Volume 54 No. 04 March/April 2020 Reading, PA

Reading Branch Annual Business Meeting Wednesday, March 11, 2020 at 7:00 PM Berks History Center Museum, 940 Centre Ave., Reading PA 19601 Please join us for our branch annual business meeting at the Berks History Center. The program will start at 7PM and the AAUW Business Meeting with election of new officers following the program and refreshments. The program will be the play System Shakers, Barrier Breakers: The Suffragists. This performance includes some members of our AAUW branch. The program will be open to the public so voting for officers will be by signing in and indicating a yes or no vote on a sign-in sheet since we will not have an opportunity for a voice vote after the program. If anyone else would like to run for office, please contact Karen Parish before the meeting at 610-944-9091. Officer candidates are: Co-presidents – Karen Parish and Judith Kraines Secretary – Ellie Hunt Program VP – Virginia Schulz-Johnson Membership VP – Carolyn Smith Director of Communications – Eileen Ritz Director, By-laws – Pat Hummel

Recognition of Women Breakfast

The Recognition of Women Breakfast is a time for our branch to show the importance we place on education for women and their achievements. Your attendance can highlight our branch activities as you converse with the high school senior and her family at your table. This year’s speakers will be women portraying suffragists in recognition of 100th Anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment

AAUW Recognition of Women Breakfast Saturday, March 28, 2020 9:30am Christine’s Creekside Inn, 1250 Green Hills Road ( route 568 in Gibralter), Birdsboro, PA 19508

A breakfast buffet will be followed by the speakers and the recognition awards.

Directions: From US 422 merge onto I-176 S, exit from far right lane onto 724, turn left, continue 1.86 mi. to traffic light at PA 568, turn right and continue 1 mi. to Christine’s on your left. To make a reservation please forward a check for $15.00 payable to AAUW Reading Branch, to Joan Cook, 1905

Redwood Avenue, Reading, PA 19610 by March 20 with the information requested below.

Joan can be contacted at cookj221@comcast.net or 610-678-7999 NAME __________________ PHONE OR EMAIL ____________________________

Please enclose this information along with your check. If you do not want to print the form, just send the check and information to Joan.

Interest Groups

March

Culinary Diversity, Wednesday, March 18, 11:30 AM

Lunch: Calabria Restaurant - (610) 693-3127 6646 Penn Ave, Wernersville, PA 19565 Contact: Joanne Wrigley – 717-445-3015

Cultural Arts – March 8, 3:00 PM

Members are encouraged to attend LUNAFEST®

Contact: Suzanne Churgai - 610-488-9269 Friday, March 27, 1:30 PM Reading Public Museum Senior Series Presentation –“ An American Bohemian, Mary Cassatt” by Patricia Perfect Contact: Ellie Hunt – 610-670-1808

Fine Arts – Wednesday, March 25 - 11:30 AM

Lunch – The Highlands, (610) 775-2300 2000 Cambridge Ave, Wyomissing, PA 19610 Program- Visit to exhibits at the Reading Public

Museum

Coordinator: Marian Longenecker – 610-775-4528

Home Arts – Wednesday, March 4, 7PM

West Lawn/Wyomissing Hills Library

Program – Susan Speros – “The Illustrious Ancestors of

the Real Widow Finney

Contact – Judy Druckenmiller - 610-678-3508

Literature – Monday, March 30

Location – The Heritage

Review of – The History of Love by Nicole Krauss

Reviewer – Ann Myers

April

Culinary Diversity – Wednesday, April 15, 6PM

Dinner – Season’s Café - (610) 401-0303 15 Village Center Drive, Reading, PA 19607 Contact – Joanne Wrigley – 717-445-3015

Cultural Arts – Dates TBA

Contact Suzanne Churgai 610-488-9269 if interested in

activities

Fine Arts – Wednesday, April 22, 11:30 AM

Lunch: 1787 Brewing Co. Restaurant 43 S Fourth St, Hamburg, PA 19526 (484) 665-3032 Note: there is only 2 hour on street parking

Program – visits to Necessities and Antiques shop and

The Gallery of Hamburg

Coordinator: Evvie Trexler – 610-372-0737

Home Arts – April 1, 7 PM

Program – “New Ideas on Container Gardening”

Speaker – Pat Magala – Master Gardener

Contact – Judy Druckenmiller – 610-678-3508

Literature – Monday, April 27

Location: the Heritage

Review of:- The Mission of a Lifetime by Basil Hero

Reviewer – Fran Malley

March 8, 2020 LUNAFEST®: Short Films By, For, About Women®

The American Association of University Women, Reading Branch, with the Albright College Women & Gender Studies Department, and their student chapter of N.O.W. is hosting LUNAFEST® for its 3rd consecutive year! This exciting film festival will be held on Sunday, March 8, 2020, in Wachovia Theatre, Albright College, 13

th and Bern St., Reading, PA.

LUNAFEST is a unique inspirational film festival that features short films by and about Women®. These short films will make you think, laugh, cry, and above all, marvel at the talents of these amazing filmmakers. All of them are presented with the goal of raising awareness of, and funds for, women’s issues. The films range from animation to fictional drama, and cover topics such as women’s health, body image, relationships, cultural diversity and breaking barriers. The festivities kick off at 3 pm, with a reception with food, displays, jewelry sale, and social networking! The film screening begins at 4 pm. Our post film discussion offers our audience members the opportunity to expand your movie experience! Tickets can be purchased at Eventbrite.com or Lunafest.org. Advance purchase tickets will be available through 2/29/20 for $25, and, if still available, tickets can be purchased at the door for $30. (A special free student screening, 7 pm on Sunday, March 8th, is available to any college student with their college id.)

Join us in celebrating and championing women storytellers. Bring your friends and enjoy an evening of 7 delightful short films. Submitted by Carol Toomey, President, AAUW, Reading Branch, 610-777-0900 AAUW-PA Convention

This year’s AAUW-PA Convention will take place on April 24, 25, and 26, 2020 Registration is now open https://aauw-pa.aauw.net/2020-stateconvention/. AAUW-PA would like to see you in Harrisburg for a weekend of “Purple Sashes and Persistent Women.” The Central Hotel and Conference Center is centrally located near Harrisburg and Hershey. All convention meeting rooms are located on the same level and conveniently near each other to minimize walking between sessions. Hotel room costs are $119.00 plus tax for a single or double room. Hotel reservations can be made at any time, by mentioning AAUW to get the discounted rate. Accommodations for physical or meal sensitvites will be available to be identified during registration. Speakers at the convention include Keynote speaker Rebecca Boggs Roberts author of Suffragists in Washington DC; Tracy Vitchers executive director of It’s On Us; Stephanie Jirard, Professor of criminal Justice and Adjunct Professor of Law: Suzanne Almeida Grubbs, Redistricting and Representation Council, Common Cause: Mark Price, Assistant Director of Research at PSEA. Frances Wolf, PA First Lady has also been invited to speak. For more information see the current Keystoner or go to the registration area on the AAUW-PA website Equal Rights Amendment Fran Malley, our current Director of Public Policy responded to our House legislator. Chrissy Houlihan to support the Equal Rights Amendment on behalf of our branch. That amendment has not been ratified yet. The senate voted to eliminate the deadline for ratification to help make ratification possible. Thank you Fran!

AAUW READING BRANCH 3045 Linda Lane

Reading PA 19608

Diversity Statement

In principle and in practice, AAUW values and seeks

a diverse membership. There shall be no barriers to full participation in this organization on the basis of gender,

race, creed, age, sexual orientation, national origin,

disability, or class. Membership is not by invitation.

Mission Statements

AAUW advances equity for women and girls, through advocacy, education, philanthropy and research.

AAUW Educational Foundation provides funds to

advance education, research, and self-development for women and to foster equity and positive societal change.

AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund provides funding and

a support system for women seeking judicial redress for sex discrimination.

Branch Lines

Editor – Eileen Ritz 610-582-2421 Web Site: http://reading-pa.aauw.net Email: aauwreadingpa@gmail.com

Jewelry Sale The sale of “vintage” jewelry (unwanted jewelry from members and friends) began 3 years ago to provide funds for our AAUW Branch Operating Budget. Our Book Bonanza funds are restricted to our scholarship awards programs. However to provide other activities, program costs, and services such as printing and mailing to our branch we need money for those services. The vintage jewelry sale was started to raise some of that money. We will be selling jewelry at our LUNAFEST reception again this year. I have not gotten any information about the indoor yard sale yet this year, but as spring approaches I will be looking for opportunities to sell jewelry again at yard sales and flea markets. If you want to contact me about the jewelry sale, I can be reached at 510-582-2421 or by email eileen@ritz.ws . Thank you to all those members who have donated to this fundraiser and those who helped before with the pricing and selling of the jewelry. Redner’s Register Tapes Ellie Hunt is still collecting cash register tapes from Redner’s Market. This is another small fundraiser to support our branch projects. If you shop at Redner’s, please save your tapes and send or give them to Ellie. She turns them in to Redner’s to get money for our AAUW branch. Thank you to all those members who have donated to this fundraiser. Book Bonanza Book Bonanza will be at at Berkshire Mall again this year. The sale will be in the former Gap store, the same as last year. It will be July 9 1-4 PM (Pre-sale $10 admission), July 10 9AM-8PM (No admission), July 11 9AM-7PM (No admission), July 12 11AM-3PM ($5 bag of books sale) Book donations started on Feb. 10 at the entrance next to Firehouse Subs. Collection times are Mondays and Tuesdays from 9:30 AM to Noon and after March 11 Wednesday evenings form 5 to 7 PM. Branch members are busy helping to sort books on Monday and Tuesday mornings. The next board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 12, 2020 at 7 PM in the Albright College Roessner Hall, room 100.