The Cedar Rapids Area Branch of the American Association of University Women
The major project of the Cedar Rapids branch is the Open Minds, Open Doors
Conference for middle school girls which is organized by Grant Wood AEA and held
on Coe College campus. Girls attend hands-on workshops conducted by women in
science, technology, and math related fields. They also hear a key-note speaker
and are served lunch; an adults’ workshop is offered to the
parents/teachers/chaperones who attend the conference.
The Branch also hosts Legislative
Forums with League of Women Voters, and a Reception and :”Give a Grad A Gift”
for young women graduating in science at Coe College. At this conference they
begin networking with older women and receive a complementary one-year
membership to AAUW to help them on the next step in their careers. We sponsor
three study groups: International Relations and the Afternoon Book Group and a
new Monday Evening Book Group. There is an ongoing Bridge Marathon, which raises
money for the Educational Fund. At the Dining and Discussion dinner, members
discuss a service project and contribute the cost of the dinner to that project
We hope you will join us in our work.
The only requisite for membership is an associate or bachelor’s degree. Contact
Sue Jorgensen (ejorg04@juno.com) for membership information!
Programs for 2008
April 11th-12th, State Meeting of Iowa AAUW
at Simpson College in Indianaola
April 15th Afternoon Book Study Group:
Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
April 19 Legislative Forum, 10:00 a.m.
Mercy Hospital Community Room We will be
providing refreshments; since this date is so close to “Equal Pay Day” the
refreshments will reflect the discrepancy that women earn 77 cents to every
dollar of mens’ income. Men will be served whole donuts, and women will be
served donuts that are 77% of that size. Come to the forum!
April 24th, 5:30 pm: Reception for
Coe Science Graduates, Coe College Clark Alumni House. To RVSP call Trudy
Sundermann. A light buffet will be served for young women graduating with
degrees in science. We will learn about their plans, encourage them to pursue
their personal and career goals and share the mission of AAUW. The “Give a Grad
a Gift” campaign requires that each graduate is sponsored by an AAUW member who
fills out a form which gives each graduate a free first year membership. There
is not a charge for this event. Please make a reservation.|
April 28th Monday Evening Book Study Group
at Java House, C Ave and Boyson Rd.strip
mall at 7 pm. The book is Body Surfing" by Anita Shreve. Bring 3 (or less)
reading suggestions and another AAUW reader.
May 10th Annual Spring Branch Meeting
(Unity Center, 3791 Blairs Ferry Rd) 9am
catered breakfast, and meeting, with installation of new officers 11:00 am the
Musical “Icaria: Creating an Utopian Society in America”. The Icarians were a
sect which immigrated from France to Corning Iowa, in the 1840’s. The culture
was basically a communal colony, not religious in nature, but based on lofty
philosophical principles. The lovely blend of lively, original music composed by
Merrill Sparks is a delightful story about an intriguing piece of Iowa history
Bring your friends and family! The performance is free and open to the public.
Donations accepted.
May 20th Afternoon Book Study Group:
Christina, Queen of Sweden by
Veronica Buckley
Officers: Your AAUW Leadership Team Working for You
President – Kathy Kittredge (kathykittredge@mchsi.com)
Program Planning –Sharon Vana
VP Membership - Sue Jorgensen (ejorg04@juno.com)
Treasurer - Jan Johnston
Secretary - Mary Magner
Yearbook & Bylaws – Marilyn Bowman
Program Planning –Sharon Vana
Educational Foundation – Betty Debban
“Open Minds, Open Doors” Committee Participants – Sue Pearson, Sue Jorgensen,
Jan Johnston
Bridge Marathon – Dorothy Johnson
Social Arrangements – Trudy Sundermann
The speaker is Laura Krouse
Call reservations to Trudy Sundermann by September 5 at 364-3785. Please
leave a message on her answering machine. Cost for dinner is $10 including tax
and gratuity.
Greetings from President Kathy Kittredge
I hope you have had a wonderful summer! It seems to fly by faster and faster. We start the fall with a dinner at Cottage Grove Place. Our speaker is Laura Krouse, a Biology Professor at Cornell College who runs an organic farm, a food co-op, and raises money for other women interested in going into the business of farming. She will be a fascinating speaker. You may have read about her in the paper; she is also concerned about genetic purity of our food crops.
The rest of the year includes the Open Minds, Open Doors conference, "Sue’s Surprise" in November, and our annual holiday brunch in December. Sue’s Surprise is a dinner provided by and hosted by Sue Jorgensen. The invitation is to come to Sue’s home for dinner companionship and to hear about a worthwhile cause. We then each donate the cost of a dinner to that cause. The amount of the contribution depends entirely on the individual (it might be $5 or $100). What a great idea!
Thanks to Sharon Vana, we have other exciting programs scheduled for 2008. The events include our April celebration of women science majors graduating from Coe, a brunch, and a few surprises.
Our members are always busy and active, and the women and girls of Cedar Rapids benefit greatly from what we do as a group and from what you do separately in your own life. I invite you to let our group help out with smaller projects, such as the Blanket Project (which is being coordinated for us!) in the future. If you have a project in mind, let us know!
Programs for 2007-2008 (please mark your calendars)
September 11: Dinner and Speaker Laura Krouse at Cottage Grove Place
October 16: 8:30-1:00 Open Minds Open Doors Conference at Coe College
November 8: 6:00 P.M. Dining and Discussion with Contributions to an International Project, 1517 Whitters Way NW, Reservations only 363-3138
December 1: Brunch with entertainment by the New Horizons Band at Elmcrest Country Club
January (no meeting to be scheduled)
February 7: 11:30 A.M. Dining and Discussion with Contributions to an International Project, 1517 Whitters Way NW, Reservations only 363-3138
March 8: Brunch (location TBA) Panel Discussion on Public Policy and Education Issues
April: (date TBA) Give a Grad a Gift Reception at Clark Alumni House, Coe College
May: Saturday, May 10th at Elmcrest Country Club Brunch will be followed by an exemplary program which you will not want to miss. It includes a sneak peak at a musical production, featuring local talent including some of our own members.
Volunteers Needed!
We need you to volunteer to assist so that we have another successful Open Minds, Open Doors Conference, October 16th, Coe College. Please help recruit more women who can be partners or assist in other roles. For more information call Sue Jorgensen, 363-3138.
Afternoon Book Club
The afternoon book club is reading Palace Walk this month, Meeting time: 12:30, September 18, Third Floor Card Room at Cottage Grove Place. Jo Ann Kreiman, contact person.
State Newsletter On Line, Association website
The Iowa Initiative is now available on line, at
www.aauwia.org. The website also has more interesting information. Check it out! On the National website, www.aauw.org, you can get an updated branch roster, edit your OWN information, and find out many things about AAUW and its current projects. You will need your ID number (on you Outlook magazine, or ask the President or Finance Chair for it) to access the personal information.Bridge Marathon Benefits the Educational Foundation
For about 35 years, a few AAUW members have been hosting a Bridge Marathon, with proceeds donated to the Educational Foundation. The end-of-the year party was held in June, complete with donated door prizes and awards. Dorothy Johnson has been leading this effort, and Lorraine Bomkamp has been soliciting door prizes for this fun event. We thank them for all their work! If you are a bridge player interested in joining, contact Dorothy.
Women's Equality Day
celebrates the August 26,1920 passage of the 19th amendment, recognizing women's right to vote. Our Branch of AAUW is a co-sponsor of this event. The event is Sunday, August 26th at 6:15 pm. A light buffet of hors d'oeuvres, wine and music will be followed by the formal program at 7 pm with the presentation of the 2007 Woman of the Year awards. The keynote speaker is former mayor Lee Clancy. Location (note change), 3375 Armar Dr., Marion (Kirkwood Training and Outreach). For more information or tickets call Joan Jacob, 366-3365.AAUW Board Meeting Minutes
June 11, 2007 Location: Kathy Kittredge’s home. Attended by Mary Magner, Kathy Kittredge, Marilyn Bowman, Sharon Vana
Secretary’s Minutes were read and approved.
Treasurers Report: The balance as of May 31, 2007, is $1615.54 To renew membership submit a check of $66.00 to AAUW and mail to Jan Johnston at 606 5th St. North, Springville, IA 52336.
Education Foundation: Three Named Grant Honories for the Education Foundation were designated at the May meeting. They are Lorraine Bompkamp, Sue Pierson, and Dorothy Johnson.
Open Minds, Open Doors: President Kathy signed the GCRF grant for Sue Pierson to submit for OMOD funding, which will be held Oct. 16, 2007 at Coe College.
Old Business: At the May meeting the following members were elected to offices: Sharon Vana, Program Vice President, and Sue Jorgensen, Membership Vice President. The position of President Elect remains open.
New Business: The board brainstormed for programs for 2007-2008. (See current bulletin for complete outline of programs.)
Submitted by Secretary Mary Magner
August 8, 2007 CR Branch Board Meeting
Location: Sue Jorgensen’s home Attended by: Kathy Kittredge, Jan Johnston, Sharon Vana, Marilyn Bowman and Sue Jorgensen
Secretary Minutes: Approved as corrected
Treasurer Report: Balance in Checking is $2,332.29. There was a motion by Marilyn to pay for dues for one membership due to an error in calculating how many free memberships had been earned by the branch. The budget for the coming year will be planned by a committee.
Membership: There are currently 70 paid members. Thanks to all who renewed!
Committees: See president column for report of the Bridge Marathon.
Open Minds, Open Doors: Volunteers are needed to partner with presenters. Grants and contributions received to date for funding the conference now totals $9,055.32. Those financial supporters are: Rockwell, Thrivent, and Cedar River Paper Company. We thank Grant Wood AEA for administering the conference and to our members who support the conference.
Program Planning: See notice of meetings and dates in bulletin.
Yearbook/Directory: Additions to the yearbook will be included in the bulletin and disseminated to each individual. (See announcement about directory on page 3)
Woman’s Equality Day: an AAUW display at the event will include membership information and the display board for Open Minds, Open Doors.
Submitted by Sue Jorgensen, Sec Pro Tem
International Relations
The Great Decisions International Relations Study Group, "Climate Change and Global Warming", 7:00 p.m. Monday, September 24 at the home of Carey Snitker, 750 Edinburgh Drive, Marion. If you would like to participate, please call Alice Dahle at 364-4999, or e-mail:
adahle@fastermac.netUnited Nations Association
Linn County Chapter of the United Nations Association, of which AAUW is an affiliate member,7:00 p.m., Thursday, September 27, Peoples Church, 600 Third Ave. SE. Iyana Leach will report on her work on environmental and sanitation issues during her recent stay in Senegal. The meeting is free and open to the public.
Peace One Day - A Citizens' Forum on Concrete Steps for Achieving Global Peace
The Linn County Chapter of the United Nations Association-Co-sponsored by USA and Women for Peace-Iowa. How individuals can contribute to peace through awareness, advocacy, activism and lifestyle changes. 1:30 to 3:30 P.M., Sunday, September 16. Beems Auditorium, Cedar Rapids Public Library. The public is cordially invited.
Your AAUW Leadership Team Working for You
President – Kathy Kittredge Program Planning –Sharon Vana
VP Membership - Sue Jorgensen Educational Foundation – Betty Debban
Treasurer - Jan Johnston Bridge Marathon – Dorothy Johnson
Secretary - Mary Magner Social Arrangements – Trudy Sundermann
Yearbook & Bylaws – Marilyn Bowman
"Open Minds, Open Doors" Committee Participants – Sue Pearson, Sue Jorgensen, Jan Johnston
Mission Statement of The American Association of University Women
AAUW promotes equity for women, education and self development over the life span and positive societal change.
Return Address:
1517 Whitters Way NW
Cedar Rapids, IA 52405