Please join us on Saturday the 16th of February for a tour of Maymont’s Dooley mansion. You may have seen the mansion before but if you haven’t been since the “belowstairs” portion of the house was opened then you are missing out on the rest of the story! Upstairs is where the wealthy family lived; belowstairs was the purview of the servants who made the house run.

For more information about Maymont, including directions, go to http://www.maymont.org. We will be meeting in front of the mansion at 1:45 pm as our guided tour begins at 2 pm sharp.

Please let me know whether you plan to attend by Wednesday the 13th so we know whether or not we will have a core group. Thank you.

Katherine Gallagher
belleschoses@mac.com
726-9599

Maymont – what a great way to spend a Saturday in February. I have met many delightful friends of AAUW friends at occasions like this in the past. Bring a friend to visit the Dooley Mansion – she or he will be most welcome.

This year is a big one for voting – and you are asked to cast your ballot in February - not in the primaries but in the branch - in regard to the dues increase from the Association. Read Susana’s article and VOTE – it is very easy – it can be done from your computer in your pajamas with a cup of coffee if you like. We need to hear from you! We want to hear from you!

Our Hampton Roads District meeting is a good way to stay in touch with what is happening in other branches, how they are dealing with issues we all are facing. I’ll be attending the meeting in February along with other branch members (so far at least 2 more) and I’ll give you a synopsis in the March newsletter.

And speaking of March –please join in as we look ahead not only to March but to the next 2 years - and once again cast your vote, this time at the annual business meeting in March for the slate of candidates for our board positions. The nominating committee is working on that slate of officers for the 2008-10 term. If you would like to self-nominate for President, V.P. Programs, or Communications Chair please contact one of the committee members, Pat Mallahan, Susana Hernandez-Kurtulus, or Gina Turner. Remember, we can’t have a branch without you!

Mary Farrell
President

AAUW National Dues are scheduled to go up $2 on July ‘08 and $2 again on July ’09. How shall Bon Air Area Branch incorporate these increases into its financial plans?

Let us know your opinion by sending your vote for option 1, 2, or 3 (see below) to iskurtulus@comcast.net by Friday, February 29, 2008. Results will be announced at the March 11 Annual Business meeting.

Background information: “During the 2003 AAUW Convention, delegates voted to increase branch members’ dues by $2 per year for six years beginning July 1, 2004 [through June 30, 2010]…IN 2008-2009 the Association Executive Committee shall be directed to review whether the annual fixed-amount increase concept shall be continued…” AAUW Branch and State Finance Tool Kit Online, Chapter 4, Paragraph 6.

During the last 4 years, the Board chose to incorporate national dues increases into its working budget instead of increasing branch dues. Today, the Board asks the membership to choose one of the following options for handling the increases scheduled for the next 2 years:

1. Members individually pay the $2 annual increase. Member dues increase to $68, July 2008, and to $70, July 2009.
2. Branch pays the $2 annual dues increase out of the savings account. Member dues remain at $66 though June 30, 2010; while, based on an estimated membership of 30, savings account balance is reduced by $60, July 2008, and by another $60, July 2009.
3. Branch and members split the dues increases 50-50. Member dues increase to $67, July 2008, and to $68, July 2009; savings account is reduced by $30, July 2008, and by another $30, July 2009.

Current checking account balance = $1,053.13, includes 2007-2008 operating budget = $430.00 June 30, 2008 estimated checking account balance = $623.13 Current savings account balance = $1,110.12

- Susana Hernandez-Kurtulus,
V.P. Finance

If you have a friend who is "sitting on the fence" about joining AAUW, be sure to tell her about the 50% discount on dues for new members who join between now and March 15. The Half-Year Special dues amount of $33.00 covers membership from now till June 30,2008.

Here's what new members of our Bon Air branch get for that $33.00

• connection to the world's largest provider of grants to women for graduate study
• access to state and national sources of research and advocacy focusing on equity for women and girls
• annual opportunities to lobby both state and federal government representatives in support of equity for women
• a welcoming network of accomplished local women with current experience in: state and federal government; consulting; sole business proprietorship; management; education; and more
• PLUS monthly programs and activities that foster both our intellectual life and social life

We offer priceless benefits $33.00. Tell your friends!
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PLEASE NOTE - The MEMBER SPOTLIGHT feature will return in March.

- Pat Mallahan
V.P. Membership

Our February 2 gourmet is Indian themed and will be held at the house of Reid and Marsha Carter. For more information, call Marsha at 232-2029.

- Carol Mazur

PLEASE LET ME KNOW BEFORE THE 7TH OF FEBRUARY IF YOU PLAN TO ATTEND STATE LOBBY DAY ON THE 14TH OF FEBRUARY. INFORMATION FOLLOWS!

-Katherine Gallagher
Public Policy Chair
belleschoses@mac.com
804-726-9599

WHAT:                   STATE LOBBY DAY
WHEN:                   FEBRUARY 14, 2008 AT 8 AM
WHERE:                 3RD FLOOR WEST CONFERENCE ROOM AT
                                THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY BUILDING

WHAT TO EXPECT:

• Briefing on relevant bills
• Visit your legislator and/or
• Attend the Senate Education and Health Committee meeting, where many AAUW bills are brought for consideration
• Attend General Assembly session

THEN:
          Join us for lunch at 1:15 at the elegant Tobacco Company Restaurant (corner of 12th and Cary)
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While AAUW is not having a national convention this year, policy activists and member leaders can still participate in a convention and lobby day in Washington, D.C. with AAUW’s coalition partners. The Women’s Equality Summit and Congressional Action Day will bring together hundreds of women leaders and their allies for two days of issue briefings, training sessions, and face-to-face meetings with members of Congress and national women leaders. The Summit will be held in Washington, D.C. on March 10-11. The Summit is a project of the National Council of Women’s Organizations, the largest coalition of women’s groups in the country, and the Younger Women’s Task Force, the grassroots movement that engages women in their 20's and 30's to act on the issues that matter most to them. For more information, visit the NCWO’s website. AAUW is a member of NCWO.

Since AAUW’s founding over 125 years ago, women have made great strides toward achieving equality of opportunity, and AAUW has long been a key catalyst for such change. Despite gains made in the areas of civil rights, economic security, and education, there is still unfinished business–because equity is still an issue. AAUW members recognize and are proud of the important gains women have made and remain steadfast in the commitment to creating a level playing field for all women and girls. The work of AAUW builds upon a century of responsible public participation, and AAUW encourages women to get involved and take action on issues important to them. This Summit is a great opportunity to make your voice heard on Capital Hill on issues you care about, and represent AAUW to other women leaders from around the country.

-Katherine Gallagher
Public Policy Chair

Bon Air AAUW Book Group routinely meets on the third Thursday of each month at 7:30 p.m. February’s meeting will be Thursday, February 21, at the home of Marcia Phillips. Contact Marcia at marcia-phillips@comcast.net or phone 320-5180 to let her know you will attend. All Bon Air members and their guests are welcome.

In February, we’ll be discussing Fall on Your Knees, by Canadian author, actress, and playwright Anne-Marie McDonald. Set on stormy Cape Breton Island off Nova Scotia, this epic tale of family history, family secrets, and music centers on four sisters and their relationships with each other and with their father. Compellingly written, by turns menacingly dark and hilariously funny, this is an epic tale of five generations of sin, guilt, and redemption. As the details of the labyrinthine plot are pulled together, the question of whether it is possible to escape one’s family history gradually raises itself. Ms. MacDonald skillfully shifts the story backward and forward in time, giving it a mythic quality that allows dark, half-buried secrets to be gracefully and chillingly revealed. In her depiction of the world of childhood, this author truly excels.

DESERT QUEEN: The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell – Adventurer, Adviser to Kings, Ally of Lawrence of Arabia, by Janet Wallach. A biography of the woman who was instrumental in creating the nation of Iraq and, indirectly, was the catalyst for many of the troubles in today’s Middle East, including the 1991 Gulf War and the current conflict.

Please check our Bon Air Branch Website at http://http://aauwbonairva.org for an updated list of books. Click on the Interest Groups link on the left column, then click on the link for 2008 Book Group Selections. You may also go directly to http://aauwbonairva.org/book selections 2008.html

Contact DeAnn Hubicsak at 233-5352 for Book Group information or to be included on the book group email list.

- DeAnn Hubicsak Book Group Coordinator

February 9, Saturday

Hampton Roads District meeting and luncheon. Program: Shana Goldin-Perschbacher, AAUW Fellowship Recipient from University of Virginia; Newport News, 11:00-1:00

February 16

Museum Tour Dooley Mansion tour Saturday Time: 2 p.m.

March 11

Literacy in Virginia
Speaker: Barbara Gibson, Virginia Literacy Foundations and Institute
Annual Business Meeting and election of officers for 2008 - 2010
Tuesday Bon Air Library 7:30 pm

April 11-13

State Convention and Leadership Workshops
Convention focus: Leadership, A Delicate Balance Roanoke, VA. Friday-Saturday.

April 8

Program: Who Are We and Where to We Want to Be – Our Branch ID Bon Air Library,Tuesday 7:30 pm

May 6, Tuesday

Annual Banquet and Installation of Officers
“What do you intend to do with the rest of your life?”
Speaker: Rita Ricks.
Tuesday Positive Vibe Café, 6:30 pm

June

Crossover – “Old Board / New Board” and planning session
Date, Location, Time: TBA

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. Comments or suggestions? Contact Jane Newell at jane.newell@comcast.net.
Jane Newell
Webmaster

AAUW advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research.
AAUW Member Helpline 800-821-4364
AAUW Website http://www.aauw.org
VA AAUW Website http://www.aauwofva.org