Dear ~~first_name~~,
Greetings from LWV-Wake.
Happy Memorial Day. As we remember those who have fought and served our country, we are also in mourning for our country. Two mass shootings that took the lives of 10 in Buffalo who were killed solely for being black, as well as 19 children and 2 teachers in Uvalde, Texas, have once again given rise to anger and anguish. Our country continues to struggle balancing gun rights with public safety rights for routine activities, like grocery shopping, attending church and sending children to school. Needless to say, voting has never been more important. In fact, one might say it could be a matter of life and death.
For those who want to get involved and raise awareness for gun violence, there are two events coming up in Raleigh.
- Saturday, June 4th 10am - Chavis Park is the NC-Triangle-Wear Orange Community Awareness Day. Gather with survivors, volunteers, and leaders from throughout the Triangle to begin Wear Orange weekend. Picnic with snacks, soft drinks, games and kids' activities. This celebration will lift the voices of Survivors and take action in our community. Hosted by Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund.
- Sunday, June 5th 11am - Meet in front the the NCGA 16 West Jones St. and walk through downtown Raleigh to raise awareness for victims of gun violence.
Presentation on Best Babies Zone - June 14th 12pm
Please join the Healthcare and Women’s Rights Committees for a special presentation on Wake County’s Best Babies Zone Program, a community driven initiative that focuses on addressing infant mortality and health disparities, particularly in Southeast Raleigh. The event is open to the public. For more information and to register, scroll down.
Litterati Challenge
The LWV-Wake Environment Committee’s litter pickers are embarking on a new challenge, "Finish with a Boom" to close out their commitment to Wake County’s 10-month litter cleanup campaign using the Litterati phone app. Beginning June 1 and continuing through June 30, this challenge features a pick-up and picnic event in the East College Park area of south Raleigh on June 5. In this established neighborhood, new affordable housing made possible through the recent housing bond is being constructed. As with all construction, quite a bit of litter is being generated, and Leaguers plan to join with residents to help tidy up.
To date, ten LWV participants have contributed 2,474 pieces of litter to Wake County’s 21,292 pieces of litter and three Leaguers are in the county’s top ten on the leaderboard! With this final challenge, totals are expected to hit the 3,000 pieces mark.
All Leaguers are invited to join us for this challenge. If you have the Litterati app, join the challenge using the code BIGBOOM. If you don’t have the app but would like to participate in the pick-up and pick-nick event, email Jeri Gray to get on the email list for upcoming details.
Coming to an Inbox Near You - Membership Renewals
Although our new website allows an annual renewal of dues based on your individual registration date, many of our long-standing members remain registered with a June/July renewal date. This means that beginning late May, many of you will receive the first of three renewal email notices generated from the membership roster on the website.
You can extend your membership for another full year by paying dues in one of three ways: on the website, using your credit card through our PayPal credit card processing system (no PayPal account required), via a PayPal account, or by downloading the form and mailing a check ($60 individual; $90 household). Our office address is 3509 Haworth Drive Suite 306 Raleigh, NC 27609. Office mail is checked once or twice a week. Once your check is received, your membership will be noted as paid on our website directory.
In addition to our regular individual/household membership, we now offer a benefactor/benefactor household level membership for $100/$150. This type of membership is being offered to raise funds for memberships for those that may want to join the League but lack adequate financial resources to do so. Once we have collected enough benefactor memberships, we will begin to offer a "Pay What You Can" membership. We encourage any member who is interested in helping others join the League to choose this membership level.
If you have forgotten your password in order to log in to your account, you may follow the instructions to create a new one, or you may contact roster guru Laurel Voelker to assist you. Should you have any questions about memberships, please contact Dale Cousins.
We hope all of you will continue your membership and support the League of Women Voters of Wake County.
Ways to Get Involved with the League
League Leaders Needed - Please Step Up
Timely Topics Co-Chair- Heather Dennis will continue as a co-chair but would like to have a partner to assist in the planning and implementation of our Timely Topics program series. If you have an interest and/or experience in planning events, please reach out to our nominations committee co-chair Jackie Giordano. A job description is available upon request. Timely Topics is also looking for additional members that can assist with registration check-in for events.
Development Committee Co-Chair - Carol Lenhardt will continue as a co-chair but would like a lead partner to assist in carrying out the fundraising activities of the League. If you have an interest/experience in fundraising, please email nominations committee co-chair Jackie Giordano. A job description is available upon request. |