The Grapevine

This is news from your League committees. You are always welcome to join or just sit in. Committee membership is both rewarding and fun, and it does the good work for which the League is known. Unless otherwise noted, committees meet at the League office.

Advocacy. The Committee meets on the fourth Monday of every month from 1:30–2:30 p.m. Join us to learn more about the current issues the League is supporting and how you can help.
—Debbie Fagen, Chair (advocacy [at] lwv-pa.org)

Communications. The Committee coordinates communication with League members and the public through our League MyLO website, the Voter newsletter, social media, and the many email blasts that are sent to members to announce important events. Committee members maintain our League database and input our information into the LWVUS database. We meet the first Wednesday of the month from 7:00–8:30 p.m. These meetings allow members who work during the day to be involved. And we have refreshments! Please join us. There is much to do to get the word out about the 2020 election, our LWV centennial, and the centennial of the Nineteenth Amendment.
—Dorothy L. Keane, Chair (communications [at] lwv-pa.org)

Education. During this election year we will add voting activity to our plate. We will engage high school students in voter registration and pre-registration activities, working with Voter Services to encourage participation in Get Out the Vote events with the goal of training lifelong voters. Martha Zavala, chair of the Voter Services Committee, will be our guest Monday, September 23, at 4 p.m. The Committee meets the fourth Monday of the month from 4:00–5:30 p.m. We welcome all interested LWV members.
—Elsa Pendleton and Hannah MacLaren, Co-chairs (education [at] lwv-pa.org)

Events. The Committee organizes League Days, League@Nite, and other membership meetings and public forums, working together with the sponsoring LWV-PA committees. We meet the second Monday of each month at 9 a.m. in the Altadena home of Jean Buennagel. Time and place can be flexible, to meet the needs of members; we welcome anyone interested in joining our lively, dedicated group of volunteers. Join us.
—Katherine Gavzy, Chair (events [at] lwv-pa.org)

Healthcare. The Committee is preparing for the November 7, 2019, League Day, which will be focused on healthcare and the 2020 election. We meet on the second Tuesday of the month at 10:30 a.m. New members are always welcome.
—Margan and Thad Zajdowicz, Co-chairs (healthcare [at] lwv-pa.org)

Immigration. Immigration is one of the most talked-about topics this year. We have learned that the laws are complex and rely on the actions of many federal agencies. Immigrants reach our borders from countries throughout the world, not just the southern border. We are working to understand what will be involved in the creation of comprehensive immigration reform.  We meet on the first Friday of the month from 1:00–3:00 p.m. All are welcome to join us.
—Bob and Elsa Pendleton, Co-chairs (immigration [at] lwv-pa.org)

Membership. The new fiscal year began July 1, 2019, and we encourage all to pay their annual dues if they have not done so already. As approved at the Annual Meeting in June, the new individual dues amount is now $100. The Committee is currently working on a new member orientation/gathering to be held Sunday, October 6. This event will allow new members to become familiar with the League's various committees as well as meet Board members and committee chairs. If you are a new member for 2019, please mark your calendar for this event. We look forward to meeting you!
—Anne Wolf and Cheryl Rose, Co-chairs (membership [at] lwv-pa.org)

Natural Resources.The Committee meets on the second Friday of the month from 1:00–3:00 p.m. We are hosting League@Night with Peter Kalmus, Ph.D., a climate scientist from JPL speaking on “Climate Change: What You CAN Do” at the Altadena Community Center on October 17 beginning at 6:30 p.m. Members are encouraged to attend and bring a friend. Field trips are being planned for the Metropolitan Water District and Athens Services to learn about their waste recycling activities. We also continue to address possibilities for advocacy.
—Maureen Johnston and Kitty Kroger, Co-chairs (naturalresources [at] lwv-pa.org) 

Policing Practices. The Committee meets the first Monday of the month from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. 
—Kris Ockershauser, Chair (socialjustice [at] lwv-pa.org)

Social Justice. This Committee has three dedicated subcommittees: Housing, Policing Practices, and Economic Justice.
—Michelle White, Chair (socialjustice [at] lwv-pa.org)

Units. Stay connected with LWV-PA. Attend a Unit meeting/gathering on the third Wednesdays and third Thursdays of September, October, and November, 2019, and January, February, March, April, and May 2020. We aim to inform and engage in an informal setting.
—Gwendolyn Jones, Units Director (units [at] lwv-pa.org)

Voter Services. Voter registration training is available, and we need you. Please email voterservices [at] lwv-pa.org (again) if you are interested in volunteering and have yet to receive training to conduct Vote Center presentations or voter registration. Volunteers are needed from September through February to register voters and get out the vote for the March 2020 Primary Election.
—Martha Y. Zavala, Chair (voterservices [at] lwv-pa.org)