In 2023-24, we distributed $69,000 from the Wildflower Fund (Wildflower Run registrations, corporate sponsorships, and individual donations) in support of education and equity for women and girls. Funds raised were directed to the following:

Provide scholarships to high school girls graduating from Morgan Hill Unified School District (MHUSD) schools.

Some of our 2024  scholarship recipients, with MHUSD Superintendent Carmen Garcia, helping at the 2024 Wildflower Run

2024 High School Scholarship Recipients

Provide “Re-Entry” and “Deferred Entry” to local women reentering college after a gap in their education. Recipients may include women who have taken a break during college, women who have taken a break after high school before entering college, and/or women completing their GED at the Morgan Hill Community Adult School and now entering college.

MHCAS (Morgan Hill Community Adult School) scholarship recipients Drey Stites and Devanna Garcia with (center) AAUW Scholarship Committee Chair, Vicky Reader.

2024 Students Receiving Re-Entry / Deferred Entry College Scholarships

Provide “Lauren Jenkins Healthcare Profession Scholarships” to college students from the Morgan Hill area who are pursuing a degree in a healthcare profession. We would like to acknowledge and thank Lauren’s family for partially funding this year’s scholarships.

Provide supplemental Keeping In Touch (KIT) grants to previous scholarship recipients to support them as they continue in their field of study.

Provide a “Fritts Family STEM Scholarship” to college women from Morgan Hill or Gilroy who are already in college and planning to graduate from a 4-year school with a STEM (science, technology, engineering or math) degree.

This is an endowed scholarship providing a $1000 scholarship each year for 10 years.

Provide two “Judy Kinker Memorial Scholarships”, established in memory of AAUW Morgan Hill member Judy Kinker.

This is an endowed scholarship, with $10,000 provided by Judy’s four daughters and an additional $2,000 by friends. One or two $1000 scholarships are given each year from this fund while money remains. Recipient selection is from among students applying in any of the above scholarship categories.

Provide funding and mentorship for “Young Women Leaders”

2024 Young Women Leaders’ Conference Participants

The annual Young Women Leaders Conference, organized and run by AAUW Morgan Hill’s Young Women Leaders is offered to local teens.

We would like to acknowledge and thank Silicon Valley Clean Energy and the County Office of Women’s Policy for their generous grants to assist with conference expenses.

Provide Community Action Grants to local non-profit organizations for projects whose goals are consistent with AAUW’s mission.

Provide scholarships to send MHUSD Middle School students to Tech Trek, an AAUW-sponsored one week math and science summer camp  for middle school girls.

For many years AAAUW Morgan Hill has been participating in Tech Trek. This year, a new camp, Camp Carson (named after early environmentalist, Rachel Carson) was opened at UC Santa Cruz. We were excited to be able to send 10 MHUSD middle school girls to this new camp.

2024 Tech Trek campers at Camp Carson with AAUW members Bobbie Erb and Krisse Boursier

Fund Morgan Hill’s Third Annual Community Earth Day Celebration, organized by AAUW Morgan Hill’s Climate Education and Action Committee.

We would like to thank the City of Morgan Hill for partnering with us in offering this event to the public. Many thanks also to the presenters and entertainers who made the event fun and educational.

Sponsor a Morgan Hill woman’s participation in the Leadership Morgan Hill class of 2024.

Underwrite national AAUW priorities. These include graduate fellowships for women, community action grants, pioneering research, public policy advocacy, legal advocacy, and leadership programs.

The $75,000 “Morgan Hill Wildflower Run Research and Projects Grant Endowment” (#4403) was established in 2014 and funding was completed with proceeds from the Wildflower Run in 2019. It now provides funding annually for community action and career development grants.

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Another branch endowment, the $100,000 “Blaine/Cate Endowment for Graduate Fellowships” (#1802) was completed in 2001. It funds an annual graduate or postgraduate fellowship.

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