Membership event has moved today!

The weather is looking dicey, so the membership event has moved from the Concert in the Park to President Kristi Hastings home at 706 E Mount Faith Ave. Look for the new AAUW banner!

Book study selections chosen for 09-10

The Book study group has come up with a great selection of books for the upcoming year.

Books include:

• The Glass Castle, by Jeanette Walls
• Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, by Barbara Kingsolver
• The Late Homecomer: a Hmong Family Meoior, by Kao Kalia Yang
• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
• Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury is the selection for the FERGUS READS discussion next year, so add it to your reading list; the discussion/activities are usually held in February.

The first book study is Oct. 29. Check the calendar below for dates. It's usually held at noon at the Mill Street Residence and lasts about 1 to 1-1/2 hours.

Is anyone interested in starting up an evening book study? Contact Jeanne Jensen at japjens@hotmail.com.

Talbots Offers AAUW Members a Discount!

During the months of July and August, AAUW members (and friends and family) can walk into any Talbots store and receive a 20 percent discount on nonsale items. Just mention promotional code "AAUW" to receive your in-store discount!

Houses still needed for home tour

The Home Tour planning committee will meet Monday, Aug. 3 at 7 p.m. All members are invited to attend. See calendar below for details. Homes are still needed. If you know of someone who may be willing to show their home (perhaps it's YOU), please contact Karen Lundstrom (lahatzen@prtel.com) or Donna Hendel (dqhendel@prtel.com).

Are you Leadership Corps material?

The AAUW is recruiting members to be a part of a new initiative called the Leadership Corps.

The Leadership Corps is a new member involvement opportunity being created to support AAUW's grassroots. It is based in community-organizing principles and tactics and will provide a corps of trained member leaders, serving as grassroots liaisons to help us identify and address current needs, encourage branch leadership development, foster effective multi-way communication, increase sharing of resources and strategies, and assist membership growth.
Any AAUW member with a passion for the mission, a vision for AAUW's future, and a talent for seeing and inspiring leadership in others will want to be a part of the Leadership Corps.

If you are interested in learning more about the Leadership Corps, you can go to the AAUW website, and you are welcome to join me on the phone for a nationwide conference call for AAUW members interested in this new program. The conference call will be held on Wednesday, August 5, 2009 at 8:00 pm EDT (please adjust for your time zone). To RSVP for the conference call please fill out the form at the following website: http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dE01OXdzT1lFdW92YXRndjZNTm4xdnc6MA.

Our Web site now comes with a calendar of events!

The calendar is posted at the bottom of this page. Want to post an event date for AAUW members? Email info to ffaauw@gmail.com

Check out our AAUW RSS feeds!

Now you can get the latest AAUW news, updates and information on our Web site! RSS feeds pull the newest information and post it on our blog automatically! The feeds are located on the lower right of Web site.

Bring a guest to Roosevelt Park, July 30!

The Fergus Falls AAUW will have an information tent at the July 30 Concert in the Park at Roosevelt Park. Bring a blanket or lawn chair and a friend who may be interested in joining our branch. We're hoping to really grow our organization this year and this is a fun way to get the word out about us. The Swedish Fiddlers are scheduled to play 5-7 p.m., and the Underwood Lions will be serving up their famous pork chops!

Peg Werner named 2009 Woman of the Year

Peg Werner, director of the Viking Library System and member of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) since 1995, has been named the Fergus Falls branch’s 2009 Woman of the Year. The honor is given annually to a member who exemplifies the AAUW’s mission to advance equity for women and girls through advocacy, education and research.


An active member of the AAUW, Werner has served two terms as a branch officer. She also opened her home in 2005 for the chapter’s biannual Tour of Homes fundraiser for scholarships for women.

In the community, she has distinguished herself in her role as director of the Viking Library System by pushing for better access to information for the rural communities in west central Minnesota that the library system serves. This has included:

• Securing the approval for, funding and design for a new Viking Library System building to better serve the region.


• Lobbying for telecommunications access and infrastructure funding and support for regional and public libraries.


• Serving as chairperson of the Governance Council of NW-Links, a 74-member regional K-12 and library consortium. The consortium assists northwest Minnesota school districts, public library systems and higher education institutions to realize their telecommunications goals, ensure the telecommunications infrastructure meets the needs of the member and provide leadership in the application of telecommunications technologies.


• Serving as a library representative on the 26-member statewide Minnesota Ultra High-Speed Broadband Taskforce. The purpose of the group is to make recommendations to the Minnesota governor and legislature regarding the creation of a statewide high-speed Internet access goal and a plan of implementation by 2015.
  

The award includes a $100 donation to the organization of Werner’s choice. She chose Someplace Safe, a shelter and supportive services for victims of domestic violence, with offices throughout the region.

The AAUW advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education and research. Since 1881, AAUW has been one of the nation's leading voices promoting education and equity for women and girls.


The Fergus Falls branch meets monthly September through May for learning and camaraderie, and holds an annual book sale and biannual tour of homes to raise funds for scholarships for women. For more information about the Fergus Falls AAUW, email inquiries to ffaauw@yahoo.com.