President’s Message

We recently were notified that Prescott AAUW received an award from AAUW National.  It is my pleasure to share the body of the email with you.

“It is with great pleasure that I share some exciting news—AAUW Prescott (AZ) Branch has achieved two stars in AAUW’s FY24 Five Star Program! Your branch attained the Communications & External Relations and Programming stars. This recognition is a testament to the dedication, hard work, and commitment of your branch members to advancing AAUW’s mission of gender equity for women and girls.

The Five Star Program is designed to honor branches that align their work with AAUW’s strategic priorities in areas such as Advancement, Public Policy & Advocacy, Governance & Sustainability, Programming, and Communications & External Relations. Earning two stars is an incredible accomplishment, and we are thrilled to celebrate this success with you.

Congratulations again on this well-deserved recognition. Thank you for your continued leadership and dedication to creating a more equitable world.”

This award is the result of the hard work of many in our branch working toward a better world. I am proud of all the work being done to further our mission: “To advance gender equity for women and girls through research, education, and advocacy”.

Lastly, you ask how did National AAUW find out about the fine work being done in Prescott? During the summer the planning team completed and submitted a report requested by National about what and how we were furthering our mission. Your hard work and commitment create the result!

I am very proud to be working in conjunction with our membership to help make this a more equitable world

Thank you,
Miriam M Haubrich

Upcoming Programs

General Meeting: January 11th

Prescott Women: Kate T. Cory Photographer and Artist

Brenda Cusick, Board Member of the Prescott Western Heritage Center, brings Kate T. Cory’s story alive in the first person, in full costume.

Kate T. Cory was a Manhattan socialite who ventured to Territorial Arizona to join an “artists colony” on the Hopi Mesas in 1905. But, she was the only one! That didn’t stop Kate – in fact, she stayed for almost a decade – learning to love the Hopi. She moved to Prescott in 1912,  and, along with Sharlot Hall, helped set up a museum to save Hopi and Yavapai artifacts. One of Prescott’s powerful women pioneers – her story needs to be told. 

General Meeting: February 8th

Healthy Living for Your Brain and Body

Our February Speaker this year is Alexis Ramirez. She spoke to us two years ago in May, and many people said they wanted more.  She’s a great speaker.  She is the Community Engagement Coordinator for the Alzheimer’s Association.    Alexis has been with the association for 8 years. She received a BA in Public Health from New Mexico State University with a focus on community health, outreach, and cancer research. She transferred from the Alzheimer’s Association’s New Mexico office to serve in the Prescott Office and Northern Arizona. Alexis has 10 years of experience working for non-profits, including working with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington, and has received local awards for her work in community health and wellness.

This program is designed to offer you research-based recommendations about taking care of our brains and our bodies to age as well as possible. Topics will include:
– Strategies to age well in the following areas: cognitive activity, physical health and exercise, diet and nutrition, and social engagement.
– Make your plan for healthy aging using the Healthy Habits for a Healthier You.
– Identify the reasons for taking care of yourself as you age.

AAUW Prescott Business

Tax Deductible Benefit for AAUW Members
This is just a reminder that 100% of your AAUW national dues ($72) ps deductible as a charitable contribution on your 2024 income tax return if you itemize your deductions.

---

Holiday Brunch Photos

AAUW Prescott Awards

The Ongoing Stamina Award is presented annually to a member who has served AAUW for ten or more years. And, like the Energizer Bunny, she just “keeps going and going and going.” Criteria for selection include personal integrity, leadership and initiative, sustained dedication to the Mission of AAUW, and personal growth opportunities within the membership.

The honoree for 2024 is Sandra Bennett.  Since 2007 when she stepped into her first two-year term on the board, Sandra has been willing to serve in a variety of leadership and support positions. As a board member, Sandra has been chair or co-chair of Public Relations, Programs, Scholarship, and Dining Around committees. She participated in the Women’s Forum and helped develop both the public art and historic home tours as fundraisers for our scholarship fund. Additionally, for many years Sandra has selected places for the Singles group to meet for dinner. 

In both her professional life and her time here in Prescott, Sandra has dedicated herself to supporting and advocating for women. She has displayed Ongoing Stamina in her service to the mission of AAUW and our Prescott Branch. We are proud to honor her with this award for her Ongoing Stamina. 

The Mover and Shaker Award was awarded to Janet Orr, who has been a member since 2013. Janet had extensive experience with newsletters and web development so immediately gravitated to the Communications Team where she now serves as the Co-Chair. Her tasks include designing webpages, troubleshooting the website, audio-visual assistant at General Meetings, and serving as Co-Editor of the Thumb Sketch Newsletter. She has served as the Travel Discussion Group leader and has also been active in advocacy activities, such as Girls Rock-It Day and Reality Store.

The Rookie of the Year Award, established in 2013, is given to a member who has been in the Branch for three years or less.  Sonya Tenney is the Co-VP of Membership for 2023-24 and 2024-25. She jumped in when her partner on the membership team stepped away and she had to handle it alone. Membership is one of the more challenging roles on the Board as she keeps the membership database aligned with AAUW National’s database. She encourages recruitment of new members and co-hosts new member gatherings each year. She assists in any way she can as a member of the AAUW-Prescott Board, which is sometimes a challenge considering that she also works as a preschool teacher.

AAUW Arizona

On February’s Legislative Day, we will meet at the State Capitol with legislators and activists to discuss the state of Justice for Women in Arizona. Check your email and/or the AAUW-Prescott or AAUW Arizona websites for more details in January.

Advocacy Activities

Advocacy News 

Happy New Year!  I am looking forward to the next few months and upcoming advocacy initiatives.

Reality Store – Pat Mann, Lenore Hemphill, and Cathy Cunningham have been working to get all the details and materials for Reality Store ready for our January 6th training and the January 14th store.  If you would like to volunteer but haven’t committed yet, there’s still time. Contact Pat Mann or Lenore Hemphill.

School Board Meetings – Attending school board meetings is an easy way to stay current with education in our area and bring any significant issues to the attention of our branch. The time commitment is minimal, and agendas are available on the board’s websites.  Let me know if you are interested in attending.  School board meetings are held:

Prescott Unified 
First Tuesday of the month, 5 p.m.
District Office, 300 E. Gurley St., Prescott

Humboldt Unified
Second Tuesday of the month, 6:30 p..m.
District Office, Bldg 400
6411 N. Robert Rd., Prescott Valley

Chino Valley Unified
Second Wednesday of the month, 5 p.m.
Board Room, 650 E. Center St., Chino Valley

And just for a taste of what you might hear at one of these meetings, see Lenore Hemphill’s article in this Thumb Sketch about her visits to the PUSD board.  Thank you, Lenore, for taking the time, not only to attend the meeting, but for your article as well! 

Legislative Session – The AZ legislature begins meeting in January for 100 days.  Bills of import to the AAUW Mission will be communicated as needed.  

Still Want You – If you are interested in joining the Advocacy Committee, please contact me.  We will be meeting after the first of the year to generate new ideas on how to be advocates for women and girls in our community.  Again, this is a short time commitment and doesn’t require more than brainstorming!

---

Advocacy Involvement

I am a former classroom teacher, teacher trainer, and central district administrator.  When I read Penny Briner Ewell, Advocacy Coordinator’s, call for attendance at school board meetings, I thought “Hey, I can do that!”  Here are some of the highlights from the November and December 2024 meetings.

The Governing Board of PUSD meets on the first Tuesday of each month at the District Office, 300 Gurley Street.  Members of the public are welcome to attend the meetings.  Both November and December meetings started on time and remained on track through multiple presentations, comments by Board members, both elected officials and student representatives, and PUSD staff.

Some highlights of November include: Presentations
– Badger Abroad Program Review – This program is a school-supported, student/family-funded travel experience
– Explanation of the A-F Letter Grade – How a school received a letter grade assigned by a state-determined formula

Remarks by Elected Board Members and Student Representatives

The members highlighted some of the activities they have seen and participated in and a question-and-answer time for the Board and District personnel.  The student representatives highlighted events such as swim meets, sports activities and participation in a Special Olympics dance with the Yavapai Exceptional Individuals group.  They also highlighted a career exploration day presented by Dignity Health and Yavapai College. 

Donations – Community organizations provided funds to Farm to School and PHS Drama

During the Community Comment time, the Superintendent clarified the funding for signs and other billboards seen at schools highlighting school achievement and successful PUSD graduates.

Highlights for December include: Presentations 

Prescott High School (PHS) JROTC presentation included information about the program and highlighted a student who attended a flight school program during the summer and received her license to fly.  She was an outstanding graduate of the program. Also, PHS Fall sports coaches and students were honored with “coins” for their activities Outgoing elected Board members received recognition for their service with “coins” and comments.

Donations – Community organizations provided money to support PHS Outdoor Education, Farm to School, and PHS Wrestling.

I have attended many a school board meeting, but I will have to say that the Prescott Unified School District beats them all for being efficient at meetings.  They start on time and end at a reasonable time.  One of the meetings was only an hour!  All meetings are available via video.  Visit https://www.prescottschools.com/governing-board.

Membership

January-February 2025 Report
by Sonya Tenney

In December, Leslie Gellerman joined our Prescott Branch, bringing our membership to 113. As always, we hope to increase our membership, and the best way we’ve seen that happen is when members invite and bring their friends. So consider who you could invite to our next General Meeting and extend an invitation! And watch for Leslie and get to know her. We are planning a New Member Gathering for our recent new members in February.

Scholarships

Thanks to everyone who donated to our Opportunity Award Fund at the November General Meeting. The Scholarship Committee raised $160 through the sale of the tablets and the auction of the baskets.

At the Holiday Brunch, members donated $1,941 in the Red Envelopes to be used to fund the Opportunity Award Fund.

---

---