 | It's our 87th birthday tomorrow! From Ann Patton's 2019 LWVOC history article for the OC Regional History Center: "It was May 15, 1939. A handful of somber women from Winter Park and Orlando marched into Orlando's Angebilt Hotel - long on vision and idealism, short on power - to create their own homegrown branch of a national organization founded in 1920. They named their new group the Winter Park-Orlando League of Women Voters." Cont. reading about our history HERE.
From their first day, those women saw that their most important mission was defending democracy. It was an impossible mission: Florida power was locked up by Florida's terrible 1800s Constitution and a small group of Panhandle legislators named The Porkchop Gang who controlled elections and almost everything else. But generations of Leaguers would not give up, and step by step they made progress. They had two stunning victories: the new 1968 Constitution and the 2010 Fair Districts amendments. Our third act is the challenge of today....~Ann Patton, 2026.
And as a special BIRTHDAY gift to you, our 2025-2026 Annual Report is ready for viewing/downloading. Enjoy reading all about what WE, Leaguers and supporters, accomplished during the last fiscal year! Annual Report 2025-26
Throwback Thursday for our birthday week~shown below, warriors for democracy: L-R, former LWVOC presidents Rosemary Durocher, Linda Chapin, Jean Siegfried; History Comm. organizers Joan Erwin, Joy Dickinson, Ann Patton at our 2019 Voter Tree celebration. |  | | YES, of course we'd love an 87th birthday gift from you! ;-) And make it a double...details below! |  | DID YOU KNOW that only 20% of membership dues go directly to LWVOC? Yes, our state and national Leagues receive the bulk of your dues, and we understand that they have a lot of legal/organizational fees to pay for in efforts to defend our democracy...but that means we have to make up a large difference locally!
Our generous Visionary Sponsors (Jennifer and Phil Anderson) have offered a $25,000 Match, doubling every contribution this summer!
Every dollar you give DOUBLES the power of our actions to:
· Register, inform and mobilize voters for the upcoming elections (it costs a lot of $$ to create/print/distribute/store/organize our voter info)
· Provide nonpartisan voter information that people trust through VOTE411.org, our Speakers Bureau, Hot Topics, and candidate forums (we pay for licensing fees, event venues, special guests, videographers/AV/editing materials, etc. etc.) and
· Advocating locally and in Tallahassee for fair and accessible elections, (we have 2 paid staffers and pay for member management systems that allow us to coordinate/organize/market/receive funds, etc. for our outreach)
AND SO MUCH MORE!
|  | | Voter Suppression HOT TOPICS~On a hot day with a hot topic, we filled the WP Events Center and heard from an esteemed panel about what voters can expect this upcoming election season. The breadth of experience represented in the panel helped us understand the HOW and WHY voter suppression is making as many headlines as the candidates. RECAP coming soon! Shown: above left--SOE Karen Castor Dentel and former SOE Bill Cowles; Co-Presidents with Bill, Leaguers Sue Foreman and Charley Williams; below left panel: Co-Pres. Kathy Sheerin, Bill Cowles, Karen Castor Dentel, Aubrey Jewett, Ricardo Negron Almodovar, Co-Pres. Rev. Kathy Schmitz.; below right HT volunteers Gina Hall, Saudi Ellis, Lindee Owens *Photography by Carol Wonsavage | | |  | |
50% off discount code: SEASONFIVE (one word)
*Activate the discount BEFORE tickets are selected in the “promo code” field on the ticketing page
Presented by ORLANDO SINGS, Harmonia’s STAND TALL traces the journey of the women’s suffrage movement from first calls for justice to the ongoing spirit of empowerment—beginning with Alexandra Olsavsky’s What Happens When a Woman? and closing with Rosephanye Powell’s rousing Still I Rise | | | | Leaguers: Because the concert celebrates the women’s suffrage movement, we invite you to join fellow League members in suffragist-inspired attire. Consider all white, a white blouse with a black skirt or pants, or all black and your name tag. Suffragist sashes available at the event.
Group Photo: We’d love to gather for a group photo on the grand staircase during intermission. Please meet in the lobby at the staircase FIVE minutes after intermission begins.
Event: Plan to arrive for parking etc by no later than 7:30. When you enter the lobby, be sure to stop by the League table at Pugh Theater, where sashes will be available. If you have any questions, please email Lee Rambeau Kemp at vp@lwvoc.org |  | The LWVOC Immigration Committee shares community events like these as they support partnerships that align with our mission.
Our own Co-President Kathy Schmitz will be leading the vigil this weekend.
Check our Events Calendar regularly for upcoming opportunities with our League and partners. |  | SAVE the DATE!
JUNE 6, 1-4pm
Please join us for this Wear Orange/ Prevent Gun Violence event. We will have a panel discussion and audience questions after the screening of this powerful film. Our goal..NO more empty rooms.
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 | | Clinton McCracken repost from Orlando Sentinel~ "True appreciation is reflected in how we treat our teachers and in the decisions we make that impact their lives and their classrooms. It is seen in whether educators can afford to stay in the profession they love and continue serving our students. Right now, the foundation of public education is under enormous strain.
Our teachers are making an impact every day while working with increasing local demands, rising expectations, and with less state funding. Just last week, new national data confirmed what educators here already know: Florida ranks 50th in the nation in average teacher pay for the third year in a row."
| | | Voter Services teams have been at so many events this month, both at schools and in the community! These volunteers and those behind the scenes who make this happen, a BIG ROUND of APPLAUSE for them please! |  | COLONIAL HS top row 5/8 - Betty Saulpaugh, Robin (SOE), Temika Hampton-Johnson; second shift L to R Gina Hall, Robin (SOE), Deborah Lederer;
5/7 - first shift L to R Trudy Boston, Caroline Blydenburgh, Meisha (SOS); second shift L to R Deborah Lederer, Lauren Houk, Meisha (SOE)
|  | | APOPKA HS Senior Clearance Volunteers took place 5/12 and 5/14. L-R: 1st shift on 5/12 were Saudi Ellis, SOE staffer Penny Brown-Reiman, Dr. Sandra Barker. 2nd shift Melva Bentley-Ross, Penny Brown-Reiman, Mary Ann Coffey. | | |
 | | CYPRESS CREEK HS 5/12: L to R Sue Gannon, Mary (SOE), Victor Collazo, Betty Saulpaugh, Lauren Houk; Not shown from 5/11: Betty Saulpaugh, Linda Dalton, Melinda Wright--were so busy on Monday, they never had a breather to take a photo! They received 250 voter registrations on 5/11 and 136 on 5/12!!! |
 | | EARTH DAY tabling with Kay Hudson, Natural Resources Chair and Victor Collazo |
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 | | LAKE EOLA tabling with a student rep from LWV-UCF (largest US collegiate League) and Victor Collazo |
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 | | The LWVOC was well represented at the 2026 Election Readiness Panel featuring the SOEs of Orange, Seminole, and Osceola Counties. The event was organized by All Voting is Local Central Florida Voting Coalition. Leaguers present were Co-President Kathy Sheerin, Mary Montanus, Marilyn Baldwin, Saudi Ellis, Gina Hall, and Melinda Wright. |
 | | PINE HILLS OC Mayoral Forum -5/5 Melva Bentley-Ross, Melinda Wright, and Saudi Ellis attended the OC Mayoral Forum hosted by the Pine Hills Community Council, also the PHCC 50th anniversary and was a celebration of the Pine Hills community and this impactful organization. Although they had not expected to table, they were given one anyway and since they keep a "grab bag" of voting supplies, were well prepared! |
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 | | WEST ORANGE HS 5/12, L-R: Temika Hampton-Johnson and Winnie Hogue; Terry Osbourne not shown |
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 | | Jeff Bondy
Ruth Hamberg
Linda Sibley
Stephanie Guss
|  | Louise M. Manry, Giving Society
Kathy Sheerin
Linnea Nelson
Gerry Glynn
Terry Creighton
Lisa J. Bourne
Anonymous
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At our March Hot Topics the women leading our local justice system gave a clear and urgent answer: Use your voices to demand increased funding for our court system to keep pace with the growing population of our area.
In response, we’ve created two important petitions: one directed to adequately fund the courts and another calling for the restoration of Victims of Crime Act funding to support victims of domestic abuse.
Click for full Petition Information HERE | | | | VOLUNTEER
>>Check out our Volunteering page regularly!
At this outdoor event, we will have a table to register voters and provide voter education/information. This is a farmers' market with 700 expected attendees held monthly with this being the last of the season.
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The League was asked to provide election monitoring and ballot certification of the Florida Association of Code Enforcement (FACE) election for 150 FACE members at their annual conference.
Observer Corps
Volunteers observe council meetings (via Zoom or in person) and submit for Gov. committee. Check the Volunteer page for Apopka.
| | |  | | MAY is Haitian Heritage Month~We honor the rich culture, history, resilience, and contributions of Haitian Americans in Central Florida and across our nation. From art and music to food, language, entrepreneurship, education, and community leadership, Haitian culture continues to strengthen and inspire our communities everyday.
|  | The Social Justice Book Club is sponsoring a community read in June. We have selected the book Homelessness is a Housing Problem: How Structural Factors Explain US Patterns by Gregg Colburn and Clayton Page.
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Sponsors are vital to our work to empower voters by providing timely information for the benefit of non-partisan civic engagement in our community and we have a range of sponsorship levels available. To further explore how to become a sponsor, please contact LWVOC Vice President and Fund Development Chair Lee Rambeau Kemp HERE
|  |  |  |  | LWVOC is a 501(c)(3 )tax-exempt organization and your gift is tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law. To claim a gift as a deduction on your taxes, please keep your email gift receipt as your official record. The receipt is sent to you upon successful completion of your donation.
A copy of the official registration and financial information for LWVOC, a Florida based nonprofit organization (Registration No. CH26900) may be obtained from the Division of Consumer Services by calling toll free 1-800-435-7352 within the state or visiting their website at fdacs.gov/CONSUMERSERVCES. Registration does not imply endorsement, approval, or recommendation by the state. | |