About AAUW South Haven

The following is the current list of AAUW SH Committees, Community Outreach activities and Interest Groups. If one or more of these sounds interesting to you, please reach out to the designated Chairperson/Contact: southhavenaauw@gmail.com. We would love to have you join us!

Committees

Book Sale Committee:

Purpose – To raise funds for college scholarships for local young women.
Primary Activities – Collect, sort and sell gently used books.
Specific volunteer needs and time commitment required – everyone is welcome!

  • Collecting books from local organizations and delivering them to the distribution location (currently FCC, SH) once or twice a week
  • Sorting books by genre once a week for about an hour per week starting in late June until early August.
  • Setting up books for the sale for approximately two hours.
  • Working during the book sale for a three-hour shift.
  • Clean up after the sale for approximately two hours.

Communications Committee:

Purpose – To support members and committees in publicizing events and activities relevant to AAUW’s mission and goals.
Primary Activities – Work with organizers to develop a list of deliverables and timelines; work with the rough content to develop a clear and consistent message; develop publicity materials; assist in posting materials as necessary; work with local news stations to arrange the necessary publicity.
Specific volunteer needs and time commitment required – Experience with writing, marketing, design or media is desirable for committee members but not necessary; all you need is interest and a willingness to help! Time commitment varies, usually a few hours a month maximum.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Group:

Purpose:  To learn more about diversity, equity and inclusion.
Activities and Time Commitment: We are exploring these important topics by watching and/or listening to videos and podcasts, along with reading materials, to improve our own understanding of these concepts. The goal is to use this information to make recommendations on how our local chapter can become more inclusive.
Time commitment required: One day per week

Domestic Violence Prevention Committee:

Purpose – Advocate and help women in domestic abuse and violence situations and to help those who have domestic dangers.
Primary Activities – Support immediate needs of Sylvia’s Place in Allegan and the Domestic Violence Coalition in Paw Paw through donations and collections.  We are always open to learn of other opportunities in the community where we can help.
Volunteer needs – We welcome members who are community-minded and seek to help those and their families who are escaping domestic violence. We usually have two meetings a year. Project time commitment varies but usually less than six hours a year.

Fundraising:

Purpose – The committee will provide leadership and advice to the Board of Directors on all matters related to securing funds in support of Board-approved initiatives.

Core Activities –

    • Collaborate with the Board, committees, affiliate members and the community to develop strategies to meet identified funding needs.
    • Develop and implement an annual plan to secure funding for Borad-approved activities.
    • Identify new sources of funding to support existing and proposed programs.

Membership –

  • The chair is a voting member of the AAUW SH Board.
  • The chair will schedule meetings as needed, based on the committee’s activities/project demands.
  • Members interested in joining the committee should contact the chair.

Public Policy Committee:

Purpose – To serve as a resource for the AAUW-SH membership-at-large on issues as outlined in the National AAUW Public Policy Priorities; to address issues at the local, state and national levels through contacts with our elected officials; and to provide avenues for action by:

  • Advocating for high-quality public education: funding, gender fairness, equity and diversity, STEM education, comprehensive sex education, and support of Title IX
  • Advocating for women’s equality, civil rights and economic self-sufficiency
  • Advocating for women’s health literacy, well-being and reproductive self-determination
  • Promoting citizen participation in our democratic society

Primary activities – Members share an interest in engagement on public issues, are willing to research topics, share findings with the committee and collaborate to propose appropriate action. As a committee we:

  • Keep abreast of issues affecting women and girls through contact with MI AAUW, National AAUW and independent research.
  • Monitor legislation and respond as needed via Rapid Responders Network.
  • Subcommittees focus on specific issues – gun violence, pay equity, literacy, school curriculum, school funding, reproductive self-determination, human trafficking, LGBTIQ diversity rights, Title IX and gender fairness.
  • Meet and correspond with local and elected officials.
  • Organize and staff community candidate forums before city, state or national elections.
  • Conduct voter education and registration at South Haven High School and SH branch of Lake Michigan College.

Time commitment required – Meetings are held once a month, usually in the afternoons (no meetings in June, July or August). Subcommittee members continue to monitor legislation and inform PPC and Rapid Responders if action is necessary.

Rapid Responders (PPC Subcommittee):

Purpose – Rapid Responders is an advocacy initiative of our PPC. The goal is to increase the amount of contact, primarily at the state level, between AAUW SH members and our elected officials about proposed legislation aligned with AAUW national and state priorities.
Primary Activities – Respond to email alerts with phone call, email or letter; contact information provided for pertinent elected officials. Alerts provide concise information on specific legislation and you decide what to say; personal stories are more effective.
Time commitment required – Seeking women who want to make their voices heard on important legislation with minimal individual time commitment and no meetings.

Scholarship Committee:

Purpose – To support area women in their pursuit of continuing or higher education

Specific volunteer needs and time commitment required

1. Serve as a Connection to a scholarship recipient:

  • As an AAUW Connection, you will host a scholarship recipient and her guest(s) at the Spring Scholarship Tea. That means you’ll greet them at the door, show them to the refreshment table and sit with them during the tea. You will also periodically communicate with the scholarship recipient: reach out to her occasionally with an email or card, remind her to submit her first-year transcript for the second-year Achievement Award, etc.

2. Occasionally give a small group presentation or participate in a panel discussion at SHHS on relevant topics such as time management, resume writing, or interview skills.

3. Help with community college special projects, such as replenishing the personal care pantry and greeting students during fall welcome week.

4. Serve on the Scholarship Application Review Team

  • Applications are reviewed, and interviews are conducted in early April.
  • Only members who do not know the applicants and who are available to attend all candidate interviews are eligible to serve on the Tea.

Community Outreach

Blessings in a Backpack:

Purpose – To provide supplemental nutrition to elementary students in need by sending home a weekly bag of healthy food.
Primary Activities – Pack bags of food at Maple Grove Elementary School on Friday (occasionally Thursday) afternoons during the school year.
Time commitment required – Volunteers are placed on a call list and contacted well in advance to see if they can pack one afternoon per week. Packing takes about 30 minutes to an hour.

HOPE Teen Dinners:

Purpose – To provide dinners to the Parenting Support Group meeting.
Activities – Prepare and deliver a salad, main dish and dessert, currently the first Tuesday of each month.
Specific volunteer needs and time commitment – Rotation to make the dinner and deliver it to the HOPE Parent Resource Center at 901 South Bailey Avenue.

Open Door:

Purpose – To cook and serve food at The Open Door Community Dinner at the Methodist Church on the fifth Tuesday of the month.
Primary Activities – Cooks plan and prepare the community meal. Servers prep salads and drinks and serve the dinner. Everyone interacts with the guests and does dining room clean up by sweeping and wiping down the table. No dish cleaning required.
Specific volunteer needs and time commitment – Cooks and servers are needed. We average cooking and serving five times a year. Volunteer for one night or every time.

Interest Groups

Euchre Group:

Purpose:  Have fun socializing while playing a card game that you enjoy.
Time Commitment:  One afternoon per month from September through May.  The days will be determined by members who join the group.  A member may be a regular or an alternate.

Book Group:

Purpose:  AAUW SH Book Group(s) meets once a month at various members’ homes. Members recommend books and volunteer to chair discussions. Having read the book is not a prerequisite for attending (or an excuse not to attend). New members are always welcome.
Options: There are morning, lunch and evening groups to choose from.

Bridge Group:

Purpose – Play bridge while socializing and having fun!
Time Commitment – Meetings are held twice a month for one to four hours. A member can play as many or as few times as she wishes.

Golf Wednesdays at Hawkshead:

Purpose – To enjoy a casual game of golf with an incredible group of women.
Commitment – The only requirement is to have a good time. An email is sent each week asking that you declare if you are playing the following Wednesday.

Gourmet Dinner Group:

Purpose – To get to know new people and try new recipes. Husbands or partners/friends are included. We have a lot of fun experimenting with new recipes submitted by members of the Dinner Group.
Activities – Participants are divided into groups of 4-5 couples. The groups change for each dinner. You will host one of the evenings and provide the main dish. Others bring a bottle of wine or beverage of their choice and whichever side dish the host assigns from the recipes provided for that night. You will receive a list fo all members and subs as well as all the menus and recipes.
Time Commitment – Dinners take place on the first Sunday of September, October, November and May. You are also asked to attend a brief meeting in August to get your packet and have questions answered.

Women’s History Group (Silver Bag Ladies):

Purpose – To present lives of historical and living women through reader’s theater programs, generally a half hour in length. Always looking for new actors!
Activities and time commitment – One rehearsal and one performance. If invited to do more performances, replacement cast may be needed.