Category Archives: Announcements

Applications due March 6 for Angeline Gale and STEM scholarships

Apply by midnight, March 6, 2026, for these AAUW Naperville Area local scholarships:

The Angeline Gale Scholarship ($5,000) is intended to encourage females or non-binary presenting persons to engage in scholarly pursuits, even when their education may have been interrupted.
AAUW Naperville Area STEM Scholarship ($5,000) aims to uplift and support women or non-binary presenting persons who are pursuing higher education in a STEM field of study.

For complete criteria and applications, please visit AAUW Naperville Area Scholarships and Grants.

Caff & Laff Meetup March 5

On March 5, 2026, meet us at Arwa Yemeni Coffee, 3124 Illinois Rt 59, Ste 118, Naperville (near 95th Street) from 10:30 – 11:30 AM.

AAUW Naperville Area hosts a casual morning meetup for members and prospective members on the 1st Thursday of most months.

Stop by and have a morning coffee or tea. It’s a great way to meet other members, introduce a friend to AAUW or learn more. We like to support local businesses while we chat about whatever comes up. Find the full meeting schedule, including location changes, here.

Announcing AAUW Naperville Area Career Development Grants

New for 2026, AAUW Naperville Area’s Career Development Grant program champions gender equity in education and workplaces by providing financial support to women and non-binary persons pursuing a certificate, credential, or training program needed to enter, transition back into the workplace, or advance in their career. Funds may be used to obtain certifications, attend refresher classes, learn new technologies, update work skills, or other applications that will help re-entry or advancement in the workplace.

For complete requirements, see the application.

Applications will be reviewed and awarded on a rolling basis. Awards are granted based on eligibility, alignment with program goals, and availability of funds. Applicants can receive up to $250 per annual request. A total of $1,000 has been allocated through June 30, 2026.

Application and Requirements

How secure are your voting rights? Webinar January 14, 2026

Current pending legislation such as the SAVE Act (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act), executive orders, and court cases could negatively impact your ability to vote and for your vote to be counted. Join League of Women Voters of Naperville and AAUW Naperville Area for a timely panel discussion on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, at 7:00 PM. Our panelists will share the possible effects and what can be done to counter these measures.

Speakers

David Goldberg

David Goldberg, PhD
Professor, Political Science
College of DuPage

Brandy Johnson

Brandy Johnson, JD
Assistant Professor of Law
Simmons Law School, Southern Illinois University

ZERO WEEKS: Documentary Screening January 28

AAUW Naperville Area is hosting a showing of ZERO WEEKS, a documentary about America’s paid leave crisis and the cost of doing nothing.

WHEN: Wednesday, January 28, 2026, 6:30 – 9:00 PM

WHERE: Ashbury Clubhouse, 3403 Lawrence Dr., Naperville, IL 60564

We will follow the viewing with a discussion of upcoming legislation for paid leave in Illinois and how we can support these efforts.

RSVP for Zero Weeks

Most Americans agree that family comes first, but we are the only developed country without paid leave. In one of the richest nations in the world, having a baby, a medical emergency or an aging parent can be a trigger into poverty. Weaving powerful personal stories with insightful interviews, ZERO WEEKS, explores America’s paid leave crisis and the cost of doing nothing. ZERO WEEKS is the fourth film by award-winning director, Ky Dickens, a female director with a track record of using her work to shift public opinion. To learn more or to view the film’s trailer, visit ZeroWeeks.com.

Please contact susanm414@gmail.com with any questions.

Nominate a 2026 Woman of the Year by Feb. 15

AAUW Naperville Area is now accepting nominations for its 2026 Woman of the Year. This award recognizes a Naperville area woman who has demonstrated an exceptional level of leadership and community service; and has supported the advancement of equity for women and girls. The awardee will be honored at the AAUW Naperville Area spring awards event on May 2, 2026.

Any member of AAUW Naperville Area branch or the Naperville area community may nominate someone for recognition. In addition to completing the nomination form, a resume, letters of recommendation or other supporting documentation may be submitted. Nominees do not need to be an AAUW member or have a college degree to qualify.

Submission deadline: February 15, 2026. Nominations received after the deadline may be considered for the following year. Please complete this form to submit a nomination.

Digital Media: Fact or Fiction? A Virtual Mini Workshop Feb. 10

How much of the digital media that you consume daily is actually factual? Can you tell if a headline is disinformation? What about if a photo is AI? The answer might shock you!

As technology has evolved, it’s become more important than ever to examine and verify digital media. Distinguishing fact from fiction can be made easy by educating yourself and leveraging tools.

Join AAUW Naperville on Tuesday, February 10, 7:00-8:30 PM, for a mini workshop on Zoom. You’ll learn how to protect yourself from scams, find truth, and combat disinformation.

A registration link will be posted soon.

AAUW Naperville Area announces $15,000 in scholarships for 2026

AAUW Naperville Area is pleased to announce $15,000 in local scholarships to be awarded in 2026:

The Angeline Gale Scholarship ($5,000) is intended to encourage females or non-binary presenting persons to engage in scholarly pursuits, even when their education may have been interrupted.
AAUW Naperville Area STEM Scholarship ($5,000) aims to uplift and support women or non-binary presenting persons who are pursuing higher education in a STEM field of study.
Two Future of America High School Scholarships ($2,500 each) will be awarded in honor of our country’s 250th anniversary in 2026.

For complete criteria and applications, please visit AAUW Naperville Area Scholarships and Grants. Recipients will be selected in Q1 2026.

Building a Stronger Community Together – Virtual, Nov. 13, 2025

Join us for Building a Stronger Community Together, a virtual community webinar, on Thursday, November 13, 2025, 7 – 8:30 PM CT via Zoom.

ACLU of Illinois, along with co-sponsors AAUW Naperville Area, Alliance of Latinos Motivating Action in the Suburbs (ALMAS), Illinois NOW, National Council of Jewish Women Chicago North Shore (NCJW), and Naperville Neighbors United (NNU) are pleased to present a virtual, non-partisan community town hall responding to the pivotal moment that our country is in.

This conversation will focus on the nationwide civil liberties landscape, highlight state and local responses, and explore the role we can each play in our communities in the fight ahead. This event is designed to bring together current supporters in the Western Suburbs area while welcoming new voices to the movement.

Participants will hear directly from the ACLU of Illinois, local community members, and activists. And, you will have the chance to ask questions, connect with others virtually, and take action to help build a stronger, more informed, and more engaged community.

RSVP for Zoom link on ACLU event page*

*Please note that we also will livestream the program on the ACLU of Illinois’ YouTube channel. The livestream will be in English and does not require prior registration to view.

The ACLU of Illinois strives to create inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals to fully engage with programming. We are planning for this program to be in English with an option for live translation in Spanish available to participants. We also will have live captioning in English and will monitor requests for additional accommodations to better participate in the event.

Questions? Please reach out to events@aclu-il.org.

Holiday Party With a Purpose Dec. 9 – RSVP by Nov. 23

Celebrate the season with AAUW Naperville Area friends at Hopvine Brewing in Aurora and benefit the Aunt Mary’s Storybook Project

Members and friends are invited to join AAUW Naperville Area at Hopvine Brewing Company, 4030 Fox Valley Center Dr., Aurora, Ill., on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, at 6:30 PM to mingle and support a great cause! Tickets are $30 and include hot and cold appetizers and sweet bites. A cash bar will be available.

Our party will benefit Aunt Mary’s Storybook, a project of Companions Journeying Together (https://cjtinc.org/), to help Illinois children and their incarcerated parents.

RSVP & Get Tickets

When a parent is incarcerated, a child’s whole world changes. Aunt Mary’s Storybook helps bridge that distance by recording parents and relatives reading stories, and then sending the recordings (and the books) to the children so they can hear their loved ones’ voices, feel their love, and know they are not forgotten.

So come for the festivities and fun — and bring a NEW, unwrapped book (or two) for children from newborn to 18 years old. Many Aunt Mary’s Storybook clients are African American and Hispanic families and they always need books sensitive to these cultures. They also need softcover books in addition to board books for babies and toddlers.

We encourage you to purchase books from local independent book stores. They will have good suggestions about current favorites. Some ideas:

Dr. Seuss; Disney; Anime; Manga; Animals; Baby Shark; Questioneers; Black history; Diary of a Wimpy Kid; Good Night Moon; Goosebumps; Where the Wild Things Are; Percy Jackson; Blues Clues; Bluey; Paw Patrol; Cars/Trucks; CoCo Melon; If You Give A Mouse A Cookie; If You Give A Moose a Muffin; Lilo & Stitch; Phineas & Ferb; Minecraft
Books about kids who have an incarcerated parent/loved one
Books for kids on the spectrum/autism
Spanish/bilingual for all ages. Please be sensitive about choosing books that show children of Spanish heritage.