What’s been happening at AAUW St. Paul?
This page is where we’ll be highlighting recent branch events with pictures and descriptions as they come in from event sponsors. We’ll also be highlighting announcements of particular importance and interest to our members.
Check back regularly to see what’s been happening at 990 Summit Avenue and other locations where our members gather.
Prospective Member Event
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
We had a great Prospective Member Event! We have some great people joining in our fun at AAUW St. Paul. Thanks to you, dear members, we are expanding quite nicely! We laughed and chatted while enjoying our Prosecco and snacks. Shirley Holmes, (AKA Pam Lande) presented our new AAUW St. Paul PowerPoint, and we all learned more about AAUW St. Paul. Our guests also enjoyed a tour of our beautiful house. Please continue to invite guests to Tuesday meetings (up to three times) and encourage them to join!
Remember that your membership is now based on your sign-up date and is renewable on that date the next year. Also, until the end of November, there is a discount on the national dues for new members. The dues for the first-year membership will be $174 instead of $210.
~Carol Hanson and Pam Lande, Membership Co-Chairs
2024 August Tea
Scrumptious Scones, Convivial Colleagues!
Summery dresses and fancy hats were in abundance as AAUW Members and their guests gathered for the annual August Tea on Wednesday, August 21. We enjoyed sipping prosecco and engaging in lively conversation with new friends and old. It was a great way to signal that the new year of programs and events is about to begin!
The three-tier tea caddies once again adorned the tables. Like a traditional English tea, there were finger sandwiches and scones, dipped chocolate strawberries and truffles as well as gluten free treats. As always, Joanne Wang and Diane Glynn provided wonderful flower arrangements in teapots scattered throughout the house.
The hostesses for this event were Becky Davidson and Sue Talley. We want to thank the brand-new members of the Hospitality Committee for greeting everyone and cheerfully checking us in – all while learning their new tasks.
Eleven lovely AAUW members modeled clothing from Chico’s. Tops, jackets, jeans, pants, and jewelry created complete outfits from top to toe. The models wandered among the tables describing their outfits. As always, the models had as much fun as the guests! The models all gathered for a photo before the show at the top of the staircase: Becky Davidson, Carol Henseler, André Leavitt-Simone, Linda Webster, Carole Pesek, Jerri Smith, Jan Parkman, Carole Anthony, Pam Reisberg , Diane Smith, Debb Klingel, and Sue Talley.
We were very lucky to have five former and current Presidents with us for the Tea: Jane Tschida, Carol Hanson, Sharon Klumpp, Pam Lande, and Marlys Larson.
As August Tea co-hostesses, we want to thank, our wonderful server and event coordinator, Keelia, as well as our College Club manager, Brian Quist. The money raised from the August Tea will go towards the AAUW House Restoration Fund.
NCCWSL Conference Attendance
May 30-June 1, 2024
Katherinne is also one of our Branch Scholars and is in her senior year at Harvard.
Katherinne described her experience and expressed her appreciation in an email to Colleen Cooper, our NCCWSL Coordinator:
“I want to say a huge thank you to you and the St. Paul AAUW for making this possible for me to be able to travel to the conference in the first place. I arrived in DC and definitely packed in as much as I could into a day. I went to the Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Smithsonian Space and American History Museum, Holocaust Museum which are all enriched with so much history. I learned a lot and could almost feel the years of pain in the memorial sites and museums. I also looked at the White House and Capitol! I then checked out of my hotel and headed to University of Maryland the next day. I settled into the dorm and met my roommate. I then went to networking activities that night where I met many inspirational women who I shared a lot of common interests with. The following day was packed with so much, the workshops and panels were running throughout the entire day! My favorites were the eldest daughter workshop which allowed me to be in a space with girls who all shared a similar identity to me and felt a lot of the same feelings of being a leader and first generation college student. I also went to a financial security workshop which emphasized the importance of saving now to be financially secure in the future. Overall, the conference was amazing and I met so many new people who I was able to hang out with and explore DC with later before I headed back home! It was a great experience and left me feeling empowered and inspired to continue to work hard towards my goals!”
Thank you to Colleen Cooper, NCCWSL Coordinator for the St. Paul Branch! These young women are our future leaders!
NCCWSL’s Mission: The mission of AAUW’s National Conference for College Women Student Leaders (NCCWSL) is to foster a moment that ignites a powerful movement. Year after year, our conference brings together hundreds of college women from across the nation for an immersive multi-day experience of leadership training, inspiration, and networking. We strive to cultivate an inclusive and equitable space where attendees can enter as passionate leaders and depart with the skills, confidence, and perspective necessary to pursue their goals and drive meaningful change
At the Capitol for ERA MN
Monday, May 6, 2024
AAUW Women were once again at the State Capitol advocating for A More Perfect State with an Equal Rights Amendment to our Constitution!
Find more details and Take Action HERE.
AAUW MN Annual Meeting
Saturday, April 27, 2024
AAUW members from branches around the state convened for the 2024 AAUW Minnesota Annual Meeting at the Confluence Hotel in Hastings, MN, on April 27, 2024. Many thanks to the Hastings Branch for their wonderful hospitality and for all the effort that went into hosting the meeting.
St. Paul Branch members Jan Hertel (also a member of the Hastings Branch), Lois Hollingworth, Karen Kirkwood, Sharon Klumpp, Jan Quist, JoAnne Tomczak, and Kelsey Waits attended the Annual Meeting on Saturday. Linda Webster participated in the preliminary events on Friday, the 26th.
Our branch members who contribute their time and talents to AAUW MN include:
Kelsey Waits, incoming President
Karen Kirkwood, VP Program
Janice Quist, Finance Chair
Mary Chorewycz, Nominating Chair
In addition to hearing powerful and mission-supportive in-person comments from Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan, we were treated to prerecorded video messages from Senator Amy Klobuchar and Representative Angie Craig. Photos provided by Jan Quist.
ERA MN Rally at the State Capitol
Monday, February 12, 2024
ERAMN’s #Day1forERA on February 12, 2024, the first day of the 2024 Minnesota legislative session, was a great success. Our branch had about 20 attendees with some 60 AAUW members attending from all branches.
Advocacy for Women and Girls in Action!
Thanks to Pat Dalton of our Public Policy & Environment Committee for coordinating our branch’s participation in the rally. Pat delivered letters of support signed by our President, Carol Hanson, to the Minnesota Speaker of the House, the majority and minority leaders of the House and Senate, and the Representative and Senator for the district within which our House is located.
Evening Program with Lori Sturdevant and Paul Anderson
Wednesday, December 13, 2023
Our first evening program of the year was attended by 80 people. Some of our guests took tours of our House. Several people were impressed by the vintage bathroom in the Grand Room suite, along with other areas, including the book sales area. While our House always looks spectacular, the holiday decorations were a festive addition, both inside and out. After enjoying social time and a lovely prime rib dinner, the two speakers for the evening, author and retired StarTribune journalist Lori Sturdevant and retired Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Paul Anderson, discussed issues pertaining to national and state judiciaries and what they mean for Minnesotans and all Americans, followed by some lively questions.
Photo on left: (L-R): Jerri Smith, Kathy Rafferty, André Levitt, Kathy Lafayette, and Darcey Dappen at the greeters’ table which provided a warm welcome for members and guests attending the evening program.
Photo on right: Retired StarTribune journalist Lori Sturdevant and retired Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Paul Anderson discussing issues pertaining to national and state judiciaries.
Annual Holiday Celebration and Book Sale!
December 5, 2023
Our Holiday Brunch on Tuesday, December 5, was a resounding success! The House looked so festive and, thanks to our wonderful staff and Linda Miller Poff, the tables were beautifully set with black tablecloths, and poinsettia centerpieces. Giardelli chocolates, and Christmas wrapped Hershey kisses were artfully scattered (tossed) on the tables by Linda Miller Poff and Jerri Smith, and the Great Room looked amazing! After mimosas and our annual Holiday Book Sale, 96 members sat down to a delicious brunch featuring Christophe’s quiche, a fruit cup, sweet rolls, and homemade (by Christophe) maple nut cake. A trio of talented siblings, Tacheny Violins (teenagers!) then played violins beautifully for our enjoyment. It was a wonderful way to start off the 2023 holiday season!
Photo on left: Coffee and mimosas were a wonderful start to the morning!
Photo on right: Members did some holiday shopping at the Annual Holiday Book Sale
which helps raise money for our Scholarship Fund.
Photo on left: Thanks to our wonderful staff, chef Christophe, and Holiday Brunch coordinator Linda Miller Poff, the tables were beautifully set and decorated.
Photo on right: About eighty members attended the holiday gathering.
The entertainment was performed by three sibling violin virtuosos!
AAUW Goes Up North and Outside!
Osprey Wilds Environmental Learning Center Outing
Tuesday, July 18, 2023
Coordinator: Deb Curran
https://ospreywilds.com
It was a beautiful summer day for our AAUW outing at Osprey Wilds ELS near Sandstone, Minnesota. Highlights of the outing included an informative session about their farming operation capped off with the opportunity to pick vegetables from the beautiful organic garden. We enjoyed a delicious lunch before heading to the animal barns where we were introduced to the resident birds, turtles, snakes, porcupine, rabbit, and more. We took a walk down to the lake and explored the beautiful accommodations for campers and groups, including the original farmhouse built in 1900. With the addition, it can sleep 23 people and you can reserve it for family reunions or other large gatherings. Thank you to Deb Curran for organizing this wonderful getaway!
Photo on left: Hearing all about the farming operation at Osprey Wilds which includes beef cattle and organic vegetables.
Photo on right: We gathered vegetables from the organic garden.
Photo on left: One of the resident creatures we were introduced to – a large female bull snake.
Photo on right: A lovely walk down by the lake after touring the original farm house.
Rally at the MN Capitol for ERA Minnesota
January 3, 2023
With the snowstorms that came through on January 2nd and 3rd, the ERA Minnesota Rally was lightly attended. No stranger to getting herself to the State Capitol in the worst of winter weather, Pat Dalton of our Public Policy & Environment Committee teamed up with AAUW Minneapolis members Veronica Johnson, Nancy Sjoquist, and Glenna Case to provide an AAUW presence at the event.
The PP&E Committee will be providing updates on efforts to get an Equal Rights Amendment added to the Minnesota Constitution on our branch Take Action! page. We urge everyone to call, write, or email their State Senators and Representatives supporting equal rights for all – regardless of gender. Suggested wording and talking points will be found on the Take Action! page.
~JoAnne Tomczak for the Public Policy & Environment Committee
Page updated: 5/7/24