2023-2024 Branch General Membership Programs/Meetings
& Event Schedule
Poughkeepsie AAUW, Inc.’s General Membership Programs are planned both to fulfill the mission of the Association and to target members’ interests. Detailed information about each program can be found in the monthly newsletter, The Branch.
Questions: Program Co-VPs: Kay Saderholm or Gail Sisti at program.aauw.poughkeepsie@gmail.com
The following AAUW membership programs/meetings and events are open to the public.
Schedule for 2023-2024
Please check the Poughkeepsie AAUW newsletter The Branch for details and/or changes.
Programs through May 2024 will be either in-person or via ZOOM as indicated below. Please check your email for details.
We are pleased to host our IN-PERSON meetings from October-December and March through May at our meeting site:
****Freedom Plains United Presbyterian Church, 1168 Route 55, LaGrangeville, NY 12540 ****
Our January and February meetings will be via ZOOM. Please note that registration is required for ZOOM meetings.
Following is an approximate schedule as confirmations are still in process. The list will be updated as appropriate.
Thursday, September 14, 2023 : AAUW Poughkeepsie Open House. All ongoing, new or deciding members are invited to attend this in-person, annual “Meet and Greet” event for an overview of programs, interest groups and initiatives and all our Branch has to offer. 7:00 pm IN-Person
Thursday, October 12, 2023: “The 75th Anniversary of The Declaration of Human Rights: Effects, Current Climate, Advocacy” 7:00 pm IN-Person A representative from Valkill will lead a discussion on this landmark Declaration, accomplished through the efforts of Eleanor Roosevelt, and how it has impacted the human rights of women, both here in the USA and internationally, and how women can continue to advocate and be involved. It will also highlight many of the local events/displays available locally as we approach the Anniversary on December 10th.
Thursday, November 9, 2023: “The Vassar Haiti Project and Empowering Women’s Financial Sustainability in Haiti” Lila Meade, Co-founder and Executive Director of the Haiti Project at Vassar College, and Sara Neequaye, Vassar College sophomore, and VP Women’s Initiative Student Committee. 7:00 pm IN-Person The Haiti project is committed to supporting Haitian artists, engaging students in global citizenship, and to the sustainable development of northwestern Haiti.
Thursday, December 14, 2023 : “Festive Feasts” 7:00 pm IN-Person December is a time of celebration and tasty tidbits for many of us. Join us to find some new ways to expand your culinary experience.
Thursday, January 11, 2024: VIA ZOOM: “A View of the Clean Energy Future/Citizens’ Climate Lobby Group” Sean Dague
7:00 pm via Zoom/Registration required
Thursday, February 8, 2024: VIA ZOOM: “Slavery, Antislavery and the Underground Railroad: a Dutchess County Primer” Peter Bunten, Executive Director of the Mid-Hudson Antislavery History Project
7:00 pm via Zoom/ Registration required. This talk examines the history of slavery and antislavery in Dutchess County.
Thursday, March 14, 2024 : “Existential Captivation: On the (Im)possibility of a Life Lived in Terror” Dr. Jessica Sims, Development and Membership Manager, St. George’s Society of New York 7:00 pm IN-Person This talk discusses the traditional concept of Stockholm Syndrome in the context of a type of domestic violence known as “coercive control”.
Thursday, April 11, 2024: “Why US Birth Outcomes Are So Bad: the Role of Race and Racism” Dr. Richard David, Dept. of Pediatrics, University of Illinois at Chicago 7:00 pm IN-Person This presentation will focus on the relationship between social inequality and birth outcomes.
Thursday, May 9, 2024: “Beatrix Ferrand and the History of Bellefield” Karen Waltuch, Horticulturalist, Beatrice Ferrand Garden
7:00 pm IN-Person Learn about America’s first woman landscape architect and her oldest surviving residential work.
Thursday, June 13, 2024: Annual Meeting 6pm Cash Bar; 6:30pm Dinner Coppola’s Rte. 9, Hyde Park
Please check our monthly newsletter, “The Branch,” your AAUW email, and this website for program updates and details as well as links to register for Zoom meetings.
General Schedule
Monthly membership programs offer presentations of general interest for members and guests and also provide a time for all to enjoy and be inspired by their AAUW community. Our meetings are usually held on the second Thursday of the month. Join us to discover how we can make change for the better as we learn together. Our Branch programs are free and open to the public so invite family, friends and colleagues to join also.
Our schedule usually looks like this when we meet in person and we generally follow this approximate schedule for our virtual meetings, as well:
7:00 – 7:30 pm: Refreshments and informational notices from Celia Serotsky, Poughkeepsie Branch AAUW President and others as scheduled.
7:30 – 8:30 pm: The program presentation and a “questions and answer” period
8:30 -8:45 pm: Additional announcements and socializing
The location: Again, our IN-PERSON programs, starting in September with the OPEN HOUSE, will be held at Freedom Plains United Presbyterian Church. January and February will be VIRTUAL via ZOOM. Watch for program announcements in our monthly newsletter, The Branch, and in your AAUW emails for details about where they will be held or how to join the virtual meetings. Members receive an invitation and reminders.
Directions: Freedom Plains United Presbyterian Church, 1168 Route 55, LaGrangeville, NY 12540, HERE