from 12 units) and for offering scholarships to both full time and part time students in the future.

From Suffrage to #MeToo:

Groundbreaking Women in Sonoma County

There's still time to take a virtual tour of the Women's Suffrage exhibit at the Sonoma County Museum in Santa Rosa! Thanks to Kris U'Ren for providing information about these two options:

Online Exhibition

Click here to read the stories and see the photos of the groundbreaking women featured in the exhibition.

Virtual Experience

Click here to explore the exhibition through 360° imaging. Enjoy a close-up view of the objects and content from the gallery exhibition.

Deeds: Art as Action

Petaluma AAUW is participating in the Petaluma Art Center’s Deeds: Art As Action, a program combining art and social issues.

Posters were created by people and groups from around the community - of course your AAUW Branch is there!

Make your own poster and add it to the Talking Fence in front of the Art Center.

Kris U'Ren

SINCERE THANKS TO OUR PERSPECTIVE SPONSORS

Facebook Reminder

Please follow our AAUW Petaluma Facebook page. You will be automatically updated on events. If you "like" and/or "share" the post, it will go out to a wider audience!

Kris U'Ren.

SECTION HIGHLIGHT -
CRAFTS GROUP

On two occasions this summer, Crafts Group members have come by Corey Benjamin's house at 15-minute intervals to pick up kits with card-making supplies.

Photo on the left shows supplies from the second kit.

Photo on the right shows cards completed by Sandy Smethurst.

At a virtual meeting on September 3, crafts group members will have an opportunity to check in with each other and show the cards they have created.

SECTION HIGHLIGHT

Morning Modern Literature

The group met August 10, 2020. The book for discussion was Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata. From left to right (top): Stephanie Capps, Jean Reed, Anne Trujillo; (center) Allison Hart, Maureen Sheridan Scott, Nancy Henry, Shirley Groaa; (bottom) Barbara Crandell, Patty Shribbs, Katherine Hart

SINCERE THANKS TO OUR PERSPECTIVE SPONSORS

Phone: (707) 763-1515

Fax: (707) 765-0256
Email: [email protected]

SECTIONS

ZOOM MEETINGS ARE PLANNED FOR SOME GROUPS. More and other options (Coffee Klatch, SIP) are being explored.

Please contact Patty Shribbs with general questions or ideas for new sections: [email protected], 769-8961

Please contact individual Section Chairs for locations, details, and/or to RSVP for specific meetings.

Art and History (ON HOLD)

Chair: Mary Ann Kendall

[email protected], 318-7050

New and Prospective Members (ON HOLD)
Open to all new and long-time members and interested in meeting each other and learning about AAUW activities
Chair: Patricia Souza, [email protected]

Saturday Night Drama Reading
Meets 2nd Saturdays
Date: To resume in October

Time: 7:00

Place: ZOOM

Play: TBD

Chair: Kay Hardy, [email protected] or 981-7171

Modern Literature Group
Meets 4th Monday
Date:9.28.20

Time:7:15 p.m. (Meet and Greet before discussion at 7:30)
Place: ZOOM (Rory Keller)
Book:TBD after August Mtg

Chair: [email protected] or 781-3722

Morning Modern Literature Group
Meets 2nd Tuesdays (3rd Tuesday this month)
Date:09.08.20

Time: 10:00 a.m.

Place: ZOOM

Book: Home Baked” by Alia Volz

Co-Chairs: Anne Trujillo and Maureen Sheridan Scott ([email protected] or [email protected])
RSVP: Allison Hart, [email protected] or 415-407-1066

Evening Dining Section “Eclectic Gourmet”
(ON HOLD, ZOOM Cocktail Hours may be substituted)
Please contact Chair if interested.
Chair: Anne Taylor
Contact info: [email protected] or 774-6586

Out to Lunch Bunch (ON HOLD).

Chair: Laurie Leary at [email protected] or 364-3095

Walking Group - Fridays after work

(Weekly walking challenges posted by email)
Chair: Rory Keller, [email protected] or 763-2072

Hiking Group
Date: TBD

Time: 9:15 a.m.
Chair: Anna Taylor, 763-7952
[email protected]

New Garden Section (ON HOLD)

Date: TBD (Some virtual on-line events offered,
Contact Chairs for further info)
.Co-Chairs Patricia Souza, 762-4173 [email protected]
& Diana Brown, 774-4968, [email protected]

New Travel Section (Around the World)
(ON HOLD, some links offered for viewing)
Co-Chairs: Wendy Porter, 795-9354, [email protected]
& Cathy Burton, 763-9082, [email protected]

Afternoon Bridge (intermediate) (ON HOLD)
Meets 2nd Fridays
Chair: Claire Pass, 763-9075 or [email protected]
Please RSVP with chair.

Thursday Bridge (ON HOLD)
Meets 3rd Thursdays
Chair: Paula Cornyn, 762-0301 or [email protected]
Please RSVP with chair.

Wed. Evening Bridge (beginning bridge) (ON HOLD)
Meets First Wednesdays
Chair: Diana Brown, 707-774-4968 or [email protected]
------
The following sections have reached capacity:
Craft Group
Several Dining Groups

E x e c u t i v e B o a r d

ELECTED OFFICERS
Co-Presidents: Rory Keller and Jean Reed
Co-VPs, Program: Kris U'Ren and Stefanie Capps
Co-VPs, Membership: Pat Riley and Dee Short (Membership Treasurer)
Co-VPs, Funds: Sandy Benson and Karen Johnson
Vice President, Finance: Cory Benjamin
Secretary: Cathy Netz

APPOINTED OFFICERS, GENERAL

Hospitality: Norma Jean Walsh

Institutional Memory: Pam Granger

Parliamentarian: Barbara Guggemos

Public Policy; Pam Granger
Sections Coordinator: Patty Shribbs

SRJC Liaison: Doris Tolks

SSU Liaison: Patricia Webb

Tech Trek Coordinator: Michele Meyer

APPOINTED OFICERS, MEMBERSHIP
Database: Rory Keller
Membership Concerns: Kathy Schmidt
New Members: Patricia Souza

APPOINTED OFFICERS, COMMUNICATION

Facebook: Kris U'Ren

Gold Book Editor: Shayne Miller
Perspective Co-Editors: Anne Taylor, Barbara Guggemos, Sandy Smethurst
Publications Sponsors: Barbara Maddick

Publicity: Stefanie Capps
Social Media: Stefanie Capps
Webmaster: Ray Hendess