Luncheon and General Meeting
January 8, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Tiburon Golf Club
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Amendment 4:
the path forward for restoring voting rights
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Presented by
Neil Volz
Deputy Director
Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC)
Neil Volz helped lead the successful effort to pass Amendment 4, which ended the lifetime ban on voting for people with past convictions in the state of Florida and restored voting eligibility for 1.4 million people, representing the largest expansion of US democracy in a generation. At our luncheon, he will be speaking on returning citizens initiatives.
Registration and Payment Must Be Made Online
by 3:00 p.m., December 4
More information and registration | Message from the President
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LWVCC President
Diane Preston Moore
Happy New Year!
Our League’s nonpartisan voice is strong and powerful on its own. In 2023, we expanded the impact of LWVCC’s voice by partnering with other local community organizations, including co-sponsoring the Affordable Housing Forum with Greater Naples Leadership, marching in the Naples NAACP-organized MLK Day Parade, providing voter information at The Conservancy’s Earth Day Celebration in April, at Naples Pridefest in June, and at the NAACP’s Juneteenth celebration.
We reached out, spoke out, engaged with and wrote to our community:
- By co-sponsoring the 40th year of Know Your County Government with 4H and CCPS, leading over 40 local high school students on tours of various Collier County government offices.
- By the Plastics Task Force’s educating community groups about the dangers of single-use plastics and how to reduce our use of such items.
- By Suzanne Low’s giving a statewide presentation on Deciphering the National Popular Vote.
- By Social Policy Committee’s creating 3 new subcommittees to address Affordable Housing, Gun Violence Prevention, and Reproductive Rights – and by working with Floridians Protecting Freedom to collect petitions seeking to put an amendment limiting government interference with abortion on the November 2024 ballot.
- By the Returning Citizens Subcommittee of Voter Services’ cumulatively sending over 7000 postcards to former felons, advising them of ways to find out whether they are eligible to have their voting rights restored.
As we look forward into 2024, LWVCC will continue to lead our community using its nonpartisan voice.
Stay tuned for information on several upcoming events in January and February, including:
- Marching in the Martin Luther King Day Parade on January 15th.
- Opportunities to volunteer with 2024 Know Your County Government program.
- Volunteer opportunities with the Candidate Forum for Naples City Council and Mayoral races hosted by LWVCC on February 1st.
- “Reduce The Rancor: A Free Community Forum On The Incivility Crisis In Collier County”, presented by Greater Naples Leadership, co-sponsored by LWVCC, Naples United Church of Christ and the Naples Airport Authority on February 7th.
- Book event and Voting Rights exhibit centered on the life of John Lewis and a new book, “John Lewis: In Search of the Beloved Community” by Ray Arsenault, co-sponsored by the LWVCC and the Collier County Public Library on February 15th.
We cannot do our work without you, and I hope to see you at one or more of these exciting events. In League, Diane
| "Reduce the Rancor, A Free Community Forum on the Incivility Crisis in Collier County" will be held on Wednesday, February 7, 2024 from 3:00-5:00 p.m., Naples United Church of Christ, 5200 Crayton Road, Naples.
Notable speakers will address the growing concern about increased polarization among people, its causes and effects, and ways to restore well-being in the community. Speakers will offer insights into the problems and solutions.
Speakers include:
- Moderator, Mike Kiniry of WGCU
- The Honorable Dick Gephardt - Former U.S. Congressman
- The Honorable Francis Rooney - Former U.S. Congressman
- Andy Solis - Former Collier County Commissioner
- Nick Penniman - retired newspaper publisher
- Tim Love - Author, Discovering Truth
- Rev. Dr. Sharon Harris Ewing - co-founder of SWFL Interfaith Alliance
- Gunther Winkler - President of Greater Naples Leadership
"Reduce the Rancor" is presented by Greater Naples Leadership and co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Collier County, Naples Airport Authority, and the Naples United Church of Christ.
The event is free, but registration is required. Please register at https://www.gnlwebsite.org/reduce-the-rancor/.
| Wine & Wisdom: Endowment 101
| Helen E. Franke was the President of the League of Women Voters of Collier County from 1979-1981. Through her estate, she made the first gift to start the LWVCC Endowment Fund. Individuals who give any amount in 2023-2024 will be recognized as charter members of the LWVCC Helen Franke Legacy Society.
Come to Wine & Wisdom on January 16, 4 p.m,, at Altavilla Pizza & Trattoria to learn about the importance of an endowment for the sustainability of LWVCC. Lindsey Touchette, Vice President of Community Engagement, Collier Community Foundation, will also be on hand to discuss the benefits of an endowment. Discover how much is in our current endowment, our future plans, and enjoy great food with a cash bar. Feel free to bring a family member and another LWVCC member. RSVP required.
Questions? Contact Suzanne Low or Teresa Stohs. | Everglades Coalition Conference
January 25-27, 2024
Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa
Bonita Springs
| The LWVFL/LWVCC is a sponsor and will have a table at this exciting EVCO Conference from January 25-27, 2024. It will be held locally for the first time in years. We encourage anyone from the League to attend. We have two scholarships worth $175 to cover the registration cost for any League member wishing to attend. Please let Patti Forkan or Lynn Martin know if you want to take advantage of this offer and if you will attend the whole conference or just on certain days. “First come first served.”
The Everglades Coalition is an alliance of nearly 60 local, state, and national conservation and environmental organizations dedicated to full restoration of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem. It is a wonderful opportunity to meet representatives from these groups as well as hear speakers ranging from government officials to tribal representatives and many experts on a range of issues. It is not only a wonderful learning experience but also fun. We have a table and are looking for volunteers to help at our table…especially to talk about plastics. If you volunteer, it won’t be for long stretches.
Register Here: www.evergladescoalition.org
When you register, you will have a choice of full conference or one day. Plus you can sign up for meals, including two dinners on Friday and Saturday evenings. You can also sign up someone to come just for dinner and not the whole conference. |
The theme of this year’s Celebrate the League event is “Nonpartisan, No Nonsense News.”
As of this writing there are 24 dinner tickets left for LWVCC’s annual fundraiser on February 22. So, if you are interested, or you initially registered without a spouse or guest, now is the time to get those extra tickets. There are about 20 tickets for the Speaker’s Reception which will be held prior to dinner. Click here to purchase tickets.
Our speakers will be Pam James, Executive Producer of Content, and John Davis, Assistant News Director, Gulf Coast Life Arts Edition, and Morning Edition Host and Reporter for WGCU. Together they will share their thoughts and experiences about how to provide non-partisan news during an election year. Their “fireside chat” will be followed by a Q & A.
Prior to dinner there will be a cocktail hour and silent auction. A few auction highlights include:
- Cypress Cove Tour
- Total Wine Class for 20
- Private Gallery Tour with artist John Carroll Long, including Wine & Appetizers by Stacy Vermylen
- Panther Encounter Naples Zoo
- Child’s Dress Size 3 Handmade by Judy Hushon
A part of this year’s auction will be a “Cork Pull.” Participants will purchase a $20 ticket to be redeemed for a numbered cork. That cork will be matched with a numbered bottle of wine. The wine will come with a description and details about the wine. All wines will have a retail value of $20 or more. Wine is being donated by LWVCC members.
For more information contact Teresa Stohs, or visit the LWVCC website.
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Education Committee
Nancy Chism, Pat Plummer, Co-Chairs
At our December 13 meeting, the Education Committee welcomed Jessica Campbell and Christen Krembs from Fun Time Academy to talk about their programs. We will continue our exploration of PreK issues in January when Dr. Tim Ferguson from FGCU will come to talk with us about an innovative early childhood program that the University is opening on the campus of FSW in collaboration with the Naples Children & Education Foundation.
The Know Your County Government program to introduce high school students to Collier County offices is in its 41st year. See below for more information. A small group of committee members will explore offering this program for adults in 2024.
Member Laura Hanson Reynolds joined with members of the Coalition for Quality Public Education in speaking to education issues with Michelle Barre in the office of Representative Lauren Melo.
The committee and President Diane Preston Moore submitted a Guest Commentary to the Naples Daily News that was published on December 10 in the Perspectives section.
Our January meeting is scheduled for noon on Wednesday, January 10 in the North Collier Government Center conference room on Orange Blossom.
KNOW YOUR COUNTY GOVERNMENT, OUR 41st YEAR
This exciting program is co-sponsored by the LWVCC Education Committee, Collier County 4-H, and the Collier County Public Schools. Thirty five CCPS high school students spend 3 days learning how government works in Collier County, visiting agencies, meeting administrators commissioners, and observing the court room and a Commissioner’s meeting. If you would like to interact with civic-minded high schools students, and see part of County government you may not have seen before, you can volunteer to chaperone.
Field trip days are Tuesday, January 23, Tuesday, February 13, and Tuesday, March 26.
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Environmental Affairs Committee
Lynn Martin, Patti Forkan, Co-Chairs
At our December meeting, the speaker was Marisa Carrozzo, Senior Coastal & Wildlife Program Manager with the National Parks Conservation Association’s (NCPA’s) Sun Coast Region.
Marisa came to tell us about NPCA and the Everglades Coalition annual Conference in January. NPCA’S mission is to protect and enhance National Parks for future generations. She also discussed the Everglades Coalition (EVCO), which has 58 member organizations, including the LWVFL. See above for information about the EVCO annual conference next month in Bonita Springs. Read more about both of these organizations on the LWVCC website.
Judy Hushon discussed the recent release of ACUNE+. ACUNE is a software modeling tool to measure sea level rise, nuisance flooding, storm surge in Collier County. The + module adds inundation, inland flooding and the benefit of mangroves.
Patti Forkan reviewed the LWVCC’s involvement with the 404-permitting process for Bellmar a new development in eastern Collier. This development will be 1 mile from the Florida Panther Wildlife Refuge and will destroy 144 acres of critical wetlands. FDEP held a hearing in Naples in December. The LWVCC and 8 of our committee members individually submitted written comments opposed to this development which will be built on primary panther breeding habitat. Bellmar, in addition to other proposed developments in eastern Collier, will cause significant panther fatalities from greater traffic collisions.
Our next meeting on January 11, 2024 will feature Kevin Godsea speaking about the “Everglades to Gulf Conservation Area.” He is refuge manager at the Southwest Florida National Wildlife Refuge Complex which includes “Ding” Darling, Florida Panther, Ten Thousand Islands, Pine Island, Matlacha Pass, Island Bay and Caloosahatchee NWRs. Mr. Godsea has been serving as refuge manager for Florida Panther and Ten Thousand Islands NWRs for the past 10 years. | Plastics Task Force
Loralee LeBouef, Charlotte Nycklemoe, Leads
plastics@lwvcolliercounty.org
The Plastics Task Force is welcoming the new year with six confirmed presentations scheduled for various organizations within Collier County.
Our goal for 2023-24 has been to create awareness within our community of the harmful effects of plastics and to encourage the practice of the 4 rules: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. How thrilled we are to witness the increased knowledge of the public evidenced by audience comments as they commit to taking our Plastics Pledge handed out at each event!
Our expert in-house researcher, Sara Werder, will begin leading our TF members' educational series in 2024 by presenting two articles per week on the latest and greatest news regarding plastics. My co-chair, Loralee Leboeuf, and I encourage League members to join our TF as we focus on tracing the path of plastics recycling to the source of dissemination in the city of Naples. Check out our extensive content on the LWVCC website!
TIP: I add one Blueland tablet to 9 oz of water in a glass container to produce a wonderful, foaming hand soap! Love it! If you want to know where I get the tablets…ASK ME!
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Juvenile Justice Committee
Libbie Bramson, Chair
Our Kids are Our Future!
In early December, 2023, the Juvenile Justice Committee visited Pace Center for Girls Collier at Immokalee where we learned about helping at-risk girls overcome their histories of trauma and achieve their vision of success. Besides the excellent Pace statistics, we were especially impressed by: our Pace guides Alyze and Shantal, the smiles of all the girls we encountered as we toured the school, and the upbeat decorative posters created by the girls throughout the halls reminding us about Empowerment, Girl Power, and Honoring the Female Spirit. We couldn’t help but smile and feel our spirits soar, too!
Read more about our visit to the Pace Center on the LWVCC website.
At our next meeting on January 23, 2024, Hemlal Kafle, from the Collier County Public Schools, will discuss programs for homeless and foster kids to provide them with consistent and high quality educational experiences that enable them to achieve their maximum potential. The meeting will begin at 10:00 am at Finemark Bank, Waterside.
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Membership Committee
Beth VanDamme, Chair
Welcome New Members:
Elsa Cantoni
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Maria Grandinette |
Dani Cruz (Univ. of
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Anne J. Kaplan |
| Central Florida student) |
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Daria Rossi-Gutchess |
| Frazier Gardella |
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Jan Shea
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| Marsha Feder Goldstein |
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Barbara Suden
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| League News From Across the Country
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| Please refer to the LWVCC Weekly Update for a complete list of upcoming events or visit the LWVCC website: lwvcolliercounty.org.
Members should log in to ensure they see members-only events and registration options. | 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 9883, Naples, FL 34101
Sent by lwvcc@lwvcolliercounty.org
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