AAUW Redlands Hosts Holiday Boutique and Education Program

Community members can shop for holiday gifts and attend an education-focused program at the American Association of University Women’s Redlands branch meeting on Nov. 7 at the Casa Loma Room on the University of Redlands campus in California. The event will raise scholarship funds for local women returning to college and feature a speaker on student engagement and belonging.

According to a news release from the AAUW Redlands branch, the holiday boutique opens at 8:15 a.m. and will offer jewelry, hand-sewn items, books, baked goods and other merchandise. Proceeds will support the branch’s Nancy Yowell Memorial Scholarships, which help local women resume their college education.

Brunch is scheduled for 9:30 a.m., followed by the program at 10:15 a.m. Admission to the boutique and program is free, while brunch costs $25, according to the organization. Reservations for brunch are available through Oct. 30, with additional reservations accepted afterward if space permits.

Cherina Betters, chief of equity and access for the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools and board clerk for the San Bernardino Community College District, will deliver the program. Her presentation, titled “Forward, Together,” will address conditions that support positive student engagement and ways to foster belonging in educational settings.

The presentation will emphasize students who face particular barriers, including foster youth, students with special needs, and those from traumatic or minority backgrounds, according to the AAUW news release.

Betters was the first member of her family to graduate from college and has worked in elementary, secondary and higher education for more than 20 years. Her experience includes teaching, administration and college-level instruction, according to the organization.

She also directs the statewide Equity Academy for the Association of California School Administrators. In addition, she serves as an adjunct professor in California State University, San Bernardino’s departments of teacher education and foundations and educational leadership and technology.

The AAUW Redlands branch is part of the American Association of University Women, a nonprofit organization that advances equity for women and girls through education, empowerment and advocacy, according to the news release.

Brunch reservations are available through the event’s ticketing service, with late reservations dependent on remaining space. The organization lists 909-362-4955 as the contact number for additional information.