AAUW’s Mission, Vision and Values
AAUW advances gender equality for women and girls through research, education, and advocacy.
The AAUW vision is equity for all.
AAUW Values: Nonpartisan: Fact-based; Integrity; Inclusion and Intersectionality. A nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, AAUW has more than 170,000 members and supporters across the United States, as well as 1,000 local branches and over 800 college and university partners. Throughout its history, AAUW members have examined and taken positions on the fundamental issues of the day – educational, social, economic, and political. AAUW Greater Naples Branch is one of the most active in the state of Florida, with an engaged membership of over 100 and growing.
Co-President’s Message
AND AWAY WE GO!!!
October 8 began our new AAUW GNB season. We had an interesting and informative speaker, Susanne Low, JD, from the League of Women Voters, who talked about the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. The talk was not only revealing and uplifting but it is in line with our core value of Equity. For those of you who missed the talk you can go to https://www.floridiansfornpv.com for more information. This initiative is 70% accomplished and hopefully can be in full force by the next Presidential Election. This information was a bright spot during this election cycle.
WE CAN ALL BE PROUD
Our STEAM project was honored at a meeting last spring of the Collier County School Board, where Charmaine Klein was recognized. The School Board showed a short video showing the volunteers compiling materials and kits and then their distribution to the various schools. Two hundred and fifty girls in 5thgrade received the kits that stimulate an appreciation for the Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math fields that are underrepresented by women in the workplace. The School Board expressed their appreciation for the e]orts that AAUW GNB put forth to encourage girls and young women to consider the STEAM fields. Thank you to the Collier County School Board for recognizing our efforts.
COMMUNICATIONS
Thanks to Lynne Romito for her e]orts to keep our communications going by producing THE GULF BREEZE NEWSLETTER single handedly! Good Job Lynne! At the October Branch meeting, Kathy Miller agreed to be the editor, thank you Kathy. Entries for the newsletter must be sent to Lynne before the 15th of the month. She will pass on the information to Kathy. Lynne still needs other people to work with her, especially someone to fill the task of keeping our webpage up to date. That is not an extensive job and is mostly done during the summer months. We would also like to see at least three additional people who would be willing to work with Lynne on our other social media platforms. Please think about volunteering.
Coming Events
We are excited and looking forward to our next Branch meeting when John Kinkead will
present “Celebrating Women’s Financial Empowerment.”Many other activities and Interest
Group meetings are planned for the coming month. Please see the activities and events
further down in this newsletter.
Thanks to all members who worked so hard to make our October Branch Meeting such a
success. We look forward to more to come!
With warm regards,
Lucy and Sylvia
AAUW Greater Naples Branch Served another 250 Local 5th-Grade Girls through its 27th Annual STEAM Girls Count Program in 2024!
Once again, STEAM Program Chair Charmaine Klein led the wonderful women of the AAUW Greater Naples Branch to deliver the annual STEAM program for local 5th-grade girls, called STEAM Girls Count, in 2024. This program is designed to inspire girls to pursue education and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and to teach them that the arts are part of, and not apart from STEM. Working with Collier County Public Schools and New Horizons, 250 local girls were served in 2024. The Greater Naples AAUW Charitable Foundation, Inc. supports the program, which includes:
- Two STEM project kits/experiments to complete at home
- The book, Girls Think of Everything, written and signed by Kathleen Thimmesh, about women scientists and inventors; and
- Access to professionally produced videos of local women in STEAM careers, together with their biographies;
- Safety goggles and feedback forms; and
- Tote bags bearing the AAUW Great Naples Branch logo.
95% of the girls responding said that the STEAM Girls Count Program inspired them to want to learn more about STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) and STEAM careers.
Click to see the video CCPS produced about our STEAM Girls Count program:
https://video.collierschools.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=9f756f8e-1ebe-4abb-be2f-b17600ecf367
We are deeply grateful to the generous donors for this program who made this program possible. Thank you for investing in the futures of local girls!!
ENGEL&VÖLKERS J. MacGregor/Toxicology Consulting Services –
Kaiser Student Nurses Association Screen Printing Unlimited Anonymous Members of the AAUW Branch
If you are interested in helping the Foundation support this program, contributions may be made by
clicking the “Donate Now” button or by check payable to “Greater Naples AAUW Charitable Foundation, Inc,” and mailed to Greater Naples AAUW Charitable Foundation, Inc., PO Box 9742, Naples, FL 34101. Your contribution is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
The Greater Naples AAUW Charitable Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity (EIN 59-3704754), regulated by the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, Registration No. CH 13573. A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE WITHIN THE STATE OF FLORIDA (1-800-435-7352). REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.
The AAUW Greater Naples Branch and the Greater Naples AAUW Charitable Foundation, Inc. Congratulate the 15 Amazing Local Women Awarded 2024 Scholarships!
Academic scholarships have been awarded annually to deserving local women upon the recommendations of the Scholarship Committee for over 20 years.
Fifteen amazing women were awarded $2000 scholarships in 2024. We are proud to award seven scholarships to local women who are age 21 or over, five scholarships to local women pursuing STEM degrees, and three scholarship to local future teachers. These outstanding local women are:
- Maria Hernandez Lopez—McMahon Foundation Endowed Scholarship Fund
- Megan Swanson—Friends of Bayview I Scholarship Award
- Kayla Miranda—Dellatorè Real Estate Company Scholarship Award
- Karina Lopez—Scholarship for Women 21 and Over
- Brittany Jarvis—Scholarship for Women 21 and Over
- Anita Herrera—McMahon Foundation Endowed Scholarship Fund
- Adelyne Olson—Scholarship for Women 21 and Over
- Alina Zankevich—Laura A. Candris Endowed STEM Scholarship Fund
- Alexis Mathurin—Catherine E. Hackney Tribute STEM Scholarship
- Mallory Poff—Judith A. MacGregor Tribute STEM Scholarship
- Gabriella Nagy—Candris STEM Scholarship
- Denise Garcia Salas—STEM Scholarship
- Lauryn Jackson—Dorothy King Sutton Memorial Future Teacher Scholarship
- Lydia Sears—Dorothy King Sutton Memorial Future Teacher Scholarship
- Valentina Guzman—Future Educator Scholarship
Read about their accomplishments here: 2024 Scholarship Awards.
The scholarship programs, in brief are:
—Scholarships for Local Women, Age 21 or Over:
This scholarship program was created over 20 years ago to assist women returning to college, who typically have little access to tuition assistance, to obtain degrees and achieve greater economic security for themselves and their families.
—STEM Scholarships:
Since the establishment of endowments for such scholarships in 2018, we have annually awarded scholarships to local women of any age pursuing bachelor’s or master’s degrees in science, technology, engineering or mathematics. These scholarships are designed to increase representation of women in careers in STEM fields where women are under-represented.
—Future Educator Scholarships:
Recognizing the critical need for more classroom teachers, our Future Educator Scholarship Funds were created in 2023 to assist students of any age who are pursuing a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education, elementary, or secondary education or a post-bachelor’s teacher credential certificate.
You Can Invest in Deserving Local Women in Our Community!
The Foundation raises funds for scholarships by various means, including individual donations. If you are interested in supporting this effort, contributions may be made by clicking the Donate Now button or by check made payable to “Greater Naples AAUW Charitable Foundation, Inc.” designated for the scholarship fund of your choice, and mailed to the Greater Naples AAUW Charitable Foundation, Inc., PO Box 9742, Naples, FL 34101. Donations designated for scholarships with no other designation will go into the scholarship fund selected by the Foundation Board on the recommendation of the Scholarship Committee. Your contribution is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law..
We offer a one-time Named Scholarship Opportunity. This is an opportunity for business owners, individuals and families to provide and name a one year scholarship without the responsibility of recruiting or selecting scholarship candidates and without an on-going financial commitment. Click the link for more information: Named Scholarship Opportunity.
The Greater Naples AAUW Charitable Foundation, Inc. is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization (EIN 59-3704754), registered with the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, Registration No. CH 13573. A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMA-TION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE WITHIN THE STATE OF FLORIDA (1-800-435- 7352). REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.
