The Twig
Midland Branch Newsletter - April 2015
AAUW advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy and research.
Used Book Sale
Midland Mall Friday & Saturday 9-9 Sunday 10-4
Trudy Dutot, Book Sale Chair
Books are coming in! I hope you have already signed up to help in some way. We
need people to pick up books, price them, box them by category, set them out and sell them. Sort room hours
are 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday. During this time, you can put price stickers on books, sort
them into category boxes, and help mark prices on children’s books. The Mall is again allowing us to use a
vacant store to process the thousands of books that are donated. This sale we have a large space, the
previous Deb store located between Barnes & Noble and J. C. Penney. Stop in anytime during sort hours to
give us a hand.
Call Marge Haskell to volunteer for these needs: (1) stack books on sale tables Thursday evening, April 23;
(2) take a 2-hour shift at the sale, selling or keeping tables straightened; (3) at the end of the sale help box
remaining books to be donated to nonprofit organizations.
We welcome help from spouses and friends
From the President
Pauline Pittsley
I urge all of you to support the Used Book Sale. Our goal this year is to raise $14,500 for our traditional
gifting plan (see the list below). There are many things you can do to provide support – donate books, work
on the sale, buy lots of books and spread the word to bring in customers. Tell them we always have a
wonderful selection of great books. We also welcome financial contributions.
Proceeds of the sales fund:
 College scholarships for local high school girls and women who are returning to college after an absence
in their education. We will award four $2000 scholarships this year.
 AAUW scholarships, grants and fellowships for women at the national level. The branch is close to
completing Midland Branch American Fellowship #4277. When fully funded, it will support a graduate level fellow.
 Legal Advocacy Fund support. In 2014, LAF adopted three more lawsuits supporting survivors of military assault.
 Scholarships for local college women to attend a national leadership conference. This year we will send two
young women to the National Conference of College Women Student Leaders (NCCWSL) in Washington, D.C.
 Scholarships for local girls to attend camp sessions that feature STEM activities, Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics. Our plan is to award $500 in scholarship support this summer.
 Higher Education Loans Plans and Scholarships (HELPS) is updated annually to provide online
information about locally available student financial aid. Area high school counselors and the Midland Area
Community Foundation tell us HELPS is a great resource.
The Twig
April 2015
September 2014
Named Gift Honoree is Gina Pederson
2014
Alice Morgan & Jane Wirth
Gina Pederson is a woman of varied interests and experiences. Her association with books began at a very
young age. Her curiosity took her to her local library frequently and she became a voracious reader as a
result.
Now retired and a Master Gardener, Gina has more time to spend in their expansive yard which has been
transformed into a delight for the senses and the soul. Gina has been very active as a mentor and judge for
4-H gardeners. Her recent community projects include helping to identify wildflowers along the rail trail and
membership on the Midland Beautification Committee.
The Used Book Sale has benefitted greatly from her enthusiasm and organizational skills as well as her vast
knowledge of books and authors. Gina also co-chairs the Gardening for Fun Interest Group.
A true renaissance woman, Gina Pederson is this year’s Named Gift Honoree.
Note: One of the wonderful traditions for our branch is selecting a Named Gift Honoree. The first ones were
named in 1946 and over the years at least 106 women have been so honored. Honorees have made
significant contributions to both the branch and to the Midland community. The branch makes a $1,000
contribution to AAUW Funds in the honoree’s name and the honoree selects the particular fund to which the
contribution is directed.
Branch Officers and Convention Delegates Elected at Annual Meeting
The following slate of officers was elected unanimously: First Vice President for Program - Christine
Ferrando (2015-17); Communications Officer - Catherine Menning (2015-17); Delegate at Large - Kim
Steinke (2015-16); and Nominations Chair - Donna Wedge (2015-16). No candidate was identified to be
nominated as Branch President, therefore the bylaws provide that the current President remains in office until
a successor is elected or appointed. Pauline Pittsley is willing to continue for one year.
The Branch is allowed four voting delegates to the May 15-16, 2015 State Convention in Escanaba, MI.
The Nominating Committee presented the following slate: Betty Chenoweth, Judy Donahue, Catherine
Menning, Kim Steinke, and Jane Wirth as an alternate delegate. The slate was elected unanimously.
Authors to be at Book Sale
Local authors will be signing and selling their books on Saturday, April 25 at the AAUW Used
Book Sale at the Midland Mall. Come meet and support our local authors from 11:00am to 2pm.
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Ned Brandt, historian, who has recently published “Bug Fighters, A History of Dow Agroscience”.
Barb Hagler, children's books author, will have her “Hope Farm Series/Adventures” there.
Ed Hutchison, retired nationally syndicated garden writer, will feature his “Digging in the Dirt”.
Norbert Bufka, historian, has published “From Bohemia to Good Harbor”.
AAUW Midland Branch TWIG – April 2015
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The Twig
April 2015
September 2014
The Status of Women in the States: 2015 — Employment
and Earnings
Institute for Women's Policy Research (March 2015)
2014
Women make up nearly half of the U.S. workforce, and their earnings are essential to the economic security
of families across the nation. Yet, gender equality at work remains elusive. Women who work full-time, yearround still earn only 78 cents on the dollar compared with men, and during the last decade little improvement
has been made in closing the gender wage gap. The glass ceiling persists, and occupational segregation—
the concentration of women in some jobs and men in others—remains a stubborn feature of the U.S. labor
market. These national trends show up in states across the nation.
(In Michigan, women earn only 77.1 cents compared with men. Michigan ranks 33 out of 51 states.)
Equal Pay Day
AAUW of Michigan invites you to the Equal Pay Day rally on April 14 in Lansing.
This annual event provides an opportunity to lobby our legislators to support
“equal pay for equal work” bills. Sponsored by a number of women’s
organizations, it features a noon gathering at the Rotund in the Capitol building.
An issues briefing will be held prior to the rally. For more information contact Sally
Doty, [email protected].
Lily Ledbetter
AAUW has been on the front lines of the fight for pay equity since 1913. AAUW members were in the Oval
Office when President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act of 1963 into law, and more than 50 years
later, we continue to lead the push for policies and legislation to encourage and enforce fair pay in the
workplace. Pay equity is a priority for AAUW, and it will continue to be until women everywhere earn a fair
day’s pay for a fair day’s work. In January 2009, President Barack Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay
Act into law, thanks to the hard work and leadership of AAUW, our members, and our coalition partners.
Since then, AAUW has worked for the passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would give women
additional and much-needed equal pay protections.
Ready to Run Michigan is a nonpartisan program for women
who want to run for elected office, work on a campaign, get
appointed to boards or commissions or learn more about the
political system. Ready to Run is one-stop training to run for
office or get involved in public life — from the school board to
city council to the state house and beyond! It will be held April 18, 2015, at Saginaw Valley State University.
Prominent elected leaders, campaign consultants and experts will lead sessions on the following:
• Media training • Fundraising strategies • Networking • Developing a campaign
• Messaging with authenticity • Building political leadership
Why Michigan Needs You!
Women make up 20.9 percent of Michigan’s Legislature.
Michigan ranks 33rd in the nation for number of women serving state legislatures.
Women legislators provide increased access to government for disadvantaged groups.
Women tend to make government decision-making more open and transparent.
Cost: $125 Register online at www.gvsu.edu/readytorun
AAUW Midland Branch TWIG – April 2015
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The Twig
April 2015
September 2014
Zonta Invitation to Annual Auction
Going Once … Going Twice … Sold!
2014
Grab a paddle and join the fun. The Zonta Club of Midland invites members of AAUW
Midland Branch to attend their annual Live Auction. The event will be held Tuesday April
21, 5:30 pm at the Midland Country Club. Doors open at 5:00 when attendees can browse
the many items to be auctioned.
The action begins after dinner with a professional auctioneer “selling” these many treasures, everything from
wine baskets and jewelry to a Loons Suite for one game. Checkout will occur once all auction items have
been sold. Payment is by cash or check. Auction proceeds are used to fund local and international
opportunities for club leadership. Cost, $25 in advance, includes dinner. A cash bar is available. RSVP by
April 10. Send your check to Zonta Club of Midland, P O Box 196, Midland MI 48640.
Note: Several Branch members have attended this event for a few years. It is a lot of fun and there are
great bargains. AAUW donates a basket of books to advertise our book sale to be held a few days later. Our
book basket always fetches a good bid.
Save the Date for the May General Meeting
Thursday, May 21, 2015 at 11:30 AM
Annual Spring Luncheon
Midland Country Club
Mark Your Calendar
April 24-26
May 21
Spring Used Book Sale at the Midland Mall
Luncheon 11:30 a.m. at the Midland Country Club
President: Pauline Pittsley, 1st VP Program: Chris Ferrando, 2nd VPs Membership: Barb Galloway & Rayana Larson
Web sites: http://midland-mi.aauw.net www.aauwmi.org
AAUW Midland Branch TWIG – April 2015
Email: [email protected]
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