Indiana Bulletin

Following is the list of branch consultants for 2000-2001. Invite your consultant to join you at a meeting.
Remember, she is available to help you with questions or problems. Contact information for each board member is on page 2 of each issue of the Bulletin.
 
 

Muncie

During May and June, the Muncie branch held its 20^th annual used book sale which also included records, magazines, cassette tapes, and audio tapes. Net income from the sales was $4,231.62 thanks to great community support.

Muncie also has two new interest groups – Literary and Epicurean. The Literary group will meet evenings to attract those unavailable during the day as their current group meets in daylight hours. The Epicurean group will also meet in the evening to eat out, have a pitch-in dinner, share recipes, and have cooking demonstrations.

Congratulations to Rebecca Pierce and the Women and Gender Studies Group for winning a Community Foundation Grant to continue their program for providing books to Delaware County elementary school girls.

Thank you very much to those branches sharing their newsletters with the Indiana newsletter editor. To the rest of you – please share your news by sending your newsletter to Barbara Wellnitz.

To that end, the Indiana AAUW Board of Directors has agreed to begin a pilot project within our state. We have divided the state into six geographic locations. We are encouraging the branches within that location to work together on projects, invite one another to programs and to share any challenges that might occur. In addition, branches may also contact Branch Consultants and any state board member.
 

All branches are encouraged to keep the entire state informed about programs and projects via the Indiana web page. We can better share with each other by this means of communication. Just remember we need to work together.

(Ed. Note: send web page information via e-mail to Marsha Miller, Webmaster)

As the year goes by, I am finding some of you are confused about the contribution forms. These forms were mailed to each EF chair in January 2000. The forms should accompany your gift to the Foundation. The forms tell the state and association where to put your money and whom you wish to honor.

The forms were sent to the Educational Foundation chair for each branch. If you do not have an EF chair, they were sent to the branch president. Please contact either your president or me if you cannot find a form. I will be happy to help you fill them out or to send you a new form if you need it.

Your help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Eleanor Roosevelt Applications

Grant applications are now available for the 2001-2002 school year. The completed forms must be postmarked by January 10, 2001. To obtain a form, go to www.aauw.org/3000/ertfapp.html. I also have request forms available.

Each branch should encourage the teachers in their school district to apply.

Run/Walk for the Foundation

Each branch has received information on having a run/walk to raise funds for the Foundation. You say you don’t have the time – are not in condition – can’t get out of your "chair" – try this: go to your local high school girls club (mine is Girls Reserves). The members must earn credits so I’m working with my group to have the girls do the walking.

A Girl Named Disaster by Nancy Farmer – a coming-of-age story about an African girl who must make a dangerous escape from an arranged marriage and find her place in the world.

Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Hadix – a girl who believes she’s living in the 1800’s discovers that the world is not what it seems.

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit – a girl meets a family of strangers whose magical discovery threatens their lives and hers.

Cat Running by Zilpha Keatley Snyder – the hardships faced by migrants during the Dust Bowl days forces Cat to face her own prejudices.

Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink – the classic story of a frontier girl who must choose how to see the Indianas – as friends or enemies.

The Midwife’s Apprentice by Karen Cushman – a homeless girl during the Middle Ages learns the key to taking pride in herself.

From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg – while running away from home, a girl and her brother made some unusual discoveries in their hideout – New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind by Suzanne Fisher Staples – a Pakistani girl deals with the conflict between her society’s strictly defined roles for women and her own independence.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor – the realities of bigotry and racism before the Civil Rights movement are revealed in the relationships between a southern girl, her family, and her community.

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry – a Danish girl discovers her own strength and courage when she helps protect a Jewish family from the Nazis.

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse – a girl who feels she has lost everything in the Dust Bowl realizes how much she has to hold on to.

Blue Willow by Doris Gates – a Blue Willow china plate becomes a talisman of hope for a migrant girl.

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech – while making a journey to find her mother, a girl who has been uprooted from all she knows and loves shares the story of a new friend.

(Ed. Note: Carol Williams-Young of the Toledo, OH branch shares this reading list)

Once again Indiana has achieved the coveted honor of being a 5-Star State. Congratulations! Branch members and state board members worked hard to earn stars for community action, public policy, social justice, membership, and visibility.

Anderson has the distinction of being the only Indiana branch to earn the 5-Star award for 1999-2000. But they didn’t just earn five stars – that’s not enough for them – they went the entire distance and earned all seven! In addition to those named above, Anderson earned stars for leadership and fundraising.

To earn 5-star status, a branch must achieve five of the seven criteria, including at least two of the following three stars: community action, public policy, and social justice. The community action star must contain a diversity component.

The 2000-2001 program year dates from April 21, 2000 to April 20, 2001.

Ok branches, Anderson has set an example for us – let’s have all branches earn at least one star this year! Branches can also apply and win recognition for achieving any number of stars as part of the program. Whether your branch earns one, five, or seven stars, your efforts are critical to AAUW’s success.

Joan Kutlu, immediate past state president, is serving as our 5-Star Coordinator this year. If you have questions about the award and how you can earn it, you have plenty of sources: Joan, the Anderson branch, or the AAUW website, www.aauw.org.

This year is to be a special Membership Campaign. Association is really getting in on the act with incentives.

Special discounts have been offered to people who join on the spot at AAUW functions.

• Save $10 on Association dues – a discount of more than 25%
• Join with a friend and split the Association dues – saving almost $20 each

Discounts are restricted to new or lapsed members (those who have not been members for at least two years).

Earn free memberships! Claim branch credit for new members recruited during branch activities. Your branch will earn:

• One free Association membership for every two new branch members recruited on the spot.
• One free Association membership for every three new members-at-large recruited on the spot or after branch activities.

Another incentive I have used several times is Give a Grad a Gift. This gift program for recent grads gives them a free year as a Member at Large (MAL) with a reminder they could join a branch at any time. Applications are completed online to keep costs minimal. This program will reopen on November 1 for the holiday gift-giving time. I paid for the state and local dues of the grad I sponsored.

With these discounts, note the branch and state dues are not affected – they must still be paid.

I like to dream. What if every member recruited a new member this year? We have about 1250 members in the state; double that and we would have 2500 members. How much more power would we have? I would like to challenge you to recruit one member this year.

As an incentive from me, the first 20 people who recruit a new member will receive a little gift from me. That means you much get in touch with me as soon as you have your new member (see Board of Directors on page 2).

Members, each one recruit one! Then – celebrate membership growth!
 

Happy New Year! I know that type of greeting may sound strange. However, for those of us in AAUW, it is a new year and a new beginning.

I personally want to thank each of you for allowing me the privilege of being the Indiana State President. As we begin our biennium together, I am reminded of a story I read the other day and realize our journey will be like lessons learned from a flight of geese
 
 

1. As each bird flaps its wings, it creates "uplift" for the bird following. By flying in a V-formation, the whole flock adds 71% more flying range than if each bird flew alone.
Lesson: People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier than when they are traveling on the thrust of one another.

 
2. Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of tying to fly alone, and quickly gets back in formation, to take advantage of the "lifting power" of the bird immediately in front.
Lesson: If we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation with those who are headed where we want to go.
 
3. When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back into the formation and another goose flies at the point position.
Lesson: It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing the leadership, interdependent with each other.
4. The geese in formation honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.
Lesson: We need to make certain our honking from behind is encouraging, not something less helpful.
5. When a goose gets sick or wounded, two geese drop out of formation and follow and protect the invalid. They stay until the one is able to fly again. Then they launch out on their own, with another formation, or try to catch up with their flock.
Lesson: If we have as much sense as the goose, we will stand by each other like that.


I truly believe that Indiana AAUW is on a threshold. We need to work together, share our common mission and keep AAUW thriving and soaring. An old AAUW statement is, "Only She Who Attempts the Absurd can Achieve the Impossible." We will achieve the impossible.

The Congressional Medal of Honor, the Bronze Star, and the Outstanding Citizen Award were deemed not of the level needed to honor past president Joan Kutlu. During her two terms as state president, Joan was an excellent example of what AAUW is all about. She gave generously of her time, talents, and advice under adverse circumstances and sometimes personal sacrifice.

It is with great pleasure the Indiana Board of Directors presents a named gift to the Educational Foundation honoring Joan and to say thank you for a job well done.

It’s up to us AAUW members to protect issues critical to women. And critical issues are at stake. Officials we elect will determine the course for education – school safety, teacher training, vouchers, gender equity, and more. These officials will determine whether Social Security and managed care reform meets women’s needs.

To make a difference, here are some things you can do:

• Track the issues – learn about the congressional proposals that affect your life with these AAUW resources, available through the Voter Education Hotline (800-608-5286), or the web (www.aauw.org and e-mail votered@aauw.org): one-page fax or e-mail Get the Facts and special alerts; the monthly Action Alert newsletter; the Two-Minute Activist; and fact sheets and position papers.
• Spread the word – talk about issues with friends and neighbors; post Get the Facts at your grocery store, dry cleaner, or gym; write letters to the editor using text from AAUW’s policy resources; work with your local AAUW branch or other organizations to hold an issue forum focused on a key concern in your community.
• Get ready to get out the vote – join your AAUW branch or congressional district public policy or voter education committee. If none exists, start one. Work in coalition with other groups such as the League of Women Voters, Jr. League, or Business and Professional Women. Plan a candidate forum.

The 2000 conference will be held Thursday, October 19, at the Sheraton 4-Points on the east side of Indianapolis. The theme this year is "Celebrating a Century of Working Women." Our keynote speaker will be Indiana Attorney General, Karen Freeman-Wilson, and Cordelia Lewis will do the motivational presentation. Workshop topics include: Surviving and Staying Healthy in Indiana, Spiritual Discernment, Domestic Violence, Home-Based Business, a Celebration of Nurturance, and the State of Women in Indiana.

AAUW, through various members, has been involved with Women and Work from the early years. There are currently two scholarships provided by AAUW to assist women to attend the conference. These are in honor and memory of Mary Vogt, a long-time active AAUW member and also a member of the Women and Work Conference board.

Registration forms will be sent to branch presidents in August and may be copied as needed. Please note that group registration is possible on a single form. Cost is $40 per person when paid prior to September 15 and $50 afterwards and at the door.

There will be a block of rooms held at the Sheraton 4-Points Hotel for attendees wishing to come Wednesday evening prior to the conference. Exhibitors, including AAUW, and vendors will be present during the conference.

We look forward to seeing you at this conference and hope you will identify yourselves as AAUW members as well and Women and Work supporters.
 

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