At last Saturday’s annual meeting of the Vero Beach branch of the American Association of University Women, members gathered at the Vero Beach Country Club to share fundraising techniques and hear from Susan Berlin, AAUW State co-president, before enjoying a luncheon and fashion show featuring clothes from Stein Mart.
The organization’s primary purpose is to promote equality for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy and research. To meet that challenge, fundraisers enable them to provide scholarships, educational programs and research endowments. Successful Vero Beach fundraisers have fully funded the Lenore Davis Feibel Research and Projects Endowment Fund and the Janetta MacPhail/Harriet Strong Endowment.
Formed in 1964 by Lenore Feibel and Dorothy Forbes, the Vero Beach branch celebrated its 50th Anniversary last year and is currently the second largest branch in Florida.
“We are very fortunate; we are at 147 members,” said Vero Beach president Linda Clerch. “We have been able to retain and recruit new members, in large measure because we do offer a lot of programs and have a very active membership committee.”
Attendees heard from presidents of the Melbourne, Stuart, Port St. Lucie and Fort Pierce branches as well. Through teas, book reviews, the sale of Christmas wreaths and other fundraising efforts, each division donates to scholarship programs for girls and women established through Indian River State College. The Vero Beach branch has awarded four IRSC scholarships each year since 1971.
Berlin spoke enthusiastically about the two major objectives of AAUW. “Our first is a camp for middle school girls called Tech Trek,” said Berlin. “This is for girls entering eighth grade to attend workshops based around STEM classes. It is a week-long camp at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg and they get to take classes in a college atmosphere as they do all kinds of neat experiments with bungee jumping and roller coasters as they are learning science. They are also learning that it is okay to be smart and perhaps will pursue STEM subjects further in school as a career.”
The organization’s second goal is to promote and pursue elected government officials to bring about equal pay for women. “We are always working on that one,” said Berlin.
Many members said the support of the AAUW was vital to inspire the next generation of women leaders and encourage girls to have higher educational goals.
“They do so much for education as well as raising the level of culture,” said Jane Howard, stepdaughter of Vero co-founder Dorothy Forbes [Burke]. “We have programs on very current subjects which directly affect women here.”
The group will raise funds this year through its book review breakfasts, a book author luncheon on Feb. 21, and an upcoming performance of Tea for Three: Lady Bird, Pat and Betty. The one-woman play, an entertaining look at First Ladies Lady Bird Johnson, Pat Nixon and Betty Ford, is scheduled for Jan. 24 at the Emerson Center.
For event and membership information, visit www.verobeach-fl.aauw.net.
