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Dear Leaguers and supporters of LWVOC,
So, here we are… the third week of January 2025! And there is a lot going on.
I am grateful to our national league (lwv.org) for their leadership in creating the Women Defend Democracy Initiative in which the League will work to:
--Provide Democracy Education & Election Administration Support
--Restore and Defend Voting Rights Protections
--Abolish the Electoral College
--Protect Democracy Organizations & Institutions and
--Fight for Reproductive Freedoms
You can read the intro by LWVUS President, Celina Stewart, and get more information HERE.
Meanwhile, here in Orange County, 68 members of our league gathered last Saturday for the Annual Planning Meeting. We heard about the amazing work and future goals of our committees. In small groups we considered initiatives for the year ahead. Each group reported out from their conversation, and we are in the process of putting that all together in a shareable form. We did do a few things a little differently than usual and we shared a new experimental org chart. Some people loved the changes. A few did not. All feedback is helpful. If you were present and have not yet filled out an evaluation, you can do so HERE.
Finally, the pace of activity in areas we care about is, to say the least, brisk. Several times recently, I have received news about an event too late to inform others who might like to avail themselves of the opportunity. I am looking for ways to allow people to opt in for timely alerts, as I don’t expect the opportunities to lighten up any time soon. Stay tuned.
Remember to breathe, deeply and slowly, and stay connected!
Yours in Service,
Kathy
| Enjoy photos from the 2025 Annual Planning Meeting taken by Carol Wonsavage HERE and from other members. *Shown below L-R Theo Webster, CeCe Gonzalez, workgroup | | FEB 12, 11AM
Celebrating Black History Month
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Feb 19, 7PM
DEIA Social Justice Book Club
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Honoring the work of African Americans — forced and voluntary, and the long struggle for equality — will be the focus of the Feb. 12 Hot Topics lunch and panel, “Voices of Labor: The African American Journey,” hosted by the League of Women Voters of Orange County. Doors open at 10:30 a.m. at the Winter Park Events Center for a buffet lunch. Special guest, Dr. Ethel Wellington-Trawick, a retired educator, will open the program with the hymn “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Originally written as a poem by Florida native James Weldon Johnson, the song is known as the Black National Anthem. Click HERE to learn more about this special event as we celebrate Black History Month together. | | An in-depth conversation about the theme and panel discussion will follow at 1:15 p.m. in the second-story meeting room at the events center. The moderator of the Hot Topics Overtime will be Elizabeth Grace (shown left), president and CEO of the Central Florida Urban League.
A native of Orlando, Elizabeth Grace has dedicated her career to empowering our community through advocacy, collaboration and engagement. For more than a decade, Elizabeth has worked to build bridges between diverse groups and foster environments of innovation and education. | | | National and Florida LEAGUE UPDATES | | From the LWV of Florida: Lobby Days marks a unique opportunity to humanize our legislative priorities with our state lawmakers. The League's membership has continued to grow over the past year and we're excited to show that off in the halls our state capitol.
Look for more details coming soon from LWVOC. Shown below, snapshots from LWVOC members taking part in 2024's Lobby Days. |  |  | | Vote-by-mail requests expire after each federal general election cycle. Therefore, all vote-by-mail requests expired on Dec. 31, 2024. To continue to receive vote-by-mail ballots, you must submit a new vote-by-mail request each general election cycle.
UPCOMING Orange County Elections
Feb. 4th, Town of Windermere Mail Ballot Referendum
March 11th, Municipal elections for the Cities of Ocoee, Winter Park, Belle Isle, Maitland, Town of Windermere |  | The DEIA Committee has a goal of supporting community needs. We are collecting children's socks and underwear for Hungerford Elementary School in Eatonville.
Please bring new socks and underwear for children ages 4-12 to the Black History Month Hot Topics luncheon.
Look for our collection box in the hallway as you enter the conference center.
All donations including gift cards will be most appreciated.
We thank you for your generosity.
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 | | Maureen Witwer
Jericka Knox
Julie Sutphin
Rachael Kobb
Melissa Nair
Scot French
Lynn Hartie
Grace Winans
Not a member yet? Visit our Join Now page and learn about becoming a Leaguer! |  |
Sara Isaac, a generous gift through the Giving Society
Janet L. Ziomek, a generous gift through the Giving Society
Visit the Donate page to explore the many ways you can $upport LWVOC.
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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.
To further explore how becoming a Hot Topics Sponsor can align with your business goals, please contact LWVOC Vice President, Lee Rambeau Kemp HERE
A range of sponsorship levels are available. |  |  | | Statewide call to action: The League of Women Voters supports the Florida Right to Clean Water campaign, a citizens' initiative to amend the Florida Constitution with the right to clean and healthy waters. If our current laws were working, then we wouldn’t have manatees dying in record numbers, 80% of our 1000 springs impaired, and harmful blue-green algae and red tide in greater frequency and duration. A constitutional right takes precedence over legislation that permits pollution, restricts fertilizer bans, and allows radioactive materials to be used in our roads. Create a legacy for the future of our waters!
The Right to Clean Water! In support of establishing our basic right to clean and healthy water, LWVOC has committed to helping get this citizen initiative on the 2026 ballot. Please sign your own petition. Those who signed prior to 2024 will need to sign the new petition.
Learn how YOU can become an active volunteer here: https://www.floridarighttocleanwater.org/resources | |