Second New Member Meet-Up

The 25 new branch members who joined within the past year were invited to the second New Member Meet-Up event on August 4, hosted by the Leadership Development Team and Membership Committee.

The outdoor event, held in branch president Suman’s backyard, was attended by 14 new members and ten host members. Popup tents provided shade; our new vertical banner, 4th of July parade ‘Freedom’ placards, trifold display board, and colorful signs with suffragist motifs all added to the festive air. And as usual at branch events, there was more than enough scrumptious appetizers and desserts, plus wine and soft drinks.

The ‘Attendee Scavenger Hunt’ game was an instant icebreaker. Two new members with the most names of attendees that they had personally greeted were rewarded with gift cards to Rosy’s at the Beach restaurant.

After enjoying refreshments and networking, Suman gave an overview of AAUW (National, California and Branch) from its inception in 1881 (and 1981 for us) and shared AAUW stories like the Madam Curie connection. Membership Co-VP Barbara Palmer reviewed the calendar events of the year listed in the booklet of Helpful AAUWMH Info. Past Leadership Chair Janet McElroy went over important AAUW acronyms. Email manager Monica McClintock outlined the branch communication channels: weekly Sunday emails, website, bi-monthly newsletter, and social media. We ended with everyone sharing a personal favorite book, song, or movie.

The attendees expressed their appreciation for the evening and the preparation that went into it. Our goal was to make them feel welcome and encourage participation in branch events, volunteer activities and interest groups. Please help us continue our efforts to make all new members feel part of our branch: Introduce yourself, and invite them to join you at events and meetings. We were all new members once!

Cindy Adams, Liz Panetta Melone, Bobbie Erb, Harpreet Vittal, Ananya Vittal

Janet McElroy speaking to the group.

Back row, left to right: Marie Watson, Lydia Moret, JoAnne Markowska, Linda Martinez, Amy Martinez, Jan Skapic
Front row, left to right: Liz Panetta Melone, Bobbie Erb, Alisssa Crispin, Alia Basit, Cindy Adams.
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