It's a busy week for recognition! It's National Volunteer Appreciation week and we're immensely grateful for the HOURS upon HOURS of efforts put forth by our members. Learn about our many active Committees here and keep scrolling to see our highlights of our hard-working Executive Board members as last week we celebrated our Co-Presidents.
We're celebrating Earth this week and in partnership with Barry University School of Law and LWV Seminole, get inspired and attend or tune in to their virtual student presentations about Split Oak Forest, water quality, legislative updates and more. TODAY at 6:30pm. Details HERE.
For Earth Day yesterday, NASA shared their fun LandSat language. Try it HERE and see our name below!
Finally, it's National Library Week and TODAY, in their honor you can attend a special viewing of The Librarians. Details below. |  | TODAY~Join Global Peace 360 at the Winter Park Library during National Library Week for a special Indie Lens Pop Up screening of The Librarians, a film directed by Kim A. Snyder that shines a spotlight on the importance of public libraries in our public discourse.
The panelists will be Winter Park Library Executive director Melissa Schneider and Bob Shaw, former editor at the Orlando Sentinel and First Amendment Foundation board member. Mr. Shaw also took part in our JAN Hot Topics Muzzled - A Siege on Speech | | | Get to know the rest of the Executive Committee |  | | Lee Rambeau Kemp, 1st Vice President
Lee is a seasoned executive bringing over 40 years of leadership and advocacy experience to the non-profit sector. She is an active advocate for increasing voting rights, participation, and protections for all citizens. She currently chairs the Fund Development committee and serves on the Voter Services and Membership committees of the LWVOC. |  | Kay Hudson, 2nd Vice President
Kay has been an active member of the LWVOC since 2013, contributing her leadership as co-chair of the Natural Resources Committee and serving on committees and the Board for several years. Kay owned an internet marketing program for 30 years before retiring. | | |
 | | Janet Ziomek, Treasurer
Janet volunteers at several non-profit organizations in the Central Florida community including Treasurer and Member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Orlando Shakes, Finance Committee member and Past President of the Board of Harbor House of Central Florida, citizenship instructor for Hope CommUnity Center and instructor for the Edyth Bush Institute for Philanthropy Nonprofit Leadership. |  | Saudi Ellis, Secretary
“Democracy works when we all VOTE!”
Saudi has been an active member of the LWVOC since 2016. Serving on the Voter Services Committee, Membership Committee, and DEI Subcommittee, Saudi was elected to the Board in 2019. Her passion is voter education, registration, and battling any attempts of voter suppression or disenfranchisement. | | |
 | | JULY 11-12, Council of Leaders
2026 Council will feature three different training tracks and networking focused on:
Election Protection
Bringing Floridians Together
Local League Best Practices
*Those of us in the Orange and Seminole County Leagues won't need a place to stay for LWVFL Council in July but those coming from around the state will. If you can offer housing to someone attending the Council, please click HERE to fill out a "hospitality form." We will do our best to match you as Central Florida welcomes the state!
| | | | |  | Targeted Outreach is a booming business these days! Shown left: Leaguers Melinda Wright, Marsha Davis, and Alisha Taylor visited a quarterly senior potluck at Washington Shores Church of Christ on 4/21 to present "How to be an Informed Voter" and perform voter outreach to approximately 30 seniors. Marsha and Alisha are also members of the Orlando Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., one of our many outreach partners. Pictured with our Leaguers is Rose Cooper, a sorority member, who volunteered to assist.
Shown right: Voter Services tabled at the Lake Nona Peace Festival with team members Jen Willman and Victor Collazo
JOIN these teams at Voter Services and check out the opportunities below. |
>>Click How to Volunteer video for easy instructions! Volunteer opportunities are open to League members only.
High School Voter Registration and Senior Send-offs
We partner with Student Government Associations (SGA) at lunchtime to register students to vote and often with staff from the Supervisor of Elections office. All volunteers must have taken and passed the LWVFL Voter Registration Assistance Quiz and be registered with Orange County Public Schools as ADDitions Volunteers for whichever high school you're volunteering for.
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Voter Info/Registration COMMUNITY Events
Observer Corps
Volunteers observe council meetings (via Zoom or in person) and submit for Gov. committee. Check the Volunteer page for Apopka.
NEEDED: Voter Outreach volunteers who speak Spanish or Haitian Creole!! Please contact>> Saudi Ellis
Speakers always needed to handle our public outreach. We offer different topics and our Speaker's Bureau committee is happy to train you. For more information, contact Chairperson Jean Yglesias lwvocspeakers@gmail.com
| | | | |  |  | | It's one of our most requested topics! Redistricting and gerrymandering redraw electoral maps in ways that pack minority voters into a single district to limit their broader influence or spread them across districts to dilute their collective power. The result can be that millions of votes carry significantly less weight than others. These tactics raise the question of whether the rules governing who can vote — and how much that vote counts — reflect the will of the people … or those who seek political power.
| | |  | | Sheyla Nieves
Nicole Varma
Merrie Pope
Nancy Mallison
Share this newsletter and encourage your friends and family to JOIN HERE
*Current members, don't forget that you'll be renewing through our national LWVUS site! Watch your email for reminders! |  | Ann Hicks Murrah, Giving Society
-In honor of local League leaders and volunteers
Eugene Stoccardo, generous donation
Rachel Allen, generous donation
JoAnn M. Gatlin, generous donation
Visit our Giving page HERE and learn about the many ways that you can $upport LWVOC. | | |
Sponsors are vital to our work to empower voters by providing timely information for the benefit of non-partisan civic engagement in our community and we have a range of sponsorship levels available. To further explore how to become a sponsor, please contact LWVOC Vice President and Fund Development Chair Lee Rambeau Kemp HERE
|  |  |  |  | LWVOC is a 501(c)(3 )tax-exempt organization and your gift is tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law. To claim a gift as a deduction on your taxes, please keep your email gift receipt as your official record. The receipt is sent to you upon successful completion of your donation.
A copy of the official registration and financial information for LWVOC, a Florida based nonprofit organization (Registration No. CH26900) may be obtained from the Division of Consumer Services by calling toll free 1-800-435-7352 within the state or visiting their website at fdacs.gov/CONSUMERSERVCES. Registration does not imply endorsement, approval, or recommendation by the state. | |