Since 1933, our branch in Beaver Dam Wisconsin has been supporting AAUW’s mission of advancing equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy and research.

We are an active group of about 45 members.  We meet monthly September through April, with a brief business meeting and then a fun and informative program.   A delicious brunch and program on a Saturday in May ends the year.  Our group also hosts monthly morning and evening book clubs.

We sponsor two to three $2,000 scholarships to area high school seniors each year.  In 2019, we started a new scholarship program for women who are returning to school through Moraine Park.   We have been able to give two $1,000 scholarships through this program.  The money for these scholarships is the result of the community’s generosity at our one and only fundraising event:  the Scholarship Gift Basket Auction, held each year in October.  Check out the scholarship page for more information, including another opportunity offered through the State of Wisconsin’s AAUW.   

A message from your branch president:

Welcome to another year of AAUW! As we continue our mission of working towards equity for women and girls, it’s nice to start off with some bits of good news.

In 1900 Paris made history by being the first Olympics to include women. This year Paris saw another first – total equity in the number of male & female athletes participating in the games! And women’s sports in general continue to make great strides, with game attendance, tv-viewership rates and female athletes’ salaries making huge gains and hitting all-time highs.

Other numbers also show reason for hope. The World Bank tracks a measurement called human capital, which is a way of predicting a country’s economic progress and development success. According to their most recent report, girls’ human capital is now equivalent to or higher than boys in 90% of the countries for which they have data. They have also seen a steady increase in the proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments, more than doubling over the last 25 years.

My last bit of good news hits closer to home. I was contacted recently by the executors of the estate of Elaine and Oris Possin. Elaine was the only woman in her chemistry program at UW-Madison and went on to be a legendary chemistry teacher at BDHS. She was also one of the founders of Peace Lutheran Church in Beaver Dam and a dedicated AAUW member. She & Oris were major contributors to the Beaver Dam Area Community Theater, among other local projects. And she was the mastermind behind decades of successful Beaver Dam High School proms. She is fondly remembered for her intelligence, kindness, and leadership.

Thanks to Elaine & Oris, we will be receiving a gift of $3,000 this year. They have also set up a continuing fund with the Beaver Dam Area Community Foundation which will give smaller grants each year in perpetuity.  Later this year our membership will discuss and vote on how we want to spend these gifts. 

With such good news to start us off, the coming year can’t help but be a big success. I look forward to seeing you all soon.

Bobbi