AAUW Atlanta Branch

The AAUW Funds Committee of the Atlanta Branch is pleased to announce the Name Grant Honorees for 2011.   They are:  Dr. Myra Carmon, Diana Dey, and Carol Fetters (in memoriam).  Their awards were part of the December Branch  holiday celebration.

Carol Fetters, a long-time Branch member, succumbed to cancer earlier in 2011.  For many years she hosted the Contemporary Literature Branch Interest Group.  She had been active in the Branch and was noted for her delightful personality and energy.

Dr. Carmon and Diana Dey worked hand in hand to establish our first collegiate organization branch at Georgia State University (GSU).  Their many hours of work and persistence made this possible.  They also devoted time and effort to organizing the fall Branch kickoff meeting at GSU, attracting members and potential members.  Both received a special certificate from AAUW and a pin acknowledging their contributions to the organization.

Their efforts have stimulated us and we look forward to their continuing efforts on behalf of the AAUW Atlanta Branch!

AAUW Atlanta Branch will hold its special December meeting on Sunday, December 11, 2011, at the home of Mary and Darwyn Womack, from 3 to 5 pm.   Members should plan to bring an item for the silent auction, and funds raised will go to the AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund.  Board members should arrive at 2:30 to set up for the silent auction.  If you don’t have a special item to contribute for the auction, a “money tree” will be available so you can add support for LAF.

This annual event is always a special occasion, and members and friends can enjoy the wonderful goodies that the Branch Board members bring.   Consider bringing a friend who might be interested in joining our Branch.   Please notify Frances Smith (hospitality@aauwatlanta.org) if you plan to attend, and the names of any guests, by December 9.  See you there!

The November Branch meeting will be held on Saturday, November 12, from 10 am to 12 pm. at the offices of Cool Girls, Inc. (Suite A-220 of the Southern Dairies Office Park, 621 North Avenue NE, Atlanta 30308; phone 404.420.4362.) Andrea Hill, Director of Volunteer Services, will brief us on the programs offered to girls in our community. And Branch members Susan Diffenderfer and Pam Antinori will update work on our potential signature project with Cool Girls.

There will be a brief Board meeting from 9:30 to 10 am; please be prompt so business can be concluded before the general meeting. A light breakfast will be served at the beginning of the meeting.

While there is no charge for this meeting, members are asked to bring a $5 gift certificate to Target, Wal-Mart, or similar store to assist teens in the Cool Futures program with their holiday shopping.

Please RSVP to Frances Smith by Monday, November 7. Look forward to seeing you there!

The GA AAUW Fall Board meet­ing begins 8:45 am Sat­ur­day, Octo­ber 22, 2011 at Shorter Uni­ver­sity, Riverdale Cam­pus (south of the air­port). Pat DeWitt made arrange­ments for GA AAUW to use the facil­i­ties. This is the loca­tion where the 2010 Sum­mer Lead­er­ship meet­ing was held.

Deb­bie Kar­vey, Co-President said, “Lau­rie and I hope to see you there … offi­cers and mem­bers, all are welcome.”

Impor­tant busi­ness will be dis­cussed as well as value added pro­grams and GA AAUW updates. Please down­load the reg­is­tra­tion form and direc­tions and return by Octo­ber 18. There is no need for a lunch selec­tions this time as there will be an assort­ment of sand­wiches for lunch.

Thanks to the students in our Georgia State University (GSU) Collegiate Affiliate Branch (CAB) for hosting our September kickoff meeting at the GSU Student Center.   The students had an opportunity to meet our Branch members and to get a feel for how our business meetings proceed.  Special thanks to Dr. Myra Carmon, advisor to the CAB, who worked with Diana Dey, CAB president and with Betty Slater, Branch member for organizing the refreshments and program.

Two of the students whom our Branch supported in attending this summer’s the National Conference for  College Women Student Leaders (NCCWSL), Lauren Kenny and Diana Dey,  had a power point presentation highlighting some of the activities in which they participated.

Members of both branches took advantage of the opportunity to sign up for working shifts of the 52nd annual Bookfair to be held from October 2 through 10th at Perimeter Mall.  We need the help of everyone to make this year’s Bookfair a success, so please contact Barbara Buchanan to contribute your time.

Our 2011-12 Branch meeting year begins with a meeting at Georgia State University, hosted by our collegiate affiliate Branch. We will gather in the Court Salon on the first floor of the Student Center, located at the intersection of Piedmont Avenue and Gilmer Street. Light refreshments will be served.

The program features students from Agnes Scott College, Georgia State University, and Oglethorpe University who attended the National Conference for College Women Students Leaders this summer. Local and national scholarship winners will also be recognized.

For this meeting only, please RSVP to either co-president (Mary Lynn Merkle or Ruth Yurchuck) by Wednesday, September 14. Members are urged to carpool.

Directions:
From I 75/85, take the MLK exit (248A). Keep right on MLK and turn right on Piedmont, then left of Gilmer; the student center entrance is located here.
To get to the G parking deck G (the only entrance open on Sunday is on Collins Street) continue on Gilmer and turn left on Courtland. Continue on Courtland to MLK Drive and turn right on MLK to Central Avenue. Turn right on Central, then right on Decatur Street to Collins Street (under the viaduct) and turn right. The G deck is at the end of Collins on the right.
From the G deck, walk to Decatur Street and turn right, then left on Piedmont and walk to Gilmer, one block up. The Student Center is on the corner.

Attending the June 2011 AAUW Convention was a great experience.  A summary of highlights from the convention will appear in the September newsletter.  I have also prepared an extensive report of Convention activities by event, and you can easily move through the attached document to read those portions of greatest interest to you.

Georgia State University (GSU) was approved as a collegiate affiliate branch of AAUW Atlanta earlier this year. AAUW Atlanta Branch members Myra Carmon, Pat Bevis, Sharon Bevis-Hoover, Mary Lynn Merkle, Betty Slater, and Ruth Yurchuck, were in attendance on Wednesday, July 27, when the GSU Branch met for an organizational meeting to elect officers.

Newly elected GSU officers are: Diana Dey, President; Glenett Hannah, Vice President, Phoebe Mandji Ahoke, Secretary, and Angela Fagan, Treasurer. JannRonn Bradford agreed to the the Public Relations officer. These officers will be meeting to develop website content.

Students can join the GSU Branch by going to the student organization site, gsu.orgsync.com, create an account, and search for AAUW to join.

Special thanks to Diana Dey and Dr. Myra Carmon for all their work in creating this collegiate affiliate branch. The Atlanta Branch looks forward to working collaboratively with this group.

Dot Ransom, Membership Vice President, has yet to hear from a number of current members regarding renewal of dues for 2011-2012. Everyone who renews their membership before June 30 (that means checks to Dot before that date) will pay the current membership dues of $77.

Members renewing or joining after June 30 will pay annual dues of $87, as AAUW of Georgia has voted its first dues increase in over 10 years. So do yourself a favor–renew your membership NOW!

Contact Dot at membership@aauwatlanta.org if you have questions.

The May 14, 2011 Branch meeting, held at the Ansley Golf Club, was a festive occasion. Stephanie Davis, Executive Director of Georgia Women for a Change, one of the community organizations with which we partner, reviewed accomplishments of our collaborative efforts and described some policy issues where our membership can be involved in upcoming months.

Members also heard updates from task force members working on our potential signature projects. Sharon Bevis-Hoover and Colleen D’Alessandro spoke about the CARE national conference. Tami Anderson described the work needed to focus a project on commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC). Barbara Buchanan and Susan Diffenderfer related work done with Habitat for Humanity.

AAUW of Georgia Co-President, Debbie Karvey, installed elected Branch officers for the coming year. They are: Mary Lynn Merkle and Ruth Yurchuck, interim Co-Presidents; Sharon Bevis-Hoover, President-elect; Pat Bevis, interim Program Chairman; Board secretary, Diana Witt; and General meeting secretaries, Blondie Chitunya-Wilson and Betty Slater. Lynn Fountain will chair the Nominating Committee, assisted by Huiping Du, Nikita Boston, and Blondie Chitunya-Wilson.

Plans for our 2011-2012 activities will be developed at the joint meeting of our current and incoming Board to be held on June 14.

Please join us in another year of progress in redefining our Branch!