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Celebrate the Holidays


Season's greetings to you and yours! We wish you a great Thanksgiving and a wonderful Holiday Season!


Greater Naples AAUW

Gulf Breeze

News and Updates

December 2021



Message from Our Co-Presidents


Dear Members of AAUW Greater Naples Branch,


When this year began, there was so much uncertainty about our futures…the future of our country, the future of our health, the future of our lifestyles. And yet, we continued to have hope that as we moved forward, we would prevail. Today, we realize that hope is what carried us through. Our Branch has experienced many of these same challenges, and today, as we look toward the end of 2021, the evidence is clear…we have endured!! We now have moved from Zoom Meetings to Hybrid (Zoom and In Person) Meetings in October and November, 2021. We kicked off our Leadership Initiative with a very successful “Third Act” workshop presented by Joanne Grady Huskey. All who participated in this workshop agreed that we are so much more aware of the formative events in our lives that have prepared us for the present stage of leadership that enriches us and encourages us to pursue our own third act.

The Board of Directors participated in a two-part retreat in September and October to prepare a Strategic Plan for the Branch in the coming year. Completed Action Planning documents will be available on the website in preparation for the January Branch Meeting. Plans are underway for a joint meeting of the Branch and Foundation Boards to improve communications and to enable our Branch membership to better understand the function of these two groups whose work benefits us all.

As we continue to offer leadership opportunities for our members, please reflect on your interests, skills, abilities, and experiences as you choose to participate in the many events and activities that our Branch has to offer. Perhaps you would consider working with someone in a leadership position to lend your support and talents? We need you to

engage in this very rewarding endeavor!



GNB AAUW Holiday Luncheon,

December 4, 2021

Lunch Choices

 

Choose ONE Lunch Entrée: 



1. Classic Caesar Salad-Shaved Asiago (Add Grilled Chicken)

2. Trio Salad

Tuna Salad, Chicken Salad and Shrimp & Crab Salad

Mixed Greens & Fresh Fruit 

3. The Bayside Salad-Balsamic Vinaigrette

Grilled Chicken, Blue Cheese, Tomatoes, Walnuts & Red Onion

4. Coconut Shrimp Salad-Sweet & Spicy Vinaigrette Almonds & Oranges 

5. Crunchy Grouper Sandwich-House Made Tartar Choice of Fries or Kale Slaw 

6. Grilled or Blackened Mahi-Mahi-House Made Tartar 

Choice of Fries or Kale Slaw 

7. Prime Cheddar Burger Choice of Fries or Kale Slaw

8. Mini Crab Cakes-Roasted Red Pepper Aioli

Mixed Greens Desserts: 

Chocolate Mousse Cake, Coconut Cake, Key Lime Tart 

Served with Rolls, Butter & Soft Beverages 


And in addition...

Once again, we plan a silent auction to raise money for the Branch. Judith MacGregor will donate one of her magnificent necklaces of semi-precious stones, Glenda Struthers is donating tickets for Gulf Shore Playhouse, Nancy Beights procured a $100 gift certificate for Bleu Provence, and we have a $100 gift certificate for a facial by Laura Candris' facialist, but we need more auction items. Consider soliciting a gift certificate from your favorite restaurant, store or salon. Or donate tickets for an event you will be unable to attend. Did someone give you a lovely gift you are unable to use? Donate that! If you have a talent or skill, consider donating lessons! Please contact Laura Candris with questions about donations. 


Public Policy


Equal Pay – Finding a Way1


Women are earning 83 cents to every dollar earned by men, and this pay gap exists in every state. According to Kate Nielson, AAUW’s Public Policy director, in 2020 wages increased but median household income dropped. Many low wage earners lost jobs last year due to the pandemic, and Asian and Hispanic women were hit particularly hard. A survey conducted by AAUW in June 2021 of 700 women in New York indicted that 34 percent do not have enough income to buy necessities. With today’s inflation, the need for higher pay and closing the pay gap has become even more critical. 


AAUW is taking a multi-faceted approach to end the pay gap. Key strategies include the following: 

• Teaching women to negotiate for higher salaries through programs like Work Smart and Start Smart. 

• Promoting transparency in the workplace by allowing and encouraging employees to talk about their salaries. 

• Encouraging women to have or become mentors or sponsors in the workplace and teaching them how to approach males for mentorship. 

• Advocating to change the law to prohibit asking job applicants for their wage histories. • Encouraging companies to do salary benchmarking with similar organizations, as this has proven to aid in employee retention and morale. 

• Allowing more flexibility in work hours by shifting the focus to deliverables instead of time put in. 

AAUW’s report, The Simple Truth About the Gender Wage Gap, is available at AAUW.org.



Great Decisions


The Role of the World Health Organization (WHO)

 

The COVID 19 pandemic has raised the question of what the WHO’s role should be in responding to worldwide pandemics. The Trump administration was critical of the organization and planned to withdraw from it, but many countries rely on their expertise. What can be done to improve the WHO’s response to future global health crises? Which proposed changes to the role of WHO should the U.S. support? 


The Great Decisions group will meet in person on Monday, December 6, 2021, 7:00-8:45 p.m. in the community room at the North Collier Government Center, 2335 Orange Blossom Drive (behind the headquarters library). Nina Clayman and Judy Blackburn will be the discussion leaders, and we will watch a brief video from the PBS Great Decisions series. 

If you are interested in learning more about the group, please contact Carol Light at her phone or email in the GNB AAUW Directory. We hope you’ll join us!

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NonSequiturs December Gathering



Thursday, December 9. 2021 is the holiday dinner at the Naples Sailing and Yacht Club, 5:30 p.m., River Point Drive, (896-2739)

Attire: Festive

RSVP with Nancy Beights by Tuesday, December 7, 2021





From the Foundation

The Greater Naples AAUW Charitable Foundation, Inc Seeks Candidates for Treasurer or Co-Treasurer
Laura Candris, current Treasurer for the Foundation, would like to retire from that position in whole or in part when her term ends next April 1st. If you have accounting skills and would like to learn more about the position, please contact Laura or Foundation President Cathy Hackney.
Curious about Foundation finances?
The Foundation's monthly financial reports are posted on "Members Only" section of the website. More information is on the Foundation's webpage.


Nominating Committee

Nominating Committee Appointed
The Board has appointed Janet Ankiel and Nancy Beights to serve on the Nominating Committee with Chair Laura Candris. The positions for election at the March Branch meeting are President. Vice President/Programs and Secretary for terms beginning July 1. We are sad that Lucy Williams is unable to serve another term as Secretary. The position descriptions for each officer are posted on our website under the "About Us" tab. Please contact any member of the nominating committee should you have a nomination, question or wish to volunteer.


Scholarship Committee

Are you interested in joining Scholarship Committee for 2022?
I hope many members had the pleasure of meeting some of our lovely scholarship recipients at the November 6, 2021 celebration luncheon! Hard to believe that we will be kicking off the 2022 scholarship season again very soon!!
 In January we open up the portal on our website to receive scholarship submissions and we review them in March. Participating in this process on the scholarship committee is open to all Greater Naples AAUW members and if you are interested in joining us you can email me or call me and I will add you to the list to receive the communications for the committee.
 I will be holding our first committee meeting on December 13, 2021 at 10:00 am via Teams web conference to discuss the timelines and dividing up the necessary community contacts that we do to get the word out about our scholarship opportunities. Please get in touch with me and I’ll send you an invite!! Thank you!!
 Jeannine Stetson

Friday Book Group

The Friday Book Group has chosen Kristin Hannah's

Four Winds,

to discuss at their next meeting on Friday, December 10th at 1:00 p.m. Interest readers who are not on the mailing list should call Susan Becker for more details.




C & C Coming up in January


The next Cocktails and Conversation is scheduled for January 18, 2022, 4:30 p.m., at The Pearl on Airport Road south of Vanderbilt Beach Road. Put it on your calendar!


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