Letter from the President
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Dear LWVIL Member,
I’ve always told my kids that any wonderful event has three parts: looking forward to it, enjoying it in the moment, and then the remembering of it. I hope that you’re already looking forward to the
2019 LWVIL Convention
! The board, staff, and convention committees are working overtime to organize and plan a great event.
One of the first things we did as a board after the last convention was to take a careful look at all the directives that came from our delegates during the
2017 Convention
. From the start, the board worked on assigning tasks to appropriate board or staff people for following up on those directives effectively. We got a lot done and we’re eager to report to you on our progress.
As I reflect on the challenges we faced with staff/board turnover and transitions in this past biennium, I personally can attest to the dedication, skill, talent, and generosity of our staff, board and the many LWVIL members who stepped up to the plate to help. In the book,
In the Public Interest, The League of Women Voters, 1920-1970
, author Louise M. Young, notes,
“the crucial strength of the League lay in the quality of its human resource base, and the mode of operation developed to deploy their energies.”
I concur and it explains why I’m looking forward to the convention, too. We get to enjoy being with our wonderful, energetic, dedicated LWV friends and colleagues and formulate our plans to ensure we remain a vital, strong, and constructive force in the public interest of our communities, state, and nation. See you in Champaign!
Yours in League,
Bonnie
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2019 LWVIL Annual Luncheon
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Mark your calendars for the upcoming LWVIL 2019 Annual Luncheon entitled
Rhetoric vs. Reality: Why the Time is Now for Equal Pay!
This year's luncheon will feature keynote speaker
Laurel Bellows
, former president of the
American Bar Association
, and honor
Barb Yong
, Founder,
Equal Pay Day Chicago
and member of LWV LaGrange Area.
More information will be available shortly. Stay tuned!
2019 LWVIL Annual Luncheon
Rhetoric vs. Reality: Why the Time is Now for Equal Pay
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
Willis Tower
233 S. Wacker Drive (Willis Tower)
Chicago, Illinois 60606
Doors open at 11:30
Lunch begins at Noon
Would you like to be a part of the Luncheon Planning Committee? Please reach out to Event Chair,
Heidi Graham
to join.
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Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
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In celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, the League will spend the month of May honoring members of the Asian Pacific American community who have made strides in the suffrage movement and in the advancement of women's rights. To kick off this celebration we are showcasing the contributions of
Dr. Mabel Ping-Hua Lee,
an immigrant from China and renown suffragist, who at the age of just 16 years old was a leader of the New York City Suffragist Parade and at 18 years old was a keynote speaker at the Women's Political Union's Suffrage Shop. Lee, who was the first Chinese woman to graduate with a PhD in Economics at Columbia College, helped New York to win the right to vote in 1917, though she, and all other Chinese women, could not vote until 1943 due to the Chinese Exclusion Act limiting Chinese immigration and preventing Chinese immigrants from becoming citizens. Dr. Lee continued her work for women's rights until her death in 1966. It is not known if she ever became a US citizen or if she ever voted in the US. Please follow LWVIL on social media (
Facebook
,
Twitter
,
Instagram
) to learn more about the important Asian Pacific American women and their important contributions to the mission of LWVIL.
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LWVIL Executive Director, Audra Wilson, named to
Chicago Mayor Elect- Lightfoot'sTransition Team Good Governance Committee
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More than 400 Chicagoans, representing a wealth of diverse perspectives, are serving on 10 transition committees that are helping shape Mayor-elect Lightfoot’s administration as she prepares to take office on May 20th. This includes LWVIL's Executive Director, Audra Wilson, who was named to the Good Governance Committee. She will be reaching out across Chicago, gathering fresh viewpoints from our city’s rich and diverse communities and helping to start and continue conversations about the mission and focus of the League of Women Voters of Illinois. Her recommendations and voice will be published in a transition report, which will be made available on the
Better Together Chicago website
and distributed to all Chicago public libraries. We are so proud of our fearless leader's work in the community of behalf of LWVIL.
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Register for the LWVIL 2019 Convention: Deadline May 15
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The deadline to register for the
59th Biennium LWVIL 2019 Convention
is May 15, 2019. The LWVIL 2019 Convention is
an opportunity for LWVIL members to gather together, discuss key issues, and participate in mission-related programming.
Convention: June 8-9, 2019
Pre-Convention Workshops: June 7, 2019
Champaign, IL
1.
Register now!
Each League is permitted to send a certain
number of delegates
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If you are not a delegate, we still encourage you to attend the pre-convention workshops.
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2.
Reserve a P
ublication and Wares table
. Local Leagues wishing to sell items at convention should
submit this form
by May 20, 2019.
3.
Interested in volunteering for the State Convention?
You can find more information about volunteer opportunities and sign-up today by visiting our
new volunteer web page
.
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Local League Silent Auction & Convention Baskets
Still Needed for Convention
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Has your local league donated a convention basket or silent auction items yet? Following a successful tradition that has evolved over the last couple of biennium, LWVIL looks forward to your Leagues’ gift basket donations and silent auction items, which will help raise the funds needed to continue our advocacy and membership activities.
We ask that the basket your league creates and/or silent auction items have a retail value of at least $100.00.
To find more information about some great ideas for your league gift basket you can find them on the
LWVIL website
.
Please send a description of your basket contents and auction items through this
form
by May 15, 2019.
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With the first LWVIL Observer Training under our belts, we are ready to offer more of them! To schedule a training w
e would like to have a minimum of 10 members involved (we can help to find additional members to attend a training). We would also need assistance in finding a venue that has access to technology to utilize our power point presentation. The trainings will be around 3 hours long. We’ll work to find a mutually acceptable date to have these training sessions. If you have questions or w
ould like to schedule an Observer Training, please e
mail
Jan Dorner.
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Here are some ways to get involved in making democracy work at the LWVIL:
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Don't forget to follow, like and share with us on social media?
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