FEBRUARY LUNCHEON & GENERAL MEETING
February 6 @ 11:30-1:30
Tiburon Golf Club
A Vision for the Collier County Public Schools in the New Year
presented by
Kelly Lichter
Chair, Collier County School Board
| Registration and Payment Must Be Made Online
by February 2 @ 3:00 PM
Late registration/walk in price will be strictly enforced
We look forward to seeing you and your guests!
| Tiburon has done a lovely job of providing the setting, food and service, and technology support for our General Meetings. Consistent with what we see everywhere, they have had to increase the cost of our luncheon. As a result, the cost of LWVCC General Meetings for the remainder of this season is increasing by $4.00 per person. We will be evaluating options for next season’s General Meetings. Feel free to let the Membership Committee know your opinions or ideas at lwvccmembership@lwvcollier.org.
|  | Excitement is mounting as we prepare to Celebrate the League on January 31st. This year’s event includes a silent auction featuring a private dinner for six of Foods Around the World and matching wines donated by Susan Sonnenschein. Looking for a new piece of modern art? Craig Kardon has donated an original painting. Want to enjoy the artistry of some of our members? Be on the lookout for jewelry by Stacy Vermylen and a quilted piece by Judy Hushon. Interested in nature and the environment? Get ready to bid on a behind-the-scenes tour of the von Arx Wildlife Hospital at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, observe a necropsy (python dissection), or enjoy a trip at Rookery Bay. Be ready for much more including gift certificates, museum books, and a private tour of WGCU. There’s still time to register for a fascinating presentation by Amy Bennett Williams as she discusses the impact of Hurricane Ian on the environment. | LWVCC WAS THERE!
26th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade and Celebration!
January 16, 2023
There was magic in the air at the 26th Annual Martin Luther King Day Parade in Naples on January 16th--the kind of magic that results when many hands make light work. This is what the LWVCC does best! Some of us pitched the parade project, others promoted it online, in social media and to friends by word of mouth. More than 42 people came out to march with the League through downtown Naples. So many of our members had other organizations they could have marched with but chose to show their loyalty to the League. Our members brought their expertise to set-up the parade line-up and at Cambier Park, (we were next to the Lely marching band, and had a popular information kiosk), one member ordered LWVCC novelty t-shirts, others made signs displaying MLK beloved quotes, others recruited their committees, and still others handled the finer details of parking and directions. A family jeep was transformed into a symbol of democracy and freedom! Children blew bubbles from the back of the jeep and threw candy to onlookers. The League logo was everywhere! Thank you to all who pitched in and showed up to make the day a truly memorable celebration. It was another great day when the League came together to greet Naples and express who we are and what we believe in! Cynthia Cromwell may have said it best, “This was my dream”.
|  LWVCC GOES ALL IN ON FLORIDA RIGHT TO CLEAN WATER
On January 12 the Environmental Affairs Committee hosted speakers Joe Bonasia and Maya Van Rossum to brief League members on the Florida Right to Clean Water initiative that is supported by the League at the state level. The immediate objective of this initiative is to secure 900,000 petition signatures by November to get a measure on the ballot that would add the right to clean water to the Florida Constitution Bill of Rights.
While the Florida Constitution currently contains a policy statement regarding the environment, it is not enforceable and carries no weight in the eyes of the law and allows state agencies to act with expediency to essentially grant permission to pollute. If the Florida Constitution Bill of Rights is amended to include the right to clean water, courts will be obligated to compel state agencies to follow the constitution. The League is partnering with the Florida Rights of Nature Network that is leading the Florida Right to Clean Water Campaign to get petitions signed. We are working to get as many petitions as possible signed and will be bringing petitions to events and meetings for members to sign. What can you do? Share petitions with your social networks, your community, church, and other organizations. The petition is available at FloridaRighttoCleanWater. Signed petitions are being collected by Susan Housel. If you have questions about the campaign, contact Patti Forkan. Please make sure that signers are registered voters in Florida. | BABCOCK RANCH FIELD TRIP
January 19 @ 10:00
NOTE CORRECTED DATE!
The Environmental Affairs Committee has arranged for an insider's tour of Babcock Ranch, a resilient and sustainable planned solar-powered community northeast of Fort Meyers.
This event is open to all LWVCC and their friends. Carpooling is encouraged. If you want to attend, contact Patti Forkan, who will send you directions.
Following the tour there will be the opportunity to stay for lunch at one of the restaurants at the ranch and/or to walk on the many paths available there. You and those you carpool with will need to work out the additional activities amongst yourselves. | A GOOD TIME WAS HAD BY ALL!
| On January 13th, for the first time since 2020, a group of new members of the League was able to gather at the home of Jan Eustis (Co-Chair of the Membership Team) to meet each other and learn about the League's mission and activities from Board members and committee chairs. The Membership Team hosts the new member coffees and other engagement events periodically throughout the year to help those new to the League (and those who joined in prior years but are interested in learning more) become engaged in the League's wide-ranging projects.
Keep your eye on the website calendar and the LWVCC Update for the next one. | MISSED A HOT TOPIC?
Click an image to watch
| LWVCC TO RECEIVE CIVIC AWARD!
January 25, 2023 @ 12:00
Vineyards Country Club
We are incredibly honored that the Greater Naples Chapter of Americans United has selected The League of Women Voters of Collier County to receive its annual Turner Civic Award, honoring the memory and civic commitment of Rita and Bernie Turner. According to AU's announcement letter, "Our board was most impressed by the diversity and extent of your commitments beyond the obvious voter services of empowering citizens to take an active role in free and fair elections and your informative voter projects. Your support of diversity, equity and inclusion in our society, the public school system, the local environment and myriad other issues is exemplary. We believe that LWVCC acts as a well-respected, major influencer in our area because of your thoughtful research and advocacy. Congratulations, but more importantly, THANK YOU."
The presentation of the Turner Civic Award will be held at a luncheon on January 25, 2023 at the Vineyards Country Club at noon. All LWVCC members, their families and friends are invited to attend. Registration for the awards luncheon information is available by clicking on the REGISTER button, below, or by printing and sending the form attached to AU's announcement letter. The cost of the lunch is $40. We would like to show AU our gratitude for choosing us for this honor with a good turnout of LWVCC members at the luncheon! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/au-honors-the-league-of-women-voters-of-collier-county-tickets-457343947057
| If you plan to attend, contact Diane Preston Moore, who is putting together LWVCC tables at the event.
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UPCOMING EVENTS |
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January 19 @ 10:00
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Babcock Ranch Field Trip
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January 31 @ 5:30
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Celebrate the League—
Leading the Way in Uncharted Waters
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February 6 @ 11:45-1:30
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Luncheon & General Meeting
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| ONLINE REIMBURSEMENT FORM IS NOW AVAILABLE
Board members, committee chairs, and others who need to submit reimbursement requests can now do so via our Submit Online Forms page. | UPCOMING COMMITTEE MEETINGS
Because LWVCC committee meetings are for members and their invited guests unless stated otherwise,
members should log in to the website to register
to get the Zoom links for committee meetings. | DEI Committee
January 23 @ 11:30-1:00 | Juvenile Justice Committee
January 30 @ 1:00-3:00
Guest speaker: Clara Calderon, Principal Immokalee High School, to discuss Innovations Academy Career and Technical learning track for career and college bound students | Board Meeting
February 1 @ 9:30-12:00
Collier Community Foundation
| Social Policy Committee
February 2 @ 10:30-12:00
ZOOM NOTE LOCATION CHANGE/REGISTER FOR LINK
Learn about the issues which the LWVFL Women’s Reproductive Health and Justice Action Team work on.
| Environmental Affairs Committee
February 7 @ 9:30-12:00
Collier Community Foundation
| Education Committee
February 15 @ 12:00-1:30 | MISSED AN ISSUE OF THE VOTER?
NEED TO CATCH UP ON THE NEWS?
Check out our updated News & Newsletters page, which has all our latest news and links to current and back issues of The Voter and The LWVCC Update.
| Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy.
The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in Government. We influence public policy through education and advocacy. Our goal is to empower citizens to take an active role in shaping better communities worldwide. The League of Women Voters of Collier County does not support or endorse any candidate or political party.
| League of Women Voters of Collier County
P.O. Box 9883Naples, FL 34101
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