Volume 72 Issue 4

March/April 2025

Calendar of Coming Events

Wed., March 5 - Marks Ranch Hike with Anne Albano

Wed., March 19 - Garland Ranch Regional Park Hike with Deborah Stern

Sat., March 22, 2:00-3:30 - March Branch Meeting. AAUW Fund Speaker Event and Fundraiser. Montage Wellness Center Conference Room,

2920 2nd Ave., Marina

Wed., March 26, 11:00 - Hike Planning Meeting at Ardith Peck’s

Sat., April 12, 2:00 - April Branch Meeting. "How Media Literate are You?"; Center for Spiritual Living, 400 W. Franklin Street, Monterey

Fri., April 25, 10:15 - Romancing the Coast. Sunflower Star Lab tour. Meet at Woodward Marine Market, 10932 Clam Way, Moss Landing

Sat., May 31, 2:00-4:00 June Branch Meeting. Casa Serrano, 412 Pacific Street, Monterey

MARCH BRANCH MEETING

AAUW Fund Speaker Event and Fundraiser

Empowering the Next Generation: Self-eSTEM and

the Path to STEM Equity

Date: Saturday, March 22

Time: 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm

Place: Montage Wellness Center Conference Room

2920 2nd Ave., Marina. Take 1 North to Imjin Rd exit. (Click here for map.)

Among the national 2024 AAUW Fund Fellows and Grant Recipients, our speaker Adamaka Ajaelo stood out to me by her professional video and her impressive achievements. She is the founder and executive director of Self-eStEM, a non-profit organization in Oakland, providing early STEM immersion training to BIPOC girls, following a multi-faceted learning model to reinforce their STEM identities. You can watch her and other AAUW Fund recipients' introductory videos on the AAUW-CA website at https://www.aauw-ca.org/aauw-2024-fund-fellows-and-grant-recipients/

In 2024, AAUW fought to advance gender equity through education, advocacy, and direct action. National awarded $6.3 million in Fellowships and Grants, helping women and girls to break through barriers where they are underrepresented. It might have never been more important than now to support the AAUW Fund to achieve a vision of Equity for women and girls. So please bring your checkbooks to this fundraiser event.

Please RSVP to gsimbriwilli@aol.com by March 20.

Gabriele Simbriger-Williams, MCB-AAUW Fund Director

APRIL BRANCH MEETING

How Media Literate are You?

Can You Easily Recognize Mis-Information on

Social Media Platforms?

Date: Saturday, April 12

Time: 2:00 pm

Place: Monterey Center for Spiritual Living,

400 W. Franklin Street, Monterey (Click here for map.)



Join us for a fascinating and informative program to help improve your skills in distinguishing between fact and false propaganda on social media. A recent Pew Research Study showed that 52% of Americans said they had difficulty determining what news was true and what was fake about the 2024 Presidential election.

Learn how and why our speaker, Susan Meister, a former journalist, created the Monterey County Media Literacy Coalition to educate local students to identify fake information. She and her colleague, Mark Gomez, a long-time educator, will share tips on how you can become more media literate.

Members and guests are welcome to attend. Please RSVP by April 7 to Joanne Webster at jwebster2717@gmail.com or at (831) 595-5600.

For more information about the Monterey County Media Literacy Coalition, please click on the link below.

https://flipbook.montereycountyweekly.com/archive/2024/10-17-24/22/

Co-Directors, Program Committee: Chris Parmentier and Joanne Webster

PRESIDENTS' MESSAGE

Dear AAUW Members,

 As we recognize March as Women’s History Month with the theme of “Moving Forward Together! Women Educating & Inspiring Generations”, we need look no further than local women who, applying their resources and determined energy, significantly influenced their families and their own community, as well as other communities far beyond.

One such woman, mother, entrepreneur, and Salinas rancher, was Nisene Marks. A widow with three small children when her young husband died, she founded an egg business which grew to not only support her family, but to enrich her children, as well as future generations, with enough wealth to invest in vast land purchases in Monterey and Santa Cruz counties.

One of Nisene’s original purchases was made with the hope that her son Andrew would strike oil, but when that endeavor failed, the property was subject to indiscriminate logging for many years, and portions of it were held for a time by the Southern Pacific Railroad. In 1963, the family chose to commemorate their matriarch’s life by founding The Forest of Nisene Marks. Nisene Marks’ legacy has endured to become a pristine wilderness for hikers and other nature-lovers to enjoy, even extending to the creation of Toro Park, and contributing to the Point Lobos State Natural Preserve. 

Another local, Julie Packard, Executive Director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium for over 40 years, helped to create an institution that continues to thrive and enlighten guests from all over the world, while fulfilling its mission to “Inspire Conservation of the Ocean”. Ms. Packard never guessed that the project she hoped would last at least a year and attract 300,000 visitors would turn into one of the premier aquariums in the world, each year educating and engaging over 2 million guests about the importance of the ocean to the health of our Earth and its inhabitants. 

As members of the AAUW, we do our part to inspire current and future generations through national, state, and local programs - for example, granting scholarships to students determined to continue their education in order to positively impact their communities. Through Tech Trek, we give eighth-grade girls a real taste of the STEM fields while providing many of them their first exposure to the myriad aspects of a university experience. Individually and collectively, we continue to make an impact that surpasses even our best intentions.

Anne Albano & Debbie Hobbs - Co-Presidents

TECH TREK

Teck Trek Nurtures STEM Careers

Nominations for girls to attend our 2025 Tech Trek camps have begun to arrive. Five schools - North County Middle School in Castroville (new this year), Los Arboles in Marina, Seaside Middle School, and John Gutierrez and El Sausal in Salinas - have each been invited to nominate up to 10 girls to attend. Thanks to your generosity, our branch expects to select at least 12 girls to attend camp this summer.

How can I help?

Our small, but powerful, committee would love one more member to be the liaison with either Los Arboles or Seaside Middle School. Your role would be to shepherd the parents and campers through the application process, answer questions, ensure that they meet the deadlines for submitting required information, and help interview candidates. Your experienced committee colleagues have already prepared materials and will guide you throughout the process. Contact Gail Widener or Fatima Dias for more information.

Our campers will attend Camp Carson at UC Santa Cruz July 13-19, at CSU Fresno June 15-21, or virtually July 20-25. Volunteers are needed for everything from week-long Dorm Monitors to one-day support. Click on the link to see the many opportunities, and how you can experience the magic here. https://www.aauw-ca.org/documents/2024/11/tech-trek-volunteer-roles-no.pdf

Together we're advancing gender equity for girls in our community.  

Fatima Dias and Gail Widener - Co-Directors, Tech Trek

Save the Date: June Branch Meeting

Local Scholarship Program Fundraiser

Saturday, May 31, 2 pm - 4 pm

Casa Serrano, 412 Pacific Street, Monterey.

Meet our scholarship recipients to hear their stories made possible by our scholarship program.

Maggie Pedersen and Maureen Vieth - Co-Directors, Local Scholarships

New Groups Forming

Golf Group...

Anyone interested in joining a 9-hole golf group? We play at Monterey Pines on Thursday mornings. It is non-competitive, and a great morning walk.

If you are interested, please contact Bonnie Lockwood for more information. (bonnielockwood@att.net).

New Fiber Arts Group...

Do you knit, crochet, embroider, weave, spin or quilt?

Bring your projects and join other members to chat and work on your project.

Group meets on the second Thursday of the month from 1:00 - 3:00.

For more information contact Claire Scalzo at claireascalzo@gmail.com



HIKING GROUP

March 5 - Marks Ranch Hike with Anne Albano

March 19 - Garland Ranch Regional Park Hike with Deborah Stern

March 26 - Hike Planning Meeting at 11 am at Ardith Peck’s. Please bring your hike/walk suggestions for a hike you can lead. Lunch provided and more details to follow later.

Chris Parmentier and Ardith Peck, Coordinators

A beautiful photo from the last Garrapata Hike led by Kathy Greenwald.

From left to right, Nancy Edwards, Cam McAra, Ann Donaldson, Lorraine Masi, Pat Fletcher, Anne Albano, Deborah Stern, Gabrielle Simbriger-Williams, Kathy Greenwald, Caroline Moyer, and Tanya Kudar. 

ROMANCING THE COAST

Steinbeck House

Fifteen AAUW members will visit the Steinbeck House and Restaurant on March 7 to hear a docent discuss the home that John Steinbeck grew up in, while enjoying a lunch in the private Blue Room of the home. Although this Romancing the Coast excursion is sold out, those interested may contact Nancy Soulé at nancyksoule@yahoo.com or text her at (831) 236-3763 in case of any last-minute cancellations.

Sunflower Star Lab Tour

Date: Friday, April 25

Time: 10:15 a.m.

Cost: While there is no fee, if you would like to make a small donation to support the Lab, it would be welcomed. 

Place: 10932 Clam Way, Moss Landing (Click here for a map.)

Special tour for AAUW of the Sunflower Star Lab, where researchers and volunteers work to save this unique species. Meet at 10:15 at the Woodward Marine Market, 10932 Clam Way, and we will walk together as a group for our 10:30 hour-long tour. 

As this tour is limited to only 15 people, only AAUW members please, on first-come basis, with any guests on waiting list until closer to date. Reserve with marditaubert@comcast.net,. Please let Mardi know your cell number as well as if you are going to optional lunch at Phil's in Castroville. 

Also let her know if you wish to carpool from Marina Walmart or from California Pizza Kitchen parking area at Del Monte Shopping Center. 

Organizer Mardi Taubert can also be reached at (559) 908-8468.

MEMBERSHIP

Kenis Dunne & Judy Nejasmich, Co-VP Membership

To protect the information of our members, membership information about new members and changes for current members will not be shown in the newsletter. Instead, we will list their names, for you to go to the password-protected online directory (see the third column below) to see what is new, allowing you to make changes in your printed directory. - Editors

Directory Updates

If there are errors or changes in your directory listing, please tell us so corrections can be made. - Editors

New Members

Kathy Cleary

Virginia Cruz

Andrea Mennenga

Online Directory

The password to our protected online directory on our website in the Member Center is on the second page of your pink membership directory. (If you cannot find it or do not have a directory, call Kenis Dunne or Judy Nejasmich.) This is where all members' contact information is readily accessible.

http://mpb-ca.aauw.net

NEW MEMBER BIOS

Kathy Cleary

Kathy Cleary is a graduate of California State University at Chico, with a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition. 

Kathy was born in the heart of San Francisco. She has been married to her husband Mike since 1984. They have two children — Michael Jr. and Megan — and two grandchildren who all live locally. Before moving to Monterey in 1996, she lived in San Diego, Lemoore, Belgium, and Germany.

She currently works as a teacher’s aide at San Carlos Elementary School. Kathy is interested in the Romancing the Coast, Hiking groups, and an evening book group.

Virginia Cruz

Virginia Cruz is a graduate of Cal State University, Sacramento, with a bachelor of science degree in Accounting. She has an MBA from the University of San Francisco.

Virginia and her partner Bryan (along with her 93-year-old mother Leandra) moved from San Francisco to Seaside in 2023.

Her career includes her current consulting role with the Workday Practice at IBM. She also has worked for HCM, as a financial systems consultant with KPMG, and Peoplesoft (Oracle). Early in her career, she was a tax auditor.

Virginia’s favorite interests range from cooking for her family and tasting different cuisines (she has traveled to 28 countries) to yoga. In 2024, they adopted Bechamel, the cat.

Andrea Mennenga



Andrea earned her BBA from Iowa State University and MBA from Golden Gate University. She is interested in book clubs, hiking, community projects, and Romancing the Coast.

Andrea moved to the Monterey Peninsula in 1989. Her career began in financial services corporations in Dallas and Houston, primarily mortgage banking, and then a few years in Carmel with Landmark Land. Then a 29-year stretch in Monterey with a professional liability insurance company working initially with independent agents and then with a customer-based risk

management group developed for the largest architectural and engineering firms.

Andrea is now retired and enjoying time in a new way: nature, walking/hiking, reading, concerts, dining out with friends, and travel.

Board Meetings

March 6 at 4:00 pm

by Zoom

April 3 at 1:00 pm

CFMC, 2354 Garden Rd.

Websites

AAUW-MPB

https://mpb-ca.aauw.net/

==========

AAUW-CA

http://aauw-ca.org

May/June Messenger

Please email articles for the May/June newsletter to

Caryl Rojas and Bonnie Lockwood by April 15.

AAUW DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS

If you paid the full $115 AAUW yearly dues, National dues ($72) is tax deductible as a charitable donation. In addition, any donations to our charitable funds will be tax deductible for a tax year if paid by December 31st of that year and if you itemize deductions. Note that a donation to any of these three areas can also be made in honor or in memory of a friend or family member. More information and a donation form (optional) may be found at this link to our website. If making a donation directly from an IRA as a qualified charitable donation (QCD), consult your tax advisor or www.irs.gov for more information.

Tech Trek

Make check payable to "AAUW-CA SPF"

with "Tech Trek, Monterey Peninsula"

in the memo line.

Send to Noelle Hetz

200 Hawthorne St.

Monterey, CA 93940

AAUW Fund

Donate at aauw.org, or write a check payable to "AAUW".

Send your check to Gabriele Simbriger-Williams

1822 Links Drive

Seaside, CA 93955

NEWSLETTER SCHEDULE

Newsletters are published around the 1st of the months of September, November, January, March and May. There will be short "eblasts", containing reminders or special announcements. If you do not receive a newsletter, please contact us so we can fix it. Please note that newsletter content will relate only to AAUW and branch matters, a policy of AAUW National.

Caryl Rojas & Bonnie Lockwood, Newsletter Co-Editors