This month, we are highlighting the Climate Roadmap from Sustainable Hudson Valley and LWV MHR. (Our branch co-sponsored the set of 4 workshops that were held earlier this month.)

The project as a whole is so large and encompasses so much that it was agreed that it should be broken down into four sections, each focusing on one aspect. These one-hour sessions are chock full of useful and important information presented in a way that most people can understand.

It will be shared among local leaders with an interest in the state of, and possibilities for, making a positive impact on the future of our Hudson Valley and beyond.

Please join us for these important conversations. Feel free to share the information with your local environmental organizations, political leaders, and others who could benefit from learning more about what is happening and what each of us can do.

To register for any of the 4 workshops, which are each offered twice per day, or for all 4 of them, go here:
Workshop registration page

Monday, April 23, Noon – Decarbonizing Power, Buildings, and Transportation
Monday, April 23, 6 PM – Decarbonizing Power, Buildings, and Transportation
Tuesday, April 24, Noon – Building a Low-Carbon Circular Economy
Tuesday, April 24, 6 PM – Building a Low-Carbon Circular Economy
Wednesday, April 25, Noon – Farms, Forests, Land, and Water
Wednesday, April 25, 6 PM – Farms, Forests, Land, and Water
Thursday, April 26, Noon – Community and Economic Benefits
Thursday, April 26, 6 PM – Community and Economic Benefits

Check your email for this Subject line: AAUW Election 2024, and then vote Yes for Open Membership!
From AAUW National Board Chair Julia Brown
For over a century, AAUW has championed gender equity while evolving strategically. Now we can build upon our legacy by welcoming all who share our mission, regardless of degree status.
Why does this matter? Because our standing as a leading voice for gender equity demands we practice the inclusion we fight for.
Far from devaluing our work, this evolution recognizes that many champion equity through non-traditional paths.
Rest assured, an open membership won’t require changing our name or mission. AAUW will remain the powerful organization you’ve always known, open to a wider universe of equity allies.
For over a century, our ability to evolve has been our strength. In these uncertain times, we need to include all allies, regardless of degree status.
Let’s forge a more just, equitable future together by voting Yes on open membership.
In solidarity,
Julia T. Brown, Esq.
Board Chair, AAUW

This month, we are highlighting the Climate Roadmap from Sustainable Hudson Valley. The project as a whole is so large and encompasses so much that it was agreed that it should be broken down into four sections, each focusing on one aspect. These one-hour sessions are chock full of useful and important information presented in a way that most people can understand.

We are co-sponsoring this event with LWV MHR. It will be shared among local leaders with an interest in the state of, and possibilities for, making a positive impact on the future of our Hudson Valley and beyond.

Please join us for these important conversations. Feel free to share the information with your local environmental organizations, political leaders, and others who could benefit from learning more about what is happening and what each of us can do.

Registration links for the four workshops follow:
Monday, April 8th, 6 PM – Decarbonizing Energy, Buildings, & Transportation
Tuesday, April 9th, Noon – Tackling the Carbon Footprint of Materials and Building a Circular Economy
Wednesday, April 10th, 6 PM – Farms, Forests, Land and Water: Optimizing Resource Use in a Changing Climate
Thursday, April 11th, Noon – Capturing Community Benefits for Environmental Justice, Economic Development, & Resilient Communities

Come celebrate National Poetry Month with AAUW Kingston on Tuesday, April 23 from
3:45 to 5 PM at the Kingston Library, 61 Crown Street, Kingston.

The afternoon will begin with a presentation by our featured poet Mary O’Melveny. Mary began writing poetry after a long career as a labor rights lawyer. Her award-winning poems have appeared in many print and online literary journals and anthologies. She is the author of four poetry collections. Her most recent, “Flight Patterns,” was nominated for the Eric Hoffer Book Award. Her collection, “Merging Star Hypotheses” was a semi-finalist for The Washington Prize, sponsored by The Word Works. She has been twice nominated for a Pushcart Prize.

Next, we will open the floor to poets or poetry readers who have signed up online to share their work or a favorite poem. Poems related to women are especially welcome. RSVP to let us know how many participants to expect. Please indicate if you are interested in presenting.
RSVP to Lynn Gore at: lynngore54@gmail.com (subject line poetry open mike)

Pleas join us! This meeting is open to all. Refreshments will be served.

AAUW-NYS, in collaboration with PowHer New York, a women’s advocacy coalition,
is hosting an in-person rally for everyone on March 12.
If you can’t make it to the in-person rally, you can also participate in an online virtual rally.

March 12 In-Person Rally:
New York City Hall – Noon to 1 PM – Wear Red!

March 12 Online Virtual Rally:
Use hash tag #EqualPayNY on social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. to spread the word about Equal Pay.

2024 Equal Pay Day Calendar

– Overall Equal Pay Day – March 12, 2024

– Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Women’s Equal Pay Day – April 3, 2024

– LGBTQIA+ Equal Pay Awareness Day – June 13, 2024

– Black Women’s Equal Pay Day – July 9, 2024

– Moms’ Equal Pay Day – August 7, 2024

– Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) Women’s Equal Pay Day – August 28, 2024

– Latina Equal Pay Day – Oct 3, 2024

– Native Women’s Equal Pay Day – November 21, 2024

AAUW Kingston Fundraiser
Lucky Chocolates
February 27 – April 10

Our 2024 Branch fundraiser is a delicious one!

AAUW Kingston has teamed up with Lucky Chocolates in Saugerties to bring you some lovely treats. You can order chocolate for delivery or in-store pickup at 113A Partition Street in Saugerties. Every purchase on our special page contributes to scholarships for girls and women. Tavin and Verona of Lucky Chocolates will do everything to make your experience a pleasure.

Click on our special Lucky Chocolates link below:
https://luckychocolates.com/aauw-kingston-fundraiser
and choose from the five fundraiser options.

If you have any questions, contact Lynn Gore (lynngore54@gmail.com).

A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical
Wed., April 17, 2024, Matinee
Broadhurst Theatre, 235 West 44th Street, NYC

A Beautiful Noise brings the hits you love to life like you’ve never seen!
the songs you know. the true story you’ve never heard — until now.
Created in collaboration with Neil Diamond himself, A Beautiful Noise is the uplifting true story of how a kid from Brooklyn became a chart-busting, show-stopping American rock icon. With 140 million albums sold, a catalog of classics like “America,” “Forever in Blue Jeans,” and “Sweet Caroline,” an induction into the Songwriters and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and sold-out concerts around the world that made him bigger than Elvis, Neil Diamond’s story was made to shine on Broadway, where the biggest stars tell their story.

Like Jersey Boys and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical before it, A Beautiful Noise is an inspiring, exhilarating, energy-filled musical memoir, that tells the untold true story of how America’s greatest hitmaker became a star, set to the songs that defined his career.

Orchestra seats, no stairs!
If you need a handicap seat, please call Lynn (845-687-9210) immediately.

Cost: AAUW Members: $215 Non-Members: $225

1. Email your reservation ASAP to lynngore54@gmail.com
Include contact information: phone, and email for you and your guest, and whether you will board in Kingston or New Paltz.

2. Send your check by February 29, 2024
Send checks (made out to AAUW Kingston) to:
Lynn Gore
400 Chestnut Hill Road
Stone Ridge, NY 12484

Questions? Email: lynngore54@gmail.com or call 845-687-9210

Schedule
8:30 AM      Departs Kingston Plaza
9:00 AM      New Paltz Thruway Park & Ride pickup
11:30 AM    Drop off near the restaurant*
2:00 PM      Show at 222 West 45th Street
4:45 PM     Pick up near the theatre
7:00 PM     Drop off in New Paltz
7:30 PM     Return to Kingston Plaza
(Return times depend on traffic conditions)

* Lunch is not included in the price.
Join the group lunch at “Le Rivage” on 46th Street (prix fixe details to follow soon) or head out on your own.

Dear branch members,
Info from some recent AAUW National emails about 2 upcoming webinars:
=====================================================================
1, Inclusion in Practice: How AAUW’s Policies and Practices Promote Inclusion
Wed., Jan. 31, 2024, 7 PM ET
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_IhHjiqZARNmRqdXSR9KxFQ
Please join us for the AAUW National Inclusion & Equity Committee webinar on inclusion policies and practices. The webinar is designed to aid local branches and states as they explore various national policies and bylaws of AAUW national, featuring the resources available in AAUW’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Toolkit. The webinar provides an informative look at several national policies and practices, including the soon-to-be-announced member civility policy.

2. School Boards: The Battleground for the Education Culture Wars
Wed., Feb. 7, 2024, 7 PM ET
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Y2RuiP5PSNuey04jKNymAA
Across the country, we have seen school boards, and candidates for school boards, taking up controversial policies that have led to banning books from school libraries; the censorship of curriculum in school classrooms due to individuals finding content “objectionable”; and policies leading to the prevention of safe school climates for students of all sexual orientations and gender identities . Please join us for an AAUW National Public Policy Committee webinar to learn how one AAUW state board is fighting back and what you can do locally.
=====================================================================
If you have questions about either webinar, please reach out to Robin Lucas (lucasr@aauw.org), Grassroots Advocacy Manager, and Meghan Kissell (kissellm@aauw.org), Senior Director of Policy & Member Advocacy.

Dear branch members,
Info from an AAUW National email from Tremayne Parquet:

AAUW’s annual art contest is officially under way, and we invite members to submit a high-resolution image of their original painting, photography, sculpture, collage, or other artwork. We will be accepting submissions through  January 31, 2024. Your work could be among the winning entries!

Starting in February, AAUW members will select their favorite entries via ranked-choice voting. The winners will be featured on a collection of notecards sent to all members this spring. The back of each card will include the winning artist’s biography, a fact about AAUW and a highlight of the artist’s local branch affiliation when applicable.

Please spread the word to your state and branch! We know from past years’ entries that there is a lot of talent out there!

For more information on submitting artwork, or to peruse last year’s art gallery, please visit the AAUW Art Contest page:
https://www.aauw.org/resources/member/initiatives/art-contest/

We hope to see your work soon!
Happy New Year,
Tremayne Parquet
Deputy Director of Advancement & Partnerships

Branch members,
Check your email for a recent note from Shannon Wolfe (memberinfo@email.aauw.org, Subject: Deadline Approaching! Your Vote Needed for AAUW Bylaws Change) and make sure you click on the Review & Comment on the Proposal to Open Membership button in Shannon’s email to submit your comments by 5 PM ET on 1/26!

Here’s what Shannon Wolfe says in her email:
As a valued member of the American Association of University Women (AAUW), your participation is crucial in shaping our future.
The deadline to cast your vote on the important amendments to the national bylaws is fast approaching, and we need your voice to be heard!

These amendments, recommended by the AAUW Board of Directors and Governance Committee, aim to open membership and bring fresh perspectives
to our organization. Remember, as a member, you hold the power to influence these changes.

Comments can be submitted until Friday, January 26 at 5:00 pm ET.

Here are the key dates you need to keep in mind:
January 26 | Comment period closes at 5:00 pm ET
April 3 | Voting begins (online voting is highly recommended)
May 15 | Online voting concludes at 12:00 pm ET with results to be announced online.

Don’t miss this opportunity to make your opinion count. Your comments and vote are instrumental in guiding the direction of AAUW.

Your involvement is what makes AAUW a powerful community. Let’s work together towards a brighter future for our organization.
We eagerly await your input and appreciate your prompt response.

Best regards,
Shannon Wolfe
Managing Director and Chief of Staff