Herland Sister Resources

Plan now to attend the annual Herland Spring Retreat, May 13 - 15 at Roman Nose State Park. Preregistration is due by May 6th — see registration form on page 2. Accommodations include rustic group cabins with bunk beds, a group bath house with restrooms and hot showers, and a meeting hall with group kitchen. Meals include a light Friday night supper, Saturday breakfast, Saturday lunch on your own, Saturday evening potluck (bring a dish to share — a large restauran-sized refrigerator is available for cold storage) and Sunday morning breakfast.

There is always a lot to do during this weekend getaway, including tent camping, horseback riding, workshops, bird and nature hikes, Frisbee, softball, Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit and many other games. We also have campfire gatherings for stories, singing and roasting marshmallows and an open mike for poetry, singing or other talent. Attend a planning session to help plan Herland’s Pride weekend activities. Gifts, including jewelry, bumper stickers, key chains, and a variety of books of interest to women are for sale.

The Saturday night concert will feature the band Iris. If you can’t attend the retreat, attend the concert only for $10.00.

Your early registration helps our volunteers plan this huge event but you may also register onsite.

(and wannabe golfers)

Herland is organizing a golf outing for all interested women who would like to get together with others for 18 holes (or 9 holes). If you are interested in playing golf with a group some Saturday or Sunday in June, please email Judy at jawber@ lycos.com or call 7216578 by May 15th, 2005. She will coordinate the time and place if enough participants respond. She will communicate directly with responders after May 15th to coordinate the best time and place. Beginners Welcome!!

As the 2004 income and expenses statement below indicates, we ran somewhat in the red last year. Partly this was because we did not receive any foundation grant money, which we usually do and expect to do this year. Partly it was because most of our energy was spent establishing and maintaining a variety of projects both lowkey and either free or low-income — our supper club, Scrabble night, video night, hike, book club, small inhouse concerts, and poetry issues of the Voice. The Herland Voice is one of our major expenses; it never comes close to paying for itself, and our poetry issues cost even more than the rest. We think they are worth it.

This year we have or are planning several fundraising events, and, reluctant as almost all of us are to ask for money, we are committed to asking for donations at our various in-house “free” events.

We are an entirely volunteer organization, and almost entirely a service organization — note our sales last year were less than 10% of our income. We live or die by your generosity. Last year we received around $2,400 — an average of $200 a month. If we can increase that by $50 a month, to bring in $3,000, plus receive our grant and stage some good fundraisers, we will be in the black — which will put us in the pink.

Please help us keep on keeping on for another year. If you can’t send us anything this month, send it on when you can. Thank you very very much.

According to a 2004 study, women who work full time earn about 76 cents for every dollar men earn. This discrepancy is even worse for women of color. Wage discrimination persists despite women’s increased educational attainment, greater level of experience in workforce, and decreased amount of time spent out of the workforce raising children.

AAUW continues to believe that pay equity is a simple matter of justice. To that end, AAUW supports the Paycheck Fairness Act, introduced by Sen. Hillary Clinton (DNY) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (DCT) and the Fair Pay Act, introduced by Sen. Tom Harkin (DIA) and Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (DDC). These bills to promote pay equity would strengthen and improve the Equal Pay Act by:

• Allowing people who sue for fair wages to receive punitive and compensatory damages— beyond back pay alone;
• Reinstating the Bureau of Labor Statistics collection of data on women workers in the Current Employment Survey (CES).
• Prohibiting employers from reducing any employee’s wages in order to comply with pay equity requirements.

Take action now and urge your members of Congress to support and cosponsor both the Paycheck Fairness Act and the Fair Pay Act! For more information on the pay gap and how you can raise awareness about this issue, go to www.aauw.org/payequity.

(Herland is a nonprofit organization run entirely by volunteers. At any and all Herland events, your donation is welcome (though not required). Your donations help Herland to continue providing services and events for our community.)
May
Sunday, May 1: Herland book art class, noon to 3pm.
Friday, May 6: Informal showing of the second season of The L WORD, at 8 pm at Herland. This is a free event.
Monday, May 9: OGLPC Monthly Meeting at the Center, 2135 NW 39th, 7 pm.
Saturday, May 14: Herland Hike at Spring Retreat - Roman Nose State Park.
Friday, May 13: Sunday, May 15: Herland Spring Retreat at Roman Nose State Park.
Saturday, May 14: Herland Supper Club at Herland Spring Retreat at Roman Nose State Park.
Friday, May 20: Informal showing of two episodes of the second season of The L WORD, at 8 pm at Herland. This is a free event.
Saturday, May 21: Herland scrabble night, 6 pm.
Sunday, May 22: Herland book art class, noon to 3pm.
Sunday, May 22: Herland Board Meeting at Herland, 4 pm. Everyone welcome.

Future Dates — mark your calendars
Sunday, June 12 & 19: Herland book art class, noon to 3pm.

October 28-30:
Herland Fall Retreat at Eufaula
State Park (this is our 40th Retreat). This will be a very special retreat with big events planned so don’t miss it!