AAUW-Long Beach

VANTAGE May 2014 Volume 43 Issue 9

Courtesy—Board Brief 2

President’s Message 3

Endowment Update 4

International Cuisine 4

Members/Women Succeed 5

Public Policy / LAF 6

Interest Groups 7

Meeting information 8

Inside this issue:

Come to our wonderful May Garden Party

for fun, friends, refreshments and raffle prizes

May 3, 2014 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM

at the home of Lamis Hashem, 3312 Hill Rose Drive,

Rossmoor, CA 90720

Our annual Garden Party is always a lovely event offering us time to relax and socialize with other members, to meet new members and new friends, and to browse our branch program and special interest group displays while enjoying delicious refreshments. We encourage everyone to bring your friends, neighbors and fellow volunteers in other organizations to our Garden Party. What could be better? Raffle prizes, great food, wonderful and active women, and the opportunity to introduce our guests to our AAUW Branch and our many exciting programs and interest groups. Since the Garden Party is a membership event that is open to the public, it qualifies for reduced membership dues of $66.50 (instead of our usual dues amount of $91) for any new members who join AAUW on Saturday. Those who join at the Garden Party will be members through June 30, 2015. This is a wonderful benefit for anyone who joins during this event, so invite your friends and colleagues to come and meet us.

Happy Spring to everyone!

May Garden Party

Saturday May 3, 2014

AAUWʹs Mission Statement: AAUW advances equity for women

and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy and research.

AAUWʹs Value Promise: By joining AAUW, we belong to a

community that breaks through educational and economic barriers

so that all women have a fair chance.

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Branch News

These AAUW officers for the 2014—2015 year were elected at the April Branch meeting.

President – Flo Pickett President Elect - Vacant Co-Program VP – Raquel Sanchez and Jeane Caveness

Co-Membership VP – Carol Smith and Lamis Hashem

AAUW Funds VP – EO – Elsa-Karen Braden

AAUW Funds VP – LAF – Cecilia Kim

Secretary – Darlene Daclan

Investments VP (new) – Deloris Mayuga

Treasurer – Darci Fersch (1st year) and Linda Patten (2nd year)

We look forward to a smooth transition

and a continuation of great leadership!

"What potent blood hath modest May."

- Ralph W. Emerson

FULL BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETINGS (Elected and Appointed officers required, Administrative chairs are encouraged!) All meetings are held on the third Monday of alternate months, unless otherwise noted, from September to May at the Unitarian Universalist church, 5450 E. Atherton St—Room 2. So-cial time 6:30 p.m. and meeting at 7:00 p.m.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETINGS (Elected Board members required) All meetings are held on the third Monday of alternate months, unless otherwise noted, from September to May at the Unitarian Uni-versalist church, 5450 E. Atherton St—Room 2. Social time 6:30 p.m. and meeting at 7:00 p.m.

Remaining meeting dates: April 21

ANNUAL CHANGEOVER IN/OUT BOARD MEETING (Incoming and Outgoing Elected and Appointed officers and Administrative chairs)- May 19, 2014 at the Unitarian Universalist church, 5450 E. Atherton St—Room 2. Social time 6:30 p.m. and meeting at 7:00 p.m.

Please send communication to Editor: Rebecca Low rlow1@hotmail.com or call 562 - 596-8832

CALENDAR EVENTS & NOTICES

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Int’l Cuisine – Callaloo Caribbean Kitchen

Saturday, June 7, 2014

Installation Lunch – Old Ranch Country Club

AAUW-LONG BEACH WEBSITE:

h!p://www.aauw-longbeach.org

AAWU email Address:

AAUWLongBeach@gmail.com

Weʹre on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/aauwlongbeachca

Http://Facebook.com/groups/AAUWLBGoToCollege

Follow AAUW on

The regular meeting of the Board of Directors met on Monday, March 17, 2014 at the Unitarian Univer-

salist Church. Regular Board business was transacted. The following motion was passed:

Shelley Arnold moved that the Board recommend to the Branch that a branch representative

be appointed to participate as a member on Congressman Alan Lowenthal’s Taskforce on the

Economic Status of Women.

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President’s Message Daphne Ching-Jackson – President

As the 2013-2014 year heads toward the last 2 months of my term as President, I find myself feeling very empowered and exhilarated by the events, activities and issues our Long Beach Branch has addressed in the past several months. For example: The forum, "When Women Succeed, America Succeeds" took place on March 22nd and some of us attended the empowering economic forum to which we were invited. Speaking for myself, the issues of equal pay, work & family balance and affordable child care have been concerns for too many years. I was a young woman when these issues were identified. I hope that finally some forward progress will be made and if it involves grassroots efforts AAUW should be lock-step participants with our nation's leaders to bring about change. This will give me more hope that change is coming. The congresswomen, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Janice Hahn, and Grace Napolitano, articulated the issues succinctly. Their call to action was clear and simple: Use social media to get your opinion out to others. Technology has proven that if we are to see a shift in this country it will begin with electronic media outlets. These middle-aged women get it. Join them! (See article from Fay.)

As an AAUW member since 1994, I am excited to see AAUW move much more actively at the National and State levels on behalf of women and girls. I recall past years when I was unsure of what they were doing, but there is an orchestrated focus now that is evident every day. Public policy efforts in the last few years at both the National and State levels are getting the attention of elected officials at both levels of government. Pay equity, an issue for all women to support, and other economic issues that hold women back are now in the forefront in Washington thanks to the AAUW staff's efforts which provide a plethora of facts and research. More locally, I've become more informed, so I'm glad that I have overcome the old adage that "you can't teach an old dog new tricks". I have gained new knowledge in these past several months in a very exciting way about these vital issues. Thank you AAUW!

The April 3rd program on "Human Trafficking" both shocked me and saddened me. It saddens me that in our country in the 21st Century such heinous exploitation is being perpetrated on vulnerable women and especially innocent young girls. The violations of human rights that I heard Lt. Dan Pratt articulate are what I have seen on TV or in the movies. I thought it was fiction! How naive of me. To think that in our community human trafficking is occurring right under our noses is utterly shocking and needs to stop! Perhaps in the coming months we can identify a way to support the Long Beach Police Department to continue to save young girls.

The issues addressed in this article are intended to be a sign that as one year begins to close, and a new year begins in two months, we should all marshal our resources and gain knowledge to help with effective solutions and contribute to making our community a better place for women and girls. We actually have a good track record, so I hope you will join me and Flo Pickett next year as we continue our efforts!

AAUW Supports Common Core

AAUW recently adopted a position on Common Core, the new national education stand-ards. These objectives are critical to preparing all students for postsecondary education. Learn more about how your branch can support Common Core by emailing Erin Pran-gley in the Public Policy Department.

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Meet More Long Beach Branch Endowment Interest Recipients

Research and Projects Grants include Career Development Grants, which help women who

seek to achieve upward mobility within their present careers or are trying to change careers.

The Long Beach branch has four completed Research and Projects Grants that honor three

members: Joyce E. Clark, completed in 1990, Connie Wright Inskeep, completed in 1995, and Ethel

Black, completed in 2001. The fourth Research and Projects Grant honors the Long Beach branch and

was completed in 2008.

This month, meet two of the recipients of interest money from these endowments.

Cathrine Ivie, recipient of interest from the Joyce E. Clark endowment, is

working toward a M.S. in Assistive Technology and Human Services at CSU,

Northridge. Catherine lives in Tennessee and utilizes online studies for much of her

work. Catherine, a therapeutic recreation specialist, brain injury specialist, and

parks and recreation professional, works with wounded warriors who need six or

more months of rehabilitation, many of whom face lifelong disabilities. Women

experience the same combat related challenges as their male counterparts, and it is

Ivie’s goal to help them access programs and resources that will support them in

their transition to life with a disability.

Sarah Wanyoike is studying for her M.S. in Public Health at Emory University

in Atlanta, Georgia. She received a Career Development Grant and is partially

funded by interest from the Connie Inskeep Research and Projects Endowment.

Sarah has experienced homelessness, and she seeks to advance her career in public

health in order to improve policies concerning women’s and children’s health, espe-

cially access to health and nutrition services. She is currently working at Children's

Healthcare of Atlanta and the Emory Global Health Institute. She has also worked

Sharon Westafer

INTERNATIONAL CUISINE

For the last dinner this year, we will be going to the

Callaloo Caribbean Kitchen where we will have a chance

to enjoy savory dishes cooked in Trinidad style.

Location: Callaloo Caribbean Kitchen

3147 E. Anaheim Street (between Termino and Ximeno)

Phone: (562) 230-7530

Date: May 21, 2014 6:30 p.m.

Parking: There is some parking in the back of the restaurant as well as street

parking in front.

Please contact JoAnn Kuroda at (562) 429-6923 e-mail: sojoinlb@aol.com or Joan

Gustafson at (562) 439-3130, e-mail; jwg221@aol.com to let us know you will be

joining the group on May 21 or if you have questions.

Deadline for reservations is May 17, 2014.

Endowment Update

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Membership Ma7ers Lamis Hashem and Carol Smith,

Membership Co-Chairs

The merry month of May brings showers, flowers and our lovely Long Beach Branch Gar-den Party. Membership is the focus for our Garden Party as our members gather to relax and socialize together and we offer our guests the opportunity to join AAUW at the event for reduced dues ($66.50 instead of our usual $91).

Although some of our members found and joined our AAUW Branch on their own, most people who have joined us over the years were brought to one of our meetings or events by our members. The Garden Party is a wonderful way to introduce your friends or those with whom you volunteer in other organizations to AAUW and to our Branch activities and programs. Happy Spring to everyone. We look forward to seeing you at the Garden Party.

New Members We're happy to welcome five new members to our AAUW Branch. Debra Blumberg, Del Clark, Michelle Kiss, Marie Kiss and Christina McCambridge are our newest members. Del Clark and Christina McCambridge are former Branch members who have rejoined us, and Debra Blumberg is an AAUW Member at Large who is now a Branch member as well. Please look for them at our meetings and give them a warm welcome to our Branch.

When Women Succeed, America Succeeds! Fay Denny

An Economic Agenda for Women and Families.

On Saturday, March 22, 2014, Daphne Ching-Jackson, Shelly Arnold, Kay Hudnall, and I had the

privilege to attend the “When Women Succeed, America Succeeds” conference put on by three Con-

gresswomen: Lucille Roybal-Allard, Janice Hahn, and Grace Napolitano. The event took place in the

Council Chambers of the City of Commerce City Hall. Approximately 250 people heard the con-

gresswomen speak about three pillars that form women’s issues: Pillar One, Equal Pay; Pillar Two,

Work & Family Balance; and Pillar Three, Affordable Child Care. These issues are right in line with

our AAUW Public Policy that we’ve promoted for years.

California State Senator Holly Mitchell spoke to the group about current legislation in Sacramento

focusing on the “Maximum Family Grant” bill passed in Governor Pete Wilson’s administration

which limited the amount of money allowed to economically depressed families. She is hoping to

change the guidelines in the bill.

National AAUW had contacted Daphne and asked if we would take AAUW materials to display.

We did and we also took the wonderful display that Carol Smith put together which tells about the

projects in our Branch. Most of the women attending the event had never heard of AAUW so it was

important that we had the materials to give to them.

“When Women Succeed, America Succeeds” events are planned nationwide. House minority leader

Nancy Pelosi promoted the idea and it caught on. Locally, Congressman Alan Lowenthal held a task

force meeting with women in Long Beach. Our President Daphne Ching-Jackson attended and plans

to be our representative to future meetings.

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News from CA—AAUW

Public Policy / Legal Advocacy

Up for the Count…. every year National issues what’s been called the February 1st count, which is a snapshot of the number of members AAUW CA has on its rolls from March 16th of the previous year to January 31st of the current year. It’s a bellwether for how we are doing in our recruiting and retention efforts. We are happy to report that this year due to our members’ efforts we have added 1152 new members and we have reduced the rate of declining membership.

(AAUW—LB is a good example of growing our membership. Keep it going!)

Help Needed for State Committees and Appointments

Join the AAUW—CA Leadership Team! The Call for Appointments and Vita/Application for the 2014-2015 year is now available on the AAUW-CA website. Now is the perfect time to step up to help lead this wonderful, dynamic, exciting organization. The deadline is June 1, 2014.

Kathleen Doty, President Elect, kdoty@aauw-ca.org

Can you take the time to make a difference or add your thoughts and voice to the following issues?

From the AAUW Website— http://www.aauw.org/what-we-do/public-policy/two-minute-activist/

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BRANCH INTEREST GROUPS Joining an interest group (or many) is a great way to get to know other members on a more personal level. Make friends while participating in fun, informative and educational activities. To start a new interest group, submit a description to the President and it will be passed to Ellen Mathis, Interest Group Coordina-

tor for help with implementation.

Antiques and Collectibles, led by Judith Kaho, meets several times a year to share their love and apprecia-tion of beautiful/interesting antiques, historical family items and collectables. Light refreshments are served by the hostess, sharing and conversation ensues; held at various homes or at a local retailer. Contact Judith at 562-429-2790.

Book Chat Plus Group members present the most interesting book they have recently read, film they have seen or the most exciting travel experience they have had. If time allows, all three! Light refreshments are served along with the intriguing conversation. Contact Helen Sebring at 562-596-0180.

Bridge Group plays at the Petroleum Club in Long Beach on the second Friday from 9:30 - noon. To inquire about a seat at the group meeting, contact Cathy Cunningham at 562-424-3166; catherine_j_cunningham@yahoo.com.

Cultural Adventures Group plans trips to museums and other points of interest. It is usually a mid-week tour & lunch scheduled several times a year. Join a group that enjoys checking out museums and cultural in-terests. Contact JoAnn Kuroda at 562-429-6923 or email at sojoinlb@aol.com.

Great Books Group reads from an anthology published by the Great Books Foundation. It includes philos-ophy, poetry and fictional writing of prize winning and world renowned authors. Contact Linda Patten at 562-402-6831

Great Decisions Groups meetings are held in February and March. Members prepare by reading one chap-ter of the Great Decisions book; published by the Foreign Policy Association, about a situation of world im-portance. The self-moderated group meets to discuss the pros, cons, and issues of important topics. Each participant is encouraged to bring other sources of information. Everyone gets a turn/or pass, no one is "wrong" and all opinions are respected. One of the groups meets year round to discuss foreign policy.

Each person pays for a copy of the book when available. Contact Adele Brown at 562-594-6443 or email at

abrown511@verizon.net.

International Cuisine Group meets and dines at restaurants of different ethnicity in the local area. It is usu-ally scheduled every few months on a Wednesday within an easy drive of LB. Car pooling is an option Come join a group who enjoys unique flavors of the world. Contact Joan Gustafson at 562-439-3130

The next adventure will be to Callaloo, (see article in this newsletter)

Literary Ladies Group meets to discuss and compare thoughts on a selected novel, fiction or non-fiction. Each member takes a turn recommending and leading the group on a recently published book. The ladies come together to hear the thoughts and insights of others in the group. They meet at Jean Aldrich’s home on the 2nd Monday at 1:00 pm. There is a maximum of 12, and a waiting list. Contact Sharon Westafer at 562-493-4749 if needed about the May book, Someone by Alice McDermott.

Public Policy meetings, explore, discuss and support the active legislative issues of AAUW, which under-score our mission of promoting equity and education for all women and girls. The group passes on knowledge and information to all branch members and encourage them to become involved with AAUW is-sues. Meetings are on the 3rd Thursday. Contact Flo Pickett - or Shelley Arnold, the new PP Leader!

Residential Rentals Discussion Group meets the 3rd Wednesday of the month year round, from 10:00–11:30 am. Anyone with an interest in residential rentals is welcome. We often have a topic, share recent landlord expe-riences and work to keep our knowledge current. An email/call to Joan Gustafson or Ellen Mathis will en-sure there is a chair at the table for you.

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AAUW Long Beach Branch In principle and practice, AAUW values and seeks a di-

verse membership. There shall be no barriers to full par-

ticipation in this organization on the basis of gender,

race, creed, age, sexual orientation, national origin or

disability.

Periodicals

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IDENTIFICATION STATEMENT: AAUW Vantage (USPS 361-850) is published monthly except in July and September by the Long Beach Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW), P O Box 15023, Long Beach, CA 90815. Periodical postage paid at Long Beach, CA. Postmaster: send address changes for AAUW Vantage to P O Box 15023, Long Beach, CA 90815.

RESERVATION RETURN

Send your registration and check payable to AAUW LB

to Joan Gustafson, 221 Bennett Ave, LB, CA 90803

Member

_____________________________________________

Phone _______________________________________

Guest / Note _____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

Please come and bring a friend! - no charge.

RSVP not needed! Those making a meal reservation have made a financial commitment and refunds shall not be made.

AAUW BRANCH MEETING

Saturday, May 3, 2014

Party Time 1:00—3:00 PM

PLEASE NOTE CHANGE IN SCHEDULE

Place: The home of Lamis Hashem

3312 Hill Rose Dr. Los Alamitos, CA 90720

Phone: 562-795-6605

Lamis will welcome your contributions of food or drinks or donations.

No RSVP necessary

Questions: Fay Denny or JoAnn Kuroda