Community Action

COMMUNITY ACTION

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$tart $mart Workshop

The WAGE Project and AAUW have partnered to bring the $tart $mart Workshop to college women across the country. The $tart $mart Workshop provides knowledge and skills required to negotiate salaries and benefits so that fair and realistic compensation is received. Arlene Bunt and Jean Johnson attended a training program for $tart $mart and became certified to teach this workshop. For more details contact them at email startsmart@aauwscottsdale.org.

Hohokam Elementary School Students
Receive a Book of Their Own

Pre-Kindergarten through 4th grade students at Hohokam Elementary School in Scottsdale received a gift recently: a book of their very own to take home. The Scottsdale Branch of AAUW has donated over 3,000 books to various Scottsdale Title I schools over the past seven years, and Hohokam, at 8451 E. Oak Street, is this year's recipient. Scottsdale AAUW president Jane Adrian, Community Action Chair Gail Stempil and Adopt-a-Book project chair Camille Schmidt presented the books on April 22 to Hohokam Principal Chad Caudle and Reading Specialist Linda Tardie for later distribution to the students.

Adopt-A-Book is one of several ongoing projects undertaken by Scottsdale AAUW. Project Chairwoman Camille Schmidt explained, "Our goal is to promote literacy, a love of reading and to ensure that each child owns at least one book. This goal matches our AAUW Association mission to advance equity for women and girls through advocacy, education and research." Each donated book contains a bookplate for a child to write his/her name on as well as a colorful bookmark.

The Scottsdale AAUW Branch is also active in other community action and public policy projects. The Branch sponsored a series of Fair Pay Matters events featuring Lilly Ledbetter, whose untiring ten year advocacy resulted in the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act signed in January, 2009. In addition, the Branch recently conducted a pay equity event and will be co-sponsoring candidate debates in the fall.