Torrance TelegramS E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 0

PO Box 1392, Torrance, CA 90505 | http://torrance-ca.aauw.net | aauwtorrance@gmail.com

AAUW TORRANCE BRANCH

CHARTERED IN 1968

Advocacy • Education • Research • Diversity with Equity

9:00a branch meeting10:00a performance

Virtual is the new normal; welcome new AAUW Torrance branch officers, hear from branch interest group leaders.Join us for a moment in time with “a prominent voice in early 20th Century American literature,” author and Owens Valley activist Mary Hunter Austin.

Check email for Zoom Link to join meeting

Featuring performer: Gail Mettler Swain AAUW Bishop, CA member

Saturday, September 19Welcome Back Virtual Brunch & Live Performance

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President’s MessageHello Torrance Branch!Summer is coming to an end and Fall is just around the corner. Unfortunately, the Covid-19 cases continue to be high in the State and the Los Angeles area in general; still too high to decrease the restrictions set in place. Because of this we will continue with only online activities.

Many of the specialty groups are now utilizing Zoom meetings, so be sure to look for those notices. There are many online webinars provided by National and the California Offices that you might want to join as well.

I will begin a Social Hour Zoom in September open to ALL members encouraging us all to stay in touch.The Branch has also started a Phone Tree reaching out to all our members on a monthly basis. Thanks to Pat Arnett, Gloria Liu, Karen Peters, Janice Pomerantz and Suzanne Siney who are our Phone Tree committee.

The TTAG (Tech Trek Alumnae Group) conducted the First Virtual STEM Camp in July. Torrance had 27 of the 28 girls selected for the 2020 Tech Trek Physical Camps that were cancelled due to Covid-19.

Zoom RefresherMonday, September 7 @6:00p via ZoomRSVP to Cami Hamilton to receive Zoom link.AAUW does not sanction in-person meetings at this time nor for the foreseeable future. AAUW’s guidance is in adherence with California mandates and in the best interests of all our members. Attend programs safely online through Zoom. Zoom links for each month’s meeting will be distributed via email to branch members with encouragement to invite guests. With a Basic Zoom membership (free), branch members can participate in all online programs for 2020-2021 branch year.Contact Cami Hamilton or Gloria Liu for assistance with your initial Zoom set-up.

This camp was run by Terry Horner-Hays (Beach Cities) and Denise DeVenuto (PVP) and a Torrance TTAG Alum, Khushi Kumar. Gloria Liu, Advisor for Torrance Branch, and myself, as a Joint Coordinator, were able to attend and participate in the week long event. TTAG now has 53 more girls signed up for TTAG because of the camp. Four of our Girls were selected to attend the San Diego Robotics Camp in August. We have some great programs scheduled by our Program VPs – Cami Hamilton and Susanne Siney – be sure to add those dates to your calendars. Continue to socially distance and wear your masks in order to stay safe during these troubling times.— Alice Matthews

Happy Birthday!September:

09/01 - Kay Odgers

09/10 - Berneice Cox no email, cards welcome!

09/27 - Ann DuPuy

October:

10/09 - Karen Peters

10/15 - Susan Helm

Torrance Branch LeadershipAlice Matthews, PresidentKeri Gilbert, TreasurerLydia McCarver, SecretaryCami Hamilton & Suzanne Siney, Program Co-VPs

Committee LeadershipPeggy Monga & Margot Sullivan, EPCCami Hamilton, Telegram EditorMichele Croci, Public PolicyJanet Flynn, Telegram MailingAnn DuPuy, WebmasterKeri Gilbert, Digital Communications

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Educational Partnership Committee

by Margot Sullivan and Alice MatthewsVirtual TTAG STEM Camp is a Success!The Tech Trek Alumnae Group (TTAG) of the South Bay, along with the local Coordinator/Advisors, successfully culminated their week (July 27-31) over a Zoom platform. The Virtual Camp included 52 campers from 3 Branches (BC, PV and Torrance) and 14 TTAG high school participants, including Khushi Kumra, our Student Co-Director, Zoom Host and Tech Specialist. The key AAUW members that put this camp together are Co-Directors Terry Hays-Horner, BC Branch and Denise DeVenuto from PV Branch. They modeled the camp on previous Tech Trek Camp curricula. There were 5 presenters for Chemistry, Forensic Science, Marine Science, Life Skills and Graphics/Tech Design. Of the 52 campers, Torrance had 27, BC had 15 and PV had 10 attend. Also, 4 of our campers who would have attended Tech Trek Camp at UCSD in 2020 were selected by lottery to attend a virtual robotics camp organized by Tech Trek Camp UCSD director, Dr. Mary Isaac, in collaboration with Qualcomm. The girls experienced computer technology and robotics and made very creative robotic hats. EPC was fortunate to have a virtual meeting with Dr. Isaac who shared a clip of one of our campers presenting her very creative robotic hat.We are celebrating all our selected 28 Tech Trek campers in a special way to honor their selection to the 2020 Tech Trek Camp, which due to Covid-19 was cancelled.

They are extraordinary girls and in this extraordinary time we are recognizing them with a gift bag including a Tech Trek water bottle, Tech Trek T-shirt, and certificates from our branch and the Virtual TTAG Camp. Each girl also is getting materials to write a thank you note to the branch.We are also giving a gift subscription to MUSE, a STEM magazine, that will be a wonderful source of scientific information and an encouragement to keep the girls in touch with STEM. With the uncertainty of Tech Trek camp and sponsors next year, funds are limited so we are asking all our branch members to please consider a donation to help cover the cost of the magazine for the 28 campers. (The subscription cost will be between $650 to $700.) Checks should be made out to Torrance AAUW with Tech Trek Admin in the memo line. Please send to Keri Gilbert, Attention Tech Trek, 1605 Acacia Ave., Torrance 90501. If you have any questions about the Tech Trek program, contact Peggy Monga, filmgroup@earthlink.net.The gift bags were presented to the campers at a drive through meeting at the Torrance Main Library parking lot on Saturday, August 29.Special thanks to Gloria Liu, Peggy Monga, Michele Freck, Margot Sullivan, Pat Arnett and Alice Matthews for their involvement in the Virtual Camp and Gift Bag distributions. And of course, we thank you all for your support and we hope that you will be able to help.

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Need Help Dropping Off Ballot?The Torrance City Council has decided to NOT have bal-lot boxes in the city. (as of 8-29-20)https://lavote.net/home/voting-elections/voting-options/vote-by-mail/vbm-ballot-drop-offIf you would like assistance dropping off your ballot securely at the Post Office or polling location instead of your home mail box, please contact Cami Hamilton and a pick up can be arranged. Our target date is October 20, 2020 to ensure adequate time with postal handling to record your vote.

Public Policy Get Out the Vote

Help AAUW California’s Public Policy Team Get Out the Vote! Participate in our social media campaign to mobilize all of our members to collectively Get Out The Vote!Here’s how it works: 1. Take a picture/selfie or use one of AAUW’s pictures2. Copy the weekly message and hashtags from the schedule. Be sure to include the hashtags – that’s what makes it trend!3. Go to your own Facebook, Instagram or Twitter account and create your own post by uploading the photo/selfie and pasting the copied message and hash tags. Wednesdays are the best time to post to social media.Let’s activate the collective power of our AAUW California members to raise awareness about GOTV issues! Your posts will not only be seen and shared within your personal networks, but those topics and hash tags will trend across social media platforms.

Get Out the Vote Social Media Schedule

09/02Moved? Re-Register to Vote Now!#AAUW_CA #GOTV2020 #RegisterToVote @AAUW

09/09Vote Early by Mail! On-Site Voting Available October 31 to November 3. #AAUW_CA #GOTV2020 #VoteEarly @AAUW 09/16Want to Help Get Out The Vote? Check out Rock the Vote, Moms Rising, Reclaim the Vote, Vote Forward, Fair Fight#AAUW_CA #GOTV2020 @AAUW

09/23“Voting and participating in the democratic process are key. The vote is the most powerful nonviolent change agent you have in a democratic society. You must use it because it is not guaranteed. You can lose it.” – John Lewis #AAUW_CA #GOTV2020 #Vote #GoodTrouble @AAUW

09/30Need to Know More about Waging a Successful GOTV campaign? Check Out the GOTV Webinar: https://www.aauw-ca.org/2020-2021-webinars/ #AAUW_CA #GOTV2020 #Vote @AAUW

10/07Concerns About COVID? Vote By Mail Now!#AAUW_CA #GOTV2020 #VoteEarly #VBM @AAUW

10/14Don’t Forget! Complete Your Vote By Mail Ballot Today!#AAUW_CA #GOTV2020 #VoteEarly #VBM @AAUW

10/21Mailing Your Ballot? Don’t Forget—It Must Be Postmarked by November 3#AAUW_CA #GOTV2020 #VoteEarly #VBM @AAUW

10/28Voting Late? Take Your Ballot to Any Local Drop Box or Voting Location up to November 3#AAUW_CA #GOTV2020 #VoteEarly #VBM @AAUW

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E-Newsletter UpdateFrom AAUW-CACheck your in-box for a new monthly e-blast from your state organization. The familiar magazine-type publication California Perspective will be quarantined (ha, ha!) for a while. We promise to keep the California Connection short, timely, and geared toward our members (that’s YOU) with what YOU might want to know or do to be an active AAUW member.

AAUW Fundby Gloria LiuAt our June 20 Annual Meeting / Installation, we honored our Named Gift Honorees:Elle Oliver – for her work leading the branch effort (and doing much of the work) for Start Smart presentations at CSU Dominguez HillsMichele Freck – for her work on Start Smart and presentation at CSU Dominguez Hills, and for her effort as branch financial liaison and sponsor focal point on the Educational Partnership Committee with CA AAUW Special Projects Fund (SPF) for Tech Trek.Keri Gilbert – for stepping up wherever the branch needed help. She was Torrance Branch President 2019-2020 and Financial officer prior to that and currently. She has been reliably sending out our email communications for many years.Gloria Liu – for many years of work on the board, most recently as Fund VP and Membership VP. She worked and sometimes chaired the branch Tea Fundraisers.Thank you all for your hard work and many hours of volunteering!We appreciate our members who gave generously to AAUW in calendar year 2019. We recognize the following major donors to AAUW. The Associate’s Circle donors were listed in the Convention and Annual Meeting Booklet.Century Circle ($100-199) Carol BauerSustaining Circle ($200-499) Carol DeanAssociate’s Circle ($500-999) Indrani ChatterjeeAssociate’s Circle ($500-999) Gloria Liu

Diversity Book GroupFriday, September 18 at 6:00p, via ZoomAn American Marriage by Tayari Jones.RSVP to Lydia McCarver to receive Zoom link.

Evening LiteratureTuesday, September 22 @7:30p, via ZoomThe Children Act by Ian McEwen. Fiona Maye, a leading High Court judge in the family di-vision, is called on to try an urgent case: Adam, a beau-tiful seventeen-year-old boy, is refusing for religious reasons the medical treatment that could save his life, and his devout parents echo his wishes. Should the sec-ular court overrule sincerely expressed faith? Fiona visits Adam in the hospital—an encounter that stirs long-buried feelings in her over the lingering re-gret of her childlessness, and the current crisis in her marriage of thirty years; and powerful new emotions in Adam. Her judgment has momentous consequences for them both. Coming in October: The Dutch House by Ann Patchett.

AAUW Fund Virtual Luncheonby Judy Cavin Brown, Director, AAUW Fund Committee ChairThe 2020-2021 Fund luncheons will be held on two dates at one convenient location - your computer. Due to the pandemic, the physical Fund luncheons will be replaced by two webinars. While we will miss the social gathering aspect of the luncheons, the webinars may afford the opportunity for those hampered by distance or other physical constraints to participate. Save the Dates: Saturday, October 10 and Saturday, October 24. More information to follow.

Monday, September 7 AAUW Zoom Refresher @6:00p

Wednesday, September 9 AAUW Social Hour @6:30p

Wednesday, September 16 AAUW Board Mtg @6:30p

Friday, September 18 Diversity Book Group @6:00p

Saturday, September 19 Branch Virtual Brunch @9:00a & Live Performance

PO Box 1392Torrance, CA 90505

AAUW TORRANCE BRANCH

CHARTERED IN 1968

Mission StatementThe purpose of AAUW is to advance gender equity for women and girls through research, education, and advocacy.

Diversity StatementIn principle and in practice, AAUW values and seeks a diverse membership. There shall be no barriers to full participation in this organi-zation on the basis of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, geographic location, national origin, race, religious beliefs, sexual orientation or socioeconomic status.

MembershipAAUW offers membership to all graduates who hold an associates or higher degree from a regionally accredited college or university. Student affiliate status in AAUW is available for anyone now studying for a degree at a qualified institution. Until graduating with that degree, a student affiliate may partici-pate in all AAUW activities except for holding office or voting.

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Tuesday, September 22 Evening Literature @7:30p

Saturday, October 10 & 24 AAUW Fund Virtual Luncheons

Tuesday, October 13 CA Proposition Update @2:00p

Tuesday, October 20 Ballot Dropoff Assistance

AAUW’s guidance is in adherence with California mandates and in the best interests of all our members. Attend programs safely online through Zoom.

2020-2021 Women in Digital Dialogues and Virtual Activism