Greetings from Pat

Dear Branch Members,

Welcome to a brand new program year.  I hope that everyone had a wonderful summer and was able to stay cool.  I don’t think I’ve ever used the word “oppressive” in relation to the heat as often as I have this past summer.

I look forward to leading our organization for a second year.  I was genuinely impressed with the commitment so many members had in helping things run smoothly.  Already, I have seen some come forward for this year.

In addition to our regular meetings and events, we will be celebrating AAUW’s 125^th anniversary.  It’s hard to imagine what life for an ambitious woman was like 125 years ago.  It was actually thought that identical education to a man was harmful to a woman’s health, and, was a crime before God!  Outlook, our national magazine is running a three part series in celebration of the 125^th milestone.  In reading the first of the three series, I had emotions of humor, anger, sadness and admiration.  The day of celebration is November 28^th, 2006 and I feel we need to make it a point to be recognized.

I’m hoping to see all of you at our first meeting, Thursday, September 7, 2006.

Sincerely,

         Pat

Helping to Build a Playground

The community’s support and assistance is needed to build the Tiger Den Playground.  It will be located across the street from Weis Market in Lock Haven.  It will be for Dickey Elementary School students as well as the entire community.  The playground is to be built with donations of funds, materials, labor, and tools.

Joel Long, City Council member, spoke to our local Board in June, and we all felt it would be something our branch would love to support.  We have, at this time, purchased a picket for the fence.  Our organization, AAUW, will be engraved on the picket.

In addition, we are going to be available on one of the five building days in November, to serve our time and meals.  Friday, November 3, 2006, will be AAUW’s day to help.  A work schedule will be presented to members so jobs and times can be chosen.  Also, we will be preparing pot-luck meals to feed the workers.

More information on our participation and individual monetary contributions will be given at our September and October meetings.

Millbrook Playhouse is sponsoring a trip to NYC on Nov. 11.  You may purchase tickets to see The Drowsy Chaperone or just ride along on the bus and do your own thing.  Balcony seats are sold out.  If you are interested, you may let Michele Long know by email or phone (748-6994) or call the Millbrook box office (748-8083).  If you wish to get show tickets, I need to know by August 9.  If you want to go bus only, I don't need to know until later, but the seats may fill up.  Contact: Michelle Long.

Care and Concern............

This summer the following members received cards from us.

Ø       We shared Laura Long's joy on the return of her son Ted from Iraq.

Ø       We congratulated Pam Blesh on being named Alpha Alpha State Woman of Distinction 2005.  It's the Beta Nu Chapter of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International for Key Women Educators.

Ø       We sent a card of encouragement to Jayne Arnone.  As an update, Jayne spent time in Geisinger Hospital fighting gallbladder problems.  She is now home, but is on hospice care.  Our thoughts are with Jayne and her family.

Ø       We shared Lois Day's concern for her son Stephen who has very serious health problems and is facing surgery in late August. As an update, Stephen will not need the surgery at this point.

Betty Nelson & F. Gerry Cierpilowski

Thanks to our Soldiers!!!

If you go to this web site, www.letssaythanks.com, you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq.  You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to some member of the armed services. How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one! This is a great site. Please send a card. It is FREE and it only takes a second. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these?

Whether you are for or against the war, our guys and gals over there need to know we are behind them.
 

Scholarship Winners

 The Scholarship Awards Committee is pleased to announce that the following scholarships were awarded from proceeds of the spring AAUW Book Sale:

An undergraduate scholarship of $500 to Tracy Foster who is pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing at Pennsylvania College of Technology.

A graduate scholarship of $1000 to Lisa Ertel Hayden who is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Physical Therapy at Neumann College in Aston, PA.

A graduate scholarship of $1000 to Stephanie Hinnershitz Reichelderfer who is pursuing a Master’s Degree in history at Temple University in Philadelphia.

A graduate scholarship of $1000 to Jessica Marcinkevage who is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Public Health Nutrition at Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in Atlanta.

The committee members were Pat Burd, Diane Whitaker, Linda Frye, Amy Carroll, and Carol Hildebrand.  Many thanks to them for their thoughtful and cooperative work.

We have invited all of the awardees to our Fall dinner, as usual, but some of them will be too far away to be able to attend.  We wish them all success as they continue to work toward their educational goals.

Beth Brobst, Educational Foundation Chair

Cathy Marcinkevage Miller
 A $20,000 Fellowship Winner

(The following is the text of Cathy’s narrative statement to explain why she is in the field she is in and what shaped and influenced her.)

 I always knew I’d end up in science.  My dad was a civil engineer; hints of his profession were all around  our house—surveying equipment, T-squares, old blueprints that covered my school books.  My mom was a pro-woman social worker who provided an unspoken confidence that I could grow up to do whatever I wanted, and be pretty good at it.  One day, when I was 13—that age when the relationship between girls and science becomes tenuous—my mom came home with a button that read “The right man for the job just may be a woman!”  It quickly found a home on my backpack.

I was able to find an equally supportive community at Columbia by becoming involved in the Society of Women Engineers (SWE).  While serving on the SWE student board, our chapter nearly doubled in size.  But my tendency to take charge really manifested when Columbia was, for the first time, selected to host the 2000 SWE Northeast Regional Student Conference.

I dove into the challenge—where, in Manhattan, do you house 350 visiting students (no dorm room floors!)?  As conference co-chair, I oversaw a committee of twenty students.  We devised an $80,000 budget that was met using corporate contacts from past career fairs and those I met at a professional SWE conference.  Our professional mentor demanded that attendees pay no more that $60, which we balanced with the reality of financing a weekend of food, transportation, and lodging in New York City.  Career services representatives feared our engineering-based career fair would interfere with their campus-wide events.  So I used our own resources and contacts to secure participation of over thirty technical companies.  The conference was a success; hundreds of female engineers left Manhattan that weekend with feelings of confidence and camaraderie.  Those women found that they have a network of colleagues who can help them advance both professionally and personally.

I think this mix of interests explains why I chose an interdisciplinary approach that combines the “hard” science of engineering with the “softer” science of ecology.  My target career will use the two disciplines to best meet the demands of both humans and nature.  I’m proud of my academic accomplishments, but my involvement in service organizations has been key to my personal development.  What I learn from encouraging female engineering undergrads or advocating for a sexual assault victim extends beyond the classroom, and reiterates the influence of the engineer and the social worker—to live with perseverance, compassion, and contribution.

Candidate's Night

Plans are underway for a very exciting Candidate’s Night on October 5 at the Clinton County Courthouse at 7:00 p.m.

The invited candidates include:

U.S. Senate: 
Rick Santorum and Bob Casey

U.S. House: 
John Peterson and Donald Hillard

PA Governor: 
Ed Rendell and Lynn Swan

PA Lieutenant Governor: 
Catherine Baker Knoll and Jim Matthews

PA State Representative, 76th District: 
Mike Hanna

The best way you can help is to come up with good questions that are provocative, fair, require more than a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer, and that are appropriate for the specific candidate’s scope of influence.  The success of the event  is dependent on having relevant questions.  That is the most difficult part of the planning.  HELP!

We also need moderators, a person to keep time, some people to edit questions, and other help on that evening.

Voter Registration

It is vitally important to get everyone possible to register so they can vote in this election.  The deadline to register is a month before Election Day.  I will have registration forms at the September meeting.

If you know anyone who has moved, has married, has never voted, or for any other reason is not registered, please provide them with a form to complete.

Also, people need to be prepared if they will require an absentee ballot for any reason.  I will have them available too.  But for some it may be easier to get them or turn them in at the Voter Registration Office on the 3^rd floor of the Garden Building, Main Street, Lock Haven.

WOMAN to WOMAN
Voter Turnout Campaign

AAUW has a new mobilization effort: “WOMAN to WOMAN Voter Turnout Campaign, Mobilize Women to Vote.”  There will be a meeting to organize our efforts at my house, 980 Center Street, Lock Haven, soon.  If you are interested, please contact me at 748-7316 or lauralong1@excite.com.  This is a long term initiative, not just for this November’s election.

Please check out the “AAUW Public Policy Principles for Action” and the “2005-2007 Biennial Action Priorities” on the website.  You can also download the “Woman to Woman” information.

Can’t wait to see all of you!
Love and Peace,
Laura Long, Public Policy Chair

From the Fiscal Officer

It seems that AAUW has changed the title of the Treasurer to “Fiscal Officer”.  As one of the first things I do as Fiscal Officer, I would like to thank the past Fiscal Officer, Amy Carroll for all of her hard work, dedication, and especially all of the help she has given and still continues to give me in this transition period of changing officers.  I hope she doesn’t get too exasperated with my unending questions!!

I would also like to remind the handful of people who have not yet paid the 2006-2007 dues that it would be greatly appreciated if you would send your payment of $66.00 made out to “Lock Haven Branch AAUW” to me at 28 S. Summit St., Lock Haven, as soon as possible.  Thank you.

Included in this month’s Lockletter are 2 reports:  Amy’s last report, 2005-2006 Budget vs. Actual, and my first report, the 2006-2007 Proposed Budget that was presented to the Board at the August 17^th meeting and approved to present to the membership for their approval.  There is no Treasurer’s Report included as I have not yet received the books back from the audit committee.

Respectfully submitted,
Angela M. Black
Fiscal Officer

(Editor’s note:  The 2005-2006 Budget vs. Actual Report and the 2006-2007 Proposed Budget are included below.)

Lock Haven Branch AAUW 
2006 - 2007 Proposed Budget

BUDGET

2,205.00

5,200.00

2,205.00

1,500.00

11,589.54