Dear AAUW Ann Arbor Friends,
As your AAUW Funds Director, on November 7 it was my pleasure to present to the branch board the AAUW Funds Committee’s recommendation for awards from net proceeds of the 2023 Ann Arbor Branch Used Book Sale. So many of you participated in so many different ways, beginning with summer book sorting through the September sale, that I know you share a collective feeling of a job well done in support of academic scholarship awards to multiple deserving students as well as continued support for our national organization.
The Funds committee meeting is always a fun meeting. Who doesn’t like to support students as they work toward their lifetime goals! The other committee agenda item was to select two branch members as this year’s Named Gift Honorees in honor of our national organization—and who doesn’t like to celebrate outstanding branch members too!
Your AAUW—AA Board unanimously approved the following committee recommendation for awards this year:
We were very pleased to be able to increase our total award by $1,000 awards this year over last, which is a great celebration of all the hard work put in to have a successful Used Book Sale 2023 event. Sufficient funds in our book sale account are reserved each year as start-up funding for the next used book sale—our 70th in 2024!
I know that all our scholarship recipients are thankful to AAUW Ann Arbor for being so dedicated in our financial support for their education—these awards can change their lives in many ways—and you have had a part in that! Our new directory has an excellent description on pages 20 and 21 of each of the funds we support.
On the national level, AAUW Ann Arbor has supported many fellowships and grants over the years. During a number of our in-person winter and spring luncheons I described past successfully completed Ann Arbor Branch Endowment funds—and then finally Fund 4349 which was the 2nd International AAUW Ann Arbor Branch Endowment Fund. We worked so very hard to complete that fund—and how terrific it was, indeed, when we did reach the $200,000 completion several years ago through our Annual Used Book Sale fundraisers, through a member bequest, and finally through your added individual generosity. Already, Fund 4349 has provided substantial financial support to four recipients; how great is that!
At Washtenaw Community College and Eastern Michigan University, our AAUW Ann Arbor Endowment Funds support 2-3 students each year and our AAUW Mary Markley Fund at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor typically supports three outstanding students as well. I had the privilege of attending the CEW+ scholarship awards celebration luncheon recently and met our CEW+ AAUW Ann Arbor Branch Used Book Sale scholarship recipient as well as one of this year’s three CEW+ AAUW Mary Elizabeth Bittman Endowment recipients. What a delightful experience that was! On December 6 I also plan to attend the WCC Foundation scholarship luncheon celebration and hope to meet our AAUW scholarship recipients there as well.
Two very worthy branch members were selected as this year’s Named Gift Honorees. One will be presented at our winter celebration luncheon on Dec. 13 and the other at our spring celebration event on May 8, 2024. Please plan to attend to learn more about them, to celebrate them and to thank them for all they have contributed to the success of our AAUW branch!
Many of you remember the red & green bags that we formerly circulated at the winter and spring luncheons to ask for donations for various funds and programs. We’ve discontinued doing that, but please look for an email message from me after the winter celebration event with detailed information about how you may support AAUW’s Greatest Needs Fund as well as to contribute to our Ann Arbor Branch’s support for local students to attend NCCWSL.
Polly Pan
Ann Arbor AAUW Funds Director