AAUW Valparaiso – AAUW Valparaiso

American Association of University Women

Valparaiso IN Affiliate

UPCOMING EVENTS 2025-2026

Thursday – September 4, 2025 – 1:00 PM – Spirituality Seekers,

All who are interested may join Spiritual Seekers for a labyrinth experience. We will meet at Porter Starke Services for an introduction by Sandy Carlson. Go to the building at 701 Wall Street, meet at the entrance (before 1 pm, please), and gather as a group. The plan is to visit the labyrinth at Porter Starke (east side of the campus) and perhaps others of the several labyrinths in Valparaiso. If you haven’t already done so, please contact Cheryl Slack so she’ll have a count

A labyrinth is a single non-branching path that winds through a complex pattern leading directly to a central destination. Unlike a maze, it does not have multiple branches or dead ends. Labyrinths are often used for walking meditation and spiritual reflection.

Contact: Cheryl Slack for information

Thursday – September 11, 2025 – ArtFlix – Zoom only – 6:30 pm

Film: Sing Sing (2023)

Discussion Leader: Cindy Hesemann

Sing Sing is a drama starring Colman Domingo as one of a group of men serving time in prison whose participation in a theater arts program gives them something to look forward to and improves them as human beings. It ends on what a studio boss might call an “up note.” But it doesn’t move or feel like any other prison movie, … and its commitment to the truth of its characters — and of life itself — is rare and precious. … They did what good journalists would do and re-reported the entire thing by interviewing people from the story as well as various participants in the Sing Sing correctional facility’s theater program.

Contact Diane Woolever for information.

Monday, September 15, 2025 – 5:30 PM – General Affiliate Mtg – PCCF, 1401 Calumet Ave.

(Zoom begins at 6:00 pm). We will meet at the Porter County Community Foundation. The topic is What Can Women Do Now and will feature Lisa Maatz, a former AAUW (national) lobbyist. A light supper will be served ($10, please). Reservations are due to Anita Quinlan by September 10th. As women’s rights are being dramatically challenged both politically and legally, Lisa Maatz, an exceptional motivational speaker, promises to share new strategies to advance and protect women everywhere. When Lisa was with AAUW, she lobbied on Capital Hill and in the White House and did similar work for the NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund.

Thursday – September 18, 2025 – 1 PM – Spirituality Seekers

Spiritual Seekers will meet at 1:00 pm on Thursday, September 18th at the home of Alta Mae Frobish. The group will begin discussion of the book, Welcome to the Wisdom of the World by Joan Chittister. New participants are always invited. For information, contact Ann Ruggaber. Certain questions are common to all of us as human beings. Why was I born? What’s important in life? How do I know the right thing to do? What does it mean to “make a difference”? What’s wrong with me — why can’t I change? Such questions are so deeply human that they transcend time and place, religions and cultures. In this inviting book Joan Chittister presents the insights of others from different cultures throughout history who have grappled with the same kinds of life questions that plague us here and now.

Thursday – September 18, 2025 – Great Decisions – 6:30 PM – PCCF and via Zoom

Topic: AI and American National Security

Discussion later, Liz Maynard

The AI Revolution is the leading edge of a larger, high-tech revolution that promises to transform the world. Experts argue that international cooperation is needed to expand the opportunities these new technologies hold while protecting societies from their dangers. What are the key policy debates in this area and what are the opportunities and limits on global AI rules of the road? How will the AI revolution impact American national security? What are its policy options to secure the benefits of AI and guard against its dangers?

Wednesday, September 24, 2025 – Business/Board Meeting – 6:30 pm via Zoom

Send agenda items to Cindy Hesemann. All members are welcome and urged to attend.

Tuesday – September 30, 2025 – Book Group – 4 PM – PCCF and via Zoom

Note: This is not the regular 4th Tuesday for book group meetings

There Are Rivers in the Sky (2024) is a novel by Elif Shafak. Through the journey of a single drop of water across time, the book explores the stories of three people across countries and cultures: an Englishman born by the River Thames in the 19th century, a Yazidi girl who lives by the Tigris River in 2014, and a Turkish-English hydrologist in England in 2018. The book explores themes of the cyclical and interconnected nature of life and water, the impact of ancient texts on modern lives, and cultural plunder in historical discovery and archaeological excavation.