AAUW of Hillsboro-Forest Grove

For more information about the Hillsboro-Forest Grove branch and how to join, contact:
Membership Vice Presidents:

In addition to Hillsboro and Forest Grove, our branch includes members from Aloha, Banks, Beaverton, Portland and other nearby Cities.

MEETINGS
We hold branch meetings on the second Saturday of the month. During the 2017-18 year, most meetings occur on the Pacific University Health Campus, in Creighton Hall which is in downtown Hillsboro on 8th Street between Baseline and Washington. The Virginia Garcia Clinic is in the same building.  Parking is also available in the Transit Center parking structure across the street.

Each year we select a theme and create programs exploring that theme. For the current year, the theme is Equity for Women. We encourage our members to participate actively in our meetings, with speakers and visual presentations, informal panels allowing lots of questions and comments, and both small group and full group discussions.
Please contact  aauw97123@gmail@com for more information about the meetings. The public is welcome to attend our meetings.

PROJECTS
On many of our projects, we partner with Pacific University, the Center for Women and Gender Equity. AAUW co-founded CGE. One of our members, Dr. Martha Rampton, continues as director of the Center for Gender Equity. Each October, our branch and CGE co-sponsor Girls Today, an event for girls ages 12 to 15. The event takes place on the Pacific University campus. It provides guided peer discussions of concerns such as body image, bullying, and relationships with parents. Girls Today offers many of the girls their first exposure to a college environment. Over 100 participated in 2017.

In previous years we have honored one or two female students from each of the seven local high schools as STEM scholars at a special event on the Pacific University campus. The event included a panel discussion with women working in or studying STEM fields: science, technology, engineering or mathematics. This program is on hiatus this year as we explore possible alternatives.

In 2018 we began a collaboration with Dr. Barbara Miner and the Saturday Academy and the GET (Girls Engage Technology) program.  Over several weeks, GET introduces 4th and 5th grad girls to hands-on coding using Scratch software developed by MIT.  The girls create their own animated stories with sprites (characters)and actions.  They enthusiastically share their stories with others in the class. Each learns “I can do this!”

Our Let’s Read Math program enriches the mathematics learning experience for children from local schools, grades 1 to 3. Over several weeks, the lessons help the children learn math skills and concepts through many different hands-on activities. We read each week from a children’s story book related to the week’s lesson. This program has been very successful, both in the elementary schools and in a summer session offered at the public library. Several Branch members currently participate in Let’s Read Math.

FUNDRAISERS
We raise funds for our community projects and for initiatives, research and advocacy at the national level.

  • Pie sale in November
  • Poinsettia sale in early December
  • Wine tasting at a local winery in April
  • Plant sale from a local nursery in May
  • Silent auction at December brunch; AAUW Funds and LAF (Legal Advocacy Fund)
  • Book exchange at June potluck

SOCIALS

We have several structured activities each month, as well as more spontaneous events. There is so much happening in Hillsboro and the Portland area.

• Monthly Cultural Outings: We have visited the Portland Art Museum, the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals in Hillsboro, and the Classical Chinese Garden, among others. We took a walking tour of historic homes in Forest Grove. We attended an OMSI Science Pub in downtown Hillsboro. We also support our community theaters.

• Book Club: We alternate between current bestsellers and past popular or classic works. Members share a wide variety of life experiences in our discussions. When the movie comes out for a book we have read, we often attend as a group. The book club currently meets at the Hillsboro Main Library on the third Monday of the month. In the winter we meet during the day; the rest of the year at 7 PM. Please contact us at  aauw97123@gmail@com for further details.

• International Dinner Club: We meet once a month (usually the last Thursday) for an international dinner, exploring restaurants in the local area and the City of Portland. Potential and new members are always welcome.

• Once a month we send out a newsletter listing the coming events for our Branch. Our regularly scheduled events include a welcome potluck dinner in September, a December brunch that includes a silent auction fundraiser for community projects, with separate support for AAUW Funds and LAF (Legal Advocacy Fund), and a farewell potluck in June.

In some years, members and STEM honorees from local high schools have participated in the Hillsboro 4th of July parade.

We usually have a booth at the Hillsboro Farmers Saturday Market several weekends during the summer.  We get together in one of the local parks for a potluck picnic in August.

JOIN US

Follow the link below to complete the membership form:

Click to Join Us