President’s Message
Make new friends, but keep the old;
One is silver and the other gold.
A lovely message sung as a round by little girls’ sweet voices at my Girl Scout meetings. It reminds me of AAUW Prescott with it’s lovely mix of old and new friends.
As we begin a new season, you once again have a new President. Many of you have met me, so just a few words: I was a public librarian in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. After retirement, I moved to Prescott in January 2018. I had visited but was unfamiliar with the area. AAUW has been a wonderful way to learn about my new home and meet many new friends.
I’ve learned so much from serving on the Board under four previous Presidents. Their friendship, wisdom, and guidance have been invaluable. Penny Briner Ewell mentored me as well as led our branch. She navigated us through a successful Women’s Forum, meeting space changes, and our return to in-person General Meetings and Interest Group meetings. Zoom is still used for Board Meetings and some Interest Groups.
We have a new meeting space: The Center for Spiritual Living on Willow Creek Road. Board volunteers researched over 16 sites this past summer and unanimously chose this excellent venue, taking into consideration accessibility for all our members as well as ease of parking and convenient location.
I am delighted that AAUW Prescott has been featured in the August/September 2023 issue of Prescott Woman magazine. The article, entitled Striving for Equity, Creating Opportunities definitely encompasses our mission and, additionally, it introduces us to potential members.
The wonderful AAUW Self-Guided Tours produced by the Scholarship Committee, in response to COVID, are mentioned in the article. These two tours are still available on our website: A Stroll through Victorian Prescott and On and Off the Wall: An AAUW Guide to Public Art in Prescott.
Archivist Elizabeth Bailey and I delivered recent AAUW Prescott Branch records to the Sharlot Hall Research Library. We have over 16 archival file boxes in their collection. Our nearly 75-year history as an AAUW Branch has made a significant impact on our hometown.
I look forward to an enjoyable and productive 2023-24 with all of you.
Carol Dosse
2023-24 AAUW Prescott President
AAUW Prescott Moves to New Meeting Location
Center for Spiritual Living
3755 Willow Creek Road
Prescott, AZ 86301
The Center for Spiritual Living is located at the intersection of Willow Creek Road and Haas Blvd., across from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, and next to the Heritage Park Zoo.
Click Here for Map Directions to the new meeting venue.
Programs
September Meeting
September 9th General Meeting:
Social Event for Current and Prospective Members
September’s meeting, on September 9th, will be held at The Center for Spiritual Living, our new meeting venue. It will be a combination of the summer socials we’ve had recently and a Come and Find Out Event for prospective members. This General Meeting will be an opportunity to socialize with current AAUW members and to meet and greet potential new members. Invite your friends and colleagues, who share our vision, to enjoy refreshments provided by the Board, and to see the wide range of interest groups that AAUW Prescott offers.
October Meeting
October 14th: Breeanya Hinkel, Owner of Prescott Woman Magazine
Our guest speaker for the October 14th general meeting will be Breeanya Hinkel and will be held at the at The Center for Spiritual Living. She is a Prescott native and owner of Prescott Woman Magazine. The magazine, which she purchased five years ago, works with non-profits and community organizations focusing on women of empowerment, business, health, and family. Breeanya will discuss her goals for the future of the magazine and where she envisions Prescott in the future. In addition, since competing in the Prescott Dancing for the Stars competition, she is sure to have a story or two to tell us. Please join us for the October meeting at our new venue, The Center for Spiritual Living.
AAUW Prescott Business
Annual Retreat for Board Members Held in August; New Board Members were Welcomed
The members of the 2023-24 Board met on August 8 to discuss our upcoming year. We discussed the meeting space change process, Thumb Sketch and website organization, AAUW archives, and upcoming board meetings. Additionally, we planned upcoming programs for our general meetings and reviewed our community and public relations efforts.
We are happy to announce two new board members: Lori Frey as Treasurer and Sue Marceau as our Public Relations Chair. Both were elected by the board via email votes.
We look forward to a wonderful new season for AAUW Prescott.
Branch Archives deposited at Sharlot Hall Library Archives
Carol Dosse and Elizabeth Bailey delivered the recent year’s Branch Archives to Brenda Taylor, Sharlot Hall Director of Library & Archives on June 23, 2023. They were received and arranged within the AAUW Prescott Branch Collection. We have over 16 archival file boxes in their collection.
This collection was begun with the first contribution in 1999, and Prescott Branch Archivists have deposited records up to 2023. We are very fortunate to have the Sharlot Hall staff save the records and prepare finding aids for our organization’s collection. This library maintains the history of all the hardworking and loyal women through the years who worked for Equity and Education.
Communications Team Seeking Volunteers
We are looking for tech & web-savvy volunteers to join the Communications Team. The communications team assignments can include the upkeep of our website, newsletter publication, and support technology during our general meetings. The communications team is a dynamic and important entity in our AAUW Prescott branch. We are supportive and split up our assignments in an equitable and skills-based manner. Please consider joining this really wonderful group of volunteers.
Membership News
Membership Renewals:
Easy steps to renew if you haven’t done so
It is that time of year again when membership renewals are taking place, and the deadline has now been extended to November. The current cost is $105 ($72 to National; $9 to State; and $24 to our branch). Please get your renewals in today for the 2023-2024 membership year. Listed below are the three ways to renew.
Renew Three Ways
- Go to the AAUW National website at https://www.aauw.org/membership/, select “Login,” and pay with a credit card directly through the National website. Many members will have an email reminder from National to renew, so you can check your email as well. This type of payment is only available to renewing members.
- Use PayPal at AAUW Prescott to pay your $105.00 annual dues (plus $4.50 PayPal charges) for a total of $109.50. You’ll find the PayPal button on that page–just click on the “Add to Cart” button at the bottom of the page, then clicking on “Check out with PayPal.” (Be sure to only click the “Add to Cart” button once!)
- Mail or give a check for $105.00 payable to AAUW Prescott to Prescott Treasurer Lori Frey. (Treasurer, AAUW Prescott, PO Box 10881, Prescott AZ 86304)
AAUW Member Directory Coming Soon
Directories will be printed in October and Membership is accepting names for those who would like a hard copy of the directory. Digital copies and digital updates are sent to all members. If you would like a hardcopy, you will need to contact Membership or sign up at the September meeting at the Membership table.
Sonya Tenney, Junior Membership Co-VP
The first of July welcomed our new board member Sonya Tenney to our membership team. She will share membership responsibilities with Senior VP, Marla Jirak, for FY23-24 and be the membership lead through FY25. Welcome Sonya!!
New Member Coffee Welcomes Our Newest Members
and Jet Sletten, in front left.
Members of the board hosted a new member coffee on May 6th at the home of Marla
Jirak. Members who joined this fiscal year were invited to attend. There were both board members and new members in attendance. A light breakfast was served. New members shared their backgrounds and why they joined AAUW Prescott.
Interest Groups
Photography Interest Group
Come Join the Photography Interest Group!
If you enjoy taking photos and want to improve your skills, or venture into photographic art, consider joining the Photography Group. We meet on the 3rd Thursday from 10 am-noon via Zoom, have an informative and educational program about photography, and share our photos submitted for the monthly assignment. We welcome new members of all skill levels. Contact Chris Maxwell or Gail Shay for more information. (see the directory for contact info)
Request for AAUW Event Photographers
Now that cell phone cameras are getting so good and software to edit them is, too, please volunteer to take photos at various AAUW meetings and events. You can use your Digital SLR or a cell phone. We hope for a group of members to take photos. Contact Gail Shay or Stephanie Brown for more details.
Love the AAUW Directory but not your photo?
You can update your photo that is in the membership directory by contacting Stephanie Brown. (No surprise, the contact information is in the directory!) The deadline for photo submissions is September 15, 2023.
Travel Discussion Group
Join the discussion on Tuesday, September 12th from 1:30-3:00 at the Prescott Public Library, Founders Room Suite B.
Let’s discuss places we have traveled or would like to travel including Patagonia, Chile, Argentina, and Antarctica.
Additionally, the fire on Maui reminds us that as travelers we need to be prepared for natural disasters during our visits. How do you prepare for emergencies as you travel the world?