President's Message
from Janet Imhoff |
Three big events are marking the end of our League year, our last public forum on Homelessness in Collin County on April 2, the LWVTX Convention on April 19-21 in Dallas, and our own Annual Meeting on May 18.
Homelessness Forum – This event was well attended with about 75 people who came to hear five terrific speakers representing Housing Forward, Agape, Samaritan Inn, Plano ISD Homeless Liaison, and City of McKinney Housing Services. An amazing amount of good information was given on all that is being done in Collin County to help those who find themselves in a critical homeless situation. Click here to watch the forum recording.
LWV Texas Convention – The biennial convention will be in Dallas this year on April 19-21, and we will have nine delegates who will attend to vote on new board members, bylaws changes, a new budget, and a proposed program of study and advocacy. In addition there will be the Making Democracy Work fundraiser dinner with Keynote Speaker Molly Duane, Senior Staff Attorney with the Center for Reproductive Rights. I will report on the Convention in the May newsletter.
LWV Collin County Annual Meeting – This is our local League meeting which we hold every May to elect officers and directors, pass a budget and changes to our bylaws, and discuss and vote on local program plans. We will have a social from 10:30-11:00AM on May 18, followed by the meeting from 11:00AM-12:00PM at the Schimelpfenig Library in Plano. Please come to help us prepare for our next League year which will begin in June. There will be food, prizes, and fun. Please click here to register and review the documents that we will be voting on.
Director Openings: We have openings on our board of directors for the next League year: Program Vice-President and Directors. If you enjoy our public forums and would like to help plan them, Program VP is for you. A Director might serve on any board committee as needed. Please consider offering your services. League work is so enjoyable and worthwhile. Email lwvcollin@gmail.com if you are interested.
|  | May 4 Election
Many cities and school districts in Collin County will hold elections May 4 for mayor, city council member, school board trustee, and bond and charter propositions. Early voting will be April 22-30. Prepare to be a voter!
May 28 Primary Election Runoff
Democratic and Republican parties will hold runoff elections on May 28 for races in which no candidate received at least 50% of the votes cast in the March 5 primary election. Early voting will be May 20-24.
If you voted in the Democratic or Republican primary, you may only vote in the same party’s runoff. If you did not vote in the March 5 primary, you may vote in either party’s runoff. The Libertarian and Green parties choose candidates at conventions. You may only participate in one party's selection process.
|  | Public Forum on Homelessness and Affordable Housing
The LWVCC Public Forum on Homelessness and Affordable Housing in Collin County was on April 2nd, and the recording is now available! Click here to see the video on the LWVCC Youtube channel.
This forum was held as part of our months-long process researching and developing a revised position on homelessness and affordable housing. Review the proposed position that will be voted on at our Annual Meeting. This position statement will guide how we advocate for our homeless neighbors and affordable housing at the city and county level. If you would like to become involved in our advocacy for these policies, please email LWVCollin@Gmail.com.
|  | Program Vice President Needed
We are filling leadership roles on the 2024-25 Board of Directors and we still have one position open - the Program Vice President. This is an important position that has been capably handled for the past two years by Sharon Hirsch.
The Program Vice President chairs a committee that plans public forums in which speakers address issues that are important to the League and the community at large. We usually have two or three public forums a year on topics that are decided by the membership through our program planning process. League program is vital to keeping our members informed and educated.
The Program Vice President gets to engage the people that are working on Collin County's most important issues. Prior experience is not required and the work of putting on programs is distributed among the Program committee. We are more than happy to assist and teach anyone interested in leading Program.
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Lunch with the League - McKinney and Plano
Everyone is welcome at a social lunch with LWV-CC on Friday, April 26, 11:30-1:00, at Hydeout Cafe, 1751 Eldorado Pkwy, McKinney. Enjoy socializing and discussing issues while maintaining LWV's nonpartisan policy of not supporting or opposing any candidate or political party. Click here to register. If you are a member, please log in to the website before registering.
All are welcome to a social lunch with LWV-CC on Tuesday, May 14, 11:30-1:00 at Southern Recipes Grill, 621 W Plano Pkwy #229 in Plano. Enjoy socializing and discussing issues while maintaining LWV's nonpartisan policy of not supporting or opposing any candidate or political party. Click here to register. If you are a member, please log in to the website before registering.
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Book Club
All are invited to the League of Women Voters of Collin County Book Club on Wednesday, May 8 7:00-8:00 pm. We will meet on Zoom to discuss ''The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America" by Richard Rothstein. We will share our nonpartisan thoughts on the book as well as various discussion questions. Click here to register and receive the Zoom link. If you are a member, log in on the website before registering.
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From Shelby to Milligan: A Teach-in by LDF & NAACP
Join the Legal Defense Fund and the NAACP DFW Metro Branch for a workshop about voting rights history, how recent Supreme Court decisions will impact your community, and how to get involved in the voting rights movement on May 6, from 6:45 - 8:00pm at the Cozby Library in Coppell. Free food and drink will be provided. Click here to register for the event! Click here to learn more about the Legal Defense Fund, and click here to learn more about DFW Metro NAACP. The Legal Defense Fund is one of the League of Women Voter's partner organizations.
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Donate Via Kroger, Tom Thumb, or Your Employer
Here are four quick ways to help us keep Empowering Voters and Defending Democracy.
- Kroger will donate to a selected nonprofit at no cost to you. Simply log into your Kroger Rewards account at www.kroger.com/account/communityrewards. Enter organization code FS440 or search for League of Women Voters of Collin County.
- Tom Thumb will donate 1% of your eligible purchases to LWV-CC at no cost to you. Simply write 14290 as your selected charity on this Tom Thumb Good Neighbor form, and drop it off at customer service.
- Use your company’s giving program to donate to the 'League of Women Voters of Collin County'.
- Donate directly at www.lwvcollin.org/donate. Checks may be made out to ‘LWV-Collin County’ and mailed to PO Box 866592, Plano, TX 75086. LWV-CC is a 501c3 organization, meaning all dues and donations are tax deductible.
Thank you for supporting LWV-CC!
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Observer Corps Opportunities
Observers attend public meetings to learn about issues that are important to the community and to take notes so that the League can advocate on our positions. Whether you attend in person or virtually, any member can participate. Want to sign up or just find more information? Visit our Observer Corps webpage to watch an explainer video, find more information, and download the report form. To sign up to observer any of the meetings below, email Jackie Fleshman at LWVCollin@gmail.com.
Upcoming Local Government Meetings:
Collin County Commissioners Court - Every Monday at 1:30pm - Full
Plano City Council - 2nd and 4th Mondays at 7pm - 1/2 Full
Plano Independent School District - 1st Tuesday at 7pm - Full
Allen City Council - 2nd and 4th Tuesdays at 7pm - Full
Frisco City Council - 1st and 3rd Tuesdays at 6:30pm - Need volunteers
McKinney City Council - 1st and 3rd Tuesdays at 6pm - Need volunteers
McKinney ISD - 4th Monday at 6pm - Need volunteers
If you would like to be an Observer for any public meeting in Collin County that is not listed here, we would love to receive your report! To find all public meeting times, agendas, and livestreams, visit our Observer Corps page.
| 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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