Monterey Peninsula
Messenger
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WE HAVE A NEW NAME!
In the past couple of years, our Branch has added a number of new members from the Salinas Valley and North County. To better reflect our geographic area, in June, our Board approved filing with the County to do business as the “AAUW-Monterey County Branch.” We will retain our legal name as the “AAUW-Monterey Peninsula Branch” for banking transactions, for tax purposes, and for the record with AAUW National and AAUW-CA. Our new name will be used for marketing purposes. This change does not affect Branch operations or activities. Our Board was able to approve this action because we are not changing our legal name. We hope that our new name will affirm our goal to represent the entire County.
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Calendar of Coming Events
Wed., Sept. 6 - Hike, Seaside State Beach to Roberts Lake, with Ardith Peck
Wed., Sept. 13 - Hike planning meeting. Location and time TBA
Fri., Sept. 15 - Romancing the Coast tours Annie Glass Studio, Watsonville
Wed., Sept. 20 - Hike, Monterey Wharf Walk with Julie Smith
Thurs., Sept. 21 - AAUW CA webinar, Book Banning & Curricula Censorship in California? AAUW CA to the Rescue! at 7:00 pm. See Public Policy article for link to register.
Sat., Sept. 30 - September Branch Meeting. Dr. McKibben speaks on "Water: Entitlement or Human Right in Monterey County?" at Monterey Public Library.
Thurs., Oct. 12 - Romancing the Coast tours Earthbound Farm & Pumpkin Patch, Carmel Valley
Sat., Oct. 21 - October Branch Meeting. Tech Trek Fundraiser. Girls who attended Tech Trek will speak on their experiences. Home of Nancy Edwards.
Fri., Nov. 17 - Romancing the Coast tours Trotter Galleries, Pacific Grove
Sat., Feb. 24, 2024 - IBC meeting, Seascape Golf Club, Aptos. Speaker: Holly Martinez, Director, California Commission on the Status of Women & Girls.
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SEPTEMBER BRANCH MEETING
Date: Saturday, September 30
Time: 2:00 - 4:00 pm
Location: Community Room, Monterey Public Library, 625 Pacific St., Monterey (Click here for a map.)
Speaker: Dr. Carol Lynn McKibben
Subject: "Water: Entitlement or Human Right in Monterey County?"
Dr. McKibben has been teaching courses in California history, urban history and Immigration history for the Department of History and Urban Studies at Stanford University since 2006. She has written three books about these subjects and is now engaged in a new book project: Water Politics in an Age of Drought on the Central Coast of California which is part of a larger project at Stanford’s Bill Lane Center on Environment and the West. Since all of us are aware of the dangers of Climate Change, and are seeing the signs here on our Central Coast, this program will be very important and informative. We hope you can join us.
Deborah Stern, Programs
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OCTOBER BRANCH MEETING
Date: Saturday, October 21
Time: 2:00 - 4:00 pm
Place: home of Nancy Edwards, 368 Calle de Los Amigos, Pacific Grove
WHAT IS STEM?
The main trunk of a plant? The upright member at the bow of a ship (as in stem to stern)? A line of ancestry? For AAUW Tech Trek, STEM means Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math! It was another banner year for AAUW-CA Tech Trek; eight in-person camps, one virtual camp, 110 branches, more than 800 campers, 250 volunteers. Our branch alone had seven girls in the residential program and four in the virtual camp.
Who wouldn’t want to spend a summer week living on a university campus taking STEM core classes, hands-on workshops, labs, field trips and making new friends? A valuable part of Tech Trek is interacting with women who model science, technology, engineering and math expertise on a daily basis. Also of value to the young middle school students is interacting with like-minded girls of their own age who share common interest in the STEM areas. A Virtual Camp option is also available when an in-person experience is not possible.
Join us on Saturday, October 21, to hear directly from the girls whom we sponsored for the 2023 Tech Trek camp. Let’s support these girls in their future endeavors by donating to Tech Trek so we can continue our important work to foster interest in STEM careers. We will meet at the home of Nancy Edwards near Asilomar in Pacific Grove. Carpooling is recommended. Please RSVP by Oct. 18 to Karen Hall at 831-710-1608 or rolygog@sbcglobal.net.
Karen Hall, MCB Tech Trek Director
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The Tech Trek "Dorm Mom" Experience
It's awesome! After spending a week as a dorm mom at this year’s Tech Trek at Sonoma State University, I would highly encourage those of you supporting this program to volunteer for any type of position at a camp. Volunteers were dorm moms, directors, nurses or just one-day volunteers. Due to the staffing requirements of having an adult (over 18) always with the Trekkers in a minimum of a 1-10 ratio and dorm mom meetings requiring attendance, branch members from local branches came to be in core classes, go on field trips or be part of another type of event (i.e. the financial literacy program) to make sure we kept all our campers safe.
The unbelievable experience we offer the Trekkers was astonishing. Core classes met daily and included engineering, chemistry, forensics, botany and robotics. Afternoon workshops were held also, including one taught by a retired astrophysicist! The robotics core teacher, currently at Apple and a former Trekker, gave the keynote address-- telling the girls and their parents that her attendance at a past camp had given her the confidence to become the engineer she is today. To see the Camp Johnson campers' schedule, click here.
The campers were busy from 7:30 am-9 pm daily. The final night was the annual “Build-it Project” night. Nightly, after a lecture on structural integrity by a young female structural & architectural engineer, and after the night’s activity, the girls needed to roll newspaper pages into tight “straws.” They were used that last night to build a free-standing, creative structure from only those straws, an additional stack of paper, plus 2 rolls of masking tape and 2 pairs of scissors—in an hour! Some structures were a replica of the Golden Gate bridge, a Chinese dragon like those dancing at New Years celebrations and a wire bird cage with origami birds.
With the hope that we will have a return of Tech Trek to a locale closer to us, please consider being a volunteer at this awesome project that AAUW California began 25 years ago! You can be proud of supporting Tech Trek.
Sharyn Siebert, former "Dorm Mom"
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PRESIDENTS' MESSAGE
Fall is in the air and our Board is looking forward to another busy year of member events and activities. Although we take a hiatus from regular Board meetings during the summer, the Board was nonetheless active in planning several successful events.
· New/Prospective Member Orientation in June
· The Local Scholarship Program fundraiser in June
· Our second Wine & Whine Social in July
· Our annual picnic in August
We thank all the members who joined us for these events.
Also, several of our Board members attended a social hour with the AAUW-CA Board that held its annual retreat at CSUMB in June.
We have been working with the Santa Cruz County Branch who will plan and organize the Inter-Branch Council meeting in February 2024. As you may know, our branches have coordinated an IBC meeting for many years with one or the other branch taking the lead in planning the event.
Save the Date for next year’s IBC luncheon.
· Saturday, February 24, 2024
· Seascape Golf Club, 610 Clubhouse Drive, Aptos, CA 95003
· Time TBA
· Speaker: Holly Martinez, Director, California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls. More details to come later.
Please join us at our Branch meetings and events to learn, socialize, and have fun.
Your Co-Presidents, Fatima Dias and Joanne Webster
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Branch Leaders for
2023 - 2024
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Elected Board
Co-Presidents:
Fatima Dias
Joanne Webster
Membership VPs:
Anne Albano
Julie Smith
Treasurer:
Pat Fletcher
Secretaries:
Debbie Hobbs
Maureen Vieth
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Appointed Directors
Programs:
Deborah Stern
AAUW Funds:
Gabriele Simbriger-
Williams
Local Scholarships:
Sandi Berman
Maggie Pedersen
Public Policy & Gov Trek:
Marilyn Erickson
Tech Trek:
Karen Hall
Communications:
Caryl Rojas
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Activity Leaders
Books:
AM - Kathy Poulson
Banned Books -
Suzette Cavanaugh &
Kenis Dunne
Joy - Marilyn Erickson
PM - Miriam Lilley
Storytellers - Nancy Soulé
Great Decisions:
Maggie Pedersen
Hiking:
Chris Parmentier
Ardith Peck
Romancing the Coast:
Linda Hanger
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LOCAL SCHOLARSHIPS
Due to the generosity of our members and friends, and our two grantors, Pebble Beach Foundation and Monterey Peninsula Volunteer Services, we were able to grant a record number of scholarships this year; twelve $2000 scholarships to students attending CSUMB, Hartnell College, and MPC. One Scholarship at CSUMB was awarded in memory of Sally Hekkers. These Local Scholars are:
Melanie Mena - CSUMB and Recipient of the Sally Hekkers Memorial Scholarship.
Career plan: Art Therapy
Marlene Ramirez - CSUMB. Career plan: Social Work
Jairo Gamez - CSUMB. Career plan: Marine Science, Fisheries Management
Perla Martinez - CSUMB. Career plan: Plant & Soil Sciences
Alma Esobedo - Hartnell College. Career plan: Elementary Education
Chanelle Argueta - Hartnell College. Career plan: Civil Engineering
Lizet Robles - Hartnell College. Career plan: Nursing
Valeria Olivares - Hartnell College. Career plan: Occupational Therapy
Angelica Olvera Lara - Monterey Peninsula College. Career plan: Teacher
Debbie Lee Vandever - Monterey Peninsula College. Career plan: Environmental
Studies, Geology
Kaly Mariano - Monterey Peninsula College. Career plan: Social Work
Kayla Rodriguez - Monterey Peninsula College. Career plan: Nursing
To learn more about these inspiring students, please click here.
Maggie Pedersen & Sandi Berman, Local Scholarships Co-Directors
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PUBLIC POLICY
SO MUCH GOING ON!
As I sit here glued to the news about all the indictments, I am reminded that we live in a great country with a political system that is striving for a “More Perfect Union” and that we have a constitution and laws that work hard to keep our country functioning. There are so many issues to think about and write about, but for this newsletter, I am writing about two issues on which we as an AAUW branch can focus; The California School Board Project and The Equal Rights Amendment. From AAUW CA comes this report:
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The California School Board Project. AAUW CA is taking action against book banning and censorship creeping into California’s schools. Join us for the webinar Book Banning and Curricula Censorship in California? AAUW California to the Rescue! on Thursday, September 21st, at 7:00 pm. Hear from Public Policy’s School Board Project Committee and other organizations about the scope of the problem and how you can help resist its appearance in your own school district. Register HERE.
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The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). This year marks the 100th anniversary of the introduction of the ERA. AAUW's 2023-25 Public Policy Priorities state that we advocate for ratification and passage of the ERA "to guarantee equality, individual rights, and social justice for a diverse and inclusive society." We are happy to report that multiple paths are being pursued in the current session of Congress to affirm the ERA as the 28th amendment. Right now, we could use your help to finally make this a reality! If you want to know more, you can learn about the ERA and current pathways for its passage HERE.
Anyone wanting to work on these issues may call me at 650-787-8546 to discuss action that can be taken in our own community.
Marilyn Erickson - Public Policy Director
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Great Decisions
Starting in late January, the Great Decisions group will meet to discuss current, controversial topics based on a booklet written by the Foreign Policy Association (FPA). Participants meet for eight consecutive weeks and take turns presenting the topics. The weekly meeting day and time is Thursday at 2 pm with an optional viewing of the Master Class video at 1:30 pm. The meetings will be held on Zoom.
Enrollment is now open. The last day to enroll is Oct. 31st. Cost of the booklet and materials is about $26.00. Contact Maggie Pedersen at 713-206-6507 or maggiep52@hotmail.com if you are interested in joining this enlightening activity!
Maggie Pedersen, Coordinator
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Morning Books (via Zoom)
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Mon., Sept. 18, 10 AM
Our Missing Hearts
by Celeste Ng
Leader: Susan Murphy
Mon., Oct. 16, 10 AM
Lessons in Chemistry
by Bonnie Garmus
Leader: Kathleen Stacey
Kathy Poulson, Coordinator
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Joy of Reading Books
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Tues., Sept. 12, 1 PM
The Four Winds
by Kristin Hannah
Host: Julie Smith
Tues., Oct. 10, 1 PM
Dinners with Ruth
by Nina Totenberg
Host: Nancy Edwards
Marilyn Erickson, Coordinator
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Evening Books
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Tues., Sept. 19, 7 PM
Lessons in Chemistry
by Bonnie Garmus
Host: Pat Fletcher
Leader: Judi Lang
Tues., Oct. 17, 7 PM
Horse
by Geraldine Brooks
Host: Fatima Dias
Leader: Mary Conway
Miriam Lilley, Coordinator
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Storytellers Book Club
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Thurs., Sept. 28, 2 PM
Washington Black
by Esi Edugyan
Host: Linda Hanger
Thurs., Oct. 26, 2 PM
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
by Kim Michelle Richardson
Host: Mary Housel
Nancy Soulé, Coordinator
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Thurs., Sept. 14, 2 PM
The Glass Castle: A Memoir
by Jeannette Walls
Host: Diane Driessen
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Thurs., Oct. 12, 2 PM
(TBA)
Host: Kenis Dunne
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Suzette Cavanaugh & Kenis Dunne, Coordinators
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[Go to our Public Policy article to register for the AAUW CA webinar on Book Banning and Curricula Censorship in California? on September 21. - Editor]
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Hiking Group
September Hikes/Walks:
Wed., Sept. 6 - Fort Ord Dunes State Park, Marina, Leader Ardith Peck
Wed., Sept. 13, 11 am - Hike Planning Meeting to plan hikes for the fall. Meet at Ardith Peck's home, 581 Powell Street, Salinas. We will have a barbecue lunch after the meeting. Come prepared to suggest and lead a hike.
Wed., Sept. 20 - Monterey Wharf Walk, Leader Julie Smith
Chris Parmentier and Ardith Peck, Coordinators
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Pictured left to right are Nancy Soulé, Susan Murphy, Nancy Edwards, Sue Henderson, Ardith Peck, Ruth McMasters (kneeling), Anne Albano, Dianne Driessen, Linda Lee, Chris Parmentier, and Mary Housel |
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Romancing the Coast
Friday, Sept. 15 - Annie Glass Studio Tour
310 Harvest Drive, Watsonville (click here for a map)
11:15 am - Carpool from California Pizza Kitchen, Del Monte Center, Monterey.
12:00 pm - Optional lunch before tour, California Grill, 40 Penny Lane, Watsonville. Click to see Lunch Menu
1:30 pm - Tour of Annie Glass Studio (Note: our tour time might be adjusted, depending on the size of our group. Back in Monterey about 2:30 pm.)
Join us for a tour of the glass production studio to see how Annie Glass is handcrafted. Observe the craftsmanship. Learn of Annie’s inspirations for design as lively and informative tour guides show you the glassmaking process. Attendees will enjoy 10% off a same-day purchase at the factory’s retail store.
Coordinator: Linda Hanger. RSVP by Sept. 11 to LindaJHanger@gmail.com or (831) 915-9260. Indicate if you plan to carpool and if you will join us for lunch.
Thursday, Oct. 12 - Earthbound Farm & Pumpkin Patch Tour
7250 Carmel Valley Road, in Carmel Valley (click here for a map)
10:30 am - Carpool from California Pizza Kitchen, Del Monte Center, Monterey. (If enough want to carpool from Crossroads Shopping Center, it can be organized.)
11:00 - Garden Tour. We learn how Earthbound Farm was founded in 1984 and the evolution of their brand and the Farm Stand since then. As we walk, we will learn what it means to be Certified Organic for their brand, farms, gardens, and Farm Stand Market and Café. The tour includes the Herb Garden, Kitchen Garden, Three Sisters, Orchard, Nursery, and Farm. This is an opportunity to ask questions about gardening or farming, and to see, touch, and smell familiar favorites and new discoveries. Wear sensible footwear, layers of clothing, sunscreen, or a hat.
11:45 - Optional lunch at the Earthbound Farm Stand. Participants will receive the menu in advance of our visit. Linda will submit our order to the Farm Stand Café on the 10th. Participants pay upon pick-up. Outdoor seating. Coordinator: Linda Hanger. RSVP by Oct. 7 to LindaJHanger@gmail.com or (831) 915-9260.
Save the Date: Nov. 17, 10:00 am. Trotter Galleries Tour with Terry Trotter, 301 Forest Avenue, Pacific Grove. Optional lunch at Victorian Corner.
Linda Hanger, RTC Coordinator
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Membership
Julie is now distributing the new blue membership directories at meetings and the picnic. Members may only take their own, one per member.
Anne Albano and Julie Smith, Co-VP Membership
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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. - Editor |
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Directory Updates
If there are errors or changes in your directory listing, please tell us so corrections can be made. - Editor
Kit Armstrong can be added to the new printed directory.
Donna Gauvreau has a new address. See it in the online directory.
Gabriele Simbriger-Williams has a new address. See it in the online directory.
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New Members
Kit Armstrong*
Suzanne Battaglia
Karen Grant
Regena Lauterbach
Claire Anne Scalzo*
Suzanne Schmidt
Cindy Tiberend**
Eileen Tremain
Gail Widener
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*Returning **Student
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Online Directory
The password to our password-protected online directory on our website in the Member Center is on the second page of your blue membership directory. (If you cannot find it, call Julie Smith or Anne Albano.) This is where all of our members' contact information is readily accessible.
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New Member Bios
Kit (Kathleen) Armstrong (returning)
Kit graduated from Smith college in Massachusetts and the UC Berkeley School of Law. Her working career focused on national and international environmental policy, strategy, regulation and compliance in the government, private and non-profit sectors. After spending much of her career based in the San Francisco Bay Area, in 2008 she joined family on the Monterey Peninsula. She's pursued a variety of volunteer activities, including as a docent at Point Lobos State Natural Reserve and as a member and President of the Point Lobos Foundation Board of Directors. She is happy learning new things, meeting new people, and contributing to her community. She particularly enjoys reading, attending live theater, staying educated about current events, traveling and being outdoors.
Suzanne Battaglia
Suzanne has lived in Sasebo, Japan; Viña del Mar, Chile; and Tübingen, Germany. She earned a BA in Spanish and a BA in German from Oregon State University. In 1988, she moved back to the Monterey Peninsula to raise her three children. She obtained an MSW from San Jose State University and became a licensed clinical social worker. While working full time with San Andreas Regional Center (8 years) and Monterey County Behavioral Health, she earned a PsyD through a distance program with Southern California University for Professional Studies. As a bilingual licensed clinical psychologist, she primarily conducted developmental and mental health evaluations of young at-risk children. At the end of 2022 she retired from the County after 20 years. She enjoys travel, foreign languages and movies, quilting, music, walking, and new adventures. She is interested in the Hiking and the Romancing the Coast groups.
Karen Grant
Karen is interested in Book groups, Great Decisions, Hiking, Romancing the Coast, Programs, Membership, and Local Scholarships.
Regena Lauterbach
Regena was born in Tennessee and moved to Whittier, California, when she was 10. She received a BA in English from Whittier College, where she met her husband, Craig. They moved to Carmel in 1970 and opened the Inquisitive Eye Art Gallery. She taught for 32 years in the Monterey Peninsula School District and was elected to the MPUSD Board in 2000. After three elected terms on the Board, she retired to golf, reading, hiking, and art gallery visits. She in interested in the Book groups, Hiking and Romancing the Coast.
Claire Anne Scalzo (returning)
Clair graduated from Cal State San Francisco with a BA in Social Work, and from Columbia University with an MSW. She worked in hospital administration with behavioral health programs and established a wide array of health programs for low income individuals. She now lives in Marina with her husband and standard poodle. She is a passionate gardener, mah jongg player, wordle fanatic and spends summers in Maine with grandchildren. She is interested in the Book groups, Great Decisions, Hiking, Romancing the Coast, Local Scholarships and Tech Trek.
Suzanne Schmidt
Suzanne grew up and lived in San Diego County for 60 years. As part of a large family, their vacations were travel trailer trips throughout the West. It led to a love of travel, and she and her husband have hiked and biked across the U.S. and Europe. She studied and worked in the social sciences -- family counseling and as a Women's Health Nurse Practitioner. She loves the creativity of gardening and being outdoors with walking and hiking.
Cindy Tiberend
Cindy is a student at CSUMB, majoring in Human Communications.
Eileen Tremain
Eileen worked in the food field in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her business, San Francisco Kitchens, specialized in marketing food to the consumer market. Their services included recipe development, food styling, copywriting, etc. After moving to Salinas with family in 1994 and staying home with her children, she returned to work as the Monterey County Public Affairs Director for Planned Parenthood Mar Monte. She advocated for women's health issues on the local, state and national level. Originally from Long Island, NY, she lived in Boston and Chicago before arriving in CA in 1978. Now she is retired and lives in Toro Park with her husband and two dachshunds. She is an avid reader and enjoys the outdoors.
Gail Widener
Gail has a BS in Physical Therapy from Texas Woman's University and a PhD in Physiology from Kansas University Medical Center. She is interested in the Book groups, Hiking Group, Romancing the Coast, Local Scholarships, AAUW Fund and especially in Tech Trek.
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Board Meetings
Sept. 7 at 3:00 pm
Oct. 5 at 3:00 pm
Location: CFMC (Community Foundation for Monterey County)
2354 Garden Road, Monterey
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Websites
AAUW-MPB
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AAUW-CA
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Nov./Dec. Messenger
Please email articles for the Nov./Dec. newsletter to
Caryl Rojas by Oct. 15.
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AAUW MCB Budget
Our finalized 2023-2024 AAUW MCB Budget is below. Thanks for supporting our dues increase so we can continue to effectively support our mission and our members, and grow our community. Please contact Pat Fletcher (pfletcher02@gmail.com) if you have any questions.
AAUW Monterey County Branch Budget
July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024
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INCOME
Branch Dues - May - April.......... $2,530.00
Monthly Branch Programs............. $400.00
Tech Trek Student STEM Program.. $300.00
AAUW Fund January Program....... $150.00
Inter Branch Council (IBC) February
Meeting...................................... $100.00
TOTAL INCOME................... $3,480.00
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EXPENSES
Monthly Branch Program Expense. $500.00
Local Tech Trek Program Expense. $300.00
Membership, Recruiting Expense... $590.00
AAUW Fund Program Expense...... $150.00
IBC Program Expense.................. $100.00
Insurance and Fundraising........... $820.00
Communications ..........................$590.00
Admin and Misc........................... $430.00
TOTAL EXPENSES................ $3,480.00
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AAUW DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS
If you paid the full $115 AAUW yearly dues, $69 of that is tax deductible. 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 further information.
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Tech Trek
Make check payable to "AAUW-CA SPF"
with "Tech Trek, Monterey Peninsula" in the
memo line.
Send to Karen Hall
13 Harryette Drive
Salinas, CA 93905-3319
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AAUW Fund
Make check payable to "AAUW"
with "AAUW Fund" in the memo line.
Send your check to Gabriele Simbriger-Williams
P.O. Box 1786
Monterey, CA 93942
or donate at aauw.org, including your member ID for credit to our branch.
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Local Scholarships
Make check payable to "AAUW-MPB Local Scholarships".
Send your check to
Kathy Poulson
1092 Presidio Road
Pebble Beach, CA 93953
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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 me 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, Newsletter Editor
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