AAUW – Tarrant County
Branch Newsletter
THE BARK
October 2012
Published October 8, 2012 Volume 3 for 2012-2013
Tina Caliga, Newsletter Editor,
In this IssueAssociation News… p. 6 Branch Calendar…. p. 7
Community Calendar... p. 8
Community Events..... p.7
Fundraising Update…. p. 3
Interest Groups….… p. 3-5
Kudos…...p. 6
Member News….. p. 2
Nov Board Meeting…. p. 2
Nov Branch Meeting… p. 1
Oct Branch Meeting…. p. 1
Photos from Events…. p. 8-9
Sister to Sister……p. 2
Special Film….. p.5
TCC Scholarship… p. 6
Website…… p. 6
Yearbook…. p. 6 / President’s Corner – October Message
TCU’sBrown-Lupton University Union provided a vibrant setting for our September program on Title IX After 40 Years. I still smile when I think of the inspiring, heart-warming stories shared with us by the panelists. This event was made possible by collaboration with the TCU Women’s Studies and Athletic Departments.Title IX has enabled women’s entries into new fields of study, promoted equity in athletics and provided many scholarship opportunities for women.
Autumn, lovely autumn! With our activities in full swing and many options for service, we can keep our momentum on these refreshing days, while sharing our mission with others!
Susan Fine, Program VP, has another timelyprogram planned for October, to highlight what the Affordable Healthcare Act means for women’s health.
Looking forward to seeing you October17th! --Tina
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OCTOBER 17TH BRANCH MEETING
Please join usfor the Wednesday, October 17th Branch Meeting at Trinity Terrace, 1600 Texas Street at Penn, Fort Worth. We are pleased to presentMarjorie McColl Petty, JD, MS, Regional Director of the US Department of Health and Human Resources, speaking on“The Affordable Healthcare Act & How It Affects Women.” Please arrive at 5:30 pm for registration and a social time.Dinner will be served at5:50pm,and the presentation begins at 6:10pm. Price is $ 17 per person at the door. Reservations are required viaEvite or email by Monday, October 15. (See flyer emailed with this newsletter.)
NOVEMBER 28thBRANCHMEETING
Looking ahead, our November Branch Meeting will be a Holiday Gathering at the Stayton at Museum Way. Because Thanksgiving falls early this year, we will be meeting on the 4th Wednesday of the month. There is no branch meeting in December.
The November7thBoard Meetingwill be held in the “green room”at The Stayton at Museum Way from 5:30 to 7:15 pm. Many thanks to BJ Hoskins for hosting us!
Your Help Is Needed for the SISTER TO SISTER SUMMITNovember 3rd
Why: To make a difference in the lives of middle school girls from Fort Worth
When: November 3, 2012
Time: Between8 AM to 4 PM or any part of the hours,
with most work done before noon
Training required: None. You will be trained as you help.
Where: TCC Trinity River Campus
Who will be there: Employees of Fort Worth ISD, Delta Kappa Gamma Members and AAUW Tarrant County Branch members, plus college women from TCC and TCU.
Details: This day requires efforts from our entire Branch. It will be our 10th year for the Sister-to-Sister Summit. There will be middle school girls participating from five different Fort Worth ISD schools, girls who may not finish high school. We are going to give them a day with college women to discuss their concerns, inspire them to finish high school, and plant the seed that they, too, can be a college graduate. College women from TCC and TCU will again be the mentors for the middle school girls. We are very grateful for their key participation.
What do members need to do before November 3?
Help with procurement of "Goodies" to be given to the middle school girls and women at the end of the event. These are anything that either of these age groups might like. Some come as promotional items or donations from companies and others are things someone buys.
This takes a lot of effort from members such as Cecilia Silva, who does the critical task of recruiting the women from TCU. We are so privileged to have Jo Linda Jara Martinez, Co-Chair of Sister-to-Sister, who works with curriculum and trains the college women. June Hill tackles the tough task of logistics. Randi Thistlethwaite is organizing the Greeters, who will lead the get acquainted exercises with each group of middle school girls as they arrive. Please contact Randi at 817-921-3348 or click to volunteer.
In addition, it takes the partnership with TCC Trinity River Campus and the Fort Worth ISD. This year we are joined in this effort by Delta Kappa Gamma, Delta Chapter of Fort Worth, who has donated $1,000 to this effort! This donation has made this year's T-shirts possible for the middle school girls and college women. This effort truly takes a village - All of us!And we need you!Please let me know if you are willing to help.Not only does it make a difference, but it is just a fun day! Please call or email me to help or ask questions.
- - Mary DuBoise, Sister-to-Sister Co-Chair at 817-577-3713 or .
Member News
Welcome New Member, Karen Vanderwerken, 817-926-9124 (home), 817-371-3833 (cell),,April 3rd birthday. Karen has a BA in English and Psychology from Milligan College in Tennessee and an MA in English from Ball State University in Indiana. She retired as Executive Director of the Center for Financial Training. Karen was formerly a member of AAUW when she lived in Marion, Indiana. She was attracted to join our branch at the Title IX event with TCU. Karen enjoys reading and is interested in our branch's book clubs.
MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION
Dues are still $75! If you wish to renew or join our branch, please contact Membership Co-VP Mary Bailey, at817-735-1488 or . In case you are wondering, $46 of the $75 is tax deductible.
GIVE A GRAD A GIFT
Did you know AAUW members can give a recent grad — a friend, daughter, son, granddaughter, grandson, niece, or nephew — a free AAUW membership within two years of graduation? At no cost to you or them! Expose the grad to the power that comes from belonging to a national women-led organization of more than 100,000 members who believe in and advance equity and education for women and girls. Expand their networking opportunitiesthrough career development opportunities and community action projects. They will experience the rewards of working with and learning from successful AAUW mentors. Click here to give this and many other benefits for FREE!
Update on Fund Raising
- Tarrant County Branch Foundation, 501(c)(3) Update– An Ad Hoc Committee led by AAUW Funds VP, Emelia Hoefle, will be making an application during the coming year for this non-profit status foundation. This will facilitate soliciting donations for our fundraising activities.
- The Bouquet of the Monthcards will be available at the October Branch Meeting. We are partnering with Sally’s Flower Shoppe on Camp Bowie for deals on beautiful flowers! You are encouraged to shop at Sally’s for gifts for all occasions & thank her for joining our cause!
- Tom Thumb Good Neighbor Program – Your grocery dollars spent at Tom Thumb will help our branch, if you sign up with this program. We will receive $1 for every $100 spent with a Tom Thumb Rewards card linked to our organization. Click here to access the form and print a copy. Use Charity # 5773 for our Tarrant County Branch AAUW.
INTEREST GROUP ACTIVITIES
COMMUNITY SERVICE
The first Community Service Project for this new interest group is scheduled Monday, October 29, from Noon to 3 pm, at the TARRANT AREA FOOD BANK, 2600 Cullen St, Fort Worth. We will be assigned to Quality Control, responsible for checking, sorting, and boxing foods for distribution to food bank recipients. Please wear layered, comfortable clothing, and closed-toed shoes are mandatory.Please RSVP to Susan Brinkley, group leader, at. All members are welcome to pitch in and help!
BOOK CLUBS
AAUW members receive a 23 percent discount on books in the ¡Adelante! reading list purchased from The Feminist Pressat the City University of New York, a nonprofit institution dedicated to publishing literary and educational works by and about women. Purchase from and use the discount code AAUWBC2012 at checkout.
¡Adelante! Book Club
Our Adelante! Book Clubmeets once a month and loosely follows the AAUW National Adelante! Reading List for the year. Please join us for the following Adelante! Events:
On Monday, Oct 15th at 10:00am we will meet at Susan Dougherty’s home where she will host and review Lark & Termiteby J. A. Phillips in honor of National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Lark and Termiteis set during the 1950s in West Virginia and Korea. Read about it here. Carpooling to Susan’s Lake Worth home is being arranged by Tina Caliga at . Please RSVP your attendance to .
On Monday, Nov 12th at 10:00am,Adelante! will meet at Dawn Ellison’s home where Tricia Deitz will lead the discussion on Empire of the Summer Moonby S. C. Gwynne, in honor of American Indian Heritage Month. Gwynne explores the rise and fall of the Comanches, the most powerful American Indian tribe in US History. Read about it here. You will find some important local history highlighted in this book; so we have arranged two field trips in conjunction with our study to the Fort Worth Central Library from their lectureseries. Please join us for one or both:
1) Quanah Parker and Cynthia Ann Parker’s Legacy, 6-7pm, Tuesday, Nov 6; Tandy Lecture Hall; presented by Rena Lawrence, Educator at Log Cabin Village, Fort Worth.
2) Remembering Comanche History, 6-7pm, Tuesday, Nov 20, Tandy Lecture Hall, presented by Lance Tahmahkera, great-great grandson of Quanah Parker. Dinner after is optional.
For more information about the Fort Worth Central Library’s American Indian display with many other program choices, click here. Should you be interested in attending the book discussion on Monday, Nov 12th, or either/both of the lectures at the library on Nov 7 or Nov 20th, please RSVP to .
LITERATURE GROUP
You are invited to attend the Literature Groupon October 8th at 7:30 pm, hosted by Kay Yount. Dorothy Aker will review Ghosts of Fort Worth: Investigating Cowtown’s Most Haunted Locationsby Brian Righi. Please RSVP to Kay at .
On Monday, Nov 12th at 7:30 pm, theLiterature Group will meet at the home of Donna Tullis.
GOURMET GROUP
Gourmet Groupwill be hosted by Joan Rambin and Trudie Byers on Sat, October 27th. Inquire at . There is no party in November. In December, Kay Yount will host. For more information about Gourmet openings, contact Carlotta at .
OUT TO LUNCH BUNCH – Please join us!
Berry Bock is the leader of this new interest group and invites all branch members to attend as their schedule allows! On Wednesday, October 24th the Out to Lunch Bunch will meet at The Samaritan House at 929 Hemphill Street, Fort Worth 76104 at 11:30 am. We will have a boxed lunch provided by Z’s restaurant and be given a tour of the facility by our member Lyn Scott, VP/CFO of Samaritan House. Their mission is to create a supportive community providing housing and resources for positive change in the lives of persons living with HIV/AIDS and other special needs. Please RSVP via email to Berry Bock, by Tuesday evening, October 22nd. For more information, contact Berry at 682-556-3220.
Ray’s Prime Steak and Seafood Restaurant, 3206 Winthrop Ave, 817-732-1614.Reporting back on the Out to Lunch group’s first noontime dining experience, the continental fare was moderately priced and tasty. A variety of sandwiches, salads and dinners were available. The evening menu is more varied and $$$, with great steaks and a full wine selection, appropriate for that special occasion.
-- Photo by Sarah
CULTURAL OUTINGS
For our November events, we will join with the Adelante Group in plans to attend lectures relating to Empire of the Summer Moon at the Fort Worth Central Library. (See details above on page 4.) Please RSVPto .
1) Quanah Parker and Cynthia Ann Parker’s Legacy, 6-7pm, Tuesday, Nov 6; Tandy Lecture Hall; presented by Rena Lawrence, Educator at Log Cabin Village, Fort Worth.
2) Remembering Comanche History, 6-7pm, Tuesday, Nov 20, Tandy Lecture Hall, presented by Lance Tahmahkera, great-great grandson of Quanah Parker. Dinner after is optional.
Our first outingwas held on Monday, October 1st and provided an evening of fun for all. We began with dinner atMi Cocina Restaurant, 509 Main Street,followed by an evening ofRussian Choral & Orchestral Masterworks by the TCU School of Music at Bass Hall. Mi Cocina was a successful choice for dining before a concert with great food and service. Then the beautiful music by TCU artists exceeded our expectations!
COMING ATTRACTIONS
EarlyDecember Cultural Outing: Docent led tourTo See as Artists See: American Art from The Phillips Collection,AMON CARTER MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART.(Date to be determined.)
Monday, February 18, 2013, 7:30 a concert outing is planned to “Cliburn at the Bass,” with Joshua Bell on violin and Sam Haywood on piano. We will meet for dinner beforehand at Thai Tina’s.
Special Film“THE INVISIBLE WAR” – You are invited Saturday, Nov 10, 11am, The Modern
The AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund has filed a lawsuit on behalf of 30 military women who were sexually assaulted: The Women’s Center Tarrant Countyis will be showing the film mentioned in the above webpage, entitled “The Invisible War”, on Saturday, November 10, 2012 at 11am at The Modern Art Museum. It’s free… You are invited to attend by Susan Fine, Director of Public Relations and Communications at the Women’s Center.
NEED A RIDE TO ANY BRANCH EVENT?
Please contact the individual taking the RSVP’sfor help with arranging a ride. Carpooling is good for the planet and always a good idea!
The Website is Growing! – September 19 -
The new AAUW Tarrant Countywebsite has launched and joined the AAUW National’s new web server! With this decision comes the benefit of free web hosting where we will create and maintain our own web pages. The website will be a source of information about our mission and activities for the year, as well as an online location for our monthly newsletter for all to access. Check out the new Programs and Projects Pages by clicking the top tabs from the Home Page. See you online! -- Liz Stepp, Webmaster
TARRANT COUNTY COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS
Thank you for your efforts in AAUW fundraising last year, making possible the funding of our TCC Scholarship. Additional online donationsare made easy by theTCC Scholarship website. Click here to access the donation page on the website.(Select:One Time Gift, fill in the giving info, then choose button Named Scholarship for Gift Designation Options. Scroll through the list and choose AAUW-Tarrant County Branch Scholarship. Be careful as there are other AAUW listings.)
Let's make our goal of $500 per semester for our current scholarship recipient!
--Pat Auping and BJ Hoskins, TCC Scholarship Co-Chairs
YEARBOOK DISTRIBUTION
Membership helped with the distribution of yearbooks at the September meeting. The books will be available again at the October 17 Branch Meeting. After that all remaining yearbooks will be mailed to members by Tricia Dietz, Yearbook Chair.
KUDOS TO:
- Susan Fine, Program VP, for the awesome programming!
- Peggy Hendon for submitting our photos to the Social Eyes pages of the Star-Telegram!
- Liz Stepp for her masterful work on our new website!
- Sister to Sister Co-Chairs, Mary DuBoise and Jo Linda Jara Martinez,as they gather resources and preparefor the Summit on November 3rd!
- Sister to Sister Committee of cheerful helpers!
- Emelia Hoefle and Susan Fine for preparing and printing the new Bouquet of the Month cards!
- Tricia Dietz for our beautifully updated and printed Yearbooks!
- Sunshine Sue Catterton who has signed on to send notes of cheer and encouragement!
- New interest group leaders Susan Brinkley and Berry Bock for their enthusiasm!
THE NEWS FROM ASSOCIATION
The good news is AAUW has more than 150,000 Members and Supporters and is growing at a time when many organizations are seeing a decrease in membership. AAUW continues to be relevant! New online and social media tools are helping us to reach out to people who care about our issues.
AAUW Action Fund Releases Voter Toolkit 9/26/12
Includes Congressional Voting Record and Summary of Obama Administration’s Performance. To access the AAUW Action Fund’s nationwide It’s My Vote: I Will Be Heard campaign and Voter Toolkit, click here.
AAUW Releases Commonsense Guide on the Pay Gap with State-by-State Rankings 9/20/12
Nationally, median earnings for women are just 77 percent of men's — a pay gap that hasn't budged for the past 10 years. Read the full press release, click here.
Be an AAUW Two-Minute Activist:
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD IN CONGRESS! First, take a minute to read about the latest issue in Congress. Then, take one more minute to personalize a message and e-mail it to your member of Congress. Click here.
UPCOMING COMMUNITY EVENTS
Join Susan Fine andTarrant County Walkersto walk for fun, fitness, and friendship! This group meets for planned walks on Saturday mornings. Contact Susan Fine for more information on the fall schedule, .