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Plano, TX  75086   

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VOTE411 LWV Member Portal/Renew Join Donate
Date: 5/12/2025
Subject: May Member Update
From: LWV-CC


LWV-CC Logo White
May Member Update
Presidents' Message
from Janet Imhoff and Ian Seamans
 
It has been my pleasure to be a member of the Collin County League for almost 20 years. I have seen such growth and change. Our Voter Service work is superior. We register voters at many civic events and naturalization ceremonies, produce excellent Candidate Forums for voters to view on our website at their convenience, and provide candidates' responses to LWV questions on Vote411.org.
 
Membership services have grown to fill the needs of our members, providing opportunities to get to know each other and further the mission of the League. In addition to our regular program meetings, there are lunches, a book club, and public forums on topics of interest to our members and the community. 
 
Thank you all for the privilege of serving on the board for many years. In League, that is where the fun is! Planning, discussing, and getting to know each other is wonderful. Please consider it when you have time in the future. I will be leaving the area, so I will not be with you next year, but this League will always be in my heart.
 
Janet Imhoff
 
As this League year draws to a close, we are very proud of our League's voter services across multiple elections, the new membership and educational events, a national consensus meeting, and a wonderful 50th anniversary celebration. League members made this possible by giving their time and donations to empower voters and defend democracy.
 
This year, we also lost a dear friend and long-time board member, Mary Alice Garza, who passed away in April. The article below details her many achievements through service to her community. All who knew her will greatly miss her knowledge and ready smile.
 
The end of our fiscal year also brings our time with several board members to a close. Current Co-President, Janet Imhoff, will leave the board after spending 53 years with two different Texas Leagues to move to Denver, CO, with her family. She promises that once she gets there, she’ll join the local League, because, “once a Leaguer, always a Leaguer!”
 
Past LWV-US President, and current board member, Elisabeth MacNamara, will be leaving for Charlottesville, VA, following her son’s family, who recently moved there. Her legal expertise and work in League advocacy will be missed, but we’re glad for the Charlottesville League to gain someone with such a depth of experience.
 
Board member and Social Media Chair, Melissa Wright, will also be heading east later this year after she steps down from the board. If you’ve seen our Instagram or Facebook pages, you’ve seen her excellent work. We are very grateful for her diligent volunteering in this role for the last couple of years and her willingness to train a successor who can carry on creating great educational posts.
 
I would also like to thank Janet, the board of directors, and our other volunteers who made it possible for me to serve as Co-President this past year. It isn’t often that someone working full-time and under 30 can be the co-president of a volunteer-led organization. My service on the board has been made possible by many people willing to trust me with responsibility, encourage me to pursue leadership, and, most importantly, wait a couple of days for me to respond to emails.
 
I look forward to serving on the next board with a wonderful mix of experienced and newer Leaguers who I am confident will continue to build our League to be stronger, empower more voters, and advocate for our democracy over the coming year.
 
Ian Seamans
 
Voter Registration Volunteers Needed!
 
We have another voter registration opportunity coming up where volunteers are needed (you do not need to be a Volunteer Deputy Registrar). You can sign up to volunteer through this link or on the Members Only pulldown after logging in to the website.
 
June 14, 4:00-6:00 and/or 6:00-8:00 at Juneteenth Celebration at Fitch Park in McKinney
 
Thanks to Cindy Thomas for arranging this voter registration event!
 
Mary Alice Garza: A Champion for Our Community
 

It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of Mary Alice Garza, a dedicated member since 1999. Mary Alice has been an officer of the League of Women Voters-Collin County since 2011. She served as the 1st Vice President of Program from 2011 to 2016, then continued to serve the board as an elected member from 2017 until her passing. Mary Alice's commitment to civic engagement and tireless work to empower voters has left an indelible mark on our organization and the wider Plano and Collin County community.

Mary Alice was actively involved in numerous ministries and social justice initiatives. She was key in launching the United Methodist Hispanic Committee and the First United Methodist Church Plano Hispanic Ministries, taught English to non-English speakers, and worked with Amnesty International. Her passion for equality was evident in her service on the United Methodist Anti-Racist Team, for which she received a Powers of Justice Award.

She helped establish the Plano Multicultural Outreach Roundtable, Plano's Day of Prayer, and the Plano Day Laborers program. Her involvement extended to the Plano Chamber of Commerce, the Plano Junior League, the City of Plano Substance Abuse Prevention Advisory Committee, and the Collin County Homeless Coalition Board, among many others. She was also a founding and long-time board member of LULAC Council 4537.

Mary Alice's vibrant spirit, unwavering dedication, and profound kindness touched countless lives. We are grateful for her years of service to the League of Women Voters and the enduring legacy she leaves behind.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Friday, May 16th at 3:00 PM at First United Methodist Church Plano. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that gifts of remembrance be sent to First United Methodist Church Plano, earmarked for Hope Restored Missions or the FUMC Plano Missions Committee. We encourage you to honor Mary Alice's joyful spirit by wearing your favorite colorful attire to the service.

 
Empowering voters. Defending democracy.
The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan 501C3 organization. We do not support or oppose any political party or candidate. We encourage informed and active participation in government, and we influence public policy through education and advocacy.
 
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