The American Association of University Women (AAUW) is the oldest and largest national women's organization. Founded in 1882, AAUW is made up of women college graduates seeking opportunities and striving to promote higher education for all women. Some of the early organizational goals were equality for women, sound education, and community improvement. These same goals apply today in improved and expanded form.
The La Crosse branch of the AAUW was organized in 1921. It was called the College Club and about 25 women attended the first meeting. The women held monthly meetings at the now-razed Cargill House but during the Depression the women were forced to hold meetings in individual homes because of money problems. The group officially became a branch of the AAUW in 1932, gaining respect in the process.
The La Crosse branch of the AAUW has sponsored many fund raising events throughout the years with local students benefiting in the form of scholarships, fellowships, and student workshops. One of the early events was a Christmas Dance, started in 1946. This event continued until at least 1958, but is no longer used as a fundraiser. AAUW started a children's theater group in 1930 called the Junior Series. The proceeds usually support theater workshops for children. Today it is called Children's Theater and most of the theatrical duties have been turned over to the theater department at the University of Wisconsin--La Crosse. The AAUW also sponsors the Art Fair on the Green--an art and musical festival that has taken place on the UW-L campus every summer since 1958. Money from the Fair supports scholarships in visual and performing arts at UW-L and Viterbo. They also sponsor a fall home tour and the proceeds go to various scholarship funds.
