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President's Message
Happy New Year Dear Branch Members,
I hope you took a break and had time to relax with family and friends this holiday season. It has been wonderful celebrating together at all the various branch holiday events all through December.
Suman Ganapathy, President
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Connecting with our Members | |
Janet Wright Honored at Philanthropy Night!
AAUW members gathered November 18 at the Community Center for the 17th annual Community Foundation Philanthropy Night in support of our branch’s honoree, Janet Wright. AAUW MH was one of 15 local non-profits that recognized someone who has made an outstanding contribution to their organization. Janet was honored for the many key positions she has held in the branch, most recently as Wildflower Run co-director. Click here to see Janet’s video presentation.
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Back Row: Tessy Albin, Suman Ganapathy, Krisse Boursier, Carol O'Hare,
Robin Shepherd; Front Row: Elizabeth Mandel, Mary Cox, Margo Hinencamp,
Peggy Martin, Janet Wright (honoree), Cecelia Ponzini, Susan Hines, Kathy Sullivan
Other members in attendance at event but absent from the group photo: Gautam Ganapathy (photographer), Amy Whelan, Mary Patterson, Jennifer Tate, Margaret McCann, Swanee Edwards, and Yvonne Martinez Beltran.
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MH Branch Holiday Party
Members and family joined together on December 3 at Old City Hall restaurant in Gilroy for our annual Holiday Lunch. We enjoyed the opportunity to visit with friends in person. Conversations were spirited, and Suman, Misao and Margo led holiday songs from the stage. We had a great time and missed those of you who were not able to attend.
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Interest Group Spotlight: Ukuladies
The Ukuladies interest group was established by Joanne Rife, after attending a Ukulele Retreat at Asilomar. After Zoom meetings during COVID, the group, now numbering 13, is happy to be meeting again in person, playing enthusiastically with variable levels of skill, every Monday at 10:00 am in members' homes. New strummers are always welcome!
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Member Candidates
Four branch members were elected or re-elected to positions in the South County during the Nov. 8 general election. Yvonne Martinez Beltran was re-elected to the Morgan Hill City Council with 61% of the vote. Gail Pellerin was elected to Assembly District 28 with 64% of the votes cast. Nancy Altman unseated the incumbent for a position on the Morgan Hill Unified School District board of trustees, with 51% of the vote. And Katherine (Kat) Napoli was elected to the Gavilan College board of trustees with 62% of the vote.
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Gift of Reading
AAUW and its Community Action Grants once again supported BookSmart’s annual holiday Gift of Reading program. Hundreds of books and science kits were collected and given to eight MHUSD schools to be distributed to underserved children.
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Thanks to book sorters Margo Hinnenkamp, Karen MacDonald, Carol O’Hare, Joan Sullivan, and especially to Margaret McCann, who hosted the workers, and to community members Emily Shem-Tov, Carolyn Carothers, and Judy Owens. | |
AAUW Artists at MH Open Studios
Suman Ganapathy has been a planning committee member for the Morgan Hill Open Studios since its inception. The very popular Morgan Hill Open Studios in November showcased 50 local artists including our very own branch members Alissa Crispin and Nancy Wulff who displayed their beautiful artwork at the CCC and Bubbles & Brew locations.
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Bylaws "Babes" Celebrate
The Bylaws committee (AKA the BBs) recently enjoyed its annual holiday lunch hosted by Barbara Palmer. The first lunch was celebrated in 2013, as pictured here with Carol O'Hare, Judy Kinker, Barbara Palmer, and Joan Ensign. The MH Bylaws group has been meeting since 2002!
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Terrific Travels - Members on the Go | | |
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Carol O’Hare recently did a hot air balloon flight in Sonoma with Maryanne Flynn, a former branch member who now lives in Denver. The flight was a gift from Carol’s grandchildren for her 80th birthday. She says she loved it!
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Did you embark on a notable trip recently? We'd love to see your pictures and hear your story. Please send your pictures and a 60-80 word account to Friendship Chair, Jill Paveza . | | |
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Our Condolences
It is with the deepest sorrow that we announce the passing of David Albin, our CFO Tessy Albin’s beloved husband. We wish her and her family strength and peace in their time of grief.
Please join in a celebration of his life on January 7,
2-4 pm at 88 Keys restaurant, 1295 E. Dunne.
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We extend our sincere sympathy to Board Secretary Tammy Parker on the recent loss of her mother.
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Wildflower Run Update
Be part of our 40th Anniversary big event on March 26, 2023. A history of success has followed the WFR since 1984. This success is due to AAUW volunteer power, our sponsors, community support, member donations, and those participating in the events.
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Annual Wildflower Fund Giving Campaign
Each year we ask members to contribute to The Wildflower Fund, which supports all of our branch’s charitable activities, including local scholarships and grants for women and girls, Tech Trek camp, and national AAUW programs.
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The Fund includes gifts from members, contributions from Wildflower Run corporate sponsors, and proceeds from the Run. Please make your gift today. | | |
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Annual AAUW MH Honoree Nominations
The AAUW Honoree program is a wonderful way for our branch to recognize outstanding members. Think about who you see promoting the mission of AAUW, providing great service to the branch or board, performing multiple jobs, working hard behind the scenes or connecting AAUW to the community.
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Membership Update
Morgan Hill AAUW is pleased to introduce our newest members: Sheila Dunwoodie and Susan Parodi.
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Community Action Grants Awarded!
AAUW Morgan Hill has awarded $7,000 in Community Action Grants for 2022-2023 to nine South Valley non-profit organizations. Funds for the grants come from the annual Wildflower Run, held in March, and are given to nonprofit groups for projects that are in alignment with AAUW's mission to promote equity for girls and women.
Grants were announced on Giving Tuesday. Applications for the 2023-2024 year will open in spring 2023.
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Tech Trek Update
Lots of good things are happening with Tech Trek - including a new logo! We had a table at the Live Oak Robotics Team's STEM night, where we helped students build "snowball" (marshmallow) launchers, while exploring potential energy & kinetic energy.
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Would you like to be a part of this empowering program? Tech Trek is looking for many helpers, from interviewing our Morgan Hill students to attending the residential camp as a dorm mom or presenter. If you are interested, please contact Krisse Boursier at techtrek@aauwmh.org. To find out more about Tech Trek, visit our web page at aauwmh.org. | | |
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Climate Education & Action Update
2023 will be a busy year for AAUWs Climate Education and Action Committee (CEAC). With passage of the ‘Inflation Reduction Act’ more rebates and tax credits will be available to upgrade homes to energy efficient places to live and do business. With that being the case, CEAC is taking on more education and action in the AAUW branch as well as the Morgan Hill community.
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Endowment Funds
AAUW is one of the largest funders of women’s graduate education, awarding over $6M in fellowships and grants for this academic year.
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Our branch has completed two such endowments: The Irene Blaine/Barbara Cate $100,000 American Fellowship, started in 1991 in the names of two charter members, was completed in 2002. The Wildflower Run Research and Projects Grants endowment of $75,000 was established in 2014 and completed in 2018. | | |
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January Program
Learn about the epidemic of violence against indigenous women; some estimate that Native American Women are up to 10 times more likely to experience violence as compared to white women. We will explore the background and factors then look for ways to form alliances and support.
Wednesday, January 25, 7-8:30 pm, Morgan Hill Library.
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February Program
February 28th - Kari Hall, meteorologist for NBC Universal and host of “Climate in Crisis” will be speak and present tangible actions that we all can take to improve the outlook for climate change.
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Are you looking for a way to get involved? Do you have an idea for a future program? Send an email to Nancy Altman at programs@aauwmh.org. | | |
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Wine & Whine Nights
Wine & Whine is held the 3rd Wednesday of the month
from 5:30 - 7 pm, as a casual way for members to visit over no host drinks. Watch the Sunday email for details about the January 18 and February 15 events.
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County, State & National Updates | |
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This year Monterey Peninsula and Santa Cruz Countybranches joined the SCC-IBC to form the SMS-IBC to share ideas and events, and support one another.
All 7 IBC branches are part of the ISPF (Interbranch Special Projects Foundation) through which we operate the Wildflower Run.
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AAUW California Celebrates Black Women in History
Many Black women have made significant contributions to history, thought, society, innovation, science, government, civil rights, women’s rights, and much more. For Black History month we celebrate the achievements of but a few.
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Lobby Days are Here
Save the Dates …. March 21st and 22nd , are the AAUW CA scheduled Lobby Days. Be sure to sign up to participate when Lobby Day registration arrives in your January mailbox.
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National Election Results
The election is finally over and overall, AAUW members can be pretty happy with the results.
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Tired of those sticky paper name tags?
Order a nifty name badge from:
Make It Mine, 101 Main Street, Morgan Hill
408-776-0556 or mim@garlic.com
The price is $12 plus tax.
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