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Thursday, Aug. 24
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Women's Equality Day, Boston Public Garden, from noon until 1 p.m.
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Thursday, Sept. 14
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"Extreme Events and Climate Change: What We Know and What We Can Do," New England Aquarium's Simons IMAX® Theatre, 7:00 p.m.
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Friday, Sept. 15
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LWVMA Board Meeting, Westwood Public Library, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.
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Tuesday, Sept. 26
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National Voter Registration Day
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Wednesday, Oct. 4
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"The Health Benefits of Renewable Energy Choices: A Role for Carbon Pricing", Winchester Town Hall, 7:00 p.m. (6:30 p.m. refreshments)
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Saturday, Oct. 14
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League Leader Lunch, First Baptist Church, Worcester, 9:30 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.
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Thursday, Oct. 19
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"Greening the Grid: Preparing for Our Clean Energy Future" , Cary Memorial Library, Lexington, 7:00 p.m.
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Tuesday, Oct. 24
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LWVMA Day on the Hill, Great Hall, State House, from 9:30 a.m. until noon
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Welcome New League Leaders!
Local League leaders play a very important role in our three-tiered organization. Not only do you help manage your own League, but you also act as liaisons to the state League and as connectors to other local Leagues.
LWVMA uses two main methods to communicate with League leaders and to help you communicate with each other-a monthly newsletter and a Google group.
First, as a League leader, you will receive this e-newsletter, the League Leader Update, in your inbox once a month. This newsletter provides information to help run your League, news about the state League's advocacy and voter service work, updates about other state League activities and events, and important information from LWVUS.
Second, you have been enrolled in the League leaders Google group, a way to communicate with other League leaders across the state. This group was created by LWVMA so that League leaders can share successes, events, problems, and other points of interest with each other. Discussion is encouraged, so feel free to send a question or raise a topic that will be relevant to other League leaders. No one should hesitate to send a message to the group with a reminder or announcement that you think the group as a whole would be interested in. Please observe basic rules of etiquette and help contribute to a healthy, productive atmosphere. If you would like to unsubscribe or if someone else from your League would like to join the group, please email
Brynne Gorman
.
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Register for Sept. 14 Climate Forum at Aquarium
LWVMA and LWV-Boston are excited to team up with the New England Aquarium and UMass Boston School for the Environment for
"Extreme events and climate change: What we know and what we can do."
Register now for the forum at the Aquarium's Simons IMAX® Theatre Thursday, Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, but
registration is required through the
Aquarium's website. See and share the
invitation.
This event is the second in the
LWVMA
Climate and Energy Solutions Series, and is also part of the Aquarium's Lecture Series. The speaker, Dr. Ellen Douglas, will discuss our changing climate, what changes may be in the future for Boston and beyond, and plans for how to adapt to these changes.
Please add this event to your League calendars and help spread the word. Consider organizing groups to come to Boston via public transportation and carpools. Read more...
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Plan to Attend League Leader Lunch Oct. 14
Join fellow League leaders from across Massachusetts at our annual League Leader Lunch on Saturday, Oct. 14. The lunch will be at the First Baptist Church of Worcester, 111 Park Avenue in Worcester and is co-sponsored by the Worcester League. We'll start with coffee at 9:30 a.m., and the meeting is 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Program details to come.
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LWVMA Board Seeks Secretary, Asst. Treasurer
We are looking for two volunteers with very specific skills to join the LWVMA Board. First, we need someone to serve as Secretary. The Secretary is responsible for taking minutes at Board meetings and updating final minutes. It's a great opportunity for someone who would like to learn more about the Board work, but does require regular attendance at Board meetings.
Second, we are looking for someone who would like to learn more about the Treasurer position by serving as Assistant Treasurer. The Assistant Treasurer would be a board member and attend meetings, and would also serve on the Finance Committee and work with the Treasurer and staff to prepare financial reports and review financial policies.
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Celebrate Women's Equality Day
The Women's Suffrage Celebration Coalition, which includes LWVMA, celebrates Women's Equality Day Thursday, Aug. 24, at the Swan Boat Landing in the Boston Public Garden from noon to 1 p.m. The League will be registering voters and we need some volunteers. If you'd like to help, please contact
Mary Ann Ashton.
Speakers will include Fredie D. Kay, CoalitionPresident;
Megan Costello, Executive Director, Mayor's Office of Women's Advancement; and
Eric Jenkins-Sahlin, documentary filmmaker, who is Elizabeth Cady Stanton's great-great-great-grandson.
William F. Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth, will unveil t
he Suffrage Centennial Display Panel Project, a joint effort by his office, the Massachusetts Archives and the Commonwealth Museum.
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Day on the Hill is Oct. 24
Please encourage your members to come to the League's annual lobby day, Day on the Hill, Tuesday, Oct. 24.
We'll meet in the Great Hall of the State House starting at 9:30 for coffee, with the program beginning at 10. We're lining up the speakers now. You'll also hear from our legislative specialists on four priority legislative initiatives and get a list of all the other bills we are backing. After a short training session on how to lobby, you will go off at noon to talk to your own Senator and Representative about the legislation the League supports.
More details will be coming in the fall.
We hope many, many League members from around the state will attend. Nothing has a greater impact on legislators than to hear from their constituents in person. Your presence will greatly enhance the League's clout.
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Support Automatic Voter Registration with a Letter from Your League
Getting Automatic Voter Registration (AVR) passed on Beacon Hill is one of LWVMA's current priorities. Please help support AVR by writing a letter to the editor of your local paper. You can find a template for a letter from your League here. Please sign up here to let us know that you are submitting a letter to your local newspaper, so we can track our statewide outreach and impact. There's a fact sheet on automatic voter registration here.
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LWVUS Climate Change Toolkit
New materials have been added to the LWVUS Toolkit for Climate Action developed by the Climate Change Task Force. The materials include a statement to use to explain the League's position on carbon pricing, along with an example of how you could incorporate this statement in a letter to the editor. For more information about the League's work on carbon pricing, please visit the Price on Carbon webpage in the Toolkit.
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Does Your City Have a Fall Election?
If your League is organizing candidate forums or voter registration events this fall, please check out our
Voter Service Toolkit
on the LWVMA website. There are resources that will help you plan a successful candidate forum, including tasks for planning, timing schedule, moderator script, ground rules and sample questions.
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National Voter Registration Day Sept. 26
On Tuesday, Sept. 26, organizations from all over the country will hold National Voter Registration Day (NVRD) events. Y
ou can learn more about the day's activities, the support and materials available, and how to register
here
.
LWVMA and LWV Boston will be registering voters on City Hall Plaza. If your local League is planning an event on or around NVRD, please let
Brynne Gorman know so that the LWVMA office can publicize it. And remember to share your photos with us!
The League of Women Voters is a major partner nationally in National Voter Registration Day, and the League has been the single largest on-the-ground partner in this event since 2012.
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Online Voter Registration Information Cards Available
LWVMA has printed additional online voter registration information cards. These are perfect for local Leagues to have on hand and distribute at educational forums, registration drives, and other events. Contact the LWVMA office to get a pack of cards to distribute at your League's events.
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Do You Need a Moderator?
The LWVMA office has a list of trained League moderators who can assist at your candidate forums. Contact
Brynne Gorman.
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Scharfman Grant Deadlines for the Year
The trustees of the Lotte E. Scharfman Memorial Fund, the League's educational arm, have set the deadlines for local League applications for Daniel Scharfman Citizen Education grants. The purpose of the grant program is to encourage local Leagues to carry out citizen education and voter service events and programs in their areas.
Deadlines for the coming League year are Oct. 17, Jan. 16, April 17, and June 8. Local Leagues can apply for grants up to $250 for a project; three or more Leagues collaborating on a project can apply for up to $500.
The grant application and the program's requirements are on the LWVMA website
here.
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Please Respond to LWVUS Survey
The national League has sent a survey this month to local Leagues. Please be sure to respond to the survey by
Thursday, Aug. 24 to ensure that your League's opinions are heard.
In a message to local Leagues, LWVUS President Chris Carson wrote:
"Much work has taken place in the past year through various gatherings and culminated in our highly productive National Council in June, at which state League leaders from 42 states and DC were gathered. During this meeting, we announced that we hired La Piana Consulting, through a grant from the Democracy Fund, to conduct a thorough organization assessment to support our transformation process.
"I am writing today to ask you to
complete a survey that is a critical element of that assessment. The survey, which we estimate will take less than
20 minutes to complete, is being sent to the presidents, co-presidents and management teams that we have on record.
Please note that we wish to receive just one response per League. We kindly ask that you confer with your co-leaders as necessary."
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LWVUS Seeking Board Nominations
Nominations for the 2018-2020 LWVUS national Board of Directors and the 2018-2020 Nominating Committee are now being accepted.
Click here to find more information about these critical roles and then fill out the form if there's a person you'd like to nominate or if you would like to apply yourself. The deadline for applications is Sept. 30.
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Summary of National League Positions
A short summary of all of the national League's public policy positions is available in Impact on Issues. You can use these short summaries as a quick reference guide for the League's various positions.
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The League Leader Update is distributed to local League board members and LWVMA leaders. Anyone can request the Update by clicking here. Please review this Update for articles of interest to your League and include them in your local Bulletin.
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