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Date: 5/12/2022
Subject: LWVOC Newsletter & Events
From: Lisa K Adkins




"Change can happen, it has happened, and we just need to keep our eyes on the prize."  Linda Chapin--former LWVOC President and the first Mayor of Orange County speaking at our recent Mother's Day "Stirring Stories" program.

League Showcase & New Member Orientation is back to an in-person event after two years next week, May 17.  All Leaguers are welcome to this FREE event showcasing our committees and leadership opportunities.  Learn how to be a Leaguer!!

JOIN us for this special event at the Winter Park Community Center
If you are a new member, or not a member, but interested to learn more about what the League has been doing in your community...
You don't want to miss this evening!
The Orange County League is one of the largest single-county Leagues in the US.  Join us for an evening of wine, refreshments and good conversation.  Get to know our leaders and hear about all that we do.
Find out what it means to be part of a community with influence!
Refreshments and abundant free parking available.  Women and men of all ages are welcome.  Admission is FREE.

Melinda Wright
Zasha Mickey
Lauren Robertson
Austin Kupke
Robert Grimaldi
Kathy Pierson
Tina Le
Angela Skelton
 
A hearty welcome to our newest members!
And since spring is the season of renewal, perhaps you should make sure your membership is up-to-date!?
 
TONIGHT, join our LWVOC Co-Presidents Barbara Lanning & Nicolette Springer for an at-home chat.  Feel free to eat your dinner, sip your wine, and cozy up in your PJs for a casual chat.  It's the perfect setting to ask them questions, bring up your concerns and offer suggestions.

Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84859472528?pwd=NDFSUXJqYkV4VE41U00zOElvRUNYdz09

Meeting ID: 848 5947 2528   Passcode: 570935

With your participation, this will become a monthly event.  There's much to discuss as our League moves forward into this tumultuous political year!

Going to the Saturday rally for reproductive rights?  If you need more details, visit www.bansoff.org
 
Show up as a Leaguer in our special anniversary t-shirt.
 

If you need T-shirts email  Blake @ the State office (blake@lwvfl.org) with size requests and suggested pick up time @ the office 1001 N. Orange Av., Orlando.

 

It is open 9-5 M-F. Pick up only and bring cash or check. Available for the special price of $20 ea. (regular $28)!!

 
 
LWVOC Co-President Nicolette Springer was interviewed yesterday by News 6 after a judge blocked new District 5 redistricting plans implemented by Gov. DeSantis from taking effect. The League of Women Voters was one of the first groups to file a lawsuit against the state of Florida after the governor signed off on new district maps in April. Watch full interview HERE.
“We are being cautiously optimistic, but we definitely are enjoying this win,” Springer said. “That it absolutely diminishes the voting power of black voters, and we have said from the beginning that this has been a gerrymandering process. We are taking it step by step, and this is just step one in a very long legal process,” 
We were treated to the good news at the end of Hot Topics yesterday by our own LWVFL State President Cecile Scoon who was in town for the luncheon and received the news after speaking at our program.

Members and guests filled the room yesterday at the magnificent and new Winter Park Events Center for the timely inaugural Hot Topics Luncheon Program.
Where you there?  You can leave a review & post photos at:  407area.com  

  *Hot Topics photos courtesy Carol Wonsavage.  Top right:  Mike Lafferty-moderator, panelists Cecile Scoon and Bill Cowles   Middle left:  Gloria Pickar-HT organizer and LWVOC President Emerita, LWVFL President Cecile Scoon, LWVOC Co-Presidents Nicolette Springer and Barbara Lanning   Middle right:  luncheon guests in the WP Events Ctr
If you missed it, be alerted that you should register now for the next event—it will be standing room only. We’re giving the mic to Orlando Sentinel columnist Scott Maxwell (shown left) to talk about none other than it’s a HOT MESS: THE STATE OF POLITICS AND JOURNALISM IN FLORIDA. Be prepared to get mad and laugh at the same time as our town’s best speaker and writer takes the stage to challenge us to defend our democracy.
Register NOW for June 8 Hot Topics 11:30 AM – 1 PM, Doors open at 11.Winter Park Events Center,  $30 members, $35 guests.

Dr. Gloria Pickar led the team to relaunch our in-person Hot Topics Luncheon Programs with the help of eight dedicated Leaguers and the Events and Communications Committees. Yesterday's inaugural event at the new Winter Park Events Center was a roaring success. Although LWVOC pivoted during the pandemic and took the program online, Leaguers and the community craved the interaction and momentum of our timely programs with expert speakers.

Gloria served as Co-President of LWVOC for three years 2018-2021 and former Second Vice President and Chair for Gun Safety. She writes weekly for the Orlando Sentinel Central Florida 100 as LWVOC President Emerita. She holds Nursing degrees and a doctorate in Higher Education Administration from the University of Florida. She has more than 45 years’ experience in business and higher education, including President and Chief Academic Officer of the leading higher education online learning services company last acquired by Pearson. She was named six times to Top 50 Women-Led Businesses in Florida. Gloria is also a nursing clinician, educator, and author of two nursing textbooks. UF awarded her Nursing’s Education Leader for 2020. In her spare time, she serves on the Orlando Mayor’s Committee on Livability and Healthy Aging, Maitland Art & History Museums’ Board, Friends of American Art for the Orlando Museum of Art, Friends of the Orlando Philharmonic, and her neighborhood Homeowner’s Association as President. Gloria was named an Orlando Super Woman for 2020 by Orlando Magazine.


JUNE 23-26,  League of Women Voters National Convention in Denver, CO.
Interested in attending?  We have a limited number of scholarships to aid you in that endeavor.  
 

Donations can also be made "To honor, In memory, In tribute or recognition" etc. for a special someone.

Our Warriors for Democracy book was center stage at the new Winter Park Library May 7, in an LWVOC Mother’s Day forum and book signing celebrating women’s history.

 The event was headlined “Stirring Stories of Strong Women, A Mother's Day Salute to Our Foremothers and the Future.”

 Speakers (shown left) were Linda Chapin, Martha O. Haynie, “Susan B. Anthony” (Joan Erwin), and “Sojourner Truth” (Mary Graham-Lawrence)

Below left--Sue Foreman, Joan Erwin, Lee Rambeau Kemp    Below right:  Anna Lizama Clark, Mary Graham Lawrence, Jennie R. McCrone  Read the complete story HERE
 

Newsletter Checklist:
  • WOW, our inaugural Hot Topics at the Winter Park Events Center was a grand success.  Register now for next month's JUNE 8 luncheon.
  • Want to go to our National LWV Convention?  Stipends are available!  Details above.
  • Next week's Showcase & Orientation is FREE for all.  Register today!

The Adopt-A-Precinct (AAP) program is a community partnership initiated by the Supervisor of Elections.   Participating organizations “adopt” a precinct, or several precincts, during an election by providing the people to staff the polling place for that precinct. The Supervisor of Elections then writes a check to the organization, rather than paying the individual workers. The AAP program funnels tax dollars to AAP groups and back into the community through their efforts.
Continue reading HERE. Interested in volunteering?  Email: Mary Montanus

 

 Volunteers Needed--VOTE411 is the League’s online Voter Guide that will be available at the end of June.  We are working on our local version right now.  We would like to have the candidate descriptions and questions in Spanish as well as English. We need a couple of volunteers with proficiency in writing Spanish to translate for us.  If you have such skills and would like to volunteer, please let us know. Kathy Sheerin, kathysheerin.lwvoc@yahoo.com    Terry Gillam  tsgillam42@gmail.com 


Teachers Wanted!
The Education Committee is looking for local educators who would like to participate in this year's Harvard Case Method Civics Workshop, AUG 20.  All training, case materials, and ongoing teacher support is FREE.  Learn more HERE about nominating a local teacher.  Nomination deadline is JULY 10.

MEMBERS ONLY As we mentioned during our Annual Meeting, we are in the process of updating our online communications (website, email, social media, etc.) to better serve members as well as the general public. Our goal is to improve our messaging in order to inform members, empower voters and defend democracy. To help us better understand your needs and preferences, we've put together an anonymous survey. It should only take 3-4 minutes to complete. To get started, click the link:  LWVOC Communications Survey