Welcome to the Smith Mountain (VA) Branch of AAUW!

Our branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) proudly represents the three counties surrounding the picturesque Smith Mountain Lake in Southwest Virginia: Bedford, Franklin, and Pittsylvania. Whether we live on or off the lake, we’re surrounded by some of the most stunning scenery our beautiful state has to offer. Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains between Roanoke and Lynchburg, Smith Mountain Lake is conveniently located less than four hours from anywhere in Virginia and just 4.5 hours from Washington, DC. Since our chapter was formed in 2000, we’ve grown into a vibrant, tenacious and dedicated group of over 80 members who are passionate about education and community service.

At the heart of our gatherings is a shared commitment to lifelong learning, all guided by AAUW’s Mission Statement: “To advance gender equity for women and girls through research, education, and advocacy.”  Candidly, we always find time to have some fun along the way so our meetings are warm, inviting and informal gatherings.

Our 2025 Scholarship Program has officially closed and
we thank all of our worthy candidates for their time and initiative!
We are currently evaluating all of our scholarship applications
and will be communicating with each applicant in the near future.

  Our signature annual fundraiser in 2024 was quite successful!   We had a sold-out crowd and lots of fun while raising a great deal of money that we used to fund our scholarship program!  We will keep you posted about the plans for our 2025 fundraiser as they evolve.