NEWS FOR
AND ABOUT
AAUW GRAND RAPIDS
BRANCH
MEMBERS
EDITOR: Arlene Wheaton,
(218) 232-4989
MISSION: AAUW advances gender equity for women and girls through research education and advocacy.
December 13 Christmas Party & Scholarship Fundraiser
Location: Forest Lake Restaurant/Steakhouse
(lower level)
Social Hour: 5:00 pm Dinner: 6:00 pm
Annually, we hold a 'silent auction with a twist'
to benefit our scholarship fund. Our theme is "Warm & Cozy” this year.
We will sell tickets (25 for $20.00 or 12 for $10.00), and you will put a
ticket or tickets in the bag next to the gift you are interested in winning.
Several ideas for "warm & cozy" gifts include: a gift basket with wine and a good book for a night at home; coffee and a fun mug; a gift card to Starbucks, Brewed Awakenings or Caribou; scarf; tea sampler and more ideas you may have.
Menu: Fresh Basil Chicken over Rice OR Breaded Walleye with
Baked Potato, Teriyaki vegetables; all meals served with Caesar salad, fresh bread
loaf, apple crisp and coffee.
Cost: $25.00
Co-Chairs: Cyndy Agle and
Janis Johnson
RSVP to AAUWRSVPGrandRapids@gmail.com by Fri., Dec. 3. If you have any
questions, feel free to contact Danielle Witherill, 218-244-1793, danielle.witherill@edwardjones.com
“Always be the lea101ding lady of your own life."
― Audrey Hepburn
President’s Message
After living in SW Florida for 30 years, it is so nice to be guaranteed a white Christmas. Decorating our palm trees with lights was not quite the same. One plus was that I could plant my poinsettias in the yard after Christmas, and the following November they would start turning red and by early Dec. they were a gorgeous red. They would grow into a bush and come back year after year.
This month marks AAUW's 140th birthday. The organization is celebrating 140 years of progress together.
In the newsletter there is information on
Hibbing's annual book sale. They have
approximately 80,000 books. That is an ambitious project for their fundraiser.
On Dec. 13, we will have our Christmas
Party "Silent Auction with a Twist."
Each year we change the theme and this year it is "Warm &
Cozy." I am always amazed at the unique and creative items that our
members come up with. We started this in 2014 and it has been our biggest
fundraiser for our scholarship fund. Dress festively!
Wishing you a sparkling holiday season!
Cyndy Agle, Co-President
MEMBERSHIP NEWS
By Marj Lavalier, Membership Chair
Greetings members! Welcome to the 2021 holiday season. We will be able to be
with family and friends a little more this season than last. We will have our
AAUW Christmas fundraiser with its Warm and Cozy" theme.
Remember, you are welcome to invite friends who might like to support our cause and give to the scholarship fundraiser AND get some pretty wonderful items in return for their participation. If you have a friend who is interested in becoming a member, now is a great time to join and get to know us. The dues for a half year after Dec. 1 are $54, which pays for membership until June 30, 2022.
Here is a thought to consider during this holiday season as we remember friends and loved ones. "To know someone is to know the song in their heart and when their memory fails, to sing it to them," by Esra Earl Jones.
Have a Blessed Christmas and Hanukkah and
a Happy New Year!
|
|
Meet a
MEMBER
Linda S. Johnson
First-year member of AAUW
AAUW: I am a new member who joined in September of this year. I have attended several Exploring our Community field trips and joined the winter walking group (the summer date/time does not work for me since I play bridge with friends every Wednesday morning). I am a strong advocate for women equality in the workplace, having seen and experienced discrimination during my career.
Growing up: My family sold their farm in Meadowlands, MN and moved to
Grand Rapids when I was in 3rd grade. I
am the oldest of three girls. I had an older brother who died of leukemia when
he was 6 and I was 4. My mother was a Registered Nurse at Itasca Memorial
Hospital for 25 years. My father was
legally blind and had several different jobs.
Career: After
graduating from Greenway High School in 1968, I completed a 2 year computer
programming degree from Hibbing Technical College. January, 1971 I started my
career at Itasca County. For the first 9
months I was the payroll clerk in the Engineer Department. I then moved to the Treasurer’s Department
and wrote the first computer programs to calculate the real estate taxes and
print the County tax statements. The
Itasca County Information Systems Department was created. We started by buying computer time from
Blandin Paper Company. The County-wide
property tax file and computer programs were punched on cards at the courthouse
and physically brought to Blandin for processing. Over 35 years as technology improved and
became cheaper, I moved the County to in-house online systems connecting
multiple locations via fiber and then to providing information and services to
the public via the internet.
I was instrumental in creating Minnesota
Counties Information Systems (MCIS), a joint powers of Minnesota counties that
share programming development cost.
Their office is currently located on the Airport Road.
I served on the School District 318 Community Task Force Technology Committee to help bring computers into the classrooms. I served on the Northeastern Minnesota Telecommunity Advisory Board to help create and expand regional telecommunication systems for voice, data and video. I served on the Government Information Systems Management Organization (GISMO), which was an organization of state, county and school Information Systems Managers whose purpose was to educate members on new technologies and sharing information.
Personal: I am married to David L Johnson, and we live on the Eagle Ridge Golf Course in Coleraine. I have two married children, a son and daughter from my first marriage to Patrick Taylor. Dave has one unmarried son. We have six grandchildren ages 6-14. I enjoy golfing, gardening, reading, hiking, boating, kayaking, traveling and spending time with family and friends. A few memorable travel experiences include riding a donkey down 600 stairs in Santorini, Greece; losing my purse in Syndney, Australia; touring England, Ireland and Holland in a van with five other women; the beauty of Croatia; and seeing the wildlife of the Galapagos.
** INTEREST GROUPS **
*BRIDGE
Day/Time/Location TBD. Group meets year-round. If interested in playing
Bridge, contact Dianne Anderson, 218-327-2651 or 515-450-9252.
*Exploring
Our Community
Dec. 4, 12:00 pm: We will meet for lunch at the Boulder Tap for a fun and social event to
get to know each other and to meet some of our new members. Please RSVP by Dec. 1 to Cyndy Agle
at cyndy.agle@gmail.com
The group goes on outings to area organizations, typically gathering for a meal. Contacts are Cyndy Agle, cyndy.agle@gmail.com and Juliet Jones, kcjones50@yahoo.com
*LITERATURE
– Monday group
The group will meet on Dec. 6, 9:30 am, Room 121 at Zion Lutheran Church. Nancy Raymond will lead our discussion of The Elephant Whisperer by Laurence Anthony.
Please bring your
monetary donation to Second Harvest so that we can help brighten the holidays
for our neighbors. For more information, contact Nancy Salmi @ 326-3147 or nsalmi@earthlink.net
*LITERATURE
– Wednesday group
The group will meet on Dec. 8, 10:30 am, Room 121 at Zion Lutheran Church, to discuss The Five Wishes of Mr. Murray McBride by Joe Siple. The book for the next meeting on Jan. 12 will be Miss Benson's Beetle by Rachel Joyce.
The group will also pick books for February through May at this meeting. For more information, contact Vicki Holmstrom at agiledog5@aol.com or 218-245-2294.
*Walking & Talking group
We are now on our winter schedule of walking on Tuesdays at 1 pm. The locations change from week to week but will be in the Grand Rapids area. The group is open to new members interested in walking. If you would like to join us, send your email and cell number to Karen Karls at k.karls@yahoo.com
You will receive an email with the weekly walk location. Members walk when they can or want to; no need to RSVP. We generally walk for about one hour. If the weather is really dreadful, we may cancel, and we’ll let you know. However, we are a hardy group of women who value the fresh air and exercise as well as the companionship.
AAUW Grand Rapids, MN Branch General Meeting
Minutes
November 8, 2021
The Grand Rapids branch met at the United
Methodist Church. Thirty-eight members and one guest attended.
A
social hour and dinner preceded the general meeting and program. Cyndy Agle, co-president, opened the meeting
by leading the reading of the AAUW Mission Statement. Anita Firman donated a
display of handmade cards for purchase.
Proceeds went to the scholarship fund. Danielle Witherill reported the
new reservation system was well received and requested the name of any guest be
included in the reservation. Cyndy reviewed the plans for the upcoming Holiday
Party to be held at the Forest Lake Steakhouse on Monday December 13. The theme
is “Warm & Cozy” and attendees are invited to bring an auction item.
Travel
treasures collected $33. Thanks to those who contributed.
The
evening’s program was presented by Anne-Marie Ericson. Her topic was “Love in the time of
dementia.”
Respectfully submitted by Dianne
Anderson, Secretary
Websites for local, state and national AAUW information:
Our Grand Rapids AAUW blog: http://grandrapidsaauw.blogspotcom/
MN AAUW website: http://aauw-mn.aauw.net
National AAUW website: www.aauw.org
ADVANCING EQUITY FOR
WOMEN & GIRLS
– FOR MORE INFORMATION
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION www.aauw.org
AAUW MINNESOTA www.aauwmn.net
