Judi A. Doan Chosen for AAUW’s 2026 “Woman Making History”

Judi A. Doan will be honored as AAUW Gaylord Area Branch’s “Woman Making History” this year.  More about Judi is found on this page (scroll down).  The “Woman Making History” event is scheduled for March 8th beginning at 12:30 pm at BJ’s Event Center in Gaylord.

Tickets are $30.00 per person and can be purchased here.

Join us in honoring Judi!

Register NOW for AAUW’s “Future of STEM Road Trip”

Hurry, it’s time to register for AAUW Gaylord Branch’s “Future of STEM* Road Trip” event on March 14, 2026.  All 7th – 8th grade girls who live or attend school in Otsego County are invited to take the bus with us to attend the “Girls Math and Science Day” conference being held on the Michigan State University campus in East Lansing.

A fee of $10.00 per girl* covers all costs of this trip, including transportation, meals, snacks, registration, prizes, t-shirts and more.  The trip will be chaperoned by local teachers and AAUW members.  A chartered bus will pick up and return registered girls to locations in Johannesburg and Gaylord.

Registration is now open for all 7-8 grade girls.  Click here for registration link.

The event flyer is found here:   AAUW STEM Flyer 3-26 both sides smaller

• STEM stands for “science, technology, engineering and math
• If fee presents a financial hardship, registrants can request a scholarship as a part of the registration process.

  A recap of the 2025 trip and links to STEM related videos are found here.

2026 “Woman Making History” Honoree Judi A. Doan Made Positive, Groundbreaking Impacts in Otsego County

AAUW Gaylord Area Branch is so pleased to have an opportunity to honor Judi A. Doan at this year’s “Woman Making History” event.  See article at the top of this page for event details.

To purchase a ticket click here.

What makes Judi so special?  Presently, Judi is the Coordinator of The Refuge of Otsego County; an organization that provides shelter for homeless people in the county.  When Judi moved to the area in the 1970’s, she worked at the Alpine Center, then opened several foster homes for developmentally disabled adults. As one of the first female members, Judi is a four-time president of the Kiwanis Club of Gaylord and twice-named “Kiwanian of the Year”.  She was der Burgermeister at the Alpenfest in 2015 and is a national pistol shooting champion! Judi’s other long-time associations include the Special Olympics, the Otsego County Food Pantry, Girl Scouts, Community Mediation Services, the Order of the Eastern Star, and the Northland Sportsmen’s Club. And, there’s so much more!  Help us celebrate her many accomplishments on March 8th.

Nora Hanley Receives AAUW 2025 Winter Continuing Education Award

AAUW Gaylord Area Branch recently granted Nora Hanley the 2025 Winter Continuing Education Award.

After graduating from Gaylord St. Mary, Nora attended Northwood University where she studied Business Administration and graduated Magna Cum Laude.  She received the Jeffrey A. Bennett Accounting Award for “excellence in academic ability and leadership potential in Accounting.”  Now at Walsh College, Nora is working on her master’s in accounting with her sights on also acquiring her CPA license. Nora will apply the AAUW Gaylord Area Branch Continuing Education Award toward school loans.  She will be working for Deloitte after graduation. Congratulations, Nora!

The Gaylord AAUW Branch raises the educational award funds through the proceeds garnered at the annual Used Book sale held every October.  See related story below.

Annual Used Book Sale A Resounding Success

The Gaylord AAUW Branch held a very successful “Used Book Sale” on October 10th and 11th, raising $2,700!   All proceeds from this sale go towards educational awards and programming for local girls and women.

We truly appreciate all who turned out and made purchases of gently used books.  Many thanks to community members who donated thousands of books!  Members collect the books from the donation barrels at the United Way, Family Fare, Oliver Chiropractic, Gordon Food Service and Meyer Ace Hardware.  Then, we sorted them and hosted the Used Book Sale at the Otsego County United Way building.

As always, this achievement could only take place with the assistance of many local organizations and individuals.  Otsego County girls and women will reap great rewards from your generosity and efforts!

New Branch Co-Presidents Installed

At our August meeting, the AAUW Gaylord Branch welcomed new Co-Presidents Mary Fox and Hallie Mooney.  We also expressed our warmest appreciation to past Co-Presidents Mary Tomaski and Helen Mate for their dedication and excellent leadership.  We’re all looking forward to an exciting and productive 2025-26 year for our Gaylord Area Branch.

AAUW Prepares Community Meal

On February 14th,  AAUW volunteers prepared a Community Meal at the First Congregational Church.  This year’s menu was sloppy joes, cheesy potatoes, and slaw.  Many AAUW members made cookies and donated funds cover the cost of the meal.  Several guests came out to enjoy the food and comradery.  Thank you to all who helped!

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Please Join Us!

Starting in fall of 2025, we began changing our meeting times and places each month.   We generally hold our meetings on the second Wednesday of the month.  To find out where and when our next meeting will be, email us at aauwgaylord@gmail.com.

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AAUW Gaylord Area Branch: Advancing equity & education for women & girls since 1973.

The American Association of University Women (AAUW) is a nationwide organization that advances equity and education for women and girls. The Gaylord Area Branch empowers through education awards, educational programs, and honoring the achievements of local women. For more information email aauwgaylord@gmail.com.