AAUW NC
Tar Heel News
W03 issue
Front page
Public Policy
AAUW/SAR
AAUW NC
Branches
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Branches Receive 21st Century Recognition
Ed. Note: We reported some projects in the Fall Tar Heel News. Here are two
more. Congratulations to Brevard and Jacksonville Regional for their efforts.
To learn more about the 21st Century Recognition program, see www.aauw.org or
contact an AAUW NC branch listed on page one.
Brevard Branch * Platinum
Project: Used Book Sale for Funding Education and Equity for Women and Girls
* Promotes educational equity for women and girls at the national, state and local
levels.
* Supports Educational Foundation, sent 2 elementary school girls to science camp,
two middle school girls to Beta Club Leadership Training program, and funds scholarships
for women at Brevard College and Blue Ridge Community College.
* Funds used to research and compile material for a Women In History quiz program
in local elementary schools and a Women In History exhibit for the county library.
* Community impact-local businesses and organizations provide space for collection
boxes for used books. We collected, sorted, priced, and alphabetized over 20,000
books donated by community members.
* Lesson learned: Scholarship recipients told us how our efforts changed their
lives.
* Sale helped recruit new members and follow up on prospective members.
* Branch contacted over 26 diverse groups for participation and collaboration,
including Brevard College, Boy Scouts, and Brevard Music Center. 19 collection
boxes were placed at local business establishments. After sale unsold books were
taken free of charge by the Schenck Job Corps, Habitat for Humanity store, Humane
Society, Salvation Army, Women's prison in Asheville, local churches, and home
school families.
* This project binds our membership together. The physical labor of lifting, sorting
collecting and meeting each other at the warehouse prior to the sale for pricing
and categories allows us to work with members we might not have known previously.
* Pricing guidelines for all parts of the project are neatly compiled into a handbook.
Experienced members held workshops for all pricers, cashiers and floaters and
they were fully mentored.
* Technology: Internet was used to contact used book dealers, an important segment
of our customer base. Web sites were used in the pricing of choice, rare, and
signed books.
* Watching new members work gives us an opportunity to involve them in leadership
positions in our Branch.
Jacksonville Regional * Bronze
The Jacksonville Regional branch's project is designed to be a multi-year project.
Much of the planning for the project was done last year. The branch assists a
new teacher with supplies and support for her students. The county office supplied
names of new teachers. A middle school teacher was selected. She attended two
meetings and the branch offered her a free membership for one year. She provided
her input on how the branch could support her. Our initial contribution was of
school supplies for some of the students who did not have any.
One of the branch's goals was to find a way to provide smart, successful role
models for young girls. Too many young girls, especially in the middle school,
tend to hide their intelligence and to underestimate their abilities in math and
science classes. Having students "shadow" a branch member at work for
one day was one of the options that was considered.
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