President's Message
AN ACTIVE SUMMER: With its record setting days of summer heat wave, for many this summer has been less than a BEST. Given this, one would think that the quiet summer typical for AAUW-Bethlehem might only have been more so. Quite the contrary! Like those singular individuals who love the heat and haven’t slowed down one whit, AAUW-Bethlehem has remained energized even into these “dog days of August.” A Going Places group enjoyed the “In Stitches” quilt show exhibit at the Allentown Art Museum in late July; our dedicated Let’s Read Math volunteers presented at the Buchanan Elementary School and the Allentown Y. Preparing for 2010-2011, Program co-chairs, Joanne Wagner and Linda Zimmerman finalized 2010-2011 monthly programs while Shirley Daluisio gathered up all the necessary information for the Yearbook. Ann Brown, along with Linda Robertson and Shirley Daluisio, worked to create a tri-fold AAUW-Bethlehem Display Board. Linda Robbins met for one-on-one chats with Book Fair Captains and hosted volunteers to work on new, book category signage. I, joined by Linda Robbins, attended the July 17th AAUW-PA Leaders Workshop, and appointed as District Coordinator-East, I participated in my first AAUW-PA Board meeting.
Throughout the summer, our branch has also continued to garner publicity and recognition for its achievements: Throughout the summer a feature article on Bethlehem AAUW was ‘front page’ on the AAUW-PA website. In July our Scholarship recipients and Outstanding Women Award recipient, Jeannie Keller, were recognized by our local papers! Our “Shine a Light on Us” Every Member Survey was imported for use by Easton AAUW. Most recently, at the request of AAUW-National, we provided for publication information about the Let’s Read Math project offered jointly by Allentown and Bethlehem.
THE YEAR AHEAD: As I reflect on what this degree of member commitment and publicity means for AAUW-Bethlehem in 2010-2011, I think, first of all, of the high expectations we’ve raised for ourselves and others. As I look comparatively, it is obvious that our branch is among pace setters in the context of AAUW Mission and goals. I wonder, now how we continue to live up to these expectations; attract and keep members from the next generations of scholarship recipients and student affiliates, of baby boomer new moms and young professionals. How do we accommodate the needs and interest of recent retirees and of our long-standing members? How do we continue to model the mission and goals of AAUW?
Responses to last year’s Survey offer valuable direction. The Survey has already guided the selections for the 2010-2011 monthly branch meetings. It influenced the addition of three new, appointed positions to the Board: Diversity, College/University Relations and Information Technology. It offered evidence of a membership willing to reach out to assist through additional volunteering, to adapt some of its habits and traditions and to explore new venues. And, on-going consideration of the Survey at the June Board meeting prompted a vigorous discussion of the role of technology in our futures and the value of extending our use of various media in many dimensions of our programs and activities. As if to confirm that we are a branch often close of the cutting-edge of developments, almost immediately after this meeting, the Spring/Summer 2010 issue of Outlook entirely dedicated to the subject, Social Media and You hit my mailbox! While not on the formal agenda, social media was also the subject of many informal talks at the AAUW-PA Leaders Meeting.
Encouraged by all of this, I read Outlook cover to cover. I decided to reconnect with my lapsed Facebook account. Reconnected, I was able to check out the Facebook pages for AAUW-National, AAUW-PA, AAUW-Stem, and make connections with AAUW members from other branches. I cannot write that I am especially enthralled with Facebook per se; however, unlike my earlier attempt, I will stick with it at least long enough to get my password cemented in my brain! That is, this time I will give it a fair trial. Most important, in taking this small step in learning to navigate a ‘new’ feature of this quickly evolving technological world and figure out ways to make it useful to me personally and as AAUW member, I’m now willing to take a next one. I think about the ways the next generation of potential AAUW members use media and the many tools offered—tools I just don’t yet have; I think about the possibilities for connecting some of our tech savvy members with others who want to learn more and find additional avenues for personal and well as AAUW communication. I wonder about Virtual meetings? Tech buddies? E-branches?
AN INVITATION: In this spirit I invite each of you, first of all, to join one another at the September dinner. This will be an occasion in which we will see for the first time our new AAUW-Bethlehem display board - a time to give ourselves a big pat on the back and round of applause for all the accomplishments represented. I invite you as well to visit our own branch website along with that of AAUW-PA and to take a look at that issue of Outlook if you haven’t already; to explore the AAUW-National website with its various opportunities for Action, Dialog, and Conferencing. Finally, I invite you to be on the lookout throughout the coming year for branch opportunities to respond to web-based queries, to join me and other branch members in technology-focused learning opportunities, dialogs or conferences and other explorations.
Susan McNamara
