NEWSLETTER OF THE HASTINGS AAUW BRANCH

The Twig - Hastings November 2009

All meetings, except December and April, will be held at St. Philip's Lutheran Church, 15th Street and Pleasant Drive, Hastings, MN 55033

HASTINGS Best of the Year

 Our energetic program committee requests suggestions from the membership for programs that reflect the mission of AAUW. The membership rates the program suggestions. The committee then engages those speakers. We had public policy programs, women’s health programs, an author, theater experts, and a program on vital aging.

 Public Policy

This year the Hastings branch hosted Minnesota Public Radio interviewer and talk show host Kerri Miller. She is a successful media woman. Her interview experience and what it takes to be on top of the game was entertaining and informative. She introduces many topics, including public policy and authors, and asks the general public to weigh in.

Other public policy speakers included Julie Dolan, associate professor of political science at Macalester College, who had a timely message about politics and the election. She discussed some of the challenges, constraints, and opportunities facing women in U.S. politics, including media treatment and voter stereotypes experienced by Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin. Despite their ideological differences and different paths taken in politics, Dr. Dolan contends that we can learn much about gender and the pursuit of the presidency from these two women.

Fiorella Ormeno Incio, a student from Peru who is currently studying at Macalester College, received various grants to fund a documentary project in Venezuela and presented her research to us. Her work discusses the volatile situation in Venezuela, and its anti-American president Hugo Chavez. Fiorella comes highly regarded by her professor Sheri Geistfeld. In addition to her work in Venezuela, she has studied in Norway, worked in Thailand, and was just awarded a scholarship to conduct research in Brazil for an honors project.

Women’s Health

The program for the February meeting was Women’s Heart Health, presented by Dr. Carol Johnson, a physician with Allina Clinic; Dr. Margaret Beahrs, a cardiologist with United Hospital; and Maureen Marshall, an RN and heart attack survivor. One hundred and seventy-five women attended the program, which provided visibility for AAUW with a strong message of health awareness for women, who have very different symptoms for heart attack than men. The conversation continued over heart healthy desserts. This was in collaboration Regina Medical Center.

Realizing the Potential for Midlife and Beyond: Vital and active young-old adults are transforming the process and meaning of growing old. What is different from the way it was? What are some implications for the future? What is important to personal wellbeing and vital aging? What do we have to change if we want to maximize our lifelong quality of life? Jan Hively, founder of the Vital Aging Network SHiFT and a Purpose Prize fellow, responds to these questions and highlights the breadth of empowering options for participants to consider as we decide together, “What’s next for us?”

Women’s Health May program will be presented by Ruth Gaylord and survivors of ovarian cancer. Her life story and battle with ovarian cancer raises our awareness of the difficulty in diagnosing ovarian cancer and the subsequent treatments that are available. She is a founding member of Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance (MOCA), which is committed to the education of women and the physicians who serve them about ovarian cancer.

Fine Arts

Why are mystery novels so popular? Do they meet a deep human need not satisfied by other forms of literature? Award-winning Minneapolis author Ellen Hart has mastered this genre. She shared some of the secrets for writing a spellbinding tale, using her recent book, Night Vision, as an example. Her other novels include The Mortal Groove and An Intimate Ghost, from the Jane Lawless Series and Dial M for Meatloaf, from the Sophie Greenway Series. She is a relaxed and comfortable speaker who interacts with the audience while telling her story.

The program for our May meeting is Reminiscences of Grand Old Theaters in Minneapolis with Joseph Langlais and Jim Wennblom. We will learn the history of some of the famous theaters in Minneapolis.

 The Hastings branch supports an active Book Club, a Gad-Abouts social group, and a strong community connection with our historical site, the LeDuc Mansion. We raise money and support a $2,000 scholarship for a high-ranking Hastings High School female student. We collect school supplies for Family Service for needy students. “I’m Going To College” introduces high school students to the process of applying to and getting in to college. AAUW coordinates this effort at the high school. Our public policy committee provided leadership with “Kids Voting.” Kids came to the polling place with their parents and AAUW helped them to vote. We are a strong welcoming group with a variety of offerings and great programs.