League of Women Voters of the Cooperstown Area Wins Two State Awards
League of Women Voters of the Cooperstown Area received two awards at the New York State League of Women Voters 60th Biennial Convention on Saturday, June 3, in Albany, New York. The Cooperstown League shared the prestigious Lighting the Way Award with the League of Women Voters of the Oneonta Area. The award recognized the effort to revitalize the Oneonta League with assistance from the Cooperstown League. The LWV Cooperstown was also recognized for its outstanding growth in membership with the Anna Lord Strauss Membership Award. The LWV Cooperstown currently has 104 members, having almost doubled its membership in the past ten years.
Maureen Murray, Kristin Pullyblank and Christina Bourgeois were the LWVCA delegates to the convention in June.
The Lighting the Way Award recognizes the partnership between the LWV Cooperstown and the LWV of the Oneonta Area. For several years, the leadership of the Oneonta Area League had been struggling in the face of a decreasing membership. Cooperstown League members recognizing the importance of having a dynamic League in the Oneonta area agreed to a several-year partnership project to assist and support the Oneonta League until the group was strong enough to stand on its own. This effort, in fact, mirrors the early 1970s, when the Cooperstown League was first formed and the older, well-established Oneonta League was a valuable source of support. The relatively urban city of Oneonta, with its two colleges and a variety of small industries, is a more racially diverse community. In granting the award, the LWV of NY State recognized that an active League in Oneonta strengthens the League’s ongoing commitment to diversity, equality, and inclusion.
Since the April 2022 kickoff of the revitalization campaign, the Oneonta League’s membership has risen to 24 members. In addition, the League has held voter registration drives, formed a partnership with Hartwick College, organized a candidates’ debate for the 122nd NY State Assembly District and planned Moderator Training Event.
