AAUW General Membership Meeting

WHEN: 10:30 a.m. Saturday, April 18, 2026

WHERE: Scottsdale Community College, Turquoise Room

WHO:  Donald Opila M.D.

WHAT:  Healthy Aging

Dr. Opila graduated from Michigan State University in East Lansing and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. He completed his internal medicine residency at Yale affiliated St. Mary’s Hospital in Waterbury, Connecticut. In addition to Internal Medicine, Dr. Opila is board certified in Geriatric Medicine.

Dr. Opila, fluent in Spanish as well as English, strives to partner with patients to create a comprehensive, personalized plan focused on prevention and wellness. He has been voted as Metropolitan Phoenix’s “Top Doctor” from 2015 through 2023.

Dr. Opila is affiliated with HonorHealth Scottsdale Osborn Medical Center.

Dr. Opila will address “Healthy Aging” in addition to answering members' questions and concerns. Spouses and guests – WELCOME!!

--Jacqui Sasser, Program Coordinator

OUR FINAL LUNCH AT WALLY'S FOR THE SEASON AFTER APRIL 18TH MEETING. PLEASE let Judy Hubbard know via email that you plan to do lunch there so she may make a correct reservation. Her email is:  trinahub@aol.com

Coming Attraction: Installation of New Officers and Luncheon

May 9, 2026, 11:30 a.m.

We will be celebrating the installation of our new officers for President-Elect and Vice President Finance. The gathering will be held on Saturday, May 9th, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., at the Red Lobster restaurant at 4802 E Cactus Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85254. We have reserved the room in the back for a more private event like last year.

The menu consists of shrimp skewers, fish (fried cod) and chips, or chicken tenders. The sides include cole slaw, a brownie with a scoop of ice cream, as well as iced tea, soft drink, or water.

The cost will be $20 with any additional expenses to be paid through the Program budget. Please submit your payment to Gail Stempil, 8951 E. Floriade Drive, Scottsdale AZ 85260 with check made out to: AAUW Scottsdale with the food choice in the memo line. Reservations must be received by May 5, 2026.

If you use Zelle, the payment should be made to scottsaauwaz@gmail.com and your menu selection emailed to Gail at stemgw@aol.com.

We look forward to getting together one last time before summer arrives!

Jacqui Sasser, Programs

MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD:

Happy April Fool’s Day!

Just a reminder that increasing our membership is important to all of us in Scottsdale AAUW. Every member should be on the lookout for potential new members as we strive to maintain those we have. If you know any friends, relatives, or neighbors who may be interested in joining us, please bring them to a meeting, an event, or even a SIG group so they can see what we

are all about. Let them know that our focus is on empowering women and girls in every facet of their lives, but especially through their education.

Now that we are approaching the end of our 2025-2026 AAUW calendar year, let's talk about renewing our dues. Our dues for Branch, State, and National all support the varied programs of our organization. Many of our members today have a renewal date of June 29, 2026, and we encourage all of you to please renew soon. Our dues are $115 for the year, which includes $76 for National, $9 for AZ State, and $30 for Scottsdale Branch. (Remember that the $76 to National is tax-deductible.) Your Scottsdale AAUW Board strongly recommends that you renew your dues online at the National website aauw.org. Please see the article elsewhere in this newsletter for

instructions on how to accomplish this. If this method is not available to you, you may send a check to Lennie Andrews (her address is in the directory.

We always welcome suggestions with respect to activities, events, Special Interest Groups (SIGs), etc. Your input will help us keep our branch relevant, active, and vital. Thank you for being an important part of our organization!

--Judy Hubbard and Gail Stempil, Co VPs Membership

Membership Matters...

Meet New Member Theresa Webber:

I was born in Springfield, Illinois, where I raised my two children and earned my degree in biology. After gaining early laboratory experience at the SIU School of Medicine, I moved to Massachusetts to continue my scientific career. There, I joined a biotechnology startup and spent 22 years working as a cell biologist developing research tools to support advances in cancer research.

In 2022, I retired due to illness and moved to Florida to be closer to my grandchildren. In 2025, our family relocated together to the Phoenix/Scottsdale area. Throughout my career and community life, I have served on several boards and organizations, including PTAs and science and community outreach programs through the biotech company where I worked.

Today, I enjoy spending time with my grandchildren, reading, staying involved in my community, and appreciating the natural beauty of Arizona. 

--Theresa

Welcome, Theresa

*******************************************************

Scottsdale AAUW Directory Correction

Please make the following correction to Sharon Vincent's entry in your 2025-2026 directory:

Sharon Vincent

6350 N 78th Street #278

Scottsdale, AZ 85250

480-766-0203

From your Co-Membership VPs: Judy H. @ trinahub@aol.com   Gail S. @ stemgw@aol.com

Artie's Palooza...

March provided the Scottsdale Branch with an opportunity for both the Membership Vice Presidents and the Advocacy/Community Action Committee to collaborate at a single event. Participation in Artie’s Palooza on the campus of Scottsdale Community College on March 11, 2026, offered a fun and engaging opportunity to interact with students, faculty, and staff. The campus was lively with music, entertainment at Two Waters Circle, and food.

Barb Esses and Linda Nance attended the event and hosted a table filled with information about American Association of University Women (AAUW), inviting student visitors to join during AAUW National’s free membership offer and all faculty and staff with the discounted membership. The table generated strong interest and interaction with students, faculty, and staff. During the two-hour event, many visitors stopped by to learn more about the organization and its mission.

Barb and Linda spoke with numerous attendees, provided written information about AAUW membership and its mission, and distributed small prizes to visitors.

--Linda Nance

Barb Esses (left) and Linda Nance(right) at AAUW's Artie's Palooza table at SCC on March 11. Thanks, ladies.

FINANCES...

Membership Renewal Time Approaches

Time to think about getting yourself renewed for the upcoming fiscal year of AAUW Scottsdale Branch. Our dues are $115 and the smartest, safest way to pay up is via the national website…AAUW.org. This way you can make sure that your information is absolutely correct for purposes of communication. AND the sooner you renew, the more likely you will avoid those pesky renewal notice reminders. 

ADDED BONUS: Everyone who renews online (and online only) on or before May 31, 2026, will be entered to win a $50 bill. I used to say a $50 gift card but cripes…cash is so darn easy to get and to spend. Our $50 winner for 2025 is eligible to win again, so let's ALL renew online. If you find yourself needing a membership number, most any officer can help you acquire that. RENEW SOON!

If you must pay by check, feel free to hand that paper over to myself, Lennie Andrews (Co-Finance Director) or our Membership VPs, Judy Hubbard and Gail Stempil. We all love to take your money!

 --Viva Ashcroft, Co-Finance VP

Advocacy/Community Action:

We are a GOOOOOOO!!!

Petitions have been released by the ProtectEdAZ coalition of which AAUW is a member. Click here: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgzQgKvGvJjsLrlvWhfCfDhzlplbb to learn about how to obtain and circulate the petitions and about the opposition's campaign, with a competing petition, to confuse voters about the ESA vouchers and our campaign.

Special Interest Group News...

International Affairs/Great Decisions:

Books...

Books Etc.

Lovely ladies,

Please let me know if you will be attending the discussion of Shakespeare’s Sisters by Ramie Targoff on April 15 at 1:00 p.m.. The discussion will be held at my house, 3237 E Desert Cove Ave., Phoenix, 85028 and will be led by Renae Bates. A short summary follows:

THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS’ CHOICE • A BOSTON GLOBE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • This remarkable work about women writers in the English Renaissance explodes our notion of the Shakespearean period by drawing us into the lives of four women who were committed to their craft long before anyone ever imagined the possibility of “a room of one’s own.”

In an innovative and engaging narrative of everyday life in Shakespeare’s England, Ramie Targoff carries us from the sumptuous coronation of Queen Elizabeth in the mid-sixteenth century into the private lives of four women writers working at a time when women were legally the property of men. Some readers may have heard of Mary Sidney, accomplished poet and sister of the famous Sir Philip Sidney, but few will have heard of Aemilia Lanyer, the first woman in the seventeenth century to publish a book of original poetry, which offered a feminist take on the crucifixion, or Elizabeth Cary, who published the first original play by a woman, about the plight of the Jewish princess Mariam. Then there was Anne Clifford, a lifelong diarist who fought for decades against a patriarchy that tried to rob her of her land in one of England’s most infamous inheritance battles.

Please let me know if you will be delving into Elizabethan times with a group of very erudite women! I have snacks to make (or buy) you know!

--Cynthia Peplinski cynthiadysart@cox.net

Lunch Bunch...

Hello lunching ladies,

Remember years ago when you wanted to go out to lunch with friends but you also wanted it to be healthy enough not to “stew” about the calories when you went home???

About half the time you probably chose The Herb Box, which was centered in a little cubby hole off Scottsdale Rd. I remember them making their own delicious tuna fish sandwiches with homemade potato chips (my “go to” meal) and everything was so fresh and clean! Well, The Herb Box has relocated to 7000 E Shea Blvd., Ste. G1010 but it is just as fresh and delicious as I remember! 

This is one of those restaurants where you can make a meal on the “shareables” such as VEGAN NOSH BOARD  and MEZZE BOARD. But if you want a meal ALL TO YOURSELF, you might try the SHORT RIB ENCHILADAS or the BLACKENED CHICKEN + SAGE PESTO.

I fear though, that my choice will be the SERRANO-SHRIMP SALAD.

I’m just so very glad The Herb Box is still with us and we can partake in our usual “jollies” on April 2 at 11:30. Let me know as soon as possible if you are in a “partaking” mood.

--Cynthia Peplinski cynthiadysart@cox.net

Shopping at Fry's Can Help an SCC Student...

Scottsdale Branch has, over the years, been part of Frys Reward Program--whereby, if you are enrolled, a percentage of your purchase goes to our scholarship fund at Scottsdale Community College's Maricopa Community College Fund, which will then benefit a returning student. Here's how you can enroll:

1. Go to frysfood.com
2. click on Community
3. click on community rewards
4. click on Enroll Now
5. sign on with your email and password
6. enter with organization number XV773 (Maricopa Community College Fund)
7. click Enroll
8. enter your 12 digit Frys account number (which you will have had to obtain first)
9. MCCF will pop up

HOW TO ORDER AN AAUW NAME BADGE

Go to AAUW.org and in the upper right hand corner, log in with your email and password. 

You'll need to create an account if you don't have one.



Click on Membership in the top right hand corner.

Go to Discounts and Perks on the right side of the screen.

Scroll down to Shop AAUW, about halfway down, and click on it.

Click on Accessorize.

You'll see Custom Name Badge and click on it.

Decide between pin or magnet back. 

Customize to order.

$11.50 w/pin   $15.00 w/magnet

And place your order!

NEWS FROM NATIONAL....

New AAUW Data Shows Gender Pay Gap in Every Congressional District Ahead of Equal Pay Day

March 11, 2026

District-level data reveals persistent pay gaps nationwide and highlights the lasting economic costs for women, families, and communities. 

Washington, D.C. — In advance of Equal Pay Day (March 26), AAUW has released new data to show the gender pay gap in every state and congressional district across the country. In AAUW’s updated report, The (Not So) Simple Truth About the Gender Pay Gap, new analysis makes clear that pay inequity is not abstract — it affects women’s earnings in communities nationwide and costs women, families, and the economy. 

Women who work full-time in the United States earn just 81 cents for every dollar earned by men, leading to an estimated $542,800 in lost earnings over a 40-year career. While the size of the gap varies by location, women earn less than men in nearly every congressional district. Over time, those losses make it harder for women to pay bills, build wealth, support families, save for retirement, and achieve economic security. For many women of color, mothers, LGBTQ+ women, and women with disabilities, the gaps are even wider. 

“The gender pay gap is not abstract — it is costing women money in every congressional district in America,” said Gloria L. Blackwell, CEO of AAUW. “When women are paid less, families have less to spend, save, and build, and our economy is weaker for it.” 

AAUW’s research shows that the pay gap is driven by a combination of factors, including occupational segregation, unequal access to high-quality jobs, caregiving responsibilities, and persistent discrimination. The report also highlights the role education plays in women’s economic mobility. Women with higher levels of education generally earn more over their lifetimes, yet pay gaps remain even among college graduates and those with advanced degrees. 

....

Equal Pay Day is a symbolic marker used to illustrate the gender pay gap and the reality that women, on average, are paid less than men. Additional Equal Pay Days throughout the year highlight the even deeper inequities experienced by many communities of women, including Black women, Latina women, Native women, and others. 



Click here https://www.aauw.org/app/uploads/2026/02/Arizona.pdf. to see pay gap in your Arizona Congressional District.

Time to sign up for the Two Minute Activist:

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