President’s Message
Opportunity. It moves us forward down paths and in directions we don’t always anticipate. It provides a chance. Maybe for ourselves. Maybe for someone else. And so began my journey in AAUW.
Five years ago when I moved to Prescott I learned about AAUW at an arranged lunch date with one of our members. As she talked about AAUW’s mission and its role with Yavapai College, as an educator I was interested. The conversation turned from interest to “I should do this” when she spoke of the Mary Alice Moulton Childcare Assistance Scholarship. To be involved with an organization that was purposely and tangibly helping women with children get an education…well, AAUW looked a lot like an opportunity for me; and, more importantly at that moment, an opportunity for someone else.
My sister would have benefited from the MAM scholarship. She married young, had three children, divorced, and found herself solely responsible for her welfare before she hit 30. Working full-time, she decided to attend the community college to give herself and her children more opportunity. It was a struggle in all senses of the word. I recently saw a graduation photo of my parents, sister, and her children ages three, five, and seven. The pride on everyone’s face was palpable. My adult nephew, who was the five-year-old in the picture, commented, “I knew it was a big deal. I didn’t know why, but I knew it was a big deal.” That “big deal” could have been made easier had my sister benefited from a scholarship for childcare, a burden of accessibility coupled with the financial strain that so many women face. My sister passed away before I came to Prescott. I hadn’t found a way to recognize who she was, and what she accomplished. Through AAUW I realized in some small way I had the opportunity to help another woman with the same struggles. Opportunity was knocking.
Fast forward to today as I write my final message as your AAUW-Prescott President. I can’t help reflecting on the way I came to this juncture. In the spring of 2021, I was approached about being President-Elect. I was a mere three years into my Prescott and AAUW adventure. On the positive side of this request, was the idea of working with women that I’d quickly grown to respect. On the negative side were all the doubts about leading a group to which I was fairly new, still learning about, and coming out of two years of COVID chaos besides. Once again, opportunity became the word of the day — the opportunity to continue to work with capable women on important issues; the opportunity to get to know more members, and, on a deeper level, the opportunity to see where this unanticipated path would take me. Opportunity won the day, and it has been a fulfilling journey.
I hope you’ve had the opportunity to participate and be enriched by your AAUW membership. Taking stock of this year, you had a wonderful board, small but mighty, who were dedicated, productive, and engaged. Please thank them when you get the chance. From our red envelope donation for the middle school libraries to the $10K contribution to our Centennial Scholarship, and to the assistance we gave three Yavapai College student leaders who attended “Lessons from the Holocaust,” your monetary contributions in 2022-23 went to support deserving children and women. Be proud of the ongoing support our branch provides to help fulfill the AAUW mission.
Our successes were not just monetary. The Reality Store once again provided Prescott High School students with the opportunity to experience paychecks, budgets, and bills. Thank you to all who volunteered time and talent to make it successful. The Women’s Forum offered those who attended motivational and educational speakers, as well as time to connect with women from outside Prescott and AAUW. Our monthly programming was diverse in both presentation and topics. We all learned something along the way! Our communications team kept us informed and our general meetings running smoothly. Membership numbers are on the rise again after a dip during COVID. Thanks for continuing to educate our community on AAUW and recruiting new members. The board has already begun planning for next year — these women never stop, and they made my job that much easier!
Look at all the opportunities AAUW provided this year, be it educating ourselves, and others, or providing for a more just society for women and girls. What opportunities lie ahead for you? For us as a branch? As my final message, I charge you with seeking and taking opportunities to live our mission: “To advance gender equity for women and girls through research, education, and advocacy.” Will you serve on the board? Will you learn more about public policy? Develop a new community action program? Raise money for scholarships? Reach out to potential members or the community for guest speakers? Start a new interest group? Opportunities await.
I look forward to what else lies ahead on my AAUW path. Thank you for the opportunity and privilege of serving as your President.
Gratefully,
Penny Briner Ewell
P.S. The three-year-old is now a father of two and a civil engineer, the five-year-old a graphic artist, and the seven-year-old a nurse. “I didn’t know why, but it was a big deal.”
Upcoming Programs
General Meeting, May 13, 2023
Alexis Ramirez, Community Engagement Coordinator, will be our speaker for the May 13th meeting.
Alexis provides care & support for the Alzheimer’s Association Desert Southwest Chapter of Arizona & Southern Nevada. Alexis has been with the association for 5 years. She received a BA in Public Health from New Mexico State University with a focus on community health, outreach, and cancer research. She recently transferred from the Alzheimer’s Association New Mexico office to serve in the Prescott office and Northern Arizona. Alexis has 8 years of experience working for non-profits, including working with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington.
Summer Gather and Gab, June 10th
There is no scheduled program but a year-end social event. This is a wonderful time to connect or reconnect with all your Prescott AAUW friends. Bring a chair, snacks, and/or beverages.
Saturday, June 10th. 8:30 – 10:30 in the
Yavapai College Sculpture Garden
September 9th Social for Members and Friends
September’s meeting, September 9th, will be a combination of summer socials of the past and a “come and find out” event. The General Meeting will be an opportunity to socialize with other AAUW members and potential new members, enjoy refreshments provided by the Board, and see the wide range of interest groups that AAUW-Prescott offers. If you know of anyone who might be interested in joining, please invite them to attend.
AAUW Prescott Business
Membership Renewal Process Begins for FY 2023-2024
National AAUW dues have gone up by $5.00 rather than the expected $3.00. As you may recall, we recently voted to decrease our local dues by $3.00 to keep overall dues at a flat rate for two consecutive years. This means total dues for FY 23-24 will be $105 rather than $103. Despite our efforts to keep total dues flat for two years in a row, members will still have a net increase of $2.00.
The board voted to absorb the cost of a $3 raise in National dues at its April board meeting, allowing AAUW Prescott members a discount. The breakdown of this year’s dues is $105 ($72 to National; $9 to State; and $24 to our branch). The deadline for renewal is June 30th. Your dues support legislative initiatives, research, and dissemination of information.
- Respond to the email you will receive from National or click here for the national website and pay with a credit card.
- Mail a check payable to AAUW-Prescott.
AAUW-Prescott
P.O. Box 10881
Prescott, AZ 86304 - Use the link on our website to pay your dues via PayPal (includes a service charge).
New Member Coffee Scheduled for Saturday, May 6
Members of our board will be hosting a new member coffee on Saturday, May 6. Members who joined this fiscal year have been emailed—but did we miss you? If you are a newer member and have not been sent an email invitation please contact Patti or Marla at membership@aauwprescott.net.
In Memoriam at the May General Meeting
Please submit names and information about members or former members who have passed away this past year. The AAUW Branch would like to honor them at the May General Meeting. Please notify Patti or Marla at membership@aauwprescott.net. The deadline is May 10th so they can be honored during the May meeting.
Newly-Elected Board Members, for 2022-23
Carol Dosse, President
Carol moved to Prescott from Minnesota where she had a wonderfully varied 40-year career as a public librarian. Her experiences included running a bookmobile and small neighborhood and large downtown libraries. She worked with adult and children services, including everything from homework help and story time to adult education and designing websites. Carol joined AAUW in January of 2018 and quickly became involved in Interest groups where she formed many friendships. She’s served as Membership Co-VP and Archivist, as well as being on the Scholarship and Community Action committees. Being President-Elect has brought her many new experiences, and she looks forward to even more as President.
Miriam Haubrich, President-Elect*
Miriam has lived in Prescott for almost 40 years. They moved here from Wisconsin with their 2 sons when her husband Tom accepted a teaching position at Granite Mountain Junior High.
She grew up in Waukesha, Wisconsin, a small community just west of Milwaukee. She graduated from UW Platteville with a degree in Home Ec. and Sociology. Later she earned her MSW from UW Milwaukee and an MPA from NAU.
Her work history includes working with developmentally disabled adults in Kenosha, Wisconsin. After moving to Arizona, she was employed by Catholic Charities, Yavapai County, and lastly, Prescott Area Habitat for Humanity from which she retired in late 2019. Her entire adult work history has focused on serving underserved populations.
After retiring she visited the February 2020 AAUW general meeting, saw the mission and felt the organization directly reflected her beliefs and values. She joined AAUW in March 2020 just prior to the COVID pandemic restrictions. Zoom became the conduit to AAUW. She has been the Co-VP of Programs for the past two years.
She continues to stay active by jogging, going to the gym, and playing Pickleball. She looks forward to the next several years of increased opportunities with Prescott-AAUW.
*Pending Board approval.
Karen Leja, Recording Secretary
Originally from California, Karen and her husband Ken moved to Prescott in 2008. She recently concluded a 40-year career in the non-profit industry, locally with the Yavapai College Foundation, Junior Achievement in Phoenix, and the American Diabetes Association in California. Karen enjoys being active in the community, including serving as an officer with the Prescott Evening Lions, a board member of the Prescott POPs, and a volunteer for People Who Care. She has been a member of the Prescott Branch of AAUW for a number of years and served as Co-VP of Programs in 2015-2016. She looks forward to being part of the AAUW board once again.
Margie Crider, Program Co-VP
Margie Crider moved to Prescott Valley in 2016. She took early retirement to spend more time with her aging mother. She joined Toastmasters, a meet-up group, and AAUW, as well as volunteering at the Prescott Valley Library as a tutor to non-English speakers. This was a great way to meet new people.
Prior to that she worked as a travel agent for over 30 years and enjoyed amazing trips with her best friend visiting the Galapagos, snorkeling in Belize and Tahiti, and taking safaris to Zimbabwe, Botswana, Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa. Margie enjoys reading and spending time with her cats as well as gardening, hiking, writing, and travel. She enjoys taking Olli classes and has recently started teaching at Olli.
She has been the co-chair of Hospitality for a few years now and is the leader of the Lunch Bunch. She looks forward to being involved in Programming for next year and is hoping to get some amazing speakers.
Sonya Tenney, Membership Co-VP
Sonya grew up in Prescott, moving here when she was three. After graduating from Prescott High School, Sonya attended Brigham Young University in Utah. After graduation, Sonya and her husband moved to Tokyo, Japan, for twelve years, where she raised her children in the beauty of cherry blossoms in the spring and Japanese maple leaves in the fall. She moved back to Prescott for her children to attend high school and to grow their own roots in Arizona. Sonya worked at Jay’s Bird Barn for nine years, cultivating a love of birds, before plunging into teaching full-time once her own children were grown. She currently teaches preschool with PUSD’s Discovery Gardens and enjoys reading almost anything.
Eileen Cotter, Corresponding Secretary
Eileen is a retired nurse, who lived the propaganda that once you get your RN, you can do anything and go anywhere. She has been a member since 2012. AAUW has given her great friends and really good times. She served four years on the AAUW Board as Representative to the YRMC Board of Electors and as a member of the Scholarship Committee. She’s belonged to several Interest groups and is a member of the Singles Group.
Liz Bailey, Archivist
Elizabeth (Liz), a recent member of our branch, moved to Arizona in late 2020 to live with her daughter, Jacqueline, and husband Mark Mounce, in Dewey. An active member of the AAUW Columbia (MO) Branch for many years, she enjoyed working in the Western Manuscript Collection and as a Reference Specialist at The State Historical Society of Missouri in Columbia. Liz now looks forward to helping maintain the Prescott Branch archives.
Natalie Stewart-Smith, Directory
Natalie joined AAUW in Erie, PA, in 1983. She held various offices, including President of Pennsylvania AAUW’s largest branch. Moving to Roswell, NM, in 1995, this Army veteran joined the faculty of New Mexico Military Institute, Roswell, NM, and retired as a full professor in 2014.
Natalie and husband, Steven Smith, PA-C moved to Prescott to be closer to their daughter’s family in Phoenix. They will celebrate their fiftieth anniversary in July. Natalie rejoined AAUW, and is pleased to now serve our branch as a Board member. Throughout the year, Natalie is a presenter statewide for the AZ Humanities Council on the topic, “The 1929 All-Women’s Air Race.”
AAUW Arizona
State Spring Forum Report
On April 22 over 60 AAUW members joined in asking the question: What Does Justice For Women Look Like? At a beautiful venue in Tempe – the Arizona Heritage Center – we had the opportunity to view the museum and take a tour of the Sandra Day O’Connor house. We had sufficient time to mix and really talk with all of the women who attended.
The morning began with the keynote address by Jennifer Allen Aroz who is the Executive Director for the ACLU of Arizona. She emphasized that advocacy for the rights of all of us augments the rights of women. We need to create alliances among those of us who advocate for safeguarding the freedoms and rights that currently feel so very tenuous.
Following the keynote, the State AAUW Parliamentarian conducted the election of state officers, then proceeded to ‘install’ them in their offices. Those present to be installed were Becky Gunn as President and Sandy Williamson as Treasurer; Sharon Phelps was re-elected as Membership VP. After a delicious lunch, we heard from a panel of active state and community leaders: Coral Evans formerly the mayor of Flagstaff and currently the northern Arizona director for Sen. Mark Kelly; Lauren Kuby formerly a council member and vice mayor of Tempe; and Athena Salman currently a member of the Arizona House of Representatives representing District 8. Asked what we could do to help achieve justice for women, they responded by talking about working together on issues, not by party, or political persuasion, but those issues that are important to women as a whole. Women should also be active in seeking office as there they can have a stronger influence. They suggested that we target issues, not try to address everything at once – stay focused. After the initial panel introduction, we separated into three groups where each of the panelists was able to answer questions generated by the smaller groups. The questions were varied, the panelists were dynamic in their responses, and the groups were involved. The atmosphere was one of listening and learning. The panelists returned to the stage where they were asked what they gained from the conversations. Their response – you women are wise, dedicated, and role models for the younger generations.
As we left the event, all seemed energized and enthused. Objectively, this writer left hopeful for what AAUW can accomplish in the coming years.
Community Action
March 28th at the Reality Store, Prescott High School
Twenty AAUW volunteers headed to Prescott High School (PHS) to help students navigate The Reality Store, a program designed to help students imagine their lives at age 25 and then recognize the financial challenges they will face as young adults. Volunteers counseled students at a variety of stations where students subtracted costs of living from income.
During breaks, AAUW volunteers compared notes and noted that the diversity of the students could be seen in their choices. Many of our common stereotypes of the younger generation disappeared, and the new realities these students will face became more apparent. By participating in The Reality Store, PHS students learned more about adult life, and we learned more about them – a great way to interface with America’s future adults.
YC Students Attend Lessons from the Holocaust
Three Yavapai College student leaders, Noelle Pullin, Anastasia Lobo, and Danielle Hultquist, recently attended a week-long workshop on justice and policing as part of the Lessons of the Holocaust program. The students were sponsored through the generous support of AAUW-Prescott members. Upon their return, Anastasia and Danielle provided details of their experience and insights at the April AAUW general meeting. All three students also spoke to an audience of over 140 people at the Holocaust Remembrance Day event held at Yavapai College. Currently, these young women are participating in a program through the national non-profit Police2Peace. Noelle, Anastasia, and Danielle will be participating in sessions with the opportunity to discuss what they hope the future of policing may look like given the lessons they’ve learned. They hope to bring these lessons to college campuses throughout the state.
Scholarships
AAUW Scholarship Recipients
Five women received AAUW-sponsored scholarships at Yavapai College in the past two years. They are Danielle Tanner, Tiffany Dalton, and Sean Bell, who received Mary Alice Moulton scholarships in 2022-23, and Dakota Walsh and Angela Betancourt, who received Centennial Scholarships in 2021-22 and 2022-23, respectively.
Each recipient wrote a thank you letter to the Foundation, and these were forwarded to AAUW. One student wrote, “Everything counts when I have one income to support my family of four. It allows me to continue to focus just on my studies so I can be the best nurse that I can be and give back to the community.”
One of the Centennial recipients wrote, “Your scholarship will help with some of the financial burdens that come from being a mom going through college, and I am truly grateful.”
Thanks to all the AAUW Prescott members who have worked and contributed to make these scholarships possible. They really do change lives.
Sandra Bennett and Julia Appletree
Scholarship Co-Chairs
Interest Groups
Travel Discussion Group
The Travel Discussion Group will meet at the Prescott Public Library, in the Founders Suite B, 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM on Tuesday, May 9th.
| Date | Travel Destination | Travel Issues Topic |
|---|---|---|
| Sept. 12, 2023 | Patagonia – Chile, Argentina and Antartica | Preparing for natural disasters while traveling. |
| Nov. 14, 2023 | Interesting holiday celebrations to enjoy! | Traveling during the holidays. |
| Jan. 9, 2024 | Is it time to take a cruise? | Stories from afar: Interesting people that we have met. |
| March 12, 2024 | Cancelled | |