September 2021 Newsletter

Hill Country Chapter of

Texas Democratic Women

September 2021

HCCTDW at the Kroc

Something Old, Many Things New

With eyes wide open and masks firmly attached, on September 7th our TDW leaders will welcome you to our first luncheon meeting at the Kroc Center since March, 2020. While we have held many meetings in person, we have not been indoors, and we have not shared a meal in 18 months.

Just as our brave Texas State House members had to board planes for Washington, DC to stop Republican attacks on Texas voters, so we are stepping out to be seen in our community standing up for the rights and needs of our neighbors.

We are working with the Kroc Center to make our meetings comfortable while protecting our members from COVID-19. First, we will require that all members wear face coverings in the building and while seated, except when eating and drinking. Second, the Kroc will place fewer chairs at each table and space the tables farther apart. Third, the Kroc will use “sneeze guards” on the buffet serving line to provide a barrier over the food. Fourth, we will start the buffet line earlier so we will be able to keep a comfortable distance as we go through the line.

At the same time, the Kroc will provide the technology to enable us to offer our members a virtual presentation. Members will have a choice of attending the meeting in person or virtually by Zoom as Kerrville continues to experience higher COVID cases and resistance to vaccination.

Remember, the deadline for making a reservation has been moved to the WEDNESDAY before the meeting. For the September meeting, the deadline to make a reservation for lunch is September 1, and the person to contact by email is Julie Sentell, jmsentell@icloud.com.

We are very excited to be making a splash at the Kroc Center with our first luncheon meeting!

September Program:

Interfaith Welcome Coalition Brings

Update on Immigration in Texas

Victoria Salas, Coordinating Director for Interfaith Welcome Coalition (“IWC”), will speak with immediacy about conditions for refugees and asylum seekers, primarily at the Texas border and in San Antonio, to the HCCTDW luncheon meeting on Tuesday, September 7, 2021. With conditions changing every day, and the U.S. Supreme Court bringing back the “Remain in Mexico” policy, HCCTDW is fortunate to have a speaker who will provide the latest and most reliable information about the reality on the border and at San Antonio transportation centers. The luncheon meeting will start at 11:15 a.m.

Ms. Salas, who goes by Tori, is a long-time leader in nonprofit efforts in San Antonio. She began her work in this new position in January 2021, as the first employed director of the IWC. The IWC has a long history as a volunteer organization headquartered in San Antonio. It came together in the summer of 2014 in response to the overwhelming need of unaccompanied children coming to the United States from Central America. In response to the crisis, a broad network of faith communities & community organizations began working closely with RAICES, a local legal nonprofit organization.

As the Trump administration worked to change immigration laws and regulations, especially laws affecting asylum seekers, the work of IWC evolved. Today, with the Biden administration making major changes at the Texas border, the IWC collaborates with many other organizations serving refugees, asylum seekers, and at-risk immigrants and advocates for the needs of these vulnerable populations.

IWC supports both outreach and advocacy programs.The outreach programs provide a warm, comforting welcome and invaluable resources to migrants who have been released from detention centers. These migrants are traveling through San Antonio on their way by plane or bus to destinations throughout the U.S. Members of HCCTDW have volunteered in these outreach efforts and have helped fund and fill backpacks for traveling families.

Reservations for the luncheon should be made with Julie Sentell by email to jmsentell@icloud.com no later than Wednesday, September 1, 2021. The cost of the buffet lunch is $15.00 per person.

Victoria “Tori” Salas is the Coordinating Director of Interfaith Welcome Coalition and our speaker for the September 7 luncheon meeting.

Speaker and Program Update

September: Interfaith Welcome Coalition

October: Louis Amestoy, The World of Today’s Journalist

Louis is back! Would encourage you to subscribe to The Kerr County Lead kerrcountylead.bulletin.com and follow him on FaceBook (The Kerr County Lead) and Twitter (@LouisAmestoy)

November: Chief Carol Twiss, A View from a Woman Chief of Police

Dates to be announced: Mental Health, Rage and Fear panel, County Democratic Party Chairs panel (all women!)

Suggested topics and speakers for future meetings would be greatly appreciated. Send suggestions to Lynette Wydig at lwedig@me.com.

Message from the President

Dear Champions of Democracy,

Did you ever think that we would have to change from partisan Democrats, enthusiastically supporting our candidates for office, to champions for democracy itself?

After decades of working on issues like climate change, reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, educational reform, health care for all, living wage, and other specific policy goals, we now find ourselves working to protect the right to VOTE. The Right to Vote is not a policy issue—it is the foundation of democratic government. The actions of Governor Abbott and the Republican majorities in the Texas legislature have made policy debates irrelevant. We must first restore free and fair elections before we will have the representation we need to make sound policies for the future of our state and nation.

At our September 7 meeting, we will take a moment to honor and thank our Democratic members of the Texas State House for the sacrifices they have made and the efforts they will continue to make to protect the voting rights of Texans. Unfortunately, we do not live in their districts, but we can still show our appreciation and give them encouragement. While our governor keeps Texas in the news with his attacks on the health of our school children, his avoidable COVID-19 outbreaks and his militarization of the border, our Democratic state representatives have made headlines with their advocacy for voting rights. It appears they may have moved some U.S. senators to support federal legislation to block voter suppression in the states!

As they return to Texas and bring the fight back to the legislature they have stymied for many weeks, let’s greet them as the heroes they are and thank them for their valiant service on our behalf.

Stephanie Ertel

President

In Memory of Eugenia "Genie" Voges-Flink

On Monday, August 16, we lost one of our faithful and enthusiastic Democrats in Kerrville, Genie Flink, at age 67. Genie was a woman of strong opinions, always on the side of nature and children. She was a member of the Board of HCCTDW in 2010, serving as Treasurer during the time we were learning how to be a GPAC. Genie was a Medical Technologist at several area hospitals, and an active mother of two sons, Joseph and Danny, who attended Kerrville Public Schools. She is survived by her husband Brad Flink, her sons, their wives and seven grandchildren. Services for Genie will be held at Bethany Lutheran Church in Fredericksburg at 3 p.m. on Saturday, September 18, 2021.

Backpacks for Asylum Seekers Project

Save Saturday, September 11 at 2:00 p.m. if you want to help with backpacks for asylum seekers. As with everything else, much has changed since the last time we got together. Things are still in flux but the needs are greater than ever. Together we can make a small difference. Text Coral Adema (830-459-4016) or email cadema@stx.rr.com with your contact information if you’d like to participate. Because of the COVID situation we will require those attending to wear masks even if they are vaccinated. We will meet again at my house, 2200 Medina Highway, Kerrville.

Membership 2021

If you would like to join HCCTDW, the Membership form is available at this link: Membership Form

Simply print the form and follow the directions.

Thank You to Jeannie Berger

Our HCCTDW newsletter has evolved from a printed publication that was mailed once in the summer break (brainchild of Dolores Schroeder) to our monthly email through Constant Contact. Our longest serving public relations chair and newsletter editor, Jeannie Berger, is hanging up her spurs after more than three years. In the middle of those three years, we had a pandemic lock-down and a silent auction conducted online (at least ten extra mass e-mails)!!

We cannot thank Jeannie Berger enough for providing a lifeline that kept us all engaged and informed through the last eighteen months. Her publicity efforts were a labor of love and excellence, evidenced by our sustained membership and support despite all the challenges.

The September newsletter is a joint effort in transition between Jeannie and our new newsletter editor, Coral Adema. Thank you, Jeannie and Coral.

Rebecca Bell-Metereau to Speak at

League of Women Voters Celebration

On Thursday, August 26, 2021, League of Women Voters - Hill Country Texas will celebrate the 101st anniversary of the enactment of the 19th Amendment, which enshrined women's right to vote in the U.S. Constitution. Our celebration will be held online via Zoom, beginning with a social time at 5:30 p.m., followed by our main program at 6:00 p.m.

The speaker for our 2021 celebration will be Rebecca Bell-Metereau, who represents District 5 on the State Board of Education. She is a professor of English and film at Texas State University, the author of four books, and a Fulbright Scholar. Her topic will focus on "Education as the Foundation of Democracy.”

Zoom connection details:

Topic: Women's Equality Day Celebration

Time: Aug 26, 2021 05:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82783897540

Meeting ID: 827 8389 7540

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Meeting ID: 827 8389 7540

Relay for Life of Kerr County Rescheduled

For the second time, Relay for Life of Kerr County has been cancelled as an in-person event. Our Dems for a Cure Team is currently #2 in fundraising for 2021, but we will not be Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs who are “Mining for a Cure” at the Ag Barn. COVID-19 and limited mitigation/vaccination strike again!