President’s Message
What is your family’s education history? As I’ve talked with many of you, I’ve heard a wide variation. Some continued directly after High School graduation and many were returning adult students. We may have had family financial support, scholarships, government grants and loans plus working to pay our tuition.
I had a mix of all financial strategies. Unsurprisingly, I shelved books at Minneapolis Public Library afternoons and Saturdays. My salary was $2.73 per hour; my tuition was $273.00 per quarter. Students at the University of Minnesota today pay $4, 560.00 per quarter. To have the same ratio, they would need to earn $45.60 per hour.
Did you pay for your education? Did you financially help your spouse, sibling, or child? As a member of AAUW-Prescott, you help students at Yavapai College. We have two scholarships: the Mary Alice Moulton Childcare Fund has awarded over $25,000 to 33 women. The Centennial Scholarship has awarded over $6,600 to 8 women.
AAUW has been an advocate for equity since 1881. AAUW-Prescott since 1949. As we celebrate our 75th anniversary in 2024, it’s wonderful to see the educational progress of women. Currently, women comprise 50% of college graduates. College graduates are 39% women, 36% men. Yet, women still make 84% of a man’s salary. Clearly, we must continue our efforts. As strong, educated women, we will persevere.
A Long Line of Women Who Valued Education
Great Grandmother Mabel: Bachelor of Arts degree; Grandmother Helen: Associate degree; Mother Margaret: Three years toward Bachelor of Science; Baby Carol: Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts
Upcoming Programs
January 13, 2024 Meeting: 75th Celebration and Accessory Fundraiser for new Opportunity Award
AAUW-Prescott is celebrating its 75th year in 2024. We will be marking the occasion with a slide presentation recognizing past presidents, long-time members, and our contributions to the community.
In addition to our Birthday Bash, we’ll be having an “Accessory Fundraiser” to help support our fledgling Opportunity Award grant. Do you have jewelry, scarves or accessories that you aren’t using or don’t match your clothes anymore? At our January 13 general meeting we’ll have a sale to our fellow AAUW members to benefit the Opportunity Award. Please start collecting your neglected pieces now and gather them up for our 75th Anniversary Celebration in January. Table areas will be labelled $5.00, $10.00 and $15.00.
Unsold jewelry and accessories will be donated to Stepping Stones Thrift Store to benefit their support for women, children and families. AAUW-Prescott has supported Stepping Stones since its beginning in 1980.
The January 13th Program will begin promptly at 9:00 AM. There will be NO social hour before the presentation. Instead, a cake-cutting ceremony and refreshments will follow the meeting, as will the jewelry and accessories sale, with funds going toward the newly established Opportunity Award.
Please mark your calendar and plan to attend this special gathering on January 13, 2024, at 9:00 AM at The Center for Spiritual Living at 3755 Willow Creek Road.
February 10, 2024, Meeting: Flying High in February!
Our very own Natalie Stewart-Smith will be our featured speaker in February. A native of the Adirondacks of New York, Natalie J. Stewart-Smith’s multi-faceted career included military service and education, from the elementary to college levels. Stewart-Smith’s research primarily addresses women in the military and as military aviators. She is a Professor Emeritus of English, at New Mexico Military Institute. Natalie will be speaking about the 1929 Women’s Air Derby – the first official women-only air race in the United States. The race took off from Santa Monica, California, and ended nine days later in Cleveland, Ohio.
We look forward to seeing all of you on Saturday, February 10, 2024, at 9:00 AM at The Center for Spiritual Living.
AAUW-Prescott Business
AAUW-Prescott Welcomes Two New Board Members
Membership Co-VP: Mari Rimple
Mari is a new member who volunteered to complete Marla Jirak’s term. She’s being mentored by Marla, Sonya Tenney Membership Co-VP and Patti Allen-LaFleur, past Membership Co-VP. Thanks to Mari and the entire Membership Team!
Hospitality Co-VP: Kathryn Madden
Kathryn joined in 2005, and after a few years off, has re-joined. She volunteered to serve along with Ellen Momeyer, Hospitality Co-Chair. She has a few stories about AAUW and Hospitality in our past. Welcome back Kathryn!
AAUW Dues to remain at current cost; 2024 Individual Dues Now Fully Deductible
Individual members and students will not see a change in national dues for FY 2025. The proposed change to the Action Fund dues will simply reallocate those dues to AAUW, Inc. As a result, individual member dues will now be fully tax-deductible, whereas previously only a portion of the dues were tax-deductible. At this point, $69 of your 2023 Membership dues will be tax deductible.
More information on renewing your membership will be in our newsletter in the spring.
Membership
Mari Rimple jumps in: The most exciting news about membership is that Mari Rimple has joined Sonya Tenney as the Membership co-VP. Mari just joined AAUW in September, so she is jumping right in. We’re both new to the membership role, so please be forgiving and helpful as we figure out what we are doing.
We have been joined by another new member in December, so please reach out to Kelli Klosterman and help her feel welcome and draw her into your interest groups. Also, for all of our new members who have joined us in the past year, we will be holding a new member luncheon on a Saturday in the spring to welcome you. Our current membership total is 141. We’d love for this growth to continue, so we’d like to encourage everyone to invite a non-AAUW friend to our next meeting. Let’s see how many new friends we can add to our group in 2024.
AAUW-Prescott Annual Awards Presented
Ongoing Stamina Award Presented to Cathy Cunningham
Cathy Cunningham is the real backbone of AAUW. While many are willing to serve on the board, they often sit back after the end of their terms and have others take over. Cathy keeps serving! She completed the president’s term in 2006 when the then-current president had to leave for personal reasons. Then she served the 2006-2007 term. She’s served a variety of board positions along the way and has always been willing to jump in where needed. She was very active on the Scholarship Committee when money-making events were held. When the board secretary moved, there was Cathy ready to fill the need. At the Women’s Forum, she planned and facilitated a break-out session highlighting local authors.
AAUW is very fortunate to be the recipient of all that energy and devotion to the AAUW mission.
Mover and Shaker Award Presented to Penny Briner Ewell
Serving as Membership Co-VP for two years, Penny helped us through the COVID lockdown. As President-Elect and President, her ability to adapt guided the AAUW-Prescott transition forward to gathering in person. Additionally, Penny has served on the Scholarship Committee, including authorship of the Art: On and Off the Wall tour brochure. As President, she was instrumental to the success of the Women’s Forum last year, working behind the scenes– and as a speaker– to ensure that all went smoothly. Our connection with Bree Hinkel of Prescott Woman magazine is due to Penny’s friendly nature and welcoming continence. Still working to promote AAUW-Prescott, Penny has taken on coordination of our 75th Anniversary celebration.
Rookie of the Year Award Presented to Miriam Haubrich
Miriam Haubrich is the 2023 Rookie of the Year award recipient. Miriam joined AAUW during Covid, attending meetings via Zoom, and, yet, jumped right in. She served two years as Program Co-VP bringing to our general meetings wonderful local speakers on topics ranging from Alzheimer’s disease to election security to education. Not only has Miriam organized great programming, but she has also brought new members to the branch and recruited new board members. She has volunteered with Reality Store and is helpful wherever needed. Miriam now serves as President-Elect and will bring all her talents to the role of President next year. Congratulations, Miriam! There is a blurb that Sandra wrote for scholarship, and I emphasized it in the programs article. Hope that works.
Pictures from our annual Holiday Brunch
Public Relations
Branch Expands Community Alliances
Our Public Relations team has been expanding alliances and creating resources to enhance awareness of AAUW-Prescott’s ongoing contributions to the local community.
Important to this endeavor is membership in the Prescott Chamber of Commerce. Chamber membership provides opportunities to increase awareness of and participation in our many impactful Scholarship, Community Action, Public Policy, and Social Engagement projects. Media interviews, directory listings, Quarterly Women in Business (WIB) Luncheons, and other marketing initiatives are underway.
The Chamber’s final Quarterly WIB Luncheon for the year occurred Nov. 8 at the Hassayampa Inn. Speaker Amore Cianciola, the Inn’s director of catering and special events, shared her inspiring personal story of strength and perseverance as a career woman and single mother. While speakers for the 2024 luncheon series already have been booked, we have offered our expertise for additional engagements which may arise.
Preparing for our 75th Anniversary Celebration throughout 2024, we developed a special logo. Kelly Robyn Mann, the daughter of member and Reality Store® Program Leader Pat Mann, graciously created the commemorative graphic, which will be featured on publicity and informational materials during the year. Designer Mann is an award-winning “beauty and lifestyle” product photographer in Santa Monica, CA. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design and has worked with companies such as Vogue, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Sephora. Her website is https://kellyrobyn.co/ .
We have begun running feature stories from the General Meetings in the ThumbSketch. So far, we have covered Breeanya Hinkel, owner and publisher of Prescott Woman Magazine, and Jane Robertson, founder of the Teacher’s Closet, which provides free classroom supplies to educators and staff at Prescott schools.
Scholarships
Opportunity Award Off to a Good Start; Jewelry Accessory Sale at January General Meeting
Our Opportunity Award now has $1,670 in its account, thanks to the Red Envelope donations and gifts from other donors. We will soon start publicizing the award and seeking applicants. Thanks to all our generous members for supporting this initiative.
To further promote the scholarship, we will have a jewelry accessories sale during our January General Meeting, with funds going toward this newly established award.
Interest Groups
Book Groups
The Friday Morning Book Group (Prescott Valley) meets on the 3rd Friday of the month at 10:00 a.m. In the cold months (and the too-hot month of July!) we have been meeting at Carlito’s Café & Coffee House on 2nd Street, although we’re open to other locations. In the good weather, we have enjoyed Fain Park. All are welcome, so if you’d like to join us, let me know so I can confirm the location. You would just need to send me your email address. Contact Susan Goe in our directory for more information. Our group selects interesting books from a variety of genres. Our book list for 2024 includes the following:
Killers of the Flower Moon – David Grann
Horse – Geraldine Brooks
The Personal Librarian – Marie Benedict & Victoria Christopher Murphy
It Ends With Us – Colleen Hoover
It Starts With Us – Colleen Hoover (sequel to April)
The Bandit Queens – Parine Shroff
The Leavers – Lisa Ko
Astor – Anderson Cooper
Harlem Shuffle – Colson Whitehead
Demon Copperhead—Barbara Kingsolver
The Sentence – Louise Erdich
At our September meeting, group members bring their suggestions for the next year, and we discuss them. A tentative list is compiled and given final approval at the October meeting. If you’d like to give us a try, bring along your suggestions!
Shout Out to Susan Goe, PV Book Group Leader
Prescott Valley Book Group members surprised Susan Goe with a gift of appreciation at their November meeting. Susan is the leader of the AAUW-Prescott Branch Book Group that she helped create nine years ago, soon after she joined AAUW.
Travel Discussion Group
Is it time to take a cruise?
Tuesday, January 9, 2024 at the Prescott Public Library, Founders Suite B, 1:30-3:00
Cruises are becoming popular again. Are you ready? Let’s discuss:
-Can we stay healthy on a cruise?
-Different types of cruises: ocean, sea, and river cruises.
-Favorite cruise companies and websites.
-Repositioning cruises.
Interesting locations: Europe, Caribbean, Northeast US and Canada, Asia, Alaska, share more! Best website for cruise information and discounts: cruisecritic.com, vacationstogo.com, share more!
November 2023 Meeting Recap
Teacher’s Closet Affirms Appreciation for Educators
The Teacher’s Closet (supported by the PUSD Education Foundation) at Prescott High School fulfills Founder Jane Robertson’s passion for education, the provision of enriched classroom experiences, and ongoing affirmation to teachers that they are valued.
Drawing on 36 years of teaching, the 2004 Arizona Teacher of the Year and current governing board member of the Prescott Unified School District (PUSD) lauds the dedication of state educators. With per-pupil spending and teacher compensation ranking on the low end nationally, Robertson praises the dedication and personal sacrifices extended by the cadre of dedicated teaching and staffing professionals comprising the PUSD.
“One of our key challenges is teachers leaving Prescott for better financial opportunities outside of Arizona,” Robertson told attendees at the November General Meeting. “The pay is not that great within PUSD, even though we finally achieved the average state salary of $57,125 a year.”
PUSD earned an overall A Rating from the Arizona State Board of Education for 2022-2023, despite its challenges. The district was only one of three medium-sized districts in the state to achieve an A Grade for all of its elementary schools.
Robertson’s current advocacy began with the board of the Prescott Education Foundation, established by a group of parents to successfully pass a bond measure in 2015. The foundation’s coffers now include the funds to hire a full-time director. True to its goal of helping teachers in any way they are able, the foundation’s leaders apply for grants and initiate opportunities to recognize influential teachers and students.
Local teachers today, Robertson said, are allocated $125 a year to purchase classroom supplies. That amounts to about $5 per student. Teachers reach into their own pocketbooks for anything beyond that stipend.
Robertson said she “kept thinking how nice it would be if teachers could go somewhere, at no cost to themselves, to get supplies.” That place ended up being an actual closet at the district office, before expansion to its current Prescott High School location. Robertson has created a complete supply chain system through donations, financial contributions, community alliances, and purchase agreements with local office supply companies.
All teachers and staff in the PUSD are welcome to shop for supplies, she said. The facility is open twice a month. If specific supplies are not available, Robertson can order them. Last year, a disbanding real estate firm donated office supplies. In October 2023, a retired hobbyist provided scrapbooking materials.
“It is impossible to do this work without the community,” Robertson emphasized. “We receive funding, store discounts, and other support to keep supplies in stock. Frequently, our hardworking teachers do not feel appreciated enough. If we do little things like this, they realize that we do love them.”
For donations to the Teacher’s Closet, send or drop off contributions to PUSD Education Foundation, 300 E. Gurley St., Prescott, AZ 86301. Please be sure to specify the Teacher’s Closet as the recipient.
