PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Susan Dollar
LOOKING BACK AND HONORING OUR PAST
In September, 1998, six women met at a local restaurant to form the first ever Democratic women's organization in Boerne. Lead by Gwen King and joined by Luster Culver, Alice Braley, Julie Fisher, Katherine Long, and LaVerne Peterson, they formed the Cibolo Democratic Women as a chapter of Texas Democratic Women (TDW).
Meetings were held in members' homes and initially, they had 18 paid members and $145 in the treasury. The first edition of The Voice was published in the fall of 1998. In March, 1999, Gwen and Alice attended the Texas Democratic Women annual convention and returned to Boerne full of inspiration and ideas. Fundraisers, including high teas and fashion shows, were held and funds were donated to the Cibolo Nature Center and the library. By May, 1999, the treasury stood at $1,574.25!
In June, 1999, three of the members attended the National Federation of Democratic Women in Little Rock, Arkansas. Upon return, they suggested a club name change and thus the club became the Kendall County Area Democratic Women (KCADW).
The first major fundraiser, held in October 1999, was named in honor of Eleanor Roosevelt. The efforts of the club members paid off and $1,144.09 was added to the treasury. Over the next few years, the club continued to grow in membership and was active in civic activities, participating in local parades (winning several awards!) and donating funds to support democratic candidates.
In 2003, KCADW became a political action committee (PAC) and due to the reporting requirements of the Texas Ethics Commission, they withdrew from the TDW so that they would have discretion in making political contributions to Democratic candidates. In ten years, 1998-2008, KCADW donated $29,920 to local, state, and national Democratic candidates!
Also in 2003, KCADW signed a contract with James Avery Jewelry to design and produce sterling silver Democratic Donkey pins. These were a huge hit and the first sale of pins resulted in $3,337 profit.
Active and visible, the KCADW members continued to promote Democrats and democratic causes across the country. In 2004, 43 members and friends chartered a bus and traveled to Washington, DC, to participate in the March to Save Women's Lives. A large group of members marched in the MLK Parade in San Antonio in 2005. That same year, KCADW was presented the "Friend to Friend Award for Advancing Health Care" by Planned Parenthood of San Antonio and South Central Texas.
From its inception in 1998 to 2008, KCADW grew from the original six women to a cumulative membership of 150 members. They raised considerable amounts of money and became a force in Democratic politics.
LOOKING FORWARD
We owe these women a huge debt of gratitude for their efforts, persistence and amazing accomplishments. Our job is to carry on their legacy today. With the name change from KCADW to the Boerne Area Democrats (BAD) in 2018, we have expanded our reach to the surrounding counties and now have over 600 people on our mailing list and a paid membership of 148.
2024 may be the most important election year in our history. There is much work to be done and we will need all hands on deck. As Joyce Vance said in Civil Discourse, "Donald Trump will end American democracy if he’s reelected. He will corrupt our country for his own benefit. He has not made a secret of it. The only question is whether enough of our fellow citizens will be aware of what the 2024 election means for the future and care enough when we go to the polls to prevent Trump from returning to power. The small steps that we take during the next few months will pay big dividends."
I'm counting on each and every one of you to remember the past as we move forward into 2024. Here's to a very busy and happy new year!
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JANUARY BAD MEETING
Thursday, January 11, 2024
12:00 p.m.
Longhorn Cafe, 369 S. Esser, Boerne (upstairs)
We are thrilled that Kristen Hook, PhD, will be our speaker this week. Kristen is running against Chip Roy for U.S. District 21 Representative.
Previously, Kristen served as a Biological Scientist within the Science, Technology Assessment, and Analytics team at the U.S. Government Accountability Office, where she helped provide insight, oversight, and foresight of science and tech issues for Congress in support of evidence-based policy. Her foray into federal policy began in 2020 as a AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow in the office of Senator Elizabeth Warren. From 2020-2021, she worked at the National Institutes of Health on data science and health equity initiatives within the Office of the Director. Prior to her policy career, she spent a decade immersed in academic research with a focus in animal behavior and reproductive biology.
Remember that if you want to eat during the meeting,
be sure to arrive early to place your order.
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Introducing your 2024 BAD Board Members!
President: Susan Dollar
Vice President: Whitney White
Secretary: Robin Prescott
Treasurer: Michele Smith
Membership: Shawn Bonner
Publicity: Gloria Villanueva
Ex Officio KCDP: Laura Bray
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LAURA BRAY
Kendall County Democratic Party Chair
NOTES FROM THE CHAIR
January 2024
APPLY TO VOTE BY MAIL!
Now that January 1 is behind us, those who are eligible to vote by mail can now apply to do so. Who’s eligible?
· People 65 and over
· Sick or disabled
· Expected to give birth within three weeks of Election Day
· Out of the country on Election Day and during early voting
· Confined in jail but are otherwise eligible
Voters must sign up for vote by mail (VBM) each January if they want to receive a VBM ballot for every election during that year. It’s easy and very convenient but you have to ask for a VBM ballot every year.
There are so many advantages to applying for an annual VBM ballot, even if you intend to vote in person:
· You save gas and time
· You won’t catch cold (or Covid) from the people waiting to vote
· You don’t have to wait in line
· You don’t have to know when the next election is coming up because your ballot will be mailed to you in advance
· You have a ballot in advance of the election and can seriously research who you want to vote for
· You only have to walk to the mailbox to deliver your vote, AND
· If you decide to vote in person, just bring your entire VBM packet to your vote center and turn it in to the election judge who will then allow you to vote in person!
You can download an application here. Or you can call the Kendall County Elections Office (KCEO) at 830-331-8701 and ask the clerk to send you an application to vote by mail. When completing the form, be sure to include your Texas driver’s license number AND your social security number (even though you are asked for one or the other) AND your email address AND your cell number so that KCEO can contact you if it is necessary to complete or fix an error on the application. Be sure to ask to Vote By Mail (VBM) for all elections and all the primaries of your political party.
You can watch a League of Women Voters video on how to complete the application here.
Mail your completed application to your county elections administrator:
Kendall County Elections
PO Box 2384
Boerne, TX 78006
Call or write me (chair@kendalltxdemocrats.org, 830-331-1243) if you have any questions on voting or voting by mail. Calendar a reminder to ask for your VBM ballots every year from now on!
For more information on voting by mail, visit the website of the Kendall County Elections Department.
(Many thanks to BAD member Barbara Baruch for the preceding write-up.)
In closing, Suanne Pyle shared a great post by attorney Joyce Vance from her “Civil Discourse” blog. Vance’s closing line is chilling but absolutely spot-on. We may not be able to turn Texas blue, but we CAN educate voters on what Trump will do if elected, in hopes that such knowledge will motivate them to VOTE:
“Donald Trump will end American democracy if he’s reelected. He will corrupt our country for his own benefit. He has not made a secret of it. The only question is whether enough of our fellow citizens will be aware of what the 2024 election means for the future and care enough when we go to the polls to prevent Trump from returning to power. The small steps that we take during the next few months will pay big dividends.”
Thank you for all you do to work for voting rights in Texas!
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ANNOUNCING A NEW AND IMPROVED WAY TO PAY YOUR DUES!
Since 2018, BAD club membership dues have been $10 for students, $25 for people over sixty, and $40 for everyone else. In November 2023, the BAD Board voted to raise club membership dues effective January 1, 2024, to $35 for those over sixty and $50 for everyone else; the student rate of $10 will remain the same.
In December, a new idea was proposed and adopted by the Board to recruit recurring donors. Effective January 1, 2024, any person who sets up a monthly contribution of $10 or more will be exempt from regular dues as long as the recurring donation continues.
The hope is, especially during this election year, that recurring donations will increase, thus allowing BAD to contribute to critical campaigns and various get-out-the-vote efforts. Recurring donations are a win-win for both club members and the organization. When you set up a recurring donation of $10 a month or more, you will no longer receive those email reminders and won’t have to worry about when to pay your club dues. And, with a more predictable income stream, BAD will be able to build and adhere to a solid financial budget.
Please consider becoming a recurring donor. It’s easy to set up your recurring donation via ActBlue, Simply go to https://secure.actblue.com/ and click Get Set Up to enter your information. You can also donate via a credit card, an auto-withdrawal from your bank, or by mailing a check to BAD, P.O. Box 2132, Boerne, TX, 78006.
Just think - if all 148 members of BAD set up a recurring donation of $10 a month, BAD would receive $1,480 a month or $17,760 a year! Imagine what we could do with that amount of income! Food for thought as we enter this particularly important election year!
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In December, BAD members donated over $800 in gift cards for the Center for Refugee Sevices.
Thank you for your donations!
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BAD BOOK CLUB
The BAD Book Club will meet on Wednesday, January 17, at 5:30 p.m. at the Dem headquarters, 216 E. Blanco, Suite 201. The book selection is How to Know a Person by David Brooks. If you plan to attend, please RSVP to Janice Bloodworth at 210-632-6974.
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We need several volunteers to help with our trash pick-up on FM 3351 and Hwy. 46. Please consider helping out! Meet in the parking lot beside the Circle K.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 27
9:00 am.
RSVP here:
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MARKET DAYS
are coming up on February 10-11! We will need a lot of volunteers to help staff our booth. This is our only public event before the Primary Election in March, so we need to be visible and show Boerne that There Are More Of Us Than You Think!
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We had a full house at the BAD/KCDP Holiday Party on December 10! A total of 85 folks showed up to enjoy the food and festivities. Thanks to all who participated! |
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Anwar Khan and his family send their heartfelt thanks for all the donations that were delivered to them on Saturday, January 6. Thanks to BAD for the U-Haul truck that was filled to capacity with furniture, bedding, and household items that were so needed.
Special thanks to Scott Sanders, Shawn Bonner, and Sharon and Ed Noack for doing the driving and heavy lifting (literally!). We also had help unloading from Laurie Clark and her mom. The neighborhood children also helped out and were very eager to make all those trips upstairs to the second floor apartment! All in all, it was a great day for everyone. Many thanks to our incredibly generous BAD members and friends!
Pictured above: Anwar, Ghosullah (age 13) and Ahmadullah (age 15) , Zuhra, (age 11), and Amrullah (3); not pictured is Nisarullah (5), who couldn't tear himself away from the new bicycle that Shawn Bonner purchased; Anwar's wife, Zarmina, declined to be in the photo.
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OFFICE HOURS
Our Democratic Headquarters at 216 E. Blanco, Suite 201, is open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Stop by and visit - or better yet, sign up for a volunteer shift at the office!
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Click on any of these icons to be taken to their web pages. |
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GET INVOLVED IN YOUR COMMUNITY!
Let your voices be heard by attending these community meetings.
Click on any of the icons for more information.
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Boerne City Council meets at 6:00 p.m. on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall, 447 N. Main Street, Boerne.
The Planning and Zoning Commission meetings are held on the first Monday of each month in the Ronald C. Bowman Council Chambers at City Hall, 447 N. Main Street, Boerne.
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The Kendall County Commissioner's Court meets on the 2nd and 4th Monday at 9:00 a.m. in the County Courthouse, 201 E. San Antonio Street, 3rd floor. |
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The Fair Oaks City Council meets on the 1st and 3rd Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the FOR City Hall, 7286 Dietz Elkhorn Road, FOR. |
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The Comfort ISD Board of Trustees meets on the 2nd Monday of each month at 6:00 p.m. at the CISD Central Office, 327 High Street, Comfort. |
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The Boerne ISD Board of Trustees meets on the 4th Monday of each month at 5:00 p.m. in the Administrative Offices, 235 Johns Road.
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The Cow Creek Groundwater Conservation District meets on the 2nd Monday of the month at 6:00 p.m. at 9 Topperwein Road, Boerne.
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BOERNE AREA DEMOCRATS BOARD
President: Susan Dollar
Vice President: Whitney White
Secretary: Robin Prescott
Treasurer: Michele Smith
Membership: Shawn Bonner
Publicity: Gloria Villanueva
Ex Officio member: Laura Bray, KCDP
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Connect with us!
JOIN THE BOERNE AREA DEMOCRATS
Email: BAD@boerne-area-democrats.com
Web: boerne-area-democrats.org
Facebook: facebook.com/boerne.area.democrats
Notice Regarding Photography and/or Audio/Video Recording
The Boerne Area Democrats captures photographs and/or audio/video recordings during our events.
Such photographs and recordings may be used in BAD's advertising and social media relations to let others
know of our events. In addition, local news organizations may hear of our events, and BAD may allow
them to record events for news reporting. If you do not wish to be in photos/videos,
please let the photographer/videographer know in advance.
This newsletter is intended for people interested in the work of the Boerne Area Democrats and the Democratic Party in general. To be removed from this mailing list, please click on Unsubscribe below
or email us at bad@boerne-area-democrats.com.
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