Meetings & Events

The AAUW Fort Myers/Lee County Branch, Inc. meets monthly, on the third Saturday of September through May. We meet at The Landings Yacht, Golf and Tennis Club in Fort Myers, beginning at 11:30 am for socializing. Lunch starts at noon, followed by the program and brief general meeting of the membership. Guests are welcome. Lunch is $30 per attendee.

Upcoming Meetings 2023-2024

September 16: Discussion of Atul Gawande’s book, Being Mortal

October 21: Dr. Russell Sabella from FGCU‘s College of Education will speak on Cyberbullying

November 18: Dr. Diane Kratt from FGCU‘s College of Education will speak on Mental Health in Schools.

December 14: BINGO Gala!

January 13: Actress Sheryl Faye will join us as Queen Elizabeth II

February 17: Kristen Ziman, published author, speaker, and retired Chief of Aurora IL Police Department, will speak on School Shootings.

March 16: Dr. Maria Barbero from FGCU will speak on her research with Immigrant Youth in Florida.

April 20: Honoring Scholarship Recipients, Installation of New Officers

May 18: End of Year Picnic!

In Case You Missed It…

November 18 – Mental Health in the Classroom

Join us to hear Dr. Diane Kratt, from FGCU’s College of Education, share more about Mental Health in the classroom setting. This has been a barrier to learning for a long time. Teachers are in a pivotal position regarding children/youth mental health, especially in identifying and making appropriate connections. However, teacher preparation programs typically have not offered mental health content as part of their curriculum. For over 10 years now, Florida Gulf Coast University’s College of Education has been responsive to this need and worked to improve the mental health literacy of its teacher candidates. Dr. Kratt will share what that ten year journey has looked like and talk about where we might go from here.

Dr. Kratt has been part of FGCU’s College of Education faculty since 2008. Prior to FGCU, she was a K-12 educator for 20 years. She holds an Ed.D degree in Curriculum and Instruction from FGCU. Her research focuses primarily on school mental health.

October 25 – The Adventure Begins

Coastal Discoveries – Mud Flats and Sea Grass

The adventure begins with exploring Florida’s coast, at Ponce de Leon Park in Punta Gorda, to discover life beneath the tides. You will experience how the seagrasses play an important role in protecting our coastlands and our marine life. We will be wading out to the sea grass beds where we will use nets to collect and observe the life that depends on these grasses. We will be joined by Kate Rose, who is the Charolette County Sea Grant Agent. Equipment will be provided be provide but please wear clothes that can get wet along with water shoes to protect your feet. Sunscreen and a hat are recommended along with water and a snack.

Next, we will be stopping by the Peace River Wildlife Center to see the important work that they perform. https://prwildlife.org/

Finally, we will have lunch at TT’s Tiki Bar.  You may check out their website for the menu! https://www.ttspg.com/

This excursion is open to spouses and friends, but space is limited. Call either Jemetta or Cathy to reserve your spot.

To Learn more about the Sea Grant program and Kate Rose our guide visit: https://www.flseagrant.org/fsg-directory/katherine-rose/

Public Policy Update
September 2023

The AAUW FL Public Policy Committee (PPC) has been working all summer to develop a comprehensive plan for advocacy of the issues important to AAUW members. Led by Patricia DeWitt and Mary Gatta, the committee has developed a series of virtual presentations to be offered through the 23/24 program year. The presentations are free and guests are invited to attend. (A secondary goal of this series is to encourage new members.)

The first presentation is Thursday, September 14, at 6 p.m. Moné Holder of Florida Rising will speak on Reproductive Rights in Florida. See the complete list by clicking the photo below:

 

In Case You Missed It…

October 21 – Luncheon Speaker: Dr. Russell Sabella

Expert in Cyber-Bullying and School Counseling

The title of his presentation is Five Approaches To Enhancing Cyber Safety. Dr. Sabella explains cyberbullying involves using information and communication technologies to support deliberate, repeated, and hostile behavior by an individual or group intending to harm others. The technology used includes e-mail, message boards, blogs, instant messaging, cell phone, text messaging, defamatory personal websites and/or online personal polling sites.

This presentation outlines a comprehensive approach to help us understand the nature of cyberbullying while at the same time providing helpful tips for risk reduction and intervention among bullies, victims, and bystanders. For example, parents can set up a Google-Alert, put their child’s name, email address, screen names, etc., and when any negative content shows up the parents will get an email.

Dr. Russell A. Sabella is currently a Professor in the College of Education, Florida
Gulf Coast University. He is co-author of these four books: School Counselor Side Hustle (Sabella & Associates); Stress Management (Faulkner Press, 2017); Confronting Sexual Harassment: Learning Activities for Teens (Educational Media; 1995); and Counseling in the 21st Century: Using Technology to Improve Practice (American Counseling Association; 2004). He also authored Solution-Focused School Counseling: The Missing Manual (2020); School Counselor.com: A Friendly and Practical Guide to the World Wide Web (2nd edition; 2003); GuardingKids.com: A Practical Guide to Keeping Kids Out of High-Tech Trouble (2008.)

He is well-known for his Technology Boot Camp for Counselor workshops conducted throughout the country. Dr. Sabella is past President of the American School Counselor Association (2003-2004), and the Florida School Counselor Association (2013-2014). He has trained and consulted with tens of thousands of school counselors, educators, parents, and organizational leaders throughout the country.

Dr. Sabella is a graduate of Cape Coral High School and University of Florida where he earned his PhD. He is President of Sabella and Associates. Dr. Sabella lives in Fort Myers with his wife Betty.

Thank you for joining us! Watch for more events coming soon!