Membership Dues are Due by July 1st!

Send your $65 Membership Dues to our Treasurer, Sharon Hintgen by July 1st and be entered in a drawing for a $20 gift card to Victor Lundeen's!

Battle Lake Tours and Dining at the Boathouse

The Fergus Falls Branch of American Association of University Women will start their Summer of '16 events with a road trip to Battle Lake, MN.  Meet in the Kennedy Secondary School parking lot (across from Roosevelt Park) at 5:30 pm.  We'll carpool to Battle Lake for the $6 tour from 6:30-7:30pm, then eat out at the Boathouse.  Bring a friend!  Maybe they'll become a member!

Fergus Falls AAUW announces its 2015 Holiday Tour of Homes

Five Fergus Falls families invite you to share the holidays with them as they welcome you into their homes for the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Fergus Falls Branch’s biannual Holiday Tour of Homes, Saturday, Nov. 14 from 12-5 p.m.  The event also includes a reception at the Fergus Falls YMCA. Several local businesses will lend their expertise and/or wares to beautifully decorate each home, including The Market on Union Avenue, Wild Rose Floral & Gifts, The Flower Mill, Periwinkle/The Bric, Beyond the Mitred Corner, Ben Franklin, Calla Lily, Target, Refreshing Designs of Perham, and Williams Co. Store of Ottertail.

Tickets are $20 and are available from The Market on Union Avenue, Service Foods and Victor Lundeen's. Ticket sales are limited. You can also purchase tickets you can pick up at the YMCA the day of the event by calling Gayle Jacobson and (218) 736-4485.

The Holiday Tour of Homes is the AAUW Fergus Falls Branch’s main fundraiser. Proceeds go toward scholarships and programming for area women.

For more information about the event, email ffaauw@yahoo.com.

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. For more information about the Fergus Falls AAUW, email inquiries to ffaauw@yahoo.com. 

STEAM Girl Saturday is April 11

Fergus Falls AAUW's STEAM Girl Saturday for fifth and sixth grade girls is Saturday, April 11 at Minnesota State Community and Technical College.

What do you get when you combine science with the arts? You get STEAM! Steam stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math. The Fergus Falls AAUW invites fifth and sixth grade girls to explore STEAM careers during this fun, interactive event. This year, girls will explore the science of music!

Space is limited to 18, so sign up early.

Register and learn more at http://bit.ly/STEAM-girl

AAUW hosts showing of The Invisible War

The AAUW is pleased to present the award-winning documentary "The Invisible War" at a free showing on Aug. 25.  

Hastings/Wass named best and brightest Minnesota lawyers

We were thrilled to see that not just one but TWO of our members were named Minnesota Super Lawyers! Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Congratulations Kristi Hastings and Katrina Wass. 

Missy Hermes is Named 2014 Fergus Falls AAUW Woman of the Year

Missy Hermes

Missy Hermes, Fergus Falls, a member of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) since 1992, was named the Fergus Falls branch’s 2014 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 education specialist with the Otter Tail County Historical Society, Hermes is quick to share her knowledge and talents with the AAUW and community/county-wide organizations. In particular, she has made extensive research and has shared the histories of people “whose stories are often left untold: women, minorities, veterans, people with mental and physical disabilities, and average people who have lived extraordinary lives,” Hermes said. Some of her presentations include Jewish Pioneers of Otter Tail County, The African American Experience in Otter Tail County, History of Women in Otter Tail County, and The Feminine Side of the Civil War and Otter Tail County.

Hermes writes the interesting, engaging histories of all the houses on the AAUW’s biannual Holiday Tour of Homes.    

Hermes and her husband, Paul, have two sons. She has been very involved in the Boy Scouts program, in which her sons were both active.

The Woman of the Year award includes a $100 donation to an organization of Hermes’ choice. She chose the Otter Tail County Historical Society.    

Science Girl Saturday becomes Destination: Discovery in 2014!

Inside the ExploraDome.

This year, the Fergus Falls AAUW is teaming up with the Dakota Horizons Girl Scouts, M-State AND the Bell Museum of Natural History to put on our biggest STEM Saturday event ever for 5th and 6th grade girls in Fergus Falls!

Destination: Discovery is Saturday, April 5, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Minnesota State Community & Technical College--Fergus Falls.

Girls will visit several stations to learn more about careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math by trying out cool experiments.

The stations will include the Bell Museum of Natural History's ExploraDome--a portable planetarium that will transport girls to the realms of farthest space!

The event also include lunch.

Check out the flyer, and register at http://bit.ly/STEM-Saturday.

AAUW now accepting 2014 Scholarship applications

Each year the Fergus Falls AAUW is pleased to award four scholarships to area women--three $1,500 scholarships and one $1,500 Georgia Dieseth scholarship for a woman who has demonstrated an interest in the arts (music, drama, writing, art).  The applications are due March 21, 2014. To learn more, download the scholarship application information.

AAUW January Monthly Meeting

The January meeting will be held on Monday, January 20 at the Mill Street Residence.  Join us for Networking at 5:15 and dinner at 5:30.  The business meeting will start at 6:00 and our program will begin at 6:30.  The program is “A Toast to Your Health,” presented by Stacey Vaughn.  

From Donna Hendel, program chair:

I think we would all agree that major changes in the cost and insurance coverage for health care continue to be worrisome for us all. There are so many questions about how health care will be delivered in the near future and how we will pay for it.  The best thing we can do as individuals to contribute to controlling the cost of health care is to stay as healthy as possible.  I think we all know how important diet and exercise are in maintaining or improving our health and how difficult it is to fit these components into our busy lives.  Stacey Vaughn, the Heath and Wellness Coordinator at the Fergus Falls YMCA will be our guest speaker January 20 and will discuss some options for building exercise into our daily routines.  She will discuss options for all levels of fitness...from those of us currently doing no exercise to those with ongoing programs.  She will also discuss how diet and exercise work together to promote optimal health.  Let's do our part to beat the high cost of health care by staying healthy.  This would be our toast for 2014.  "Happy New Year!" Here is to good health and all the joy that will bring.

Stacey Vaughn is a NETA Certified Personal Trainer, a I.S.S.A. Certified in Fitness Nutrition, I.S.S.A.Certified Personal Trainer, Silver Sneakers Classic and Yoga Certified Instructor, ICG Indoor Cycling Certified Instructor, TRX Suspension Certified Group Trainer, Certified Group Exercise Instructor, Insanity Certified Instructor, Kettle Concepts Certified Instructor and KettleWorkX Certified Instructor