Jane Gramley and Becky Yeatman
If you want to check in with your AAUW friends this summer, join the group on Thursday night from 7 – 9 p.m. or Saturday morning from 9 – 11 a.m. Although the sorted boxes are stacked high, there are many more that need pricing and sorting. If you can’t lift boxes, come and price books while others sort and move completed boxes. We have a few more months before the sale, but we do need help getting the books ready.
The Georgia AAUW Summer Leadership meeting is being hosted by the Warner Robins Branch for the second year in a row. This year the meeting will be held at Lindsey Elementary School located at 81 Tabor Drive. The setting will allow the use of the computer lab for training sessions on the new state website and how to use the free WordPress for your own site. Other agenda items include a report from the AAUW convention, public policy proposals, and resources for branches. Everyone is invited. It should be a worthwhile day. Complete the registration form and mail to Marty Scarborough by July 21.
The national convention will be June 26-28, and the hot topic of discussion will be the proposals for major changes in the association bylaws. There is sure to be plenty of up-to-date information about the proceedings on the AAUW web site, http://www.aauw.org.
You might also want to check the AAUW blog at http://blog-aauw.org and discussions on the AAUW’s Facebook site, or the separate Facebook group for the convention. There is another group on Facebook to discuss the proposed elimination of the degree requirement for AAUW membership. You do need to have a Facebook account to see the postings.
If you like fast short bits of information, sign up for a free Twitter account. Members will be “tweeting” using #AAUW09. Do a Twitter search for #AAUW09 and you will get all the posts from the convention. If you don’t understand what Twitter is all about try this video Twitter in Plain English.
Ann MacKay and Evelyn Merk attended the AAUW Convention in St. Louis. Evelyn has been attending conventions since 1981 while it was the first time for Ann. It was a historic meeting with new bylaws being adopted and new leadership elected. North Fulton branch member, Carolyn Garfein was elected AAUW President, the first time in many years that AAUW elected President. The new AAUW is a 501(c)(3) organization merging membership and the educational foundation. The voter education and lobbying arm is the smaller AAUW Action Fund a 501(c)(4) organization.
After a long two year period to craft bylaws for the new AAUW, the committee recommendations were adopted with some changes. The one member, one vote passed, membership qualifications were amended to keep the degree requirement, and the composition of the board of directors was changed to add more elected members and reduce appointed members.
Marcia Capriotti, Cobb Country Branch member, was appointed to the new AAUW Board of Directors.
The next convention takes place in Washington, DC June 17 – 19, 2011.
Ann MacKay
Ann MacKay (Warner Robins) and Carol Stephens (Cobb County) received the Georgia AAUW Achievement Award for their work for their branches and for the state. MacKay redid the Georgia website as well as the branch website.
Margaret Mathews prepared this PowerPoint presentation for the Georgia convention Membership Showcase. Marty Scarborough did the presentation. It includes our history and current community and branch activities.
The AAUW convention is fast approaching. Evelyn Merk is the elected branch delegate to the AAUW national convention. Ann MacKay will also attend as a state appointed delegate. Ann will also be presenting her experience revamping the state website as a panel member with Peggy Woods-Clark, AAUW Website Manager, and Nancy Shoemaker, North Carolina AAUW web manager. The panel presentation is scheduled for Friday morning during the technology presentations.
Misty Holtz, (left) Eleanor Granum (right)
The AAUW WR branch chose Misty Bryant Holtz as the Eleanor Granum Volunteer of the Year winner. Misty works on base as a contractor, lives in Warner Robins with her husband, Derick, and willingly—without recognition—gives of her time and talents to young and old in the community. Misty serves as a mentor for young women in the county, helps tirelessly with Salvation Army Safe House, volunteers hours for Relay for Life and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Research concern, as well as working full-time and supporting her branch in raising scholarship money, donating to Safe House at Christmas and just being, in general, a caring, giving young woman! Congratulations, Misty Bryant Holtz.
Now’s the time to clean out your bookcases. The blue book barrels are now ready to collect your old books at the entrance to the Houston Mall and at Happy Hour Recycling Center. Tell everyone you know that we need clean used books for the November sale.
The Warner Robins Branch is in charge of registration for the Georgia state convention. Eyelyn Merk will be handling credentials and Marty Scarborough will be showing the PowerPoint presentation of the branch activities prepared by Margaret Matthews.
Marlene Humphy, Varie Rustin and Laurie Shaw have active roles in their state leadership roles. Ann MacKay designed the revised Georgia website which will be shown at the meting.
