ANNUAL BRANCH SUMMARY REPORTS
PORTLAND BRANCH 2024 REPORT
Ilga Ross, Administrator
At our 2023 Annual Meeting, AAUW of Portland took a bold step and adopted bylaws that completely changed our leadership structure. We abandoned the titles and hierarchy and established a five-member committee that we named the Leadership Council.
Also new in these bylaws was the fact that council members would select their own roles according to their interests and skills. The five newly elected councilors met informally and selected their preferred role from administrator, finance, program, membership, and communications. In some cases, jobs were shared by two or more councilors. For example, program planning was separated into arranging the venue and enlisting the speakers.
Other responsibilities--records maintenance, interest group support, member outreach, fundraising, and public policy--were shared. Overall, the entire council worked well together and filled in as needed. Looking to the future, we want to spread the tasks to more of our members by enlarging our supporting committees.
Recognizing that members were less eager to attend monthly meetings now (an effect of the pandemic), we chose to limit sponsored speaker events to the four months of September, December, March, and May. Our program theme for this year has been "Celebrate the Arts", an effort to promote and encourage people to re-engage. We had a picnic and held a tea. In the intermittent months between branch-sponsored speakers, we took advantage of the rich offerings available in the city of Portland. In October, we toured the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education. In January we held a Zoom meeting where members discussed what they were reading. In February, a group of us went to a movie at the African Film Festival.
For fundraising, we held an online auction and sent a direct-appeal letter. The auction proceeds went to AAUW Funds, and the letter requested donations to our endowment at Portland Community College.
Twelve new members joined this year. They learned about our branch through our website, which is kept current. It has a link that allows anyone to subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter, where we now have twice as many subscribers as members. We hope that our offerings will encourage many of them to join. The importance of online visibility cannot be overstated.
Because our governance structure is very different from that of other branches in the state, we were occasionally asked “How is it going?”. It has been working quite well for us. While some of the councilors were new to our branch last year, the advantage was that all five had prior AAUW experience. At our recent annual meeting, two new members were elected to the Leadership Council, and the older members moved to advisory roles. We are already planning for a successful 2024-2025 year.
Ilga Ross, Administrator
At our 2023 Annual Meeting, AAUW of Portland took a bold step and adopted bylaws that completely changed our leadership structure. We abandoned the titles and hierarchy and established a five-member committee that we named the Leadership Council.
Also new in these bylaws was the fact that council members would select their own roles according to their interests and skills. The five newly elected councilors met informally and selected their preferred role from administrator, finance, program, membership, and communications. In some cases, jobs were shared by two or more councilors. For example, program planning was separated into arranging the venue and enlisting the speakers.
Other responsibilities--records maintenance, interest group support, member outreach, fundraising, and public policy--were shared. Overall, the entire council worked well together and filled in as needed. Looking to the future, we want to spread the tasks to more of our members by enlarging our supporting committees.
Recognizing that members were less eager to attend monthly meetings now (an effect of the pandemic), we chose to limit sponsored speaker events to the four months of September, December, March, and May. Our program theme for this year has been "Celebrate the Arts", an effort to promote and encourage people to re-engage. We had a picnic and held a tea. In the intermittent months between branch-sponsored speakers, we took advantage of the rich offerings available in the city of Portland. In October, we toured the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education. In January we held a Zoom meeting where members discussed what they were reading. In February, a group of us went to a movie at the African Film Festival.
For fundraising, we held an online auction and sent a direct-appeal letter. The auction proceeds went to AAUW Funds, and the letter requested donations to our endowment at Portland Community College.
Twelve new members joined this year. They learned about our branch through our website, which is kept current. It has a link that allows anyone to subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter, where we now have twice as many subscribers as members. We hope that our offerings will encourage many of them to join. The importance of online visibility cannot be overstated.
Because our governance structure is very different from that of other branches in the state, we were occasionally asked “How is it going?”. It has been working quite well for us. While some of the councilors were new to our branch last year, the advantage was that all five had prior AAUW experience. At our recent annual meeting, two new members were elected to the Leadership Council, and the older members moved to advisory roles. We are already planning for a successful 2024-2025 year.
PORTLAND BRANCH 2023 REPORT
Ilga Ross, Administrator
Soon after submitting last year’s very positive annual report, the branch’s fortunes sharply declined. No one was willing to become president and the board was reluctant to continue facing the leadership challenges. Attendance at branch meetings, which were necessarily still held by Zoom, had steadily declined despite having interesting speakers. The branch board felt that their only options for the branch were to go on hiatus or to disband, an action that would have left 80 members without a branch.
Several members were strongly against abandoning a branch that had existed since 1905 and opposed disbanding. At its June meeting, the 2021-22 Portland Branch Board appointed Ilga Ross to be administrative contact. Thereafter, every board member resigned her position as of June 30.
As the only officer of Portland Branch, I first confirmed that I had access to the branch bank account, the Community Hub information, and the technology platforms. Then I set about reassuring members that the branch was not disbanding by sending out periodic e-newsletters, updating the website, encouraging members to renew, and mailing notecards of thanks to those who did. I am grateful that Kathy Hand accepted appointment as finance officer and Linda Stern lent her support as member liaison. About 60 branch members renewed and several new members came to us through the website and by subscribing to our e-newsletters.
Study/interest groups have long been a strength of Portland Branch. I contacted each leader to assure them of branch support and to confirm that their group planned to continue. A successful fundraising campaign on behalf of the recently established branch endowment at PCC was conducted by Judy Holt and the past presidents.
Monthly branch meetings with speakers were held in the fall. The September meeting was at the PCC Cascade Learning Garden, as garden tours had always been popular. In October we partnered with Tigard Area Branch for a hybrid presentation by a prominent medical research physician. Our November program by Neighbors for Clean Air was arranged by Nadyne Rosin and a recording made available by Nancy Cheverton. Regrettably, attendance at the monthly meetings did not improve over the previous year and continues to need attention.
The January all-member planning meeting outcomes offer indicators of our progress toward rebuilding. The discussion focused on leadership and program. We concluded that the branch leadership structure needed complete revision. The group voted to establish a five-member Leadership Council to replace the named officers and the board of directors. Five members volunteered to serve on the council. As of this writing, voting on revised bylaws and on council members will occur at the branch Annual Meeting on March 18, 2023.
Ilga Ross, Administrator
Soon after submitting last year’s very positive annual report, the branch’s fortunes sharply declined. No one was willing to become president and the board was reluctant to continue facing the leadership challenges. Attendance at branch meetings, which were necessarily still held by Zoom, had steadily declined despite having interesting speakers. The branch board felt that their only options for the branch were to go on hiatus or to disband, an action that would have left 80 members without a branch.
Several members were strongly against abandoning a branch that had existed since 1905 and opposed disbanding. At its June meeting, the 2021-22 Portland Branch Board appointed Ilga Ross to be administrative contact. Thereafter, every board member resigned her position as of June 30.
As the only officer of Portland Branch, I first confirmed that I had access to the branch bank account, the Community Hub information, and the technology platforms. Then I set about reassuring members that the branch was not disbanding by sending out periodic e-newsletters, updating the website, encouraging members to renew, and mailing notecards of thanks to those who did. I am grateful that Kathy Hand accepted appointment as finance officer and Linda Stern lent her support as member liaison. About 60 branch members renewed and several new members came to us through the website and by subscribing to our e-newsletters.
Study/interest groups have long been a strength of Portland Branch. I contacted each leader to assure them of branch support and to confirm that their group planned to continue. A successful fundraising campaign on behalf of the recently established branch endowment at PCC was conducted by Judy Holt and the past presidents.
Monthly branch meetings with speakers were held in the fall. The September meeting was at the PCC Cascade Learning Garden, as garden tours had always been popular. In October we partnered with Tigard Area Branch for a hybrid presentation by a prominent medical research physician. Our November program by Neighbors for Clean Air was arranged by Nadyne Rosin and a recording made available by Nancy Cheverton. Regrettably, attendance at the monthly meetings did not improve over the previous year and continues to need attention.
The January all-member planning meeting outcomes offer indicators of our progress toward rebuilding. The discussion focused on leadership and program. We concluded that the branch leadership structure needed complete revision. The group voted to establish a five-member Leadership Council to replace the named officers and the board of directors. Five members volunteered to serve on the council. As of this writing, voting on revised bylaws and on council members will occur at the branch Annual Meeting on March 18, 2023.
PORTLAND BRANCH 2022 REPORT
Susan Marthens & Katie Raetz, Co-Presidents
AAUW Portland Branch ended 2021 with a bang—aka a successful fundraiser for AAUW National! With the hard work and support of Program VP Linda Loftin, Holiday Brunch guru Diane Winn, and Funds Chair Judy Holt, we had one of the most successful events—maybe the most—to show our support for AAUW National Funds, with branch members donating $5,363, including $1,080 from an auction of eleven items and results of three online raffles. Sixteen members met the challenge of donating $140 or more to National in honor of the 140 years of the organization’s existence. All this was by Zoom! The auction items included a Mah Jongg set, hand knitted winter items, hand dyed tapestry, still life painting, quarterly delivery of home-baked cookies, gift cards, a three-night stay in a North Portland Airbnb, plus wine and more wine—all by top Oregon female winemakers. We also had a presentation by Molly Pringle from Portland Street Medicine and the presence of two of the branch’s three PCC scholarship recipients. While all this was well organized and facilitated by Zoom, a few branch members gathered to have brunch together in the spirit of our usual annual December event. Other programs created by our Program VP included a presentation by Dr Christiana Lancioni, OHSU, who addressed the topic of COVID-19 vaccines (done in February 2021 as we were all facing immunization) and a May address by Jill Kuehler, Freeland Spirits Founder and CEO to share the story of her Portland women-owned-and-run craft distillery. (Late in 2021 another branch contacted us in hopes of putting on such a cocktail-making event for their branch!). In September, Senator Deb Patterson provided an update on legislative progress related to health care, age discrimination, and the corporate board diversity bill (thanks to Trish Garner, Public Policy at State). In December we had a guided tour by Jan Dilg, AAUW member and independent historian, of the “Nevertheless They Persisted” exhibit at the Oregon Historical Society, focusing on the intersection of Oregon and national suffrage movements. We also held our Annual Meeting in March with Teri Patapoff, Major Gifts Officer at the PCC Foundation, as arranged by Barbara Spencer, our then Scholarship Chair. Two of that year’s recipients attended (online, of course) to express the value of our scholarships to them. The Portland Branch STEM project has not been put on hold due to the pandemic but has slowed considerably in activity level. To date, we have held only three classes, about one per month, for the Girls Engage Technology (GET) program that we support. There are new teachers organizing the classes. We continue to work through the Girl Scout organization, and very few troops or individual girls are signing up due to the COVID virus. We hope that in 2022, if the current omicron virus variant subsides once again, more girls will be more interested in participating. We have 14 Study and Interest groups; seven are in hiatus (Zooming doesn’t work); six book groups continued to function via Zoom; one group walks outside (Wimpy Walkers), so that has been active. We are fortunate to have a fairly high number of such groups. However, the membership in all these groups comes from less than 50% of our branch membership. This is about the same percentage that attends all our programs—during the pandemic but also before it started.
Susan Marthens & Katie Raetz, Co-Presidents
AAUW Portland Branch ended 2021 with a bang—aka a successful fundraiser for AAUW National! With the hard work and support of Program VP Linda Loftin, Holiday Brunch guru Diane Winn, and Funds Chair Judy Holt, we had one of the most successful events—maybe the most—to show our support for AAUW National Funds, with branch members donating $5,363, including $1,080 from an auction of eleven items and results of three online raffles. Sixteen members met the challenge of donating $140 or more to National in honor of the 140 years of the organization’s existence. All this was by Zoom! The auction items included a Mah Jongg set, hand knitted winter items, hand dyed tapestry, still life painting, quarterly delivery of home-baked cookies, gift cards, a three-night stay in a North Portland Airbnb, plus wine and more wine—all by top Oregon female winemakers. We also had a presentation by Molly Pringle from Portland Street Medicine and the presence of two of the branch’s three PCC scholarship recipients. While all this was well organized and facilitated by Zoom, a few branch members gathered to have brunch together in the spirit of our usual annual December event. Other programs created by our Program VP included a presentation by Dr Christiana Lancioni, OHSU, who addressed the topic of COVID-19 vaccines (done in February 2021 as we were all facing immunization) and a May address by Jill Kuehler, Freeland Spirits Founder and CEO to share the story of her Portland women-owned-and-run craft distillery. (Late in 2021 another branch contacted us in hopes of putting on such a cocktail-making event for their branch!). In September, Senator Deb Patterson provided an update on legislative progress related to health care, age discrimination, and the corporate board diversity bill (thanks to Trish Garner, Public Policy at State). In December we had a guided tour by Jan Dilg, AAUW member and independent historian, of the “Nevertheless They Persisted” exhibit at the Oregon Historical Society, focusing on the intersection of Oregon and national suffrage movements. We also held our Annual Meeting in March with Teri Patapoff, Major Gifts Officer at the PCC Foundation, as arranged by Barbara Spencer, our then Scholarship Chair. Two of that year’s recipients attended (online, of course) to express the value of our scholarships to them. The Portland Branch STEM project has not been put on hold due to the pandemic but has slowed considerably in activity level. To date, we have held only three classes, about one per month, for the Girls Engage Technology (GET) program that we support. There are new teachers organizing the classes. We continue to work through the Girl Scout organization, and very few troops or individual girls are signing up due to the COVID virus. We hope that in 2022, if the current omicron virus variant subsides once again, more girls will be more interested in participating. We have 14 Study and Interest groups; seven are in hiatus (Zooming doesn’t work); six book groups continued to function via Zoom; one group walks outside (Wimpy Walkers), so that has been active. We are fortunate to have a fairly high number of such groups. However, the membership in all these groups comes from less than 50% of our branch membership. This is about the same percentage that attends all our programs—during the pandemic but also before it started.
PORTLAND BRANCH 2021 REPORT
Susan Marthens & Katie Raetz, Co-Presidents
As we write this summary report, the one-year anniversary of various levels of lockdown in Oregon is quickly approaching. The separation and isolation felt by most of our members has certainly been our greatest challenge. In response, the
Portland branch prioritized connection. In the past year board members have called all our general membership twice. We also sent personalized Christmas cards to each member. Our efforts are intended to reduce isolation and increase members’ inclusion and sense of connection. Many members expressed their delight that we reached out to them.
All our meetings have been on Zoom for the past year. All interest groups, other than Mah Jongg, book groups and the Wimpy Walkers, are on hiatus. The connections provided by interest groups that are able to continue remotely have been vital to membership.
Our commitment to STEM continues. A $500 donation to The Boys and Girls Aid Society was made in December 2020 for scholarships for underserved children. Branch involvement with Saturday Academy and the Girl Scouts continues on hiatus. Fund raising has been virtual and, interestingly, the December fund raising for AAUW National was more successful than the in-person effort in 2019 -- we collected more than $3,000! Our March 2021 fund raising for Portland Community College (PCC) scholarships will also be virtual. We have already agreed to provide three scholarships of $1,500 each for the 2021-2022 academic year. To maintain our connections with both Portland State University (PSU) and PCC, we are paying a small fee to continue as educational partners.
Our newsletter is a definite source of pride! The Rose City Reporter was updated, making it easy to access links and the
interactive calendar. We have found increased numbers of members opening and accessing the newsletter as well.
Our Programs VP connected with us with timely and informative topics of interest to our members. Our April 2020 topic
was a look back at the history of the US census. In October the speaker addressed the roots of the current economic racial
inequality in the United States. February 2021’s speaker, an OHSU pediatrician, provided a well-received discussion of
the COVID-19 vaccine. This came at a perfect time, for many of us had begun the vaccination process. As we look to the
future, it is possible that our May honors luncheon may be in person. We are considering this if state guidelines allow, and
the membership is willing.
PORTLAND BRANCH 2020 REPORT
Sue Thomas, President
This was a good year for the Portland Branch. We have 93 members and 14 active interest groups. Our newest interest group is Current Affairs, studying issues in Portland. They are currently looking at the Preschool for All measure. The group has grown rapidly and there is a great deal of interest in the subject matter.
We continue to support our STEM project, working in collaboration with Saturday Academy and the Girl Scouts. The goal of the project is to encourage interest, inspire young girls to consider further study in computer science, and to help 4th and 5th grade girls gain confidence in trying technology. The name of the program is “Girls Engage Technology.” It is taught by Barbara Miner, PhD, an AAUW Portland Branch member. We hire and train high school girls to help teach the classes. The Branch pays their salaries. Our members assist with record-keeping, adult supervision, help with materials and supplies, and help with teaching on occasion. Over 1,400 girls have taken at least one class this year.
We continue to work with the colleges and universities in Portland. This year we awarded three scholarships to women studying STEM related majors at Portland Community College. We will also be participating in a Portland State College program to educate women about resources in the community.
Our monthly programs have been focused on ideas for getting involved and solving issues affecting women personally and professionally. This fall our program presented Karin Power, District 41, who reviewed bills that would impact women in the workplace. We have reached out to other branches to provide opportunities to co-mingle with other members in Oregon. In October, we were invited to a program in Lake Oswego about “Aging out of the Foster System. What’s next?” It was an excellent program and well attended.
Sue Thomas, President
This was a good year for the Portland Branch. We have 93 members and 14 active interest groups. Our newest interest group is Current Affairs, studying issues in Portland. They are currently looking at the Preschool for All measure. The group has grown rapidly and there is a great deal of interest in the subject matter.
We continue to support our STEM project, working in collaboration with Saturday Academy and the Girl Scouts. The goal of the project is to encourage interest, inspire young girls to consider further study in computer science, and to help 4th and 5th grade girls gain confidence in trying technology. The name of the program is “Girls Engage Technology.” It is taught by Barbara Miner, PhD, an AAUW Portland Branch member. We hire and train high school girls to help teach the classes. The Branch pays their salaries. Our members assist with record-keeping, adult supervision, help with materials and supplies, and help with teaching on occasion. Over 1,400 girls have taken at least one class this year.
We continue to work with the colleges and universities in Portland. This year we awarded three scholarships to women studying STEM related majors at Portland Community College. We will also be participating in a Portland State College program to educate women about resources in the community.
Our monthly programs have been focused on ideas for getting involved and solving issues affecting women personally and professionally. This fall our program presented Karin Power, District 41, who reviewed bills that would impact women in the workplace. We have reached out to other branches to provide opportunities to co-mingle with other members in Oregon. In October, we were invited to a program in Lake Oswego about “Aging out of the Foster System. What’s next?” It was an excellent program and well attended.
PORTLAND BRANCH 2019 REPORT
Sue Thomas, President
The Portland Branch enjoyed another year of great programs, thanks to our VP Programs and her committee. In May, we held the Honors Luncheon with the installation of officers and a walking tour of Pinkham Millinery by Dayna Pinkham, founder and creator of distinguished, imaginative hats. In August, we held our annual picnic in Tualatin. We had the pleasure of Georgia Applegate, Oregon AAUW President, speak about the AAUW National Strategic Plan. The Branch collaborated with the YWCA and the League of Women Voters to present a dialog about the ballot initiatives. We heard from Dr. Tracy Prince, Research Professor at Portland State University and her daughter about Notable Women of Portend. Kara Sand, Executive Director of Street Roots, a nonprofit that give newspapers to homeless in sell on the streets for their own profile.
The Branch has also done fundraising. At the Convention, the Branch hosted the Silent Auction benefitting AAUW Funds. We had a very successful fundraiser by hosting a play "Eleanor Roosevelt, Across a Barrier of Fear". It was offered to the community and had a full house. This was a benefit to support Portland Community College scholarships. We gave two $1500 scholarships and still have money left for next year’s scholarships.
We continue to partner with Saturday Academy and the Girl Scouts in a STEM program called” G.E.T’, Girls Engaged in Technology. We provide staffing for the classes and pay the salaries of the high school students who teach under the supervision of Barbara Miner, a PhD in engineering and a great teacher.
We continue maintain a strong relationship with Portland State University (PSU), primarily through the Center for Women’s Leadership and the Resource Center for Students with Children. We held a program with graduates of New Leadership Oregon and supported their women’s leadership training with a $250 scholarship. The branch was a co-sponsor of a national conference for students with children held at PSU.
Trish Garner will present the Public Policy program in February featuring the AAUW Oregon Legislative Priorities.
In March, our Branch will feature the election of new officers and naming delegates to the State Convention in April.
Sue Thomas, President
The Portland Branch enjoyed another year of great programs, thanks to our VP Programs and her committee. In May, we held the Honors Luncheon with the installation of officers and a walking tour of Pinkham Millinery by Dayna Pinkham, founder and creator of distinguished, imaginative hats. In August, we held our annual picnic in Tualatin. We had the pleasure of Georgia Applegate, Oregon AAUW President, speak about the AAUW National Strategic Plan. The Branch collaborated with the YWCA and the League of Women Voters to present a dialog about the ballot initiatives. We heard from Dr. Tracy Prince, Research Professor at Portland State University and her daughter about Notable Women of Portend. Kara Sand, Executive Director of Street Roots, a nonprofit that give newspapers to homeless in sell on the streets for their own profile.
The Branch has also done fundraising. At the Convention, the Branch hosted the Silent Auction benefitting AAUW Funds. We had a very successful fundraiser by hosting a play "Eleanor Roosevelt, Across a Barrier of Fear". It was offered to the community and had a full house. This was a benefit to support Portland Community College scholarships. We gave two $1500 scholarships and still have money left for next year’s scholarships.
We continue to partner with Saturday Academy and the Girl Scouts in a STEM program called” G.E.T’, Girls Engaged in Technology. We provide staffing for the classes and pay the salaries of the high school students who teach under the supervision of Barbara Miner, a PhD in engineering and a great teacher.
We continue maintain a strong relationship with Portland State University (PSU), primarily through the Center for Women’s Leadership and the Resource Center for Students with Children. We held a program with graduates of New Leadership Oregon and supported their women’s leadership training with a $250 scholarship. The branch was a co-sponsor of a national conference for students with children held at PSU.
Trish Garner will present the Public Policy program in February featuring the AAUW Oregon Legislative Priorities.
In March, our Branch will feature the election of new officers and naming delegates to the State Convention in April.
PORTLAND BRANCH 2018 REPORT
Ilga Ross & Trish Garner, Co-Presidents
Thanks to our Program Vice President and her committee, the Portland Branch enjoyed excellent monthly programs. We heard from Margi Dechenne, Program Manager of Catholic Charities Housing Transitions, a program that provides permanent housing and ongoing case management to homeless, non-parenting women. She talked about Kenton Women’s Village, which is a pilot project in North Portland that provides 14 women with safe, private places to sleep and meaningful chances to regain permanent housing. We also heard from Shawna Chambers, Manager of the Portland State Financial Wellness Center about the fact that women hold almost two-thirds of the country’s $1.3 trillion student debt. She is also trying to educate students about the financial implications of student debt so they can be successful while at school and after graduation. Traci Rossi, Executive Director, Portland State University’s Center for Women’s Leadership spoke about what she is doing to foster women leadership.
Movie screenings were also great successes. They included “Black Girl in Suburbia” and “The Eagle Huntress.” We continue to partner with Saturday Academy and the Girl Scouts in a STEM program called “G.E.T.”, Girls Engage Technology. We also maintain a strong relationship with Portland State University, primarily through the Center for Women’s Leadership and the Resource Center for Students with Children.
On the public policy front, the Portland, Lake Oswego and Tigard Branches met to discuss how we might collaborate to advocate on behalf of important public policy issues, particularly those on the local scene. We hope to come up with a plan to move this project forward.
We also joined with the Lake Oswego Branch and heard about the Oregon Department of Education’s Civil Rights Specialist speak about “Equal Opportunities in Our Schools: A Title IX Overview.” Clackamas County Circuit Court Judge Ann Lininger and Senator Kathleen Taylor were honored for their work in getting the Oregon Equal Pay bill passed. Judge Lininger was a House Representative at the time.
Our website (www.aauwpdx.org) is continually and attractively updated, and is an important point of access for programs, links, inquiries and membership renewal. We are also now able to charge credit cards for our various activities.
Back
Ilga Ross & Trish Garner, Co-Presidents
Thanks to our Program Vice President and her committee, the Portland Branch enjoyed excellent monthly programs. We heard from Margi Dechenne, Program Manager of Catholic Charities Housing Transitions, a program that provides permanent housing and ongoing case management to homeless, non-parenting women. She talked about Kenton Women’s Village, which is a pilot project in North Portland that provides 14 women with safe, private places to sleep and meaningful chances to regain permanent housing. We also heard from Shawna Chambers, Manager of the Portland State Financial Wellness Center about the fact that women hold almost two-thirds of the country’s $1.3 trillion student debt. She is also trying to educate students about the financial implications of student debt so they can be successful while at school and after graduation. Traci Rossi, Executive Director, Portland State University’s Center for Women’s Leadership spoke about what she is doing to foster women leadership.
Movie screenings were also great successes. They included “Black Girl in Suburbia” and “The Eagle Huntress.” We continue to partner with Saturday Academy and the Girl Scouts in a STEM program called “G.E.T.”, Girls Engage Technology. We also maintain a strong relationship with Portland State University, primarily through the Center for Women’s Leadership and the Resource Center for Students with Children.
On the public policy front, the Portland, Lake Oswego and Tigard Branches met to discuss how we might collaborate to advocate on behalf of important public policy issues, particularly those on the local scene. We hope to come up with a plan to move this project forward.
We also joined with the Lake Oswego Branch and heard about the Oregon Department of Education’s Civil Rights Specialist speak about “Equal Opportunities in Our Schools: A Title IX Overview.” Clackamas County Circuit Court Judge Ann Lininger and Senator Kathleen Taylor were honored for their work in getting the Oregon Equal Pay bill passed. Judge Lininger was a House Representative at the time.
Our website (www.aauwpdx.org) is continually and attractively updated, and is an important point of access for programs, links, inquiries and membership renewal. We are also now able to charge credit cards for our various activities.
Back
AAUW of Portland 2017 Report
Ilga Ross & Trish Garner, Co-Presidents
Thanks to our Program Vice President and her committee, our excellent monthly programs were the most outstanding achievement of Portland Branch this year. The programs were on topics of great importance to women, were presented by experts and were in collaboration with community institutions. Along with the YWCA, LWV and Women’s Foundation of Oregon, we sponsored the “Women’s Voting Brunch” for discussion of ballot measures. The Oregon Women Veterans Coordinator and the Director of PSU’s Veterans Resource Center presented “We are Not Invisible” on the issues facing women military veterans. They reported on the Oregon Women Veterans Health Study and the services available at PSU for student veterans. “Families Climb Together” featured original research on low-wage work/family issues and women’s opportunity for social and financial mobility through education. The speakers outlined how states and universities can and should support the success of student parents and their children. “Feminism: The Next Chapter” explored intersectional feminism—the understanding of how race, class, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation impact the way women experience oppression and discrimination. These outstanding programs culminated in “An Evening with Brenda Tracy,” focusing on campus sexual violence. Co-sponsored by Portland AAUW, several PSU departments and The Oregonian, it was held at the SMSU Ballroom at PSU and attracted a large diverse audience. We appreciate the grant from AAUW of Oregon that helped support the event.
Our STEM project, “Girls Engage Technology,” in partnership with Saturday Academy and the Girl Scouts, attracted many girls. Small events in members’ homes, such as “In the Pink” champagne tasting, raised funds for our local scholarship. The Holiday Luncheon was again a rewarding fundraiser for AAUW Funds. We also generously contributed to the “Winter Wonder” program at PSU Resource Center for Students with Children.
Our website (www.aauwpdx.org) has become essential for program information, links to organizations having similar goals, inquiries from individuals and groups, and membership renewal. The entire branch website was extensively updated this year to reflect current website design principles. Portland Branch has over 100 members again, thanks to the recruitment efforts of our members, our “welcoming” process, our many study/interest groups and the mission-based programs of importance to women and the community.
Portland Branch 2015-2016 Report
Ilga Ross & Barbara Spencer, Co-Presidents
Highlights in programming: Undoubtedly the 110th Anniversary Celebration was the highlight of our programming year. A community celebration was held in October at the Old Church Concert Hall, a special and fitting venue. We appreciate the grant from AAUW of Oregon that helped support the event. Visual displays and artifacts associated with the Branch’s history were exhibited and a panel of speakers representing Portland State University’s Center for Women’s Leadership, the Women’s Foundation of Oregon, the Oregon House of Representatives and New Leadership Oregon provided a provocative discussion on “When Women Lead, Change Happens.” While the AAUW Mission is the foundation of our branch programming, the cornerstones are our 15 study-interest groups and our collaboration with community partners. Program topics included ways to stop violence against women, how climate change affects women, human trafficking, the role of black women in the trades, and efforts to uphold family rights for incarcerated women.
Highlights in membership promotion and retention: We have over 100 members again, thanks to the recruitment efforts of our members and to our inclusion process. We already follow many of the suggestions in National’s new tool kit, such as being welcoming and open, offering diverse and engaging programs, and being accessible in sites and times. Our website (www.aauwpdx.org) has become an important resource, with increasing hits and inquiries. We have a new Facebook page for communication and the convenience of dues payment by credit card.
Notable fundraising, CU connections, or Public Policy projects: Our strong fundraising efforts for STEM, PCC scholarships and AAUW Funds continued as a result of the generosity of our members. This year’s branch STEM project, “Girls Engage Technology”, was arranged in partnership with Saturday Academy and the Girl Scouts. Funds for STEM were raised at the annual showing of “Iron Jawed Angels”, a movie celebrating the 19th Amendment. This is the second year that small events in members’ homes, such as celebratory dinners, teas, and pre-concert gatherings, successfully raised funds for PCC Scholarships. We joined with PSU to offer Start Smart and Elect Her workshops, and enrolled a large number of e-student affiliates. Our newly-formed public policy group studied human trafficking as it relates to foster care and voiced support for a bill in the U.S. Senate.
Most remarkable learning of the year: The Portland Branch belongs to a powerful network of women’s organizations providing strong partnership for women’s programming on topics relevant to women and girls. Preparing for the 110th Anniversary reminded us of our historical goals and our legacy of effort through the generations toward full equity for females.
Ilga Ross & Barbara Spencer, Co-Presidents
Highlights in programming: Undoubtedly the 110th Anniversary Celebration was the highlight of our programming year. A community celebration was held in October at the Old Church Concert Hall, a special and fitting venue. We appreciate the grant from AAUW of Oregon that helped support the event. Visual displays and artifacts associated with the Branch’s history were exhibited and a panel of speakers representing Portland State University’s Center for Women’s Leadership, the Women’s Foundation of Oregon, the Oregon House of Representatives and New Leadership Oregon provided a provocative discussion on “When Women Lead, Change Happens.” While the AAUW Mission is the foundation of our branch programming, the cornerstones are our 15 study-interest groups and our collaboration with community partners. Program topics included ways to stop violence against women, how climate change affects women, human trafficking, the role of black women in the trades, and efforts to uphold family rights for incarcerated women.
Highlights in membership promotion and retention: We have over 100 members again, thanks to the recruitment efforts of our members and to our inclusion process. We already follow many of the suggestions in National’s new tool kit, such as being welcoming and open, offering diverse and engaging programs, and being accessible in sites and times. Our website (www.aauwpdx.org) has become an important resource, with increasing hits and inquiries. We have a new Facebook page for communication and the convenience of dues payment by credit card.
Notable fundraising, CU connections, or Public Policy projects: Our strong fundraising efforts for STEM, PCC scholarships and AAUW Funds continued as a result of the generosity of our members. This year’s branch STEM project, “Girls Engage Technology”, was arranged in partnership with Saturday Academy and the Girl Scouts. Funds for STEM were raised at the annual showing of “Iron Jawed Angels”, a movie celebrating the 19th Amendment. This is the second year that small events in members’ homes, such as celebratory dinners, teas, and pre-concert gatherings, successfully raised funds for PCC Scholarships. We joined with PSU to offer Start Smart and Elect Her workshops, and enrolled a large number of e-student affiliates. Our newly-formed public policy group studied human trafficking as it relates to foster care and voiced support for a bill in the U.S. Senate.
Most remarkable learning of the year: The Portland Branch belongs to a powerful network of women’s organizations providing strong partnership for women’s programming on topics relevant to women and girls. Preparing for the 110th Anniversary reminded us of our historical goals and our legacy of effort through the generations toward full equity for females.
Portland Branch 2014-2015 Report
Barbara Spencer & Ilga Ross, Co-Presidents
We are proud of the commitment the Portland Branch has shown to the overall mission and goals of AAUW. In June 2014 we introduced a strategic planning process that had both out-going and incoming officers and chairs meet to develop a 2014-2016 strategic plan that laid out how our shared actions and resources could contribute to spreading AAUW’s mission and values within our community. Some of the questions we grappled with were: How do we strengthen the branch’s connection to AAUW’s mission? And how do we encourage member engagement and collaboration across all branch activities? We spent two hours at a session facilitated by a consulting branch member, where we reviewed the National goals, discussed their appropriateness for the branch, and, in small groups across branch/officer responsibility areas, adapted the goals to specific action areas. During the following month, we worked on developing practical, measurable plans that contain objectives, action plans, team lead/members and timelines. Each goal has one or more “owners”, working with a team, who is responsible for its implementation. This was a hard and tough task for all involved but one which helped us to meet our AAUW commitment.
As a result, the Portland Branch developed the following five goals: Develop and execute a public policy plan; Strengthen and grow STEM initiatives; Create closer links between the branch and study groups; Support and disseminate AAUW research, and Develop and maintain strong college/university partnerships. Based on the strategic plan during 2014, we have provided more mission-based programming especially around women’s issues; built bridges between the study groups and the branch to encourage member engagement in all branch activities; highlighted AAUW public policy and research information through newsletter articles, two-minute activist sign-ups and the formation of a public policy study group; conducted a pilot Let’s Read Math program for 1st and 2nd graders at Buckman School as a STEM service activity; developed a member home-sponsored array of fundraising events to raise additional funds for our PCC scholarship program; and brought AAUW programs of Elect Her and $tart $mart to PSU while encouraging other area colleges and universities to partner with the AAUW and the Portland Branch. Finally knowing that communication is the key to keeping members engaged with the strategic plan and its activities, we supported the development and implementation of a new website by one of our members. Take a look at www.aauwpdx.org to find out more about the Portland Branch.
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Barbara Spencer & Ilga Ross, Co-Presidents
We are proud of the commitment the Portland Branch has shown to the overall mission and goals of AAUW. In June 2014 we introduced a strategic planning process that had both out-going and incoming officers and chairs meet to develop a 2014-2016 strategic plan that laid out how our shared actions and resources could contribute to spreading AAUW’s mission and values within our community. Some of the questions we grappled with were: How do we strengthen the branch’s connection to AAUW’s mission? And how do we encourage member engagement and collaboration across all branch activities? We spent two hours at a session facilitated by a consulting branch member, where we reviewed the National goals, discussed their appropriateness for the branch, and, in small groups across branch/officer responsibility areas, adapted the goals to specific action areas. During the following month, we worked on developing practical, measurable plans that contain objectives, action plans, team lead/members and timelines. Each goal has one or more “owners”, working with a team, who is responsible for its implementation. This was a hard and tough task for all involved but one which helped us to meet our AAUW commitment.
As a result, the Portland Branch developed the following five goals: Develop and execute a public policy plan; Strengthen and grow STEM initiatives; Create closer links between the branch and study groups; Support and disseminate AAUW research, and Develop and maintain strong college/university partnerships. Based on the strategic plan during 2014, we have provided more mission-based programming especially around women’s issues; built bridges between the study groups and the branch to encourage member engagement in all branch activities; highlighted AAUW public policy and research information through newsletter articles, two-minute activist sign-ups and the formation of a public policy study group; conducted a pilot Let’s Read Math program for 1st and 2nd graders at Buckman School as a STEM service activity; developed a member home-sponsored array of fundraising events to raise additional funds for our PCC scholarship program; and brought AAUW programs of Elect Her and $tart $mart to PSU while encouraging other area colleges and universities to partner with the AAUW and the Portland Branch. Finally knowing that communication is the key to keeping members engaged with the strategic plan and its activities, we supported the development and implementation of a new website by one of our members. Take a look at www.aauwpdx.org to find out more about the Portland Branch.
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Portland Branch 2013-2014 Report
Peggy Hickman and Barbara Spencer, Co-Presidents
We are proud of the commitment the Portland Branch has shown to the overall mission and goals of AAUW. With a total membership of 86, including10 honorary lifetime members, we have welcomed new members to the branch, held mission-critical programs, strengthened our relationship with Portland State University (PSU) and STEM community providers, and developed our common interests with fellow members in small study/interest groups. While our traditional fundraising efforts have centered on the Holiday Luncheon and a wine/beer tasting event, we are exploring other ways to raise funds within the community. In the public policy area, we offered a session on AAUW supported legislation for Oregon which was open to non-members and included some members of the Portland Women's Club. In particular, we are proud of the branch's efforts to support girls and younger females through a variety of initiatives. Every year, we award a branch scholarship to a deserving female student who will complete her second or sophomore year at Portland Community College, Cascade Campus. With this financial assistance, she can work towards her goal of her major and a baccalaureate degree at a university or college. Last year's award helped the recipient move closer to her dream of becoming a physician.
Next we collaborated with PSU in offering the AAUW-sponsored programs Elect Her and $tart $mart workshops to female students to promote female representation in student government and skill in the salary negotiation process. Finally, the branch set up a STEM member committee to develop a plan for promoting the study of STEM among young girls. As part of this effort we met with Girls, Inc. and Saturday Academy to learn more about their program initiatives and included their presentations in our program calendar. The Girls, Inc. program included inspirational talks by middle school girls. As a first step in our commitment for STEM education, we supported a summer field trip by two Girls, Inc. groups to OMSI for a day of scientific exploration. Overall, our three initiatives have reached approximately 65 young females and girls, an important achievement for the Portland Branch.
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