Peace of Mind Seminar

On Saturday, July 27, 2019, the Community Outreach Committee of the AAUW Corpus Christi Branch presented a seminar on “Peace of Mind” at the YWCA. The free seminar was open to the public, and more than 30 individuals attended.

The Seminar was designed to encourage individuals to plan for the end of life – for themselves and their loved ones. Attendees learned that planning will bring “Peace of Mind” for families of the deceased.

The speakers for the event included:

(1) Alfredo Medina, the on-site representative of the Coastal Bend State Veterans Cemetery, who discussed the qualifications and benefits of using the Veterans Cemetery;

(2) Edwin Baker, Elder Care Attorney in Corpus Christi, who addressed the need for legal documents, including a will and a financial power-of-attorney, and the five basic requirements for Medicaid eligibility when long-term nursing care is needed; and

(3) Leticia Ochoa, Benefits Counselor at the Area Agency on Aging, who shared information on the services provided by their agency. Ms. Ochoa also distributed copies of the comprehensive Aging & Disability Resource Directory to the audience.

Attendees completing an evaluation form indicated that the presentations were valuable and that they would like to hear more on the topic.

The AAUW Branch sincerely thanks members Dr. Sylvia Rendon and Janis Wood, who planned and coordinated the event, and Nancy Wesson-Dodd, who provided the venue for the event.

Holiday Shopping for YWTeens

The AAUW Corpus Christi (TX) Branch helped spread some holiday cheer on December 9, 2018, at the YWCA. Each year in early December, the Branch supports the local YWCA YWTeen Program by sponsoring a “Holiday Shopping Spree” for the ten-to-twelve-year-old girls in the

program. The shopping extravaganza provided the preteen girls with the opportunity to select

five holiday gifts for family members. AAUW Branch members purchased the gift items and brought bags, tags, ribbons, paper, and tissue to assist the girls in wrapping the gifts for holiday presentation. Each girl also took home a “goodie bag” with sweet treats from the Branch after completing a survey for the YWCA. Between 400 and 500 gifts were provided this year for nearly 100 YWTeen girls to give to family members.

 Summer YW TEEN Leadership Camps

Each summer, members of the AAUW Corpus Christi Branch share their knowledge and expertise with girls at the local YWCA’s YW Teen Summer Leadership camps.

The 19th Amendment Reenactment

On June 4, 2019, Dr. Diana Cardenas worked with a group of 15 YW Teens from the Mathis Independent School District. The girls acted out events that led up to the ratification of the 19th Amendment — the right to vote for women. Girls played the parts of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Stanton at the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention in New York. Other girls enacted the arrest and imprisonment of Alice Paul in 1917.

Girls also made banners calling for the Right to Vote. Our favorite was a drawing of the sun with the statement, “The sun wants women to have the right to vote.” What could be more right than a law of nature?

Archived pictures from 2017-18 are here.

Recognition to College-bound Seniors

Twenty Moody High School senior girls were recognized by the AAUW Corpus Christi Branch for their achievements at a joyful reception on Thursday, April 18, 2019, at the high school library.

Each senior girl was selected by school counselors to be honored and to receive $100 each, funded through the AAUW book sales.

The reception speaker, Dr. Claudia Rueda, Assistant Professor of History at Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi, offered the girls five points of advice to help them perform well and enjoy their first-year classes.

The girls listened attentively to her advice and the description of her university experiences at Dartmouth in New Hampshire, where she majored in pre-med studies. She planned to become a doctor in honor of her deceased family relative.

In a non-science course, Latin American History, she discovered students who shared her South Texas home background, and she broadened her understanding of United States-South America connections, a new focus of her study. Dr. Rueda continued studies in Latin America at the Master and Ph.D. levels at University of Texas-Austin.

The senior girls warmly thanked Dr. Rueda for her presentation, and they thanked us for the reception and our regard for them.

AAUW attendees included Dottie Ewing, Shirley Selz, Susan Birchfield, Nancy Wesson Dodd, and Diana Cardenas — co-chairperson of the Community Outreach Committee.

Article by Dr. Diana Cardenas

Holiday Cheer for Cancer Patients

AAUW Corpus Christi Branch members convened in December, 2018, to make jewelry gifts for women who are undergoing therapies at Spohn Cancer Center. Seventy-five gifts — bracelets, earrings, and necklaces — were crafted by the talented team led by Dr. Catherine Cox. Supplies for the jewelry were donated by AAUW members.