JANUARY LUNCHEON & GENERAL MEETING
January 8 @ 11:45-1:30
Tiburon Golf Club
Amendment 4:
the path forward for restoring voting rights
presented by
Neil Volz
Deputy Director
Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC)
MORE INFORMATION & REGISTRATION
Registration and payment must be made online
by January 4 @ 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!
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Join the 27th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Parade & Celebration
Monday January 15, 2024
Hosted by the NAACP
Meet at the Cambier Park Bandshell 9:30-10:00 a.m. Or later if you prefer, at 10:30 at the Corner of 3rd Street South and Broad Ave. S.
Celebration continues in Cambier Park from 12 - 3 p.m.
Volunteer to march, register new LWV members, register voters. Staff the LWVCC information table in Cambier Park after the Parade. For more information contact Tina Palmese tpalmese@aol.com
| LWVCC SPONSORS FORUM ON CIVILITY
Wednesday February 7 @ 3:00-5:00
Naples United Church of Christ
Mark your calendar for "Reduce the Rancor, A Free Community Forum on the Incivility Crisis in Collier County" on Wednesday, February 7, 2024 from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM at the 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 wellbeing in the community. 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./span>
The event is free, but registration is required.
REGISTER
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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. You can volunteer and learn, chaperoning 35 civic minded CCPS high school students as they learn how government works in Collier County, visiting agencies, meeting administrators and commissioners, and observing the court room and a Commissioner’s meeting.
Field trip days are Tuesday, January 23; Tuesday, February 13, and Tuesday, March 26.
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HELP WANTED
Are you comfortable with Instagram? Interested in learning more about Social Media? We are looking for a volunteer for the Communications Team to help with our Instagram account and we will be working with outside resources to update and energize our campaign for the upcoming election season. Volunteers are also needed for the Energizing Young Voters initiative, a combined project with Communications and Voter Services to persuade voters 18-35 to vote this season. Contact Stacy Vermylen if you can help! | LWVCC SPEAKS OUT ON EDUCATION
The December 10 issue of the News-Press featured an opinion piece, "Reject current legislation, support open inquiry in education" by LWVCC President Diane Preston Moore and Education Committee Co-chairs Pat Plummer and Nancy Chism. It calls out to those opposed to book bans to contact their legislators to make their opposition known.
| MARJORY STONEMAN DOUGLAS BEYOND THE EVERGLADES
At our December general meeting, Eve Samples gave a very good presentation about the Everglades legacy of Marjory Stoneman Douglas, a real over-achiever who was ahead of her time (1890-1998). She advocated against racism, for women’s rights and environmental causes including the effort to save the Everglades. Her words are important for all the advocacy positions of the League:
“Don’t think it is enough to attend meetings and sit there like a lump…. It is better to address envelopes than to attend foolish meetings. It is better to study than act too quickly; but it is best to be ready to act intelligently when the appropriate opportunity arises… Speak up. Learn to talk clearly and forcefully in public. Speak simply and not too long at a time, without over-emotion, always from sound preparation and knowledge. Be a nuisance where it counts, but don’t be a bore at any time… Do your part to inform and stimulate the public to join your action…. Be depressed, discouraged and disappointed at failure and the disheartening effects of ignorance, greed, corruption and bad politics — but never give up.” ― Marjory Stoneman Douglas
It is a shame that Marjory Stoneman Douglas’ name is primarily known as the high school in Parkland, Florida where 17 students and teachers were killed on February 14, 2018. Five years later, assault weapons are still the weapon of choice for mass shootings. Nothing of real significance has changed to reduce gun violence. Let’s use the name and words of Marjory Stoneman Douglas, as inspiration to intensify our efforts to educate and advocate for legislation that will save lives. Gun violence prevention is an important issue for the Social Policy Committee. Our newly formed subcommittee will be planning how best to educate and advocate for safety measures. Gun deaths, both homicides and suicides, in US children under age 18 have dramatically increased in the last two years. With an increasing number of firearms in homes combined with insufficient mental health resources, this is not surprising.
To learn more about the state of youth mental health services in our community, you are invited to attend a free community forum presented by Naples United Church of Christ on Wednesday, January 10, 2024 from 3 to 5 p.m. |  | MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL
Are you renewing your LWVCC membership in the next couple of months?
If you are, you will see that we have added a “page” to the renewal process, inquiring about your “interests”. (Note: we have also eliminated several pages!) We have captured “interests” for those of you who joined LWVCC after December 2020 (the implementation of Club Express). But we have never captured the “interests” of our “legacy” members (those who joined before December 2020). All our legacy members renew during this period.
The information we collect will help the Board of Directors and Committee Chairs ensure that we are meeting the needs and desires of our members. Let us know what your focus is as a League member. Please complete the “interests” page regardless of your membership on any committees.
This is a one-time initiative. The “interests” page will be eliminated from the renewal process March 1. It will remain as an inquiry for new members.You can update your interests at any time by logging in to the website, hovering over your name to click on your profile, and clicking on the "Interests" link in the lower right corner.
Feel free to contact Jan Eustis with questions. Thank you for your cooperation and support.
Note: You will receive a notification from Club Express
30 days before your membership is due to expire. | 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 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 Pattie Forkan or Lynn Martin know if you want to take advantage of this offer; 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. 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 sign up someone to come just for dinner and not the whole conference.
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CANDIDATE FORUM VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Pat Aiken-O'Neill and Paula Schwerin, coordinators for the February 1, 2024, City Council and Mayor Forum, are seeking volunteers both before the event and at the event. Please contact them for more information or to offer your help. It is going to be a very important event for our local government.
Before the event, we need 8-10 volunteers to draft and review questions for the candidates (meeting to occur in January ) and to assist with publicity. At the event, we will need 20 volunteers to set up, serve as greeters, represent LWVCC at table, and to collect and vet questions from the audience for moderator.
Contact Patricia Aiken-O'Neill or Paula Schwerin. |   It is not too late to sign the petitions!
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UPCOMING EVENTS |
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January 8 @ 11:45-1:30
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January Luncheon & General Meeting
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January 16 @ 4:00-6:00
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January Wine & Wisdom
Endowment 101
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January 23-25
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LWVFL Lobby Days
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January 25-27
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Everglades Coalition Conference
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February 1 @ 5:00-8:30
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Naples City Candidate Forum
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Fevruary 7 @ 3:00-5:00
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Reduce the Rancor
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February 21 @ 4:00-5:00
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Plastics 101
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February 22, 2024
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Celebrate the League
Non-Partisan, No-Nonsense News
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Visit the LWVCC Calendar for event details
| 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 and other events. | Board Meeting
January 3 @ 9:30-12:00
Moorings Park Conference Room
| Plastics Task Force Meeting
January 4 @3:30-4:30
Zoom | Education Committee Meeting
January 10 @ 12:00-1:30
North Naples Government Center Meeting Room | Environmental Affairs Committee Meeting
January 11@ 10:00-12:00
Collier Community Foundation
Kevin Godsea will speak 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. | 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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