AAUW Mt Vernon Branch members participated in the Women’s March on Washington on January 21, 2017!

 Gathering at the Newseum with AAUW members from across the country

      
Branch members with family and friends

Lisa Maatz, Vice President of Government Relations at AAUW,  was the speaker for our branch meeting on November 19. She gave an update of AAUW’s work on Capitol Hill and had great stories to share. Branch members and guests loved her sense of humor and were impressed with her ideas about how we could participate more fully to move AAUW’s mission forward.

Co-President Peggy Knight – League of Women Voters of the Fairfax Area – moderated this  Meet and Greet Event.

AAUW of Virginia is co-sponsoring the Fairfax County Meet and Greet events.  Our branch contributed funds again this year to the League of Women Voters of the Fairfax Area towards the filming and editing of these events.

Patsy Quick and Cathy Krebs headed to D.C. on May 8 to participate in AAUW’ of VA’s Lobby Day.  We were briefed by Anne Hedgepeth (first photo, red dress) from AAUW, and escorted by Lobby Corps members to 4-5 delegates’ offices to lobby for the Family Act.  There were over 30 of us, including Lobby Corps members, participating!

We learned that Lobby Corps members are extremely organized and professional as they walk about the halls of Congress.  We had fun and were glad to have had the experience!  Photos: Middle, Patsy Quick; right, Sandy Lawrence, Woodbridge Branch member of Lobby Corps, both visiting a member of the House of Representatives.

Six Mt. Vernon Branch members attended the AAUW of Virginia Conference at Smith Mountain Lake on April 4-6, 2014.  AAUW of Virginia charted a course for continued efforts towards Equal Pay for Women,  the focus on STEM issues, and laws to eliminate Human Trafficking.  We had a lot of fun, too!  And, Shirley and Edie won raffle baskets!

Dr. Barbara Ryder was AAUW of Virgina’s Woman of Achievement.  She has an amazing career in computer science.  Currently she is at  Virginia Tech as Chair of the Computer Science Department.  Her photo is top right.

On March 22, Joanne Clark, Mary Ellen Mehler and Patsy Quick attended Woodbridge Branch AAUW’s Girls+Math+Science+SUCCESS!! Conference at Marsteller Middle School.  We were impressed by the organization & the number of engaged participants.  The presenters were excellent!

In their 24th year, the SUCCESS Conference is an annual event held each Spring where students in grades 5-12 in Prince William County, Manassas, and Manassas Park Public Schools, are treated to a day of workshops with professionals working in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.

The January 16 program on FAIR Girls was a huge success!  We had a large and very generous crowd who were wowed by our energetic speaker, Teresa Tomassini, Director of Programs for FAIR Girls, INC and Amoy Stephen, a client (and Joanne Clark’s mentee with Empowered Women International).

This message is from Teresa Tomassini, “Your audience was quite generous last night and all donations will be going directly to our case management fund which allows us to continue providing direct services for survivors. Thank you. It means so much to me personally, to our entire team, and most importantly to the young people we work with.”

We hope to partner with FAIR Girls again some time soon.

FAIR Girls prevents the exploitation of girls worldwide with empowerment and education. Through prevention education, compassionate care, and survivor inclusive advocacy, FAIR Girls creates opportunities for girls to become confident, happy, healthy young women.

Photo, left to right: Amoy Stephen, Teresa Tomassini, Joanne Clark

On Sunday, September 17, Mt. Vernon and Alexandria Branches presented a program on the Affordable Health Care Act.  Not only did we learn a lot, but we enjoyed the opportunity to meet with our Alexandria neighbors at their lovely meeting place in Cameron Station.  Our two speakers, Arthur E. Peabody and Elinor Abraham, were very professional and knowledgeable.

Heartfelt thanks go to DeJuana Jones for planning the successful branch program on October 17.  We learned how meditation, quality foods and alkaline water all help us lead our busy lives in the best health possible.

Thanks also go to Cathy Krebs who brought delicious healthy snacks.

Pictured left to right are DeJuana Jones; speakers Sarina Griswold, Leah Tasman, Elaine Gibson; and Program Chairs Joanne Clark and Joanna Crane.

Several members of the Mt. Vernon branch represented AAUW at the Walk for the Homeless on September 21.  The walk was held at the home of Elaine Kolish, who is both a member of the Mt. Vernon Branch and President of the UCM Board of Directors.  Other branch members and neighbors contributed financially to the success of the walk, which netted $1,200 for UCM’s work with homeless citizens in the Mt. Vernon Community.

Thanks to everyone who walked or contributed!