Dear ~~first_name~~,
Greetings from LWV-Wake.
It's a wrap for our biggest fundraiser of the year, Women's Equality Day! It was a fabulous evening filled with food, fun and friendship with fellow Leaguers and local elected officials who were honored for their service to Wake County. Over $10,000 was raised for the League as our members stepped up in support of our mission and our work.
We are so grateful to all who donated their time, energy and money to make this a successful event.
If you missed the opportunity to be an event sponsor, you can STILL support the League. Just click the 'donate' button at the top or bottom of this newsletter. Donations are tax-deductible.
Women's Equality Day Recognition
I would like to give special recognition to our Women's Equality Day Chair, Candace Blackley, for all her work in managing this fabulous event. Thanks also to Leaguers: Brittany Bryan (printed items, slides, promo) Catherine Freeman (honoree communications), Sally Pinnix (theme, decorations), Jenny Kotora-Lynch (editing), Mary Jane Slipsky, Louise Lockwood-Zorowski and Judith Hoffman (registration), and Meredith and Clyde Lundy, Jennifer Haigwood and Tracy Hurly for their assistance during the event.
Special thanks also to all the spouses/family members, and Dix Chapel facilities manager, Sara DeSpain, who jumped in to move tables and chairs and unload/reload the cars. I'm sure there are others who assisted with last minute tasks and we greatly appreciate all the help. This event takes months of work and preparation and we could not do it without volunteers who are willing to "take a task" and run.
Did you attend and enjoy Women's Equality Day? Do you like to help plan events? Interested in fundraising? Please join us! We need more volunteers to assist with this event to ensure it is successful. If interested, please email Candace Blackley
Abortion Protections in NC - Update
We could foresee the domino effect the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe (Dobbs decision) would have on reproductive freedoms in North Carolina.
On August 17th, at the request of anti-choice legislators in the NCGA, U.S. District Judge William Osteen “vacated and dissolved” his injunction against North Carolina’s abortion law. This decision now allows a ban on most abortions after 20 weeks. In his 14 page decision, Judge Osteen stated "“This court will vacate its injunction because it was based on Supreme Court precedent that has since been reversed.”
The request from the NCGA came after much back and forth between NC Attorney General Josh Stein and NCGA leadership, with AG Stein refusing to act to lift the injunction (Yay!).
GOP leaders have vowed to take up the issue of abortion in the 2023 session with House Leader Tim Moore stating “North Carolinians can also expect pro-life protections to be a top priority of the legislature when we return to our normal legislative session in January,”.
Want to get involved in defending abortion rights? Join our Women's Rights committee by emailing co-chairs, Elaine Okal or Kristen Howard.
Pro-Choice NC has tentatively scheduled a rally on August 26th. You can find more information about this and other events on their website.
News from the League
Second League Leaders Roundtable September 17th - Join Us!
If you are a committee chair or co-chair, project leader or have an interest in leadership opportunities in LWV-Wake, please attend our second League Leader's Roundtable.
Leaguer/Consultant, Sandra Birkhead, will provide training how to lead an effective team, including meeting management (staying on point, on time, rules, etc.) and most importantly, ensuring a committee's work plan aligns with the mission and each year's strategic priorities chosen by the board from the strategic plan. This is a great time to learn new skills and to brush up on others.
To register, click on the link below:
Wake County Board of Education Virtual Candidate Forums
The League Education/Candidate Forum committee is busy organizing virtual recorded candidate forums. The League will record candidate forums for all 9 Wake County Board of Education districts, from September 8th through September 12th.
The recordings will then be uploaded for public viewing on our YouTube channel with links provided on our website and on social media so they can be widely viewed and shared. Links will also be provided to the candidates and others for additional promotional outreach.
As described on Wake County Board of Education's website, "The school board sets policy for the school system implemented by the superintendent and administrative staff. The board also adopts an annual budget proposal that includes its request for local funding from the Wake County Board of Commissioners as well as its plan for using state and federal funds."
Needless to say, these are important races to ensure our schools receive adequate funding and promote the well-being of ALL students.
Finance Committee Members Needed
As part of our strategic plan implementation, LWW-Wake is creating a finance committee. This committee will work with the Treasurer to expand the types of financial reporting presented to the board, create processes to mitigate financial risk and assist with the yearly budget process.
Experience with, or knowledge of, budgeting, financial statements, and Quickbooks would be helpful. The committee will determine the frequency of meetings and work process. If you are interested, please email Elaine Okal.
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