Meeting and Events

Welcome AAUW members and prospective members we are so excited to start a new year full of exciting new programs and events for our 2024-2025 year.  Don’t be shy and make it to our next event. You can make an impact and support our mission of advocating for women and girls.  Follow us on Facebook Our branch members meet monthly from October – May, generally on the second Saturday of the month at Sun City Center Atrium Building (Florida Room, Armstrong Room), North Course Lane, Sun City Center, FL  33573. Contact us if you have questions aauwsccsouthshore@gmail.com

Saturday, December 13, 2024-  Meeting and luncheon

Saturday, January 11, 2024 – TBA Meeting and light breakfast.

Stay informed:  Florida and national public policies forums by registering for the next forum via Zoom on topics that matter to all of us.

 

 

 

AAUW SUN CITY FUNDRAISER November 9, 2024, a total success! THANK YOU @mrsflorida24 for attending and supporting our scholarships for women and girls in our community ❤️!

AAUW SUN CITY FUNDRAISER THANK YOU @mrsflorida24 for attending and supporting our scholarships for women and girls in our community ❤️!

Members of the AAUW attended the Annual 15th Anniversary Gala to celebrate GIRLS OF THE WORLD INC., a non-profit organization located in the Apollo Beach South Shore area, that provides after-school programs for young girls focused on life skills development and mentoring services.

September 29, 2024.  –OPEN Registration  Empowering for Equity -3 –DAY AAUW Atlantic Regional Conference states participating are: Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington DC, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The event will take place at the Virginia Crossings Hotel & Conference Center1000 Virginia Center Parkway Glen Allen, VA 23059 | 📙 https://www.aauwatlanticregionalconference.com 


August 2024 – Women’s Equality Day

June- August 2024 summer break for the branch.  Summer is Membership Renewal time. If you have questions contact us at AAUWSCCSouthShore@gmail.com

May 2024 

Board members still in town in late May took Angie out to lunch to honor her for a job well done! L to R:  Patty Barbaro, Margie Castiglia, Gezil Andrews (president-elect 2024-25) Angie Maze (past president 2023-24), Bev Moody, and Patsie Ginley.

May 2024- Annual Meeting -We received our Annual Financial Report and, held the Election of Officers.  President – Gezil Andrews, Treasurer – Patty Barbaro, Co-Treasurer – Joyce Schuetz, Membership Chair – Patsie Ginley, Recording Secretary – Beverly Moody. Per our bylaws, we took nominations from the floor for all positions. We currently do not have a candidate for Program Chair; we are still seeking a member to fill that position.


The April 13, 2024 meeting “The Swedish Death Cleaning Process and Freedom of Time and Aggravation!”Location: Florida Room of the Atrium building. A short business meeting for members will be held after the program.

April 4, 2024 – We attended the Florida Regional AAUW Convention held at Venice Art Center. Topics covered include; Leadership Training, Shared Branch Successes, Public Policy Initiatives, Growing Membership, and details on the upcoming Vote for Bylaw change to the definition of AAUW member.  We had time to mingle with fellow AAUW members.

We honored Joan Kramer – a compassionate lady who’s an activist and volunteer extraordinaire with our Woman of Distinction Award on March 16, 2024. Joan was recognized for her lifetime of community service and leadership.  Joan is a member of ELI: Campaign Against Human Trafficking SouthShore, Women’s Club of Sun City Center, Interfaith Council of Sun City Center, the Beth Israel Sisterhood, SWAG, and many more.


February 4, 2024 – instead of a regular meeting we held a fundraiser with the Pelican Players. “Scorned in SouthShore a Murder Mystery”. This event raised money for our HCC and Tech Trek Scholarships awarded to girls and women in our community.


January 13, 2024, was a special program featuring  Rukmini Potdar, Guardian Ad Litem for Children.
pictures coming soon.

On December 14, 2023, Angie Maze President of the Sun City Center Branch of the American Association of University Women presented a $100 donation for the purchase of book(s) to the Sun City Center Library – In memoriam for AAUW member Beverly Fletchall.

General Meeting December 9, 2023, Tech Trek campers, now 8th graders, told us about their camp experiences. The Meeting was be held in the Florida Room of the Atrium Building.

AAUWSCCSouthShore@gmail.com

General Meeting  Saturday, November 11, 2023. Author Pam Varcony discussed her book “Arrows of Light, the Journeys of Afghan Women.

Pamela Varkony

Writer, speaker, women’s advocate, and “global citizen”, Pamela Varkony has worked on four continents. She has been published in major U.S. newspapers and magazines and heard on NPR and PBS.

Pamela has twice traveled to Afghanistan as a writer and advocate.

The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August of 2021 brought her other projects to a halt as she focused on chronicling the stories of her Afghan friends and doing what she could to assist in their escape.

Pamela has won numerous awards and recognition for her writing and humanitarian work including AAUW’s Gateway Award, and an Excellence in Journalism award from the Pennsylvania Women’s Press Association. In 2017 she was named a Pearl S. Buck International Woman of Influence.

AAUW Presents: Motivational Speaker

October 2023

AAUW members and guests on Saturday, October 14, 2023, were wrapped in positivity specifically regarding body image issues!  No body-shaming allowed in the vicinity of SCC after hearing this motivational speaker tell her life story!  Cheyenne Olson is currently the Student Activities Coordinator of the HCC/Ruskin campus planning over 100 events annually in her quest to spread positivity and compassion to all students.  Cheyenne will share her story on overcoming body image issues and a childhood of being bullied into confidence, self-love, and what she calls the ‘Girl Boss State of Mind’.  Cheyenne graduated from the University of Tampa with a BA in Business Management and is pursuing her Master’s in Social Media Management at St Leo University.  She blogs daily and in 2020 received over 1.2 million visits on Instagram videos.  She is also a plus-size fashion and body-positive influencer with many followers.

    This is the first program for the 23/24 year for the local American Association of University Women branch.  To further the cause of success in education for local women this branch raises money to give a minimum of two scholarships a year to mature women (age 24 or older) to be able to attend Hillsborough Community College at Ruskin.  Most years the scholarships range from 3 to 5 and many times it is awarded to someone who is the first in their family to attend college of any kind.   The Branch also sponsors 2-5 middle school girls who have been nominated by a math or science teacher to attend a STEM summer camp called Tech Trek.  The camp is a week on a college campus with intensive workshops and hands-on activities as well as mentoring from women who succeed in STEM fields.
   Anyone interested in attending the program on October 14 should RSVP to AAUWSCCSouthShore@gmail.com.   or Margie Castiglia at 813-633-8253.  Arrive by 9:30 am to socialize and partake in Brunch food items; the program and speaker begin around 10 am and is over well before noon.   To cover the cost of food an offering of $10 will be requested as you enter.  The meeting is in the Florida Room of the Atrium on the North Campus of Sun City Center.  Anyone interested in AAUW or membership is encouraged to call President Susan Nasrani at 570-401-5346./ AAUWSCCSouthShore@

Summer 2023  Saturday, August 26

We will have lunch at Renaissance on August 26 to celebrate Women’s Equality Day when the Nineteenth Amendment was adopted on August 26, 1920, guaranteeing women’s right to vote.  More information to come. 

Summer 2023 New Member Meeting

Get together with board members will be June 20 at 1:30 p.m. at Susan’s home, 373 Club Manor Drive, Sun City Center.  For more information contact 570-401-5346 or AAUWSCCSouthShore@gmail.com. 

Saturday, March 12, 2023 at 9:30 am, General Meeting – Woman of Distinction

Mark your calendar for our meeting on March 18 in the Florida Room for our honoring this year’s Woman of Distinction, Janet Smith who has helped and supported women discharged from prison and who also helped Ukrainian refugees in Poland last summer.

Doors open at the Florida Room at the Sun City Center Atrium at 9:30 am. Socialize and enjoy a light brunch then listen to Lou Anne at 10 am. The offering of $10 at the door is requested to cover the cost of food. Call Margie at 813-633-8253 for reservations so we know how much food to prepare. Any general questions regarding AAUW please call President Susan Nasrani at 570-401-5346.

Sunday, February 5, 2023, at 1:00 pm, Murder at Flontrachet Vineyard

Enjoy the Pelican Players’ mystery play and guess who the murderer is in Murder at Flontrachet Vineyard on Sunday, February 5, starting at 1 p.m. at Community Hall. BYOB and snacks. If you have not bought a ticket, you can buy it in the Atrium tomorrow, Friday, January 27 between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Angie Maze will be selling them. This is your last chance. Tickets have sold well. We have reached almost twenty-five tables. It will be a fun event. Remember to bring money to purchase a chance for our raffle baskets – they are beautiful and full of good things! As always, proceeds go for scholarships for women and girls.

Saturday, January 14, 2023, at 9:30 am, General Meeting – Lou Anne Rossdeutscher, President of the Campaign Against Human Trafficking

Lou Anne Rossdeutscher, President of the Campaign Against Human Trafficking, will explain how her organization helps save women from sex exploitation and actual slavery, which is unfortunately prevalent in the Tampa area. If you plan to come, please reply to this email or call Margi Castiglia at 813-633-8253 by this Friday, January 6.

Doors open at the Florida Room at the Sun City Center Atrium at 9:30 am. Socialize and enjoy a light brunch then listen to Lou Anne at 10 am. The offering of $10 at the door is requested to cover the cost of food. Call Margie at 813-633-8253 for reservations so we know how much food to prepare. Any general questions regarding AAUW please call President Susan Nasrani at 570-401-5346.

Saturday, December 10, 2022, at 9:30 am, General Meeting – Sue Selbin, a member and a comedian

The December meeting of AAUW Sun City Center SouthShore will be listening and laughing with comedian Sue Selbin. Join us as a respite from Holiday Shopping and Stress! “Never forget that one laugh is better than 3 tablespoons of bran flakes”. “Mom turned upside down spells WOW!” These are only a few samples from the brochure offering AAUW member Sue Selbin to groups as a comedian who hits home with stories from home that we can all relate to.

Doors open at the Florida Room at the Sun City Center Atrium at 9:30 am. Socialize and enjoy a light brunch then listen to the comedian at 10 am. The offering of $5 at the door is requested to cover the cost of food. Call Margie at 813-633-8253 for reservations so we know how much food to prepare. All general questions regarding AAUW please call President Susan Nasrani at 570-401-5346.

Saturday, November 12, 2022, at 9:30 am, Fund Raiser – Janet Carr’s Accessories & More Fashion Show and Brunch

AAUW Sun City Center SouthShore is having a fashion Show by Accessories and More on Saturday, November 12 in the Florida Room, Atrium Building, on North Course Lane, Sun City Center. Doors open at 9:30 a.m. for early shopping in the adjacent Armstrong Room. A Full Buffet Brunch by Banquet Masters is at 10:00 a.m. followed by the Fashion Show. More browsing and shopping are available after the show. Come join us for a morning of fun, food, and fashion.

Tickets are $30 and are on sale now! Call Patsie Ginley at (954) 258-5714 or come to the Atrium ticket booth on 10/26, 10/28, 11/2 or 11/4 between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

This local branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) uses the proceeds from this event to help fund scholarships for area women to attend Hillsborough Community College and to encourage 7th-grade girls to go into math and science careers by sending a couple of girls each year to Florida AAUW’s Tech Trek camp at a Florida university.

Saturday, October 9, 2022, at 9:30 am, General Meeting – Girls of the World Inc. in Apollo Beach

This will be an exciting meeting with Lea Manningham, director of Girls of the World Inc. in Apollo Beach, telling us about her program of mentoring girls through elementary and high school to encourage them to continue their education. Three of our Tech Trek Committee members, Beverly Moody, Grace Friedman (a brand-new member), and Angela Maze went to a mentoring session at Girls of the World Inc. There Lea helped 5th and 6th grade girls learn the importance of body language in dealing with others and as a sign of respect. The girls were delightful, and Lea may bring a couple with her. She will also be recommending some girls for our Tech Trek camp for next summer. Our AAUW branch in the Florida Room of Sun City Community Center starts at 9:30 a.m. with a brunch followed by the program at 10 a.m.

 AAUW Sun City/SouthShore was approved as a 501(C)(3) federal income tax exempt corporation in September 19, 2019 and registered as a Florida corporation by the Florida Secretary of State.