| On May 24, join the LWV of Florida for a special virtual event celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage month. Members only: REGISTER HERE | MAY is all about member appreciation! | This week's Showcase & New Member Orientation (the first in person after two years) was a well attended success! Much thanks to the many committee chairs who answered questions and shared advocacy information and BRAVO to our Events team and the dedicated Membership Committee. If you missed it but want to "learn how to be a Leaguer," visit Advocacy Committees and Strategic Committees to decide how to become more active. *Shown above left, Carmen Torres and Caroline Emmons-Schramm with Gov't Comm., above right, Kay Hudson and Marty Sullivan with Natural Resources. Photography by Carol Wonsavage | | | | League Leader Highlight
Caroline Emmons-Schramm attended the New Member Orientation (representing the Gov't Comm.) but she's been a part of the League for decades now. “People need to understand that national and state [politics] don’t affect you as much as local. It’s the so-called pothole issue. Not as sexy, but people can affect their quality of life at an immediate level. People need to talk to their representatives all the time. If they know you, they’ll listen."
| | |  | | Anne Stevens
Bonnie Gant
Sharon Williams
Jill Giese
Rev. Margalie Belizaire
Courtney Leggett
Deborah Coffy
Toni Pollock
Holly Hansen
Lorraine Robinson
Robin Schoen
Elsie Tracy
Louise Manry
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!?
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THANK YOU, Deborah A. Dennard, for your generous recurring donation to the LWVOC Fund. #belikeDeborah
Visit our Donations page to learn about supporting us on a regular basis. 2022 is queued up to be a politically challenging year and your consistent donations will help us fight for #Votes4All
Donations can also be made "To honor, In memory, In tribute or recognition" etc. for a special someone.
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LWV members of Orange and Seminole County came out to support LWVFL President Cecile Scoon at Tuesday's Florida Clergy Gathering at the Florida Hotel & Conference Center at Florida Mall.
Pictured from left: Saudi Ellis, Eugene Stoccardo, Joan Erwin, Cecile Scoon, Seminole County member Rebekah Richey, and Nancy Warlick. |  | Have you felt the stirring of your inner warrior in response to recent events?
Learn how past Leaguers dealt with their challenges. If you missed the "Stirring Stories" Mother's Day program, you can watch it now on our YouTube Channel. (videographer and photographer for the event was Sue Foreman) Also, visit their Photo Album to see the History Committee in action. Shown left: Linda Chapin, who wrote the afterword for the book, and author Ann Patton signed copies of Warriors for Democracy after the presentation.
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Mark your calendar with these events! | Did you know... May 20th is Florida's Emancipation Day? Nationally, June 19th or Juneteenth is celebrated to commemorate the last state in the nation (Texas) to receive the news of the abolishment of slavery. However, a month earlier on May 20, 1865, Union troops read the Emancipation Proclamation in Tallahassee officially ending slavery in Florida. Check out this page from the FL Dept of State Div of Library and Information Services for more information about Emancipation Day in Florida and join the LWV of Florida's special event Lunch and Learn tomorrow.
| | Register here MEMBERS ONLY This week's webinar will feature a program centered around Florida's Emancipation Day.
June 19th is celebrated in many parts of the United States as “Juneteenth,” to commemorate the end of slavery after the Civil War. Many Floridians, however, celebrate a separate Emancipation Day on May 20th. Emancipation was proclaimed in Tallahassee on May 20, 1865, 11 days after the end of the Civil War, and two years after the Proclamation first issued by President Abraham Lincoln freed those enslaved in Southern states.
Join us on Friday, May 20 at 1:00 p.m. (ET) as we learn more about Florida's Emancipation Day from Dr. Andrea Oliver. Some League members may remember Dr. Oliver from the Florida League's "Voting While Black" program hosted in honor of Black History Month 2022. | | | | 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.
| How hot are our HOT TOPICS tickets? Guests have already reserved 1/3 of our seats for next month!
| We’re giving the mic to Orlando Sentinel columnist Scott Maxwell 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.
| All Voting is Local is a partner with the LWVOC at many local events. Here's one of theirs that you may be interested in:
You’re invited to Artistic Activism: ¡La Mega Clase! — a dynamic workshop co-led by QLatinx and the Center for Artistic Activism in collaboration with All Voting is Local, in support of organizations and individuals in Florida working to protect the freedom to vote — that want to infuse their work with more innovation, creativity, and impact.
| Volunteer ~ Learn ~ Support | | 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.
|  | 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. Contact Kathy Sheerin kathysheerin.lwvoc@yahoo.com
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| 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 | | | Newsletter Checklist:
- Attendance at our recent events has been outstanding! Visit our Events Calendar and schedule accordingly.
- Welcome to all the NEW Leaguers!
- Want to go to our National LWV Convention? Stipends are available. Details above.
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Donations can also be made "To honor, In memory, In tribute or recognition" etc. for a special someone.
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