April 2020 Presidents' Message

Hello to all and hope you are all well and safe at home.  Even though we can’t meet for a meeting, we can stay in touch via phone calls, emails, Facebook, etc.  Thanks from Carrie for all the good wishes on her knee surgery recovery.  It is going very well and her physical therapy is at her home.  She was prepared to be home bound and we hope that all of you are doing well with it, too.  

We will probably not meet in May either, so be prepared for that.  We want to do everything we can to fight the virus and to keep people safe from it.  If we have to vote by email and wait to install our new officers, so be it.  There is nothing we can’t do from our homes.  

As far as renewing your membership online, it is very easy to do.  You will be getting an email from National AAUW that will link you to renewal online.  We can also mail checks to our treasurer, Sharon Waugh, for membership renewal or to make donations to our projects of Reading Is Fundamental and our scholarship for the coming year.  We still plan to do RIF next year so we will need to raise money to purchase the books for kids.  Also, we are not awarding a scholarship this year, but plan to award one next year.  Please be generous.  

Everyone, stay safe and stay well.  We will get through this.

Carrie Smith and Laurie Shaw
Co-Presidents

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        Be Generous 

       

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Pandemic Musings
from MMM

I'm sure we're all reading amazing things during these days of social distancing. Some are frightening, some tragic, some very inspiring, and some hilarious.  

In the inspiring category, I loved hearing Parker Palmer say on his podcast (The Growing Edge) the other day that he was 81 years old, and not in the best of health, but had never thought of himself of being "high risk" before.  This experience is making him think of all the people in the world that always live a "high risk" life, whether because of nationality, color,  economic status, religion, etc.  Along the same line, these days, we can all be considered high risk because there is the possibility that anyone could be carrying the virus and not know it - therefore, giving us all some experience with being "the other."

If you haven't discovered the podcast Pantsuit Politics, check it out. Two young women, one Republican and the other Democrat, demonstrate "grace-filled political discussion."  They also have a book, I Think You're Wrong (But I'm Listening). They have several pandemic related segments.

And then there are the memes and YouTube videos that make us laugh, and help us get through each day. I have received quite a number, but here are two favorites:

  

 
        https://youtu.be/ykieEE1j9eA