Included with dinner will be the installation of officers along with a very big thank you for the officers ending their terms, and a program presentation by Rita Ricks on “What do you intend to do with the rest of your life”.

Dinner will be from the menu which can be viewed at http://www.positivevibecafe.com.

Directions: Max's Positive Vibe Café is located at 2825 Hathaway Road in the Stratford Hills Shopping Center off Forest Hill Avenue at the intersection of Forest Hill Avenue and Old Westham Road, and across the street from McDonald's Restaurant and Food Lion. It is located halfway between the Powhite Parkway/VA-76 and Chippenham Parkway/VA-150 ramps to Forest Hill Avenue. Phone: 560-9622
Click here for a map and directions »

RSVP no later than Monday May 5, to Susana Hernandez-Kurtulus at iskurtulus@comcast.net, 323-1916.
Looking forward to seeing everyone!

Our speaker for the May Banquet this year is Rita Ricks, a well known Richmond trainer and coach. For over 20 years she ran her company Mirror, Inc., which prepared people for the workplace, and encouraged their development into stronger employees. She has worked with J Sargeant Reynolds and the City of Richmond, as well as many local companies. In the past 3 years, Rita has shifted her focus to Life Coach. Rita has been actively involved with Leadership Metro Richmond and is serving on the Governor’s Workforce Development Council. She earned her undergraduate degree from Virginia State University and her masters from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Rita will speak to us on taking charge of our lives, first by managing our time and by focusing on what is important to us. Rita will show that it is in the basic foundation and the small details that success is assured. She is a dynamic and delightful speaker, who will give us all something to think about and work on. br>

My last message as president - wow. It has been an honor to hold that office for our branch for these past 2 years. And quite an experience. I now know why the term is for 2 years – it really does take that long to truly understand what needs to be done! And now it is time to turn it over to a new board of officers, ones with new ideas, new ways to lead us forward. And time to thank you for all your support.

Convention news – I am very happy to report that we will be represented at the state convention in April by Kathy Kelley, DeAnn Hubicsak, and by new member Judy Clarke.

Last year at the annual banquet I gave a heartfelt thanks to those who served with me during my first year. This is an opportunity to say thanks so much to the branch members who served on the board for this past year. This year was successful due to their commitment and involvement.

To Carol Mazur, our recording secretary for these 2 years as well as one of the instrumental wine tasting fund raiser coordinators, and one of our program facilitators; to Susana Hernandez-Kurtulus who not only continued as the unofficial LAF liaison but who was elected last year as our Finance Chair; to Pat Mallahan who was elected last year as our Membership VP; to Marcia Phillips who continued in an unofficial EF Chair capacity and was once again instrumental as a wine tasting fund raiser coordinator; to Katherine Gallagher who continued as Public Policy and became our Publicity Chair; to Kathy Kelley as Hospitality Chair; to Cheryl Kapec as our newsletter publisher; to Maggie King who continued as webmaster; and to the newest member of the team, Jane Newell as the new Webmaster.

The branch officers for the 2008-09 term are:
Pat Mallahan, Membership VP
Susana Hernandez-Kurtulus, Finance chair
DeAnn Hubicsak, Communications Chair
Kathy Kelley, EF Chair
Katherine Gallagher, Public Policy
Maggie King, Newsletter Editor
Jane Newell, Webmaster

I am looking forward to a very exciting next year with this group of leaders. I know you will give them your support.
Mary Farrell
Branch president

More than half the branch participated in the survey about who we are and where we want to go, and the turnout and discussion about our branch at the April meeting was impressive and informative.

The following is a brief recap of that survey and the discussion at the meeting prepared by Carol Mazur, our branch member and facilitator.

Survey Results:

• Demographics: of the 16 respondents, most have been members of AAUW and of our branch longer than 5 years and most are satisfied with branch membership. Most of our members work either part or full time.
• The two overwhelming reasons why people became a member, and also remain a member are: wanting to connect to women of similar beliefs and belief in AAUW’s mission.
• Everyone had been to a branch meeting and most had been to a state convention, attracted by the workshops and speakers.
• When asked about importance of branch activities, again the ability to meet women of similar interests came up; interesting speakers and social activities were close behind. The top four public policy issues were promoting pay equity, preserving reproductive rights, preventing expansion of public school vouchers and improving aid to college students.

Comments from the group attending the branch meeting:

• We need to do things with other groups to make us “bigger”, more visible, such as math and science fairs for girls or sister to sister. Also need to connect to other groups. The issue of being more visible was stated several times as well as making sure that women understand our relevance.
• It was stated that short-term projects are more desirable.
• In the discussion on how to get new members involved, it was suggested to have special membership events; have special meetings we can invite people to; have a membership tea/coffee. Possibly make September more of an introductory meeting
• Responses to the question “what type of event you would bring your friends to”: cultural activities, for example the museum trips; the wine tasting fund raiser; something different, for example, the program about the Pedro Pan airlift from Cuba; programs about community involvement; social events; an international speaker; a speaker who has different life experiences; a program on environmental issues.

from 2 of our members, one as a first timer and one as an experienced convention attendee.

“My first AAUW State Convention was fun. The convention was attended by a diverse group of 50 – 60 women. I met a woman who was a retired chemistry professor from Marshall University who reminded me of how much fun we had in my college chemistry class. I also met a woman who is a registered lobbyist for the League of Women Voters. She made expressing my political opinions seem important and easy. I was most impressed by the workshop on CEDAW (UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women). Now here is a cause that I can vigorously support. A member of the Staunton Waynesboro AAUW Branch had prepared intelligent, extensive materials that explained this resolution which remains stalled in Congress and has been approved by governments all over the world with the exception of the US, Sudan and Iran. I learned that there is $100 grant that we can apply for which can be used to support whatever the branch would like. I hope we will apply for this grant and use it in support of a program on CEDAW.”
-Judy Clarke

“The convention from an “old timers” perspective-
I missed the first 55 years or so of conventions but have probably attended 20 since 1980 and I think they are pretty much all the same format. Probably the biggest thing I bring home is inspiration. Listening to speakers, attending workshops and seeing what other branches are accomplishing do wonders. I only wish more members would attend. This year’s convention was fairly small, the workshops were educational, the speakers better than usual and the accommodations were exceptional in my opinion. One difference was that there were more workshops on Saturday afternoon. It has been mentioned in the past that the time offered for tourism would be better spent at workshops. More about those at the banquet.”
-Kathy Kelley

May is renewal time - - for Mother Nature and for us in the Bon Air Area branch. It's easy to renew your connection with all of us who believe in AAUW's mission.

Simply write a check for $68.00 to AAUW - BON AIR BRANCH. (This amount includes national, state and branch dues from July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009.) To make it even easier, you can give your check to Membership V.P. Pat Mallahan at our May 6 banquet. Renewing then makes you eligible to win the drawing for a branch dues rebate of $11.00.

Will you be the lucky one?

If you can't attend the banquet, please mail your check for $68.00 prior to June 30 to:

Our recent survey of Bon Air members indicated that all of us want to connect with women of similar interests. Renewing your membership for 2008-2009 guarantees that you will continue to enjoy that life-enhancing connection.

Susana Hernandez-Kurtulus, V.P. Finance
Pat Mallahan, V.P. Membership

Many of you who attended the December meeting will remember that Victoire Sanborn would be running a blog for the Jane Austen series. Her comments were so successful that Public Broadcasting has asked her to continue her reviews for the next group of programs: Room with a View, My Boy Jack, The Cranfords and others. She is posting these on her Jane Austen Today blog, making a Jane connection through the actors, and the admiration of the authors for Jane. In fact, Rudyard Kipling wrote a short story about a soldier who read Austen to escape the horrors of World War I. You might consider asking Vic for her autograph soon; when she signs her book deal, she’ll be out of our reach!

May 3, 2008 is the last gourmet group event of the season and will be a Wolf Trap Picnic at the lake with hosts Nancy and Ken Berger and co-hosts Marsha and Reed Carter. For more information, contact Nancy at: 744-3040. A summer hiatus follows with a planning session to be held in September for the next season. Look for information in a late summer newsletter.

Jacqueline Gooden-Seay is the newest member of the Bon Air branch. She joined "on the spot" at our March meeting.

A point of pride for Jacqui is the fact that her family represents six generations of educators. Jacqui is Generation 5; her son, an adjunct instructor at J.Sargeant Reynolds Community College, is Generation 6.

Growing up in Buckingham, Virginia, as one of seven children, Jacqui was surrounded by family and greatly influenced by her parents' professional and community activism. Both her parents were educators; her father was a school principal who dealt with some of the problems resulting from the closing of public schools in nearby Prince Edward County in 1959. Her mother was the person Jacqui most wanted to emulate because of her gift for touching people's lives in a positive way.

Jacqui's gift was a passion for science that developed from her innate curiosity, the encouragement of her high school biology teacher, and her experience at a pre-college summer science institute. Her career aspirations switched from becoming a physician to becoming a science teacher.

Despite some early indecision about attending college, Jacqui earned a B.S. in Education from Francis Marion University in Florence, South Carolina. Later she earned an M.S. in Curriculum and Instruction with a minor in Geology from Longwood University. She did further graduate study at Penn State University (where she had time for only one or two Nittany Lions football games). A veteran teacher in Chesterfield County schools, currently Jacqui is a Technology Integrator. She is responsible for helping middle school and high school teachers use the latest technology effectively in their teaching.

Jacqui and her husband enjoy their three grandchildren. And, when she can snatch the time, Jacqui also enjoys creating cross-stitch projects. They are always large-scale, so they may take two or three years of effort. But with her science-honed persistence and creativity, she gets them completed. It is that combination of qualities (plus more we're sure to discover) that make Jacqui such a welcome addition to our branch.

Pat Mallahan
V.P. Membership

Girls Interested in Politics and Advocacy this Election Year
Eight in ten girls ages 8 to 17 are interested in this upcoming presidential election, according to the Girl Scout Research Institute. Their research also found that nearly half of all girls surveyed said they were interested because a woman was running, while only a quarter said their interest was based on the issues. While nearly 75 percent said the country still needs to focus on gender equality and racial equality, 9 percent felt racial and gender equality have been achieved. Nearly 86 percent of the girls see themselves as advocates.

AAUW Marks Equal Pay Day in DC and Across America
Tuesday, April 22 was Equal Pay Day, the annual symbolic day on which women's average wages catch up to men's from the previous year. For the average woman's salary to equal that of a man in 2007, she would have had to work from Jan. 1, 2007, until April 22, 2008. See below for details about the pay gap in Virginia.

Virginia
Percentage of Women With a Four-Year College Degree: 32% rank: 9th
Median Annual Earnings of Women with a College Degree: $52,000 rank: 8th
Earnings Gap Between College Educated Men and
Women who Work Full-time, Year-Round: 70% rank: 48th

Under heavy pressure from AAUW members and our coalition partners, the Senate narrowly failed to pass a vote to move forward with the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (H.R. 2831)S. While the pure vote on the measure was actually 57-41, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) changed his vote in a procedural move that will allow him to bring the bill up again at a later date. AAUW believes that the narrow legislative fix contained in the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act would more justly allow victims of pay discrimination to seek vindication, and AAUW and its members will not stop until the Senate gets it right by adopting this critical measure.

ACTION: Majority Leader Reid has said that the bill will be brought back to the floor for another vote. If you haven’t already done so, please use AAUW’s Two-Minute Activist to write and thank the senators who supported the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and urge them to continue to push for another vote on the bill. Express your extreme disappointment to those senators who voted against the Ledbetter bill, and urge them to support this and other pay equity legislation in the future.

Katherine Gallagher
Public Policy Chair

Bon Air AAUW Book Group routinely meets on the third Thursday of each month at 7:30 p.m. Our May meeting will be held Thursday, May 15, at the home of Gina Turner. Contact Gina at gcab1832@comcast.net or phone 560-4705 to let her know you will attend. All Bon Air members and their guests are welcome.

After several months of serious reading and equally serious discussion, we’ll lighten up a bit this month with Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard, by Kiran Desai, a comic novel set in the remote regions of Northern India, just south of the Himalayas. Take one holy man (Sampath) in a guava tree, add a venal father, a food-obsessed mother, and a younger sister in love with the Hungry Hop Kwality Ice Cream boy and you've got a recipe for delicious comedy. Mix in a rioting band of alcoholic monkeys; a journalist determined to expose Sampath as a fraud; an unholy trio of hypochondriac district medical officer, army general, and university professor, all determined to solve the monkey problem, and you've got a real hullabaloo. This delirious tale of love, faith, and family relationships is funny, smartly written, and reminiscent of other works by Indian authors writing in English such as Salman Rushdie.

In June, Pat Mallahan will lead our discussion of March by Geraldine Brooks. From the beloved classic Little Women, Ms. Brooks imagines the character of the absent father, the Reverend March, as he leaves behind his family to aid the Union cause in the Civil War. His experiences will change his marriage and challenge his most ardently held beliefs.

Please check our Branch Website for an updated list of books we’ll be reading from now through July. Click here: http://aauwbonairva.org/book selections 2008.html, or go to the Bon Air Website at http://aauwbonairva.org. Click on the Interest Groups link.

Contact DeAnn Hubicsak at 233-5352 for Book Group information and to be included on the mailing list.

DeAnn Hubicsak
Book Group Coordinator

From Sherry Warren, our current representative whose term is expiring:
“It is imperative that we have someone to serve as District Representative. That person is the liaison between branches and the board, both taking branch concerns to the board and communicating news from the board to the branches. The job involves attending board meetings (generally 2 times a year, one of them being right before the convention), participating in an online board meeting, communicating with branch presidents, and ensuring that District Meetings are arranged (the District Rep does not have to make arrangements herself- delegation is a good thing!).

Please, please – take this to your branches. I know that we have many wonderful AAUW members in the Hampton Roads District. Being District Rep does not take any special talents…only the willingness to learn and to serve at a level beyond your individual branch.”

This is an excellent opportunity to participate in AAUW on a different level – and the folks in our district are really great. Please seriously consider this and contact Sherry Warren at varrtl@aol.com.

Your certificates are gold to us!

When you receive your Ukrops Golden Gift certificates in May please strongly consider generously donating them to our branch.

The deadline to submit them to me is no later than Sunday June 1, 2008. Drop them in the mail to:

Thanks ever so much!
Mary Farrell
President

Be sure to visit our branch website at http://aauwbonairva.org. You will find a great list of resources: the schedule for the branch book group and the gourmet group; a page of links guiding you to information about government, reproductive rights, literature, libraries, books; current and archived copies of the branch newsletter; information on membership, public policy, Education Foundation, Legal Advocacy Fund, Eleventh House, and much, much more.