MARCH LUNCHEON & GENERAL MEETING
March 13 @ 11:30-1:30
Tiburon Golf Club
An Ounce of Prevention
Equals Pounds of Positive Returns
presented by
Chuck Bradley
Director of Positive Prevention
Lee County School District
MORE INFORMATION & REGISTRATION
Registration and payment must be made online
by TODAY @ 3:00 PM
Late registration/walk in price will be strictly enforced
Help build our League and educate the general public! Our most effective method of membership recruitment is the General Meeting! Invite a guest to our next General Meeting and support LWVCC!
|  MARCH 2023 WINE & WISDOM"Plastics 101"
March 21 @ 4:30-5:00
We are literally drowning in Plastics! It is overwhelming our planet. What can we do about it? Come hear the League's "Plastics 101" presentation. You will learn the scope of the problem and some practical ideas for being part of the solution.
REGISTER NOW | IMMOKALEE FIELD TRIP
March 30 @ 8:30-3:0
Join the LWVCC DEI Committee on a field trip to Immokalee. Learn about the hard-won progress of the Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance, the Gardens of Abundance, the Coalition of Immokalee Farmworkers, the Fair Food Alliance and RCMA. Wrap-up the day with a trip to the Pinhookers Market (a regional farmers’ market that is out of this world!).
Meet the people who are creating the change we want to see in safe and affordable housing, nutrition, ending modern day slavery, educating children, and empowering Florida's most vulnerable families! Join us at the table with special luncheon guests. Our guides are Pam Brown, well known Leaguer and 5th generation Immokalee rancher and Gloria Padilla, Immokalee resident and RCMA staff. Don’t miss this opportunity!! Transportation by carpool. Make new friends. Contact Tina Palmese, or Alison Wescott for more information. Log into our website to register.
|  SOCIAL POLICY COMMITTEE SPECIAL MEETING
March 30 @ 10:30-12:00
Moorings Park Building O Social Room
Over 1,000 people received some assistance in Collier County last year! Fifty to sixty people call each day. What resources are available in Collier for those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness? Come learn from Mitch Watson, Coordinator Services Director, about the services that the Hunger & Homeless Coalition of Collier provides for people with housing and other needs.
| IN CELEBRATION & APPRECIATION...
On March 6 the Tech Team gathered to thank Patricia Rodilosso for her leadership in implementing Club Express, the LWVCC's website and membership management system. Her contribution has been invaluable! We wish her the best as she "moves on". She promises to stay in touch with the League! Thank you, Patricia! |  |  SOLAR CO-OP WELCOMING NEW MEMBERS THROUGH APRIL
Here’s a story idea for you on solar that could have tangible benefit to listeners: As a result of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the financial benefits of going solar this year are unprecedented and may not be available after the 2024 election: 30% of the costs to install a solar panel system and/or a battery back-up system (labor and materials) will be reimbursed to purchasers through federal tax credit. In addition, the current net metering enables solar power users to be reimbursed by the utility companies for excess energy produced, a benefit that is locked in for the next twenty years for users who get solar in 2023 but could disappear after the 2024 elections. The easiest, most efficient way to go solar is through a co-op. The benefits of going solar through a co-op are that it saves the buyer an enormous amount of time in research and decision making about exactly what to purchase and from whom. Co-ops also convey bulk purchasing power to lower equipment and labor costs. The Southwest Florida Solar Co-op that was started in January of this year is open to new members only through April 30 of this year. The Co-op covers Lee and Collier counties and is administered by Solar United Neighbors (SUN), a statewide non-profit that educates consumers about transitioning to solar. For more information contact Gary Bromley. |  KNOW YOUR COUNTY GOVERNMENT
STUDENTS VOTE
On February 22, 45 junior and senior high school students participated in Know Your County Government, a program designed to expose students to a wide range of county government departments, to foster informed civic participation among young voters, and to educate students on career opportunities within county government. Students met with the Tax Collector, Sherriff’s Department, Department of Health, Public Services, the Collier County Museum, Supervisor of Elections, and Traffic Management. In preparation for students voting in the 2024 election, students were able to vote on a mock ballot that had Amendments such as “Should voting be mandatory in Florida,” (55% were in favor) and “Should students be paid for going to school?” (only 38% were in favor). | "Know Your County Government" 2023
YOU CAN STILL VOLUNTEER & LEARN!
There is still one session left in this wonderful opportunity to accompany high school students as a "chaperone", and visit multiple County offices, learning how the County operates. Meet with County administrators and Commissioners, while interacting with civic-minded high school students. This program, in its 40th year, is sponsored by the Education Committee, in conjunction with Collier County Public Schools and 4H. Date and approximate times for the remaining field trip day are: Tuesday, March 28, 8am to 2pm. Log in to the LWVCC website, then volunteer; or email Jan Eustis.
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WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT OUR ELECTION PROCESS?
The Voter Services Committee's next tour of the Supervisor of Elections office is on March 20. The tours take about 2 hours
The goal for these tours is to build confidence about our elections and we encourage those who participate to be ambassadors for our office while in the community. The tours are a great way to meet the staff and get an understanding of how elections take place in our county.
Limited to 15 people per tour, and if we have too many people, we can book another.
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The League has formed a partnership with Florida Weekly, a free local newspaper published once a week, to further the education of voters as part of the Get-Out-the-Vote campaign. The paper will print regular non-partisan articles, using the LWV logo, about upcoming elections, registration, voting options, and forums, culminating in a four-page Voter Guide in August for the Primary Election and again in late October for the General Election. Links to recent articles will be provided here in the LWVCC Update.
What does the community want in a school superintendent?
League of Women Voters mobilizes for Florida Right to Clean Water |
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UPCOMING EVENTS |
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March 13 @ 11:45-1:30
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Luncheon & General Meeting
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March 20 @ 10:00-12:00
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SOE Transparency Tour
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March 21 @ 4:30-6:00
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Wine & Wisdom
Plastics 101
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March 29 @ 1:00
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League 101
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March 30
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Immokalee Field Trip
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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. | Education Committee
Collier Community Foundation
March 15 @ 12:00-1:30 | DEI Committee
March 28 @ 11:30-1:00 | Social Policy Committee
March 30 @ 10:30-12:00
Moorings Park Building O Social Room
Special Meeting: Hunger & Homeless Coalition of Collier County
| Board Meeting
April 3 @ 9:30-12:00
Collier Community Foundation
| Environmental Affairs Committee
April 13 @ 9:30-12:00
| 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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