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| Luncheon and General Meeting
March 11, 2024, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Tiburon Golf Club
| Guardian ad Litem:
Dedicated to protecting the
best interests, rights, and safety of vulnerable kids
Presented by
Donna Kordek
Volunteer Recruiter
Florida Judicial Circuit 20
Guardian ad Litem Office (GAL) protects the rights and interests of abused, neglected, abandoned children who are under the jurisdiction of Florida’s dependency courts. Twelve years ago, Donna Kordek began her journey as a Guardian ad Litem volunteer after a successful career as a PR executive for Fortune 500 companies, including Sony, Nintendo, Pfizer, General Electric, DuPont, and McDonald's. Today she is responsible for GAL recruitment in Collier, Glades, and Hendry Counties.
Registration and Payment Must Be Made Online
by Tuesday, March 5, 2024 at 12:00 p.m.
More information and registration | Message from the President
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LWVCC President
Diane Preston Moore
As we welcome in the month of March, we greet the 2024 election season head-on. For League members, election years are a clear reminder of the importance of our Nonpartisan Policy. Being nonpartisan means that the League does not support or oppose any political party or any candidate.
Remaining nonpartisan ensures that we are impartial during Candidate Forums and when working with candidates on Vote411.org (our online voter guide). It allows us to work with elected officials of any party. Our nonpartisanship strengthens our position on issues and, in turn, strengthens the League’s voice.
While the League encourages members to be politically active, the LWVCC has established guidelines in order to maintain the nonpartisanship of our organization. These guidelines for members are found in our Nonpartisan Policy, which was revised slightly, reorganized for clarity, and adopted by the Board in August 2023. To review the Nonpartisan Policy in the LWVCC Handbook, log in to our lwvcolliercounty.org website. Select Member Resources>Document Quick Links> LWVCC - Handbook V2.1a. Or you may simply click
LWVCC-Handbook V2.1a.
The Nonpartisan Policy begins on page 49. Within the policy, there are guidelines about how we interact with the public as League members, on League members’ roles with government, and about League members’ responsibilities at meetings.
- Did you know that members should not discuss candidates or political parties during League meetings, including committee meetings (except in Voter Services meetings with respect to forums or related election activity)?
- Did you know that members and guests may not wear campaign items at League events? Candidates for office, however, are permitted to wear their own campaign items.
Following these guidelines helps ensure that partisanship is not discernible during League events and maintains the League’s integrity as an organization.
NOTE: On April 8th at Tiburon Golf Club, we will hold our Annual Meeting at 10 AM, followed immediately by our April General Meeting at 11:30 AM. Stay tuned for more information about registration, available in mid-March.
LWVCC IN THE NEWS
The LWVCC's own John MacDonald had his article, "The Top 10 Reasons Everyone Should Vote in the Naples City Election" published in the Florida Weekly.
Thank you, Joe Landon and Florida Weekly, for featuring the work of the LWVCC in your column titled "Your vote is your voice: The League of Women Voters of Collier County is here to help."
| Reduce the Rancor, a community forum on civility, occurred on February 7, with almost 900 people attending in person or by watching the live-streamed video. The event was hosted by Greater Naples Leadership, Inc. and co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Collier County, the Naples United Church of Christ, and the Naples Airport Authority.
To mark the occasion, League member Patricia Aiken O’Neill composed the following verse:
| IT’S ON US… TO REDUCE THE RANCOR |
Is there an ability
To restore civility?
It’s on us…to recapture
Ourselves, and our nation
A call for us all
To be calm and
To calm a roaring
Ocean of hate
A rage drowning us all
In its wake
It’s on us… to not conflate
Hate with winning
Truthfully, it’s a synonym
for loss
It’s on us…
To take a moment
To discover and uncover
Shared values
To reset a mindset
And set the record straight
Spinning against hate
“Play it again, Sam”
Amid all the drama, spewing
The language of chaos
Stop for a moment
To listen and learn |
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Not to rebut
But, to honestly hear
To lend an ear
And, reduce the rancor
It’s on us…
To look into our myopic lens
And see more clearly
To adjust the tempo
To breathe a new normal
And, attempt to temper
the distemper
It’s on us…
We know who we are
And what we can be
Let’s commit to it
If fear is our enemy
Civility can be our armor
It’s on all of us… to try it on
Reduce the Rancor
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For more information about the forum, visit the Greater Naples Leadership website https://www.gnlwebsite.org/,
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Rev. Dr Sharon Harris-Ewing, of the Interfaith Alliance of Southwest Florida, shared her thoughts after serving on the panel of Reduce the Rancor: A Free Community Forum on Civility.
"As a panelist at the Greater Naples Leadership event, I was asked, “What do you think are the necessary conditions for civility to be possible?” My response is that Civil discourse requires that we share some specific values and skills.
First, we must all affirm the fundamental value of every person, the belief that every single human being is inherently worthy of respect, dignity, and civil rights—equal rights under the law. Acting on this value, we assume that others have something of value to offer us.
Second, civil discourse requires an open mind and open heart. An open mind means that I am curious; I seek to learn from others. I don’t assume I already know what they think or believe. An open heart means I strive to practice empathy. I want to see the world through others’ eyes, to understand how their experiences have led them to think and feel the way they do.
Third, civility requires humility. I don’t know everything. I’m not always right. I can learn from you even if I disagree with you. If I am convinced that I’m right, I might appear to listen, but I’m not trying to understand or connect, I’m just waiting for you to finish.
Finally, for civil discourse to occur across real and meaningful differences, we have to value it. We have to believe in the value of entering into relationships with people who are different, building an inclusive community, and celebrating diversity. That leads directly to the skills required: listening, patience, and particular ways of thinking.
Listening is a skill that can be practiced and improved. There’s an old adage about one mouth and two ears. We would do well to speak less and listen more. We need to listen to learn: to understand a different point of view, to see from another’s perspective, and to learn about others’ experiences.
Being patient is also a skill that can be practiced and improved. Responding with patience may mean silencing our knee-jerk reactions, taking a deep breath, bearing with someone as she tries to explain herself or as he gathers his thoughts. Patience may mean slowing down one’s own response, thinking before speaking, and sometimes not speaking at all.
Critical, divergent, imaginative, and compassionate thinking is also a skill, one that takes hard work, but can be improved. It’s being able to think outside the box, specifically my own “box,” taking off whatever blinders limit my vision so that I can see both sides of an issue. It’s being willing and able to find common ground even when others say there is none.
In this coming election year, our community would be well served if more of us committed ourselves to developing these shared values and skills required for civil discourse."
The LWVCC thanks Dr. Sharon Harris-Ewing for writing this article as a follow-up to the forum.
| Black History Month Book Talk
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How do we reach the Beloved Community?
To commemorate Black History Month, LWVCC members Yvonne Hill and Alison Wescott organized a book talk and an extensive exhibit at the main branch of the Collier County Public Library. Author Ray Arsenault, cousin of local artist Paul Arsenault, presented his new book, John Lewis: In Search of a Beloved Community, the first biography of this great American hero.
Over 100 visitors listened as Arsenault traced Lewis's upbringing in rural Alabama, his activism as a Freedom Rider and leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, his championing of voting rights and anti-poverty initiatives, and his decades of service as the "conscience of Congress."
The League of Women Voters continues to defend these rights as defined in the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which states “the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” John Lewis dedicated his whole life to this cause. Take the time to read this book, available on Amazon books.
The event was sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Collier County, the NAACP, and the Collier County Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. The Exhibit was designed and curated by the Circle of Community Leadership.
A more detailed report of the book talk is available on the LWVCC website.
| A Night of Non-Partisan No-Nonsense News
| On February 22nd over 130 LWVCC members and guests gathered at The Club at Olde Cypress to Celebrate the League. The event started with a 4:30 pm Speaker’s Reception. Pam James and John Davis were there to mingle and chat with attendees one-on-one. A Cocktail Hour and Silent Auction followed at 5:30. This year’s auction included 26 auction items, Know Your County Government Fund-a-Need, and a Cork Pull for 32 bottles of wine generously donated by our members.
Dinner was kicked off with remarks by President Diane Preston Moore. “Our mission today is the same as it was back in 1920 when the League was formed as a source of information to help 20 million new women voters to vote. Over a century later, the League is still thriving, still empowering voters and still defending democracy. And men are League members, too and play an important role in our organization.”
Next, Diane introduced Event Chair Teresa Stohs who thanked the Celebrate the League committee, especially Susan Sonnenschein, Wendy Riedel, Sue Savage, our pro bono photographer Tony Zollo and President Diane Preston Moore. “Her leadership is unparalleled, and her commitment to the mission of the League, and all the various activities is outstanding.”
The guest speakers presented a “Fire Side Chat” format on how NPR provides non-partisan no-nonsense news. Their presentation was built around 9 questions from the Board of Directors about local news reporting in an election year. John Davis remarked that it was becoming more and more difficult to talk directly to candidates. Many do not respond to inquiries and shrug off repeated calls and emails. Executive Director of Content, Pam James, announced “a plan to start a WGCU TV local news broadcast that will begin as a weekly program for the first year. Upon further funding and staffing it will become a nightly newscast.” A Q&A with attendees closed the activities.
The proceeds from the event will go toward Voter Services in this important election year. While final numbers are not yet released, it looks like this year’s event raised more money than last year’s. Vote411.org and go to good use as we work to Engage Younger Voters (ages 21-40), provide non-partisan candidate information through Vote411.org, and help Collier County residents register to vote.
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Juvenile Justice Committee
Libbie Bramson, Chair
Our Most Vulnerable Kids
In February, the Juvenile Justice Committee continued refining implementation tactics for our Civil Citation and Hybrid School Discipline goals. We also contacted our State Senator and Representatives, as well as sponsors of HB 1181/SB 1274 to express our opposition to this bill that proposes to rename “Civil Citation” to “Pre-Arrest Delinquency Citation” among other things.
Note: this bill is scheduled for its second reading and likely to pass unless it hears from concerned citizens.
At the March 11 Luncheon and General Meeting, hosted by the JJC, Donna Kordek, from the Guardian ad Litem Office, will be the guest speaker. To learn more about this area of Juvenile Justice, plan to attend the March 11th Luncheon. Invite a guest, too! Register here.
On March 22, Leslie O’Hallorhan, Children’s Network of Southwest Florida, will speak at our monthly JJC meeting (date change because of Good Friday). Leslie is Family Mentor Coordinator to Community Outreach and Development. She will address the role of the CNSWF in protecting at-risk kids under the court’s jurisdiction, as well as recent programs to support these children and increase the probability for their successful futures. |
Environmental Affairs Committee
Lynn Martin, Patti Forkan, Co-Chairs
At our February meeting, our guest speakers were Eugene Wordehoff, a member of the Collier Citizen’s Council and Nanette Rivera, a current Board Member at The Conservancy. They spoke to us about the need for Collier County to upgrade its wastewater treatment plants to use advanced wastewater treatment technology.
As background, excess nutrients, mainly nitrogen and phosphorus, can lead to overgrowth of algae, reduced oxygen and toxins in water bodies, causing harm to humans, animals and aquatic life. A significant cause of the nutrient pollution is runoff from reclaimed water often combined with fertilizer, especially in the rainy season. The Collier County Pollution Control Department has recommended to the BCC that the wastewater treatment plants be upgraded to use advanced technology which would reduce the level of nitrogen and phosphorous in reclaimed water.
Our speakers asked the League to consider supporting the Pollution Control Department’s recommendation. We will consider this request at our next meeting.
Other topics discussed at our meeting included a report on the successful Everglades Coalition Conference. Ten members of our League attended the conference, staffed a table and enjoyed presentations on Everglades restoration, conservation easements, Big Cypress, and reef recovery. The committee meeting concluded with a review of the environmental bills in front of the legislature.
In February, a federal court ruled that FDEP can no longer issue 404 wetland permits for land that impacts endangered species. Our League has advocated for limits on development in the RLSA, which impacts the Florida panther and other endangered species. At our March meeting, Amber Crooks, Environmental Policy Manager at The Conservancy, will discuss the details of this huge victory. | Plastics Task Force
Loralee LeBouef, Charlotte Nycklemoe, Leads
plastics@lwvcolliercounty.org
As we wait in vain for our legislature to repeal the ban on the ban of plastic bags and witness an even more broad bill heading to the Governor that expands the preemption to include even more plastic containers, the Plastics Task Force is inspired by the enthusiasm of the local audiences at our presentations. So many great questions have been asked by the attendees at the recent “Pass on Plastics” presentations at the Baker Senior Center and the Naples United Church of Christ and I know more questions will arise at the Pelican Bay Women’s league in March and the Naples Park Association in April.
If we cannot convince our elected officials to join us in reducing and reusing harmful plastics, then we must join together to cause a groundswell of action. We can do much individually to protect our environment, but united we become strong and even more effective. Share the information you’ve learned with all your families, friends and neighbors!
Our Governor holds the wild card. If enough of us contact him perhaps he’ll veto Senate Bill 1126. YES WE CAN MAKE A CHANGE!
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Education Committee
Nancy Chism, Pat Plummer, Co-Chairs
The Education Committee’s Opinion Piece, “Kindergarten: Ready or Not?” in the Naples Daily News was the result of a three month study of public and private PreK programs and teacher preparation efforts. At her October presentation to LWVCC Superintendent Ricciardelli noted that the lack of PreK opportunity was a serious challenge to CCPS and this week committee members met with the superintendent again to discuss our work on PreK and ask about additional CCPS priorities. The Education committee is creating a plan for further work in the next year supporting public Education.
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Membership Committee
Beth VanDamme, Chair
Welcome New Members:
| Lucas Benn |
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Jeannie Hutzler |
Mary Chernugal
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Gail Kedrus |
| Roanna Handy |
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Sherrie Meek |
| Jessie Howkins |
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Barbara Mulcahy |
| Judy and Len Rothman |
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LWVCC Book Club Winter 2024 Meeting
The theme for this meeting is "Banned Books," Thursday March 14 at 4:00 p.m.. Clubhouse at Park Shore Tower, 4251 Gulf Shore Blvd. North. We have selected The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.
You must register for this meeting on the LWVCC website. Registrants will receive an email with directions and parking instructions.
| League News From Across the Country
| National League News
For more information, visit LWV.org.
State League News
For more information, visit LWVFL.org.
| 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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