The LWVD Newsletter
November 2024 | November Briefing
Indigenous Tribal People of Colorado
Tuesday, November 19
5:00 p.m. Social Time, 5:30 p.m. Presentation
Montview Blvd. Presbyterian Church
 Our speaker will be Rick Waters, the Executive Director of the Denver Indian Center. Rick was contacted after the Program Committee discussed how LWVD might write a Land Acknowledgment Statement for use in honoring the indigenous people who occupied the Denver area and still live here. We wanted advice and guidance on how to approach creating such a statement.
Rick Waters offered to help with our process, but he continued to discuss other interesting issues related to the history of American Indian tribal people in Colorado, their contributions and relations with the US government impacting their civil rights. While Leaguers might be aware of the infamous Sand Creek Massacre, as he spoke, I learned so much more that I wanted to share with our League community. So, I invited him to be our speaker on November 19. November is also Native American Heritage Month.
I hope you will put this date in your calendars and come with questions you would like Rick to address. Please invite friends, family and anyone who may be interested!
Susan Stark, Director of Program | 
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Leaguers Anne Duncan, Janice Abbott, Diane Young, Nancy Ulrich, and Marcia Helfant bundling ballot issue booklets on October
| Your Ballot – Guides, Briefings, and Online Resources
LWV Denver held in-person briefings on October 1 and 15 to explain the local Denver and state ballot issues. We were pleased by the community turnout at these briefings. We’ve distributed paper copies of our LWV guides to libraries, residential facilities, community groups, etc.
Everyone can find valuable information online:
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Vote411.org – the LWV national website. Input your address and find out about issues and candidates on your ballot.
- LWVDenver.org – the LWV Denver website. Click on “Voting” at the top of the page, then “Ballot Issues” to find information on local Denver ballot issues and Where the League Stands on the issues.
- LWVColorado.org – the LWV Colorado website. Click on “Elections” at the top of the page to find information on state ballot issues and Where the League Stands on these issues.
- Denver Decides - City and County of Denver (denvergov.org) – the homepage for DenverDecides, a partnership of LWVDenver, Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation, and Denver TV8.
- Denver Decides Ballot Issue Forums - on YouTube - Links to individual videos covering ballot issues, Denver-area state legislative candidates, and a candidate forum for Congressional District 1 featuring Valdamar Archuleta and Diana DeGette.
The "White Book"
You may have noticed that the Denver “Ballot Issue Notice”, sometimes referred to as the white-book, that was mailed out to residents by the Clerk and Recorders Office, does not include all the local ballot issues. It only includes those issues related to taxes and debt that are required by TABOR (Taxpayer's Bill of Rights). An unabridged “Denver’s Ballot Information Booklet,” which covers all the issues, is available in hardcopy at Voter Service and Polling Centers and online at the Election Division website here.
| Voter Registration – Using Girl Scout Power!
Girl Scout Troop 65742, associated with the Challenge School in Aurora, joined us for two days of voter registration at Stanley Marketplace. The scouts cheerfully greeted visitors in the shopping area and rewarded registered voters with their “I promised a Girl Scout I would Vote” stickers.
| Speakers Bureau
Many thanks to our volunteers who have been out and about in the community sharing their expertise on this November’s huge number of ballot issues. Speakers include: Leah Audin, Frank Bennett, Katie Brennan, Bobbie Heisterkamp, Toni Larsen, Laurie Picus, Sam Robinson, Tracey Trenam, and Pearlanne Zelarney. To request a speaker, email Lisa Haddox at lisa.m.haddox@gmail.com.
And now it is time to Vote!
 Most Denver residents should have received their ballots in the mail. If you choose to vote in person, or have not received your ballot, you may vote at a Voter Service and Polling Center (VSPC). If you’ve completed your ballot, you can deposit it at a Drop-off Box, return it to a VSPC, use a drive-through ballot drop off, or mail the ballot. If you decide to mail your ballot, it should be in the mail no later than October 28. The instructions that come with your ballot include locations for VSPCs, boxes, and the locations and dates for the Mobile Vote Center. Or you can use the website – justvotecolorado.org – to find VSPCs, Drop-offs, or Dropbox locations. Scroll to the bottom of the page to find the map and select one category at a time to find a location near you.
Lisa Haddox, Voter Service Chair | Bulb Sale 2024
Holiday Forcing Amaryllis and Paperwhite Bulbs are here!
(Dutch Amaryllis have been delayed)
Our 2024 Bulb Sale was already a departure from the bulb sales of the past – we sold only indoor bulbs this year - and now we need to make another change.
The Southern Hemisphere holiday forcing bulbs and the paperwhites arrived October 21, and we’ve bagged those orders at Denver’s City Park Greenhouse and have contacted buyers to arrange for pick-up or delivery. Buyers should plant these amaryllis bulbs right away – the bulbs have a lot of energy and need to sprout. Planting instructions are included with each order.
THE DUTCH AMARYLLIS HAVE BEEN DELAYED and they’re now scheduled to arrive the second week of November. When they come in, we’ll bag right away and notify you as soon as these orders are ready – most likely that same week.
So, LWV Denver volunteers are processing and bagging two bulb shipments this year – Southern Hemisphere Amaryllis (holiday forcing) and Paperwhites the week of October 21 and the Dutch Amaryllis the second week of November.
Because we must order in lots of specific numbers, we have extra bulbs for sale – please contact either Marty Sloven 303-333-3148 or Barb Mattison at 303-322-4878 to purchase additional bulbs. Southern Hemisphere Amaryllis are $15/bulb (available now) and Dutch Amaryllis are $20/bulb. Paperwhites are available also, $8 for a half-dozen – just let us know!
A heads-up: if you’ll be picking bulbs up at City Park Greenhouse, we’re in Greenhouse 2 this year (go in the same door from the parking lot and Greenhouse 2 will be on your left about 1/3 of the way down).
You can find printable instructions for planting here.
Thank you to all of you and to your friends and relatives who have supported the League of Women Voters of Denver by purchasing indoor bulbs.
Barb Mattison
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For our next Book Club, we'll be at Sienna Wine Bar at 3434 E. 12th Avenue in Denver. They have a large selection of wine, a cocktail menu, n/a drinks, and small plates. Please invite anyone who may be interested!
Here's some information about the book for the publisher's website:
"The United States, the richest country on earth, has more poverty than any other advanced democracy. Why? Why does this land of plenty allow one in every eight of its children to go without basic necessities, permit scores of its citizens to live and die on the streets, and authorize its corporations to pay poverty wages?
In this landmark book, acclaimed sociologist Matthew Desmond draws on history, research, and original reporting to show how affluent Americans knowingly and unknowingly keep poor people poor. Those of us who are financially secure exploit the poor, driving down their wages while forcing them to overpay for housing and access to cash and credit. We prioritize the subsidization of our wealth over the alleviation of poverty, designing a welfare state that gives the most to those who need the least. And we stockpile opportunity in exclusive communities, creating zones of concentrated riches alongside those of concentrated despair. Some lives are made small so that others may grow.
Elegantly written and fiercely argued, this compassionate book gives us new ways of thinking about a morally urgent problem. It also helps us imagine solutions. Desmond builds a startlingly original and ambitious case for ending poverty. He calls on us all to become poverty abolitionists, engaged in a politics of collective belonging to usher in a new age of shared prosperity and, at last, true freedom." Source: https://matthewdesmondbooks.com
Cassie Bishop, Membership Chair | LWV Denver Units
A great place for meaningful conversations
Cheesman Unit
Next in-person meeting: November 26 at 9:30 a.m. (the fourth Tuesday of the month)
Bobbie Heisterkamp’s home
Leader: Bobbie Heisterkamp (303-333-6818)
Cherrington Unit
Meets in person Thursday following briefings at 1:00-3:00 p.m.
Next meeting: Thursday, November 21, 1:00 p.m.
Elsie Haley's home
Leader: Peg Oldham (720-220-3988)
Highland/Woodbury Unit
In-person meetings on the 3rd Wednesday of the month at 1:00 p.m.
Next meeting: November 20 at Sassafras Restaurant
3927 W 32nd Ave, (80212)
Leader: Sally Augden (303-455-5800)
Observatory Unit
Meets on the 4th Tuesday of the month at 4:00 p.m. on Zoom or in person
Next meeting: Tuesday, December 3, 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. on Zoom (moved from 4th Tuesday due to Thanksgiving)
Leader: Diane Young - dioyoung@comcast.net or (303-886-3365)
| Community Event
The Denver Chamber of Commerce, the Colorado Women's Foundation and Project "I SEE YOU" are coming together October 28 to celebrate a historic moment in Denver and nationally. 50 years ago the first bank allowed women to open a bank account without a male co-signer. This historic moment is being celebrated at the Equitable building in Denver (formerly the Women's Bank). We will line up Monday, October 28 at 12:30 p.m. and celebrate this momentous occasion and hope you can join us. If you would like further information or a formal invitation, please contact Bridget Myers (bridget@cwef.org).
Bridget Myers, Colorado Women's Foundation | VOTER Articles Welcome!
We welcome articles from all members. We usually publish the VOTER on the fourth Thursday, so the deadline to submit articles is the Friday before.
| VOTER |
Article Deadline |
Voter Publication Date |
| December/January |
Friday, December 6 |
Thursday, December 12 |
| February |
Friday, January 17 |
Thursday, January 23 |
Please send your articles or ideas about articles to pzelarney@yahoo.com. | Consider a Sustaining or Benefactor Membership
We appreciate all those who pay $60 to be a member. However, the LWV Denver can only keep $8 of that $60 and the rest goes to Per Member Payments to the LWVCO and LWVUS. For those who are able, think about paying a sustaining $125 membership that gives the LWV Denver $73 or a benefactor $300 membership that gives the LWV Denver $248 to use for our education activities, to support our office and to continue our voter service resources for the city of Denver. Thank you!
Bobbie Heisterkamp, Treasurer
| Please Renew Your Membership or
Become a Member Today
If you received this email VOTER and are not a member, please consider joining us. If it's time to renew your membership, consider doing it online.
Follow this link to join or renew at one of our membership levels and remember that it covers Denver, Colorado and National membership. Also, please consider renewing at the sustaining or benefactor membership level. Membership dues are tax deductible.
| Regular Individual Membership |
$60 |
| Sustaining membership (includes an additional donation) |
$125 |
| Benefactor membership (includes additional donation)
|
$300 |
Two regular members at the same address
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$90 |
| Two sustaining members at the same address (includes an additional donation) |
$150 |
| Two benefactor members at the same address (includes an additional donation)
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$450 |
Member needing assistance with paying dues
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$5 |
| Part or full-time student |
$10 |
Members: Forward this VOTER and encourage your friends and neighbors to join! | | 1980 Dahlia Street, Denver, CO 80220
303-321-7571 | | | |