ZOOMING IN
on the Reston-Herndon Area Branch
2023 – 24 BRANCH ACTIVITIES
IN-PERSON Saturday, August 26, 2023
Women’s Equality Day
“The right of citizens of the United States to vote
shall not be denied or abridged by the United States
on or by any state on account of sex.”
— U.S. Constitution, 19th Amendment
August 26, 2023, marked the commemoration of the addition of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, giving women the right to vote. AAUW continues to lead the fight for equity. We fight for equal pay for all women, for bodily autonomy, for equal voting rights across the country, and for full and equal rights in the Constitution.
2022-23 BRANCH ACTIVITIES
IN-PERSON Thursday, June 8, 2023, at 12:00 p.m.
Annual Business Meeting and Luncheon
Twenty-eight Reston-Herndon Branch members and guests attended the 2023 Annual Branch Business Meeting and a wonderful luncheon at Cafe Montmartre, at Lake Anne in Reston, on June 8 to close out the branch fiscal year. In addition to the wonderful lunch, adoption of the slate of officers for the 2023-24 year, and discussion of branch business, everyone enjoyed remarks from our AAUW of Virginia state president, Lane Stone.
A sincere thank you to Program Chair, Janine Greenwood (above photo, 3rd to left), for all of her hard work planning, communicating, coordinating, and executing this wonderful event.
IN-PERSON Thursday, May 11, 2023, at 6:00 p.m.
The Organizing Mentor, Lisa Rigoni, owner
Lisa, owner of The Organizing Mentors and author of 17 Spatulas and the Man Who Fried an Egg, which is about how to reclaim your space mentally and physically, shared her LITL system with us and spoke about how she and her team compassionately help people reclaim, downsize and organize their space. Attendees We enjoyed each other’s company, had wonder light refreshments courtesy of Cyndi Shanahan, and listened to some of Lisa’s stories, as well as the sharing of others who have tackled this problem.
IN-PERSON Sunday, April 2, 2023, at 2:00 p.m.
Members will be attending another play at Next Stop Theater: “The Cake.” This play deals with bakers who refuse to bake a cake for a gay couple. Tickets are 20% off for a total of $36. The theater is in the Herndon Industrial Park. You will need to contact the box office directly by telephone to reserve a seat and pay for your ticket.
Zoom Wednesday, April 12, 2023, 4:00 p.m.
“Library Integration in Virginia”
Program: Fairfax County librarians Chris Barbuschak and Suzanne S. LaPierre will discuss their new book “Desegregation in Northern Virginia Libraries.” Many believe that Fairfax libraries were open to everyone since their founding in 1939, but the authors’ research found a hodgepodge of local rules that effectively barred Black users, not only in Fairfax but also in Loudoun and other counties. It took citizen protests and threats to cut public funds before the libraries were desegregated in the late 1950’s and 1960s. Join us on Zoom on April 12 at 4PM to hear this important story.
You can buy the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Desegregation-Northern-Virginia-Libraries-American-ebook/dp/B0BSXRY6HR/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
IN-PERSON FRIENDSGIVING LUNCHEON AND SCHOLARHIP FUNDRAISER
Members chat with our speaker, Caroline Griswold Short, after our Friendsgiving Lunch at Mon Ami Gabi. Thirty members attended and were treated to an excellent lunch and a compelling talk by Caroline about Generation Hope, a local nonprofit that works to provide an array of services to help teen parents succeed in college. Learn more about this wonderful organization and how you can help at generation hope.org. Thanks to our generous members our basket raffle raised $505 for our branch scholarship fund.
IN-PERSON CULTURAL ARTS TOUR – DODONA MANOR
On October 20, 2022, the Cultural Arts Group ventured out to Dodona Manor, the estate of George C. Marshall in Leesburg. George C. Marshall, a military man, who had planned to spend his retirement at the estate was called back to duty after WWII to deliver the Marshall Plan. His house appeared to be a very livable home. If you did not know exactly where it is (behind a strip mall) you would still be riding up and down Route 7. After a lovely tour provided by two excellent docents, we had a wonderful lunch at the Tuscarora Inn in Leesburg.
IN-PERSON RESTON-HERNDON WALKING TOUR
On Thursday July 28 , 2022, a group of branch members gathered at the Reston Museum at Lake Anne to take a step back in time with a guided historic walking tour exploring Reston’s founding. Our tour started at the Reston Museum and lasted approximately 30 minutes. The group then had a private viewing of the museum’s new exhibit Determined: The 400-Year Struggle for Black Equality. This exhibition traces four centuries of Black history in Virginia through stories of extraordinary individuals who struggled for equality and, in the process, profoundly shaped the nature of American society and the meaning of our collective ideals.
At this meeting, the group continued our commitment to generously donate items to the food pantry at NOVA Community College’s Loudoun Campus. Food insecurity for students is a growing problem, particularly with rising prices, and our branch has answered the call for assistance. Branch Co-Administrator Cyndi Shanahan loaded her trunk (below) and delivered the items to a grateful staff at the food pantry. 
2021-22 BRANCH ACTIVITIES
IN-PERSON RESTON-HERNDON JUNE BUSINESS MEETING
The 2022 Reston-Herndon Area Branch Lunch and Annual Meeting was held outdoors at Café Montmartre, at Lake Anne in Reston, on Wednesday, June 8, 2022. On this beautiful spring afternoon, members were able to catch up with friends, vote for the 2022-23 officers, hear State and National updates, and help plan for the year ahead. The food and service were outstanding, the opportunity for in-person fellowship greatly appreciated, the business meeting informative and productive and the newest officers were elected unanimously and warmly welcomed to their new roles. In addition, our members donated generously to the NOVA CC food pantry. (June 8, 2022)
IN-PERSON AAUW-VA MARCH ANNUAL CONFERENCE
AAUW Reston-Herndon Area Branch representatives
attended the 2022 annual AAUW-VA Conference.
(L-R) Nadine James, Marilyn Silvey, Cyndi Shanahan, Janine Greenwood, Joyce Senger, and Dianne Mero (3.26.22)
ZOOM ROOM RESTON-HERNDON APRIL 2022 SPECIAL PROGRAM
On April 26, 2022, AAUW Reston-Herndon (VA), in partnership with NCNW Reston-Dulles, LWV Fairfax and the Fairfax County Commission for Women presented an informative program on the Fairfax County Resolution for UN CEDAW approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on March 8, 2022. UN CEDAW ~ “Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women” ~ is a treaty considered to be an international “Bill of Rights” for women. Participants, including nine Reston-Herndon members, learned about what CEDAW is and what it will do for protecting women’s fundamental human rights in Fairfax County. The Fairfax County Working Group for CEDAW include Jill Follows representing the League of Women Voters Fairfax who gave an outstanding presentation and Judi Polizzotti, AAUW Reston-Herndon Co-Administrator who moderated the program. (April 26, 2022)
Photo: Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Meeting
March 8, 2022
ZOOM ROOM RESTON-HERNDON APRIL 2022 SPECIAL PROGRAM
On April 26, 2022, AAUW Reston-Herndon (VA), in partnership with NCNW Reston-Dulles, LWV Fairfax and the Fairfax County Commission for Women presented an informative program on the Fairfax County Resolution for UN CEDAW approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on March 8, 2022. UN CEDAW ~ “Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women” ~ is a treaty considered to be an international “Bill of Rights” for women. Participants, including nine Reston-Herndon members, learned about what CEDAW is and what it will do for protecting women’s fundamental human rights in Fairfax County. The Fairfax County Working Group for CEDAW include Jill Follows representing the League of Women Voters Fairfax and Judi Polizzotti, AAUW Reston-Herndon Co-Administrator who moderated the program. (April 26, 2022)
ZOOM ROOM RESTON-HERNDON FEBRUARY 2022 PROGRAM
Our February Membership Program featured Helen Cole, Hunter Mill representative to the Fairfax County Commission for Women (CFW). CFW advises the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on policies and initiatives to promote gender equality, eliminate violence against women, and honor women and girls in Fairfax County. The Reston-Herndon Branch issued invitations to our partner organization and the program was open to the public.
(February 2, 2022)
ZOOM ROOM RESTON-HERNDON JANUARY 2022 PROGRAM
Delegates Mark Keam and Ken Plum gave AAUW members, constituents and the general public an idea of their legislative priorities for the next session and the challenges ahead. Voting Rights, Redistricting and Budget issues were all discussed. A number of AAUW priorities such as paid family leave, child care, and paid sick leave were addressed during an informative Q&A session. This program was open to the public and was co-sponsored by the Patrick Henry Library in Vienna and the AAUW Vienna branch. (January 3, 2022)
ZOOM ROOM RESTON-HERNDON DECEMBER 2021 PROGRAM
Renee Gorman, the CEO of She Believes in Me, a Herndon based nonprofit, spoke with members of the R-H branch via Zoom. She Believes In Me (SBIM) provides vulnerable children with nutritious food, which changes their day. Then, volunteers teach them how to handle conflict, manage emotions, overcome setbacks, and build meaningful relationships, which changes their future. (December, 2021)
ZOOM ROOM RESTON-HERNDON NOVEMBER 2021 PROGRAM
The Museum of Jewish Heritage hosted a virtual guided tour entitled Love Thy Neighbor: Immigration and the U.S. Experience. This tour examined the Jewish immigrant experience in the United States through the exploration of language, work, community, and social activism, using artifacts from the Museum’s collection. (November 16, 2021)
ZOOM ROOM RESTON-HERNDON OCTOBER 2021 PROGRAM
Tara Hewan was the guest speaker for the branch October 2021 meeting. Ms. Hewan focused on presenting information, discussing and answering our questions regarding educational equity, best practices and identity affirmation. The branch members in attendance were impressed with her knowledge as well as her way of taking the most sensitive topics and discussing them in a open, honest, but respectful manner. Ms. Hewan is the author of the book, Dear Maxwell, A Conversation about Race, an identity affirming children’s book that defines the meaning of race in a developmentally appropriate way. This book can be used as a resource to engage young readers and families in meaningful conversations about race, racism and being anti-racist. (October 6, 2021)
IN-PERSON RESTON-HERNDON SEPTEMBER 2021 PROGRAM
On Saturday, Sept 11, 2021, the Reston-Herndon Area Branch held its first in-person (outdoors) event since the pandemic lockdown 18 months ago. Over thirty members of the branch attended this annual “Friendsgiving” luncheon and fund-raiser at the Reston Pony Barn pavilion. Following a welcome by Program V-P Janine Greenwood and Branch Co-Administrator Judi Polizzotti, new members were introduced and the group enjoyed a delicious bag lunch prepared by Cameron’s Coffee and Chocolate in Fairfax. Raffle tickets were sold to win various baskets designed by branch volunteers with profits going to fund a NOVA scholarship sponsored by the branch each year. Everyone had a wonderful time seeing each other in person. A big thank you to Janine for planning and coordinating the event and to the many individuals who helped to make this a success.
Above: Branch members enjoying the 2021 Friendsgiving Event at the Reston Pony Barn.
Below: Raffle Baskets Table – All funds go to the Scholarship Fund.
The Branch also supported the efforts of one of our partners, NCNW (National Council of Negro Women – Dulles Section), as they gather school supplies for the students in need. Additionally, personal products and sanitary supplies were collected to be donated to schools by BRAWS (Bringing Resources to Aid Women’s Shelters). [ 9.11.21]