Emailing - League of Women Voters of Orange County

Date: 5/28/2026
Subject: LWVOC Newsletter & Events
From: Lisa K Adkins

It's a short newsletter week for LWVOC (this editor is on vacation) but we still encourage you to stay up-to-date by visiting our website where you can find:

Recently, League leaders from Florida's East Coast participated in a meeting hosted by Ventus Charitable Foundation for grantee partners focused on civic engagement. The event included League members at work from Orlando, Palm Beach, and Fort Lauderdale/Broward County.

LWVOC Co-Pres. Rev. Kathy Schmitz (center-purple) and Co-Pres. Kathy Sheerin (2nd from right) with Rebecca Cohen, LWV Palm Beach County grants/fundraising; Patti Bartels, LWV Broward County 501c3 Board of Director and grant writer; as well as Allyson Meyers, LWV Broward County president represented the League at this event.

Leaguer Robert (Bobby) Sena questions if former FL Gov. Jeb Bush has read the "Schools without Rules" series in the Orlando Sentinel:

"If charter and private schools want a piece of the same “pie” they should be held to the same standards and publicize the results so that parents can make an informed choice."

Cont. reading HERE

And consider getting involved with our Education Committee!

What’s Next for Education Advocacy? You Decide.

As the Education Committee plans its strategy for the upcoming school year and the next legislative session, we want to hear from you. Whether you are looking to actively join our efforts or just want to receive education alerts, please take a moment to complete our brief survey.

Click here to complete the survey

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 to support our efforts to empower voters. Wonder what we spend our money on? View our year's Budget Assumptions Here.

Double your Impact HERE

The League of Women Voters of Orange County hosts a forum for contested Orange County judge races. “Bench Press: Candidates for Orange County Judge” will be held at the Winter Park Events Center on June 10. A forum for contested judge races for Ninth Judicial Circuit Court will take place on July 8.
County court judges have limited jurisdiction to hear cases such as traffic offenses, landlord-tenant disputes, small claims cases up to $8,000, misdemeanor criminal matters, violations of municipal and county ordinances, and monetary disputes up to $50,000, according to the website Florida Courts.

To see who is running, visit: 2026 Election Candidates

At the FL Special Session, they're deciding the budget NOW! Use your voices to demand increased funding for our court system to keep pace with the growing population of our area and FOR the restoration of Victims of Crime Act funding to support victims of domestic abuse.

Click for full Petition Information HERE

Central Florida struggles with rising homelessness with little agreement on solutions. Why do some places have much higher rates than others? Let's explore the answers together. Join the DEIA Committee and Social Justice Book Club on June 17 at 7p in a virtual community discussion about the book, "Homelessness Is a Housing Problem" by Gregg Colburn and Clayton Page. Please refer to the League calendar for the Zoom link.

Find out more HERE

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.

Gun Violence Prevention Committee

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

Also, check out our NEW Fund Development Committee page if you'd like to become more involved in our efforts.

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.

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