AAUW San Antonio April Newsletter

Volume 111 Issue 8

2019-2020 Theme:

Economic Security for Women

Message from the President

Under normal circumstances I would be wishing everyone a beautiful spring and looking forward to seeing you all when we award our scholarships. However, I hope that you are all hunkered down and staying well. Maybe you have found time to work in the yard or read a book that you have been putting off. Whatever you are doing, I hope it is with sense of gratitude for all that you have and for friends and family. I am feeling gratitude for my association with all of you and what we can accomplish and have accomplished through AAUW. Through your generosity, we are awarding five textbook scholarships and three graduate scholarships this year. We are not a large group locally, but we can be proud that we support each other and young women in the community.

Our bylaws require that a vote for our new slate of officers be taken at the April meeting. This year we will be taking our votes by email. So be looking for an email ballot to come in your inbox the first week of April.

As our meetings and activities have been cancelled for the remainder of this term, I can only wish you all good heath and stay calm via this newsletter. I am grateful that we can stay in touch this way. Let’s look forward to being together next year. Share this newsletter with friends that you would like to invite to join AAUW SA. Tell them of the good works that we do and fun that we have. They just might want to join our circle and support our mission.

Until we are together again.......

To peace,

Suzanne Benson

AAUW San Antonio President

April and May Branch Meetings CANCELLED

Scholarships

Many thanks to the scholarship committees. Graduate: Cheryl Fuller, Diantha Perelli and Patricia Tucker and Textbook: Diane Carr, Norma Khoshbin and Jeanette Pierce. They recommended that 3 graduate scholarships and 5 textbook scholarships be awarded. The Board of Directors concurred. A picture and short biography of the recipients is included in this newsletter. Again, their backgrounds, accomplishments and goals are impressive. It has been a privilege to review their materials. It is gratifying that we can assist in their educational pursuit.

Karen Reichensperger

210-637-0170

jkreichen@att.net

NCCWSL

Our branch supported the application of students at Texas A&M University to attend the National Conference for College Women Student Leaders (NCCWSL), the nation's premier conference for college women. They were granted funds. Hurrah! However, with the COVID-19 travel ban, they are unable to attend. Thankfully, AAUW TX has granted them permission to retain the funds to attend next year. Here's hoping that we will have some San Antonio students join them next year. We will work with our College/University members to accomplish this goal.

Karen Reichensperger

210-637-0170

jkreichen@att.net

Membership Renewal Time

Membership renewal for AAUW for the 2020-2021 fiscal year began March 18. The dues for next year are $88.00. The current fiscal year runs through June 30. Members who pay their dues by May 5 will be entered in the Early Bird Drawing and one lucky member will receive free membership for the 2020-2021 fiscal year.

Current members should receive an email from membershipinfo@aauw.org to renew online. Open the link, click renew and pay with a credit or debit card. Members who prefer to pay by check may write the check to AAUW SA and mail it to Kathy Kraft, 2534 Ashton Village Dr., San Antonio, TX 78248.

Thank you for your continued support of AAUW!

Kathy Dicke

Vice-President Membership

Equal Pay by Year 2030?

This year's Equal Pay Day is March 31, 2020, symbolizing that women must work from January 1, 2019 until March 31, 2020, in order to earn the same amount men earned during 2019. The date is even more distant for women of color, i.e. August for black women. AAUW has, as a goal in its strategic plan, pay equity by 2030. On average, women in America are paid only 82 cents for every dollar paid to men. The gap is even wider for women of color. Since women are the sole or co-breadwinner in approximately two-thirds of American families, the pay gap not only hurts women during their working years and in retirement, but it also impacts our families and the economy as a whole. At our current rate of progress, women will not attain equal pay until the year 2093. Let’s speed this up! Share the word about "Work Smart's" online option. It really pays off!!

A Special Letter from AAUW CEO Kim Churches

Dear friends,

We at AAUW are deeply concerned about the impact of COVID-19 on our members, supporters, fellowship alumnae and their families around the world. Your health and safety are our top priority. For those who have been planning conventions and local activities, we fully support you as you make difficult decisions about postponing or cancelling events. Please, follow the latest guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization. AAUW is doing the same: Our office, like thousands of others across the country, has switched to mandatory telework for as long as needed. Our team can work with you to find safe alternatives for connecting with your branches, whether that be via teleconference or email. Also, please join me for a member webinar about the impact of the virus on March 24 at 3:00 pm ET, and weigh in on our short survey on how you’re staying connected.

Please let us know what you're doing to stay connected by taking this short survey .

For the webinar, please join us via Zoom here: https://zoom.us/j/163970363

You can also call in by dialing any of the following numbers (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):

+1 929 205 6099 (New York, NY)

+1 312 626 6799 (Chicago, IL)

+1 301 715 8592 (Maryland)

+1 346 248 7799 (Houston, TX)

+1 669 900 6833 (San Jose, CA)

+1 253 215 8782 (Tacoma, WA)

Webinar ID: 163 970 363

Our mission to advance equity won’t change; we’ll just adapt how we get there. Our work has never been more relevant. AAUW’s research shows that women stand to lose the most when financial disruptions hit, since they have more debt, lower pay and less retirement savings than men. We’re all in this together. And together, we can make a difference.

Stay healthy,

Kimberly Churches

Chief Executive Officer

Alisa Calvillo is seeking a doctorate in Physical Therapy at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Graduate

Geralyn Edgington is in her 4 ^th semester at the Oblate School of Theology in the Master of Pastoral Ministry program. Leading up to this, she became certified as an ACTS Spiritual Companion and in the Lay-Ministry program. She intends to train as a supervisor of spiritual directors.

Scholarships

Johanna Peral is a certified neonatal ICU nurse and is seeking her MSN in Leadership at the University of the Incarnate Word. Her vision is to be in a role in which she can advocate for all the inter-disciplinary health care teams.

Maria Pinales is in the nursing program at San Antonio College eventually becoming a master’s prepared wound care nurse.

Mireya Mendoza’s (picture not available) goal is to be a nurse midwife, beginning with her AAS at San Antonio College.

Textbook

Delila Pleasant is an educator for special education students on her way to becoming an American Sign Language Interpreter at San Antonio College.

Scholarships

Daphne Santos AAS is also in the nursing program at San Antonio College. She migrated from the Philippines in 2013 to seek her goal of becoming a geriatric nurse.

Marisa Silvas is seeking an AA in Health and Biosciences at San Antonio College. She has a passion for health and fitness with a goal to reveal the potential in people.

Five Star National Recognition Program

The new Five Star National Recognition Program rewards branches for aligning their work with the AAUW strategic plan and other initiatives that foster the mission of advancing gender equity for women and girls. The San Antonio Branch is working to receive all five stars: Programs, Advancement, Communications and External Relations, Public Policy and Research, and Governance and Sustainability.

ADVANCEMENT

To obtain the Advancement star we must have a $30 per member contribution to the greatest needs of AAUW. The goal for the San Antonio Branch is $2,700 by June 30, 2020. Go to the aauw.org website and donate so AAUW can use your gift where it is needed most.