At the recent AAUW-NYS annual convention on Long Island, the AAUW-St. Lawrence County Branch, formed in 1927, received a number of awards for branch programming and fund raising efforts for the 2010-11 year.

For communications efforts, the branch received a 2011 Newsletter Award of Distinction for the North Country Connection and a 2011 Outstanding Visibility Award for continuous coverage in the local press and for teaming up with SUNY Canton to promote a successful Professional Clothing Fair.

The branch's voter education efforts were rewarded with a 2011 Public Policy Taking Action Award, a first place 21st Century Award for our innovative "Redistricting Video Series" and a second place 21st Century Award for last fall's "Conversations with Candidates."

The branch also received a first place 21st Century Award for two $tart $mart workshops cosponsored at North Country Community College and SUNY Potsdam in April. Branch member Mary Graham, Canton, presented the WAGE Project workshop at NCCC.

To help ensure that graduating women know how to negotiate for equitable pay, AAUW and the WAGE Project formed a partnership to provide the $tart $mart Campus Negotiation Workshops. Over the course of her working life, a woman will earn roughly $1 million less than a man-simply because she is a woman. $tart $mart is an interactive workshop designed to give college women the confidence and skills they need to earn fair compensation.

On the SUNY Potsdam campus on April 7, 22 college women from Potsdam and Clarkson went through the 3-hour training, co-sponsored by AAUW, Women's and Gender Studies and Career Planning at SUNY Potsdam, and the WAGE project. This is the second year of the Start $mart workshops locally. The initial training took place in 2010 when Annie Houle of the WAGE Project conducted three student workshops and one trainer's workshop with the help of a grant from the Associated Colleges of the St. Lawrence Valley.

Branch member and Public Policy chair Kathleen Stein, Canton, received a 2011 Emerging Leader Award for her work in organizing the Conversations with Candidates project and helping to set up two candidate forums. AAUW-NYS Emerging Leaders are recognized for demonstrated leadership potential through enthusiasm, creative ideas and commitment to AAUW's mission.

AAUW's Legal Advocacy Fund (LAF) provides funding and a support system for women seeking judicial redress for sex discrimination. The St. Lawrence County Branch received recognition for local fund raising efforts to support this work. The branch was fourth in total contributions in 2010 in NYS, third in Evvie Currie Giving Circle contributions for prevention education, and second in per capita contributions.

The Evvie Currie Giving Circle helps to fund the LAF campus outreach initiative to educate students and staff about sex discrimination issues, share ways to address and prevent sex discrimination, and provide action steps toward creating a more equitable campus climate.

The AAUW Educational Opportunities Fund (EOP) provides funds to advance education, research, and self-development for women and to foster equity and positive societal change and is the largest sources of non-institutional funding of education for women, and commissions significant research on educational equity.

AAUW's groundbreaking research draws national attention to issues of gender equity in education and the workplace; influences policy-makers as well as educators, parents, and students; and, most importantly, serves as a catalyst for action. Recent reports address topics such as the pay gap between men and women, economic security of older women, sexual harassment on college campuses, and gender equity in science and engineering education.

The branch was ninth in NYS for total EOF contributions, fifth in per capita giving to both the EOF and Eleanor Roosevelt Fund combined, and second in the state for Eleanor Roosevelt contributions.

Established in 1989, the Eleanor Roosevelt Fund Award honors an individual, project, organization, or institution for outstanding contributions to equity and education for women and girls. The award is given for a broad range of activities including classroom teaching, educational and research contributions, and legal and legislative work in equity for women and girls.

Membership in the St. Lawrence County Branch is open to anyone who supports the mission of AAUW. AAUW advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. AAUW's commitment to educational equity is reflected in its public policy advocacy, community programs, leadership development, conventions and conferences, national partnerships, and international connections.

For more information about AAUW locally, contact President Lisa Wilson at 353-2513 or e-mail lwilson17@aol.com or Public Policy Chair Kathleen Stein at 386-3812 or kstein1@twcny.rr.com. AAUW, with its nationwide network of more than 100,000 members, more than 1,000 branches conducting programs in communities across the country, and 500 college and university partners, has been a leading advocate for equity and education for women and girls since 1881.