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-Presidents’ Message
Wishing Happy Holidays to you all!!
Reflecting on this past year, we are so proud of all our members from this branch who have volunteered their time and energy to achieve our goals. We have accomplished so much to support women and girls and equity for all.
In 2024, we distributed over 1,000 books between two low-income schools here in Naples. We distributed 250 science project kits to 5th grade girls. We reached out to FGCU graduating seniors and guided them on how to manage their first interview and provided an entire outfit for them to wear from head to toe. We gave 15 scholarships to college bound undergraduates and graduates who will pursue studies in healthcare, STEM fields and as Future Educators. There is even more as we could go on and on and on!
Soon we will enter a new year, 2025. We are pursuing exciting new collaborations within our community and hope to expand on what we already do!
We are grateful and thankful for all of you including those of you who are physically there faithfully at every monthly meeting.
We also thank all of you who are members and cannot attend our meetings but
nevertheless continue to participate in many other ways supporting our projects, remaining faithful members of AAUW Greater Naples Branch.
And finally, we send our Best Wishes and positive thoughts to our devoted members who are not well!
We wish all of you a healthy and a Happy New Year.
Sylvia Natale
Lucy Williams
Co-Presidents
AAUW GNB
We Mourn the Death of our Dear Member, Catherine E. Hackney, Ph.D.
Click this link for her obituary.
Click this link for the flyer about the Endowed Scholarship Fund in her name and how you can contribute.
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. Announce the Availability of 2025 Scholarships for Local Women!
Since its creation by members of the AAUW Greater Naples Branch in 2001, the Greater Naples AAUW Charitable Foundation, Inc. (“Foundation”) has awarded academic scholarships annually to deserving local women upon the recommendations of the Scholarship Committee.
Fifteen amazing women were awarded $2000 scholarships in 2024. All recipients may reapply. Click here to read about these outstanding local women: 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.
Scholarship applications will become available on the Scholarships webpage, https://greaternaples-fl.aauw.net/scholarships/, on or about December 10. The application deadline is February 15, 2025. Please read all eligibility criteria on the Scholarships webpage before applying.
You Can Invest in Deserving Local Women!
The Foundation raises funds for scholarships by various means, including individual donations. If you are interested in helping deserving local women achieve their dreams of college and careers, contributions may be made by clicking the yellow Donate button on the right of your screen 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. 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.
