AAUW NEWS OF NOTE

President: Kay Campbell (781) 740-0788

Membership VPs:Sheila Doherty (781) 848-8122 and Hollie Bagley (781) 749-6274

Program VPs:Allison Marshall (781) 749-8591  and  Jane Moore (781) 659-9443

 

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

Vision Statement: AAUW is committed to making a significant impact on education and equity for all women and girls.

 We will remove barriers and develop opportunities to enable women and girls to reach their full potential. 

This shared vision drives the work of AAUW at all levels.

 

HINGHAM AREA BRANCH       MAY 2006

 

CALENDAR

 

                        May 2nd, Tuesday         Writer’s Group (note change of date), 7:30 PM

                                                            home of  Kay Campbell

 

                        May 9th, Tuesday         May Banquet –6:30 PM

                                                            Reggio’s, Weymouth

                        RSVP to Sheila Doherty by May 2nd

 

                        May 25th, Thursday      Girls’ Game Night, 7:00 PM

                                                            home of Hollie Bagley

 

                        June 13th, Tuesday        Summer Board Meeting, Home of Hollie Bagley, 7:30PM

 

MAY BANQUET

           

            Once again, a reminder to come to our annual May Dinner on May 9 at 6:30 at Reggio's  Italian Restaurant, located at 1037 Main Street ( Route 18 )  in South Weymouth.   Come feast at the Italian buffet and enjoy the good company.   At most meetings there isn’t much time to chat, but as the year comes to an end we take this opportunity to have a "FUN" gathering.   Reservations should be made by MAY 2, so call me at 781-848-8122 or email SDoherty1234@usadatanet.net.   A check for $20, made out to AAUW-Hingham, should be sent to me.  We look forward to seeing you there. 

           

            And we also look forward to holding our second annual “Pound Auction” at the banquet, so think creatively and deliciously and bring a pound of  ?????  to be auctioned off to benefit the branch.  Please attach a riddle to your gift bag to help with the fun of guessing its contents - solid, perishable, or whimsical!  This is a fun-filled way to help with our fundraising efforts.  Any questions?  Call Ruthanne Kennedy at 781-337-1645.     

                                                                                    Sheila Doherty, Social Chair     

 

PRESIDENT’S   LETTER

 

Our April branch meeting was a surprise within a surprise. Surprise one: our guest speaker cancelled with one day’s notice! Surprise two: Cape Cod author Kate Whouley stepped in to save the day. She did a splendid job, demonstrating her friendship for our branch as well as her knowledge of the subject of memoir writing. Despite the change of speaker, we had a nice turnout, and Buttonwood Books sold books of both authors. We also passed the annual budget, and elected the proposed slate of officers. Thanks and Congratulations to Fran Schlesinger, Sheila Doherty and Hollie Bagley for your work to keep our branch going strong!

 

Thank you, Patricia McKay and your Recognition Award Committee, for selecting a talented honoree, Diana Berlo of Norwell High. She and her parents were clearly delighted that she was recognized by AAUW.

 

Gary and I thank you for all the kind cards, notes and messages on the passing of my Dad in March. It means so much to have your support, prayers and good wishes. I also thank you for the lovely pink ‘PGM’ Azalea bush presented by the branch. We planted it in our side garden where it will thrive and remind Gary and me of your kindness and friendship.

 

Please join us at the May 9th banquet and be sure to bring something for our ‘Pound Auction’, to be run once again by Ruthanne Kennedy.  You’ll find out who won our Outstanding Branch Leader Award, and you’ll have the chance to win a free membership for a friend. Read about that in Membership Matters below.

 

We need your ideas and help in organizing the slate of programs for next year. The benefits of planning and organizing a branch meeting? You get to invite a speaker or address a topic that you think is important, and to present those ideas to the public on the South Shore. If you’ve got an idea or two, and might be willing to help organize a meeting, please let our Program VP’s Allison Marshall or Jane Moore know. They will be scheduling a program planning meeting this summer so we can begin to make your ideas a reality. Doing a program helps AAUW on many fronts. It brings topics of interest to the community at large while giving our branch great media exposure and attracting new members.

 

Have a great spring and summer, everyone. Thanks for making this a great year for our branch. I hope we can count on your help and involvement next year.

 

                                                                                                Kay

 

 

MEMBERSHIP MATTERS

 

Please extend a warm welcome to our newest member:  Katherine Brill
                                               

Katie moved from California to Plymouth and looked for the local branch of AAUW to join. Katie writes,  “I was Program VP for two years in Morgan Hill and was President-Elect for my branch when my husband got a job offer back here, so I'm anxious to get back into the company of great AAUW women.”  Amen, Katie!

 

We look forward to celebrating this year’s AAUW successes with our fellow members, the more the merrier.  According to Cynthia D’Amore (www.chapterleaders.com) research studies on why people join organizations falls into three main reasons:  (1) they are looking for professional or self-development, (2) they want to contribute to a greater good, and (3) they want to belong to a community—a circle of friends who care about them.  AAUW certainly fits all three criteria for joining.  At the May banquet we get the perfect opportunity to know we belong to a circle of friends who care about us.  Whether we are new members attending for the first time or returning veteran members, we get a chance to socialize with fellow members enjoying good fellowship along with good food.  We leave the banquet table energized in both body and soul with our decision to be part of AAUW reinforced and looking forward to being together again at Pot Luck in September.

 

Due to our participation in the Shape the Future campaign our branch is entitled to two free Association memberships (valued at $45 each) which must be used by June 30, 2006. In keeping with the spirit of the campaign, which is to recruit new members, we will be holding a drawing for these free memberships at the May banquet.  The catch is, if you win one of these memberships we would ask that you use it to recruit a new member.  What better incentive to get someone to join than by telling her she will get a free Association membership?  And if you are really feeling generous, why not go all the way and gift her with a totally free membership by paying her state and branch dues?  It is a win-win situation.  The branch gets a new member and you get another AAUW buddy.  If you are not able to attend the May banquet, but would like to participate in the drawing, send your name to Hollie (hollie@gallivan.org).

 

And speaking of FREE memberships, now is the time to start enrolling May and June two or four year college graduates in the Give-a-Grad-a-Gift program.  Your enrollees will receive a free year’s membership.  The state and our branch will waive their dues as well, but you must notify us of your enrollees so that we can add them to our branch.  You can enroll as many grads as you like, but you must do it online or download the MS Word application.  After logging in to the Member Center at www.aauw.org , choose Give-a-Grad link from the left-hand index.  The direct link is http://svc.aauw.org/join/gradgift.cfml.

 

One more reminder:  our AAUW year ends June 30, 2006.  Dues are due in Washington by July 1, 2006 so please send in your renewals early so our branch can be on time.

 

Chit Chat:  Pat Granahan has a new temporary phone number while her house is undergoing renovations.  Pat can be reached at 781 749-0311 for the next couple of months. 

 

We wish you a happy, healthy, relaxing summer crammed with things you love to do!

 

Sheila and Hollie 

 

 

 

 

Congratulations and best wishes to Pat Bologna our newly-elected State President. She assumes her office on July 1st. The State is lucky to have you at the helm, Pat!

 

 

 

THE PAMELA J LINCOLN AWARD

presented April 11, 2006

 

            The Pamela J Lincoln Recognition Award was presented at the April branch meeting. This year's candidate stated in her application essay that she has always loved school and learning. Her school record reveals that love of school and learning. It shows only a few A-'s surrounded by a crowd of A's. She has achieved in many academic areas: Latin, Biology, Math and Science.

            Since freshman year she has been involved in robotics. As a sophomore, she built an underwater robot for a science project and won third prize in the State Science Fair. She has been a member of her school's first robotics team for four years. This year she was captain of the team. In that position she was responsible for organizing people, distributing tasks, keeping track of materials and costs for the robot, and even helping to arrange transportation and accommodations for the students who went to the competitions.

            Her Senior Independent Study Project involved researching a simple inexpensive way to purify water to benefit people in third world countries. Her prototype used solar power to kill bacteria and viruses.

            In addition to these achievements, our candidate has been generous with her time and talents. Since the eighth grade she has tutored other students. As a member of Peer Education in her high school she has gone into the elementary grades and taught "Life Skills" and has helped ninth graders adjust to high school. In the summer she has volunteered at her local library assisting in Story Hour and decorating the Children's area.

            This fall she will enter Worcester Polytechnic Institute. It is her ambition to become an aerospace engineer and to work for NASA or the military. She wants to make a difference in our world. With her background, character and work ethic, it seems certain that she will.

             "Onward and Upward" we say to this year's Pamela J. Lincoln Award winner from Norwell High School - Miss Diana Berlo.