The LWVD Newsletter
Summer 2023 | A Lively In-Person Annual Meeting
 We had good food because of Marge Fisch, good conversation because of League members, and finally a good end to the League year at the Annual Meeting on Saturday, May 13.
Our speaker, Alison George, Housing Director for Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) , spoke to us about how they create housing opportunities for Coloradans who face the greatest challenges to accessing affordable, safe and secure homes. You can view her slides here.
 During the business meeting:
- Bobbie Heisterkamp presented the 2022-2023 budget
- The slate of board members was presented and accepted
- A favorite part of the meeting, as always, was the awards given to our members. See the following article that describes the six award recipients.
- Sue Stark spoke about the state of the League and members had the opportunity to express their concerns and questions during Directions to the Board.
We also said a fond farewell to Marge Fisch as she leaves for her new home in the Pacific Northwest.
| Annual Meeting Awards
Shirley Weaver Suffragist Award
For Lifetime Achievement
Sue Stark
 Thinking about members who have given their time and talent to the League over a considerable period of time, I thought immediately of Susan Stark who has been an active member of the Cheesman Unit for eight years, and contributes immensely to our discussions because she is keenly interested in so many areas of justice and equity.
Susan has also stepped up in leadership roles which are vital to the strength of the Denver League: Women to Watch chair 2018-2021; Development Committee Chair 2021-2022 and Co-Director of Program 2022-2023. When she is not the chair of a group, she has always been an active member.
Women to Watch is a complex program that entails reaching out to many social service organizations and interviewing women they recommend. The actual event is the culmination of a great deal of research and human contact, so that attendees get the full picture of each woman’s struggle and triumph. Susan coordinated this effort with efficiency and compassion.
The Development Committee was strongly challenged during the pandemic when in-person events were almost impossible and seeking new sources for donations was very difficult because of the restrictions. Susan guided the committee through several successful fund-raising projects, and she was not hesitant to try two new projects: the Sisters in Law theater event and the Non-Party 90th Birthday of the LWV Denver.
This year Susan, as Co-Director of Program, took on planning briefings and educational programs, and, along with Barbara Allen Ford, she has produced some very timely presentations which often mirrored the newspaper headlines that same week. This is a job which takes an acute awareness of current affairs.
On an historic note, Susan takes after her famous mother, Ruth Stark, who contributed a huge amount to the power of the LWV Denver, and, incidentally, won this same Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006!
Presented by Bobbie Heisterkamp.
Barbara Allen Ford
 Barbara initially joined the Denver League in 1973 as part of the Cherry Creek Unit, inspired by the biography of Eleanor Roosevelt, a life-long Leaguer. Barbara was involved in some of the neighborhood tours which were the major PR and fundraising events from 1975-1984. As Chair of the City Government Committee, she was involved in the publication of one edition of Know Your Denver Government, which was funded and used by the City and County of Denver, with six editions from the early 50s to 2001 when the internet took over.
Barbara and her family lived in several different parts of the country until returning to Denver in 1992 and again becoming involved with the Denver League, always in Program, as chair again in 2003, as co-chair in 2009-2011, starting the Program Planning Potluck and involved as a major player in the LWV Colorado Behavioral Health Study, which was eventually adopted by LWVUS at a National Convention in 2016. Barbara’s knowledge of various behavioral health issues has always been an asset and a valuable research source. Barbara again returned to the Denver Board as Member-at-Large, serving as assistant to the Director of Program, and back as Co-Chair in 2021 to the present, serving out her term in spite of moving to Pueblo in 2022. Almost all those years leading Denver’s Program efforts, she was working full-time. She is truly an inspiration, has served the League well, and certainly deserves this “Lifetime” award.
Presented by Marty Sloven
Marty Sloven Mother Lode Award
For Outstanding Contributions in the Last Year
Anne Duncan and Jeanette Scotland
 Voter Service is the heart of the Denver League, and Anne and Jeanette have been the heart of Voter Service for some time now. Highlights of their unstinting efforts include recruiting and training many volunteers to register voters in communities that are underrepresented in the voter rolls; partnering with voter registrations sites at Denver Health Clinics, technical colleges, high schools, apartment complexes housing many new citizens and the Denver Women's chorus; recruiting members to research pros and cons and distributing these booklets.
They have reached out to diverse groups—Anne through her time-intensive work with the jails (and in marijuana stores) and Jeanette through her work with Cafecito. They've worked in the Hispanic/Latino community to engage and educate voters by promoting a Spanish translation of LWVD's Pro/Con brochures. Both Anne and Jeanette have received the Marty Sloven Motherlode Award, Anne in 2020 and Jeanette in 2018. Together they were recognized for their work by LWVCO in 2022. Jeanette and Anne are passionate about voter education and voter service and are most deserving of LWVD's recognition.
Presented by Elsie Haley
JEDI Award
For Efforts in Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Lisa Haddox
 Lisa joined the League and Voter Service Committee in January 2022 and immediately took on a leadership role by committing to contact high schools about voter registration. She reached out to six high schools and got responses from three. For those, she set up successful voter registration events where she educated students on how to register electronically, answered questions on who could register and vote and also reminded them of upcoming elections. In the fall of 2022, she established a working relationship with the principal of Bruce Randolph High School that resulted in two voter registration events and an offer of additional help that resulted in a second event for the municipal election. She also offered help to teachers on voting education. Lisa twice set up voter registration events on the Auraria Campus for their Vote Early Party and Spring Fling. At both events she responded to questions about the Pros and Cons as well as helping with registration. All of these events required repeated communication with co-chairs, working cooperatively with school personnel, and rounding up necessary materials and returning them in a timely manner. Lisa is always eager to help and we look forward to her leadership in Voter Service in the coming year.
Presented by Jeannette Scotland and Anne Duncan
Shirly White
Shirly responded to our plea for technical/design help and volunteered to develop posters for use with our Program Briefings and other important events. Shirly uses the LWVUS designated color palate and designs unique, eye-catching posters which are being used for the website, email communications, Instagram, and Facebook.  The posters are clear, distinctly LWV-branded, and carry just enough information for either a member or non-member to register for or view an activity of the Denver League. This saves hours of time for the Communication team including Jackie Denning who does our postings on Instagram and Facebook. We believe that this art work has increased and improved our visibility among our members, but more importantly to a more diverse group of interested non-members. Shirly’s daughter, Elie, is working with Frank Bennett on a video on the Denver League which we can use to introduce ourselves to new members, potential members, and partner organizations.
Presented by Bobbie Heisterkamp for Andrea Mitchell who was not able to attend. Shirly was also not able to attend.
| Save These Fall Dates
Our annual League Kick-Off is scheduled for Tuesday, September 19, with the Denver Auditor, Timothy M. O'Brien, as the speaker. The Kick-Off is always a good way to start the new League year.
On Tuesday, October 17, there will be a briefing on Ranked Choice Voting, which LWVD supports.
There may also be an election briefing in early October depending on the issues that make the ballot.
Look for more details on these briefings in the September and October VOTER.
| Voter Service Committee
We Want You! Please consider signing up for a 90-minute training session to become a Circulator and help our League register voters in the Denver area. The Voter Service Committee will host two separate training sessions – one each on Wednesday, August 16 at 2:00 p.m. and on Tuesday, September 5 at 4:30 p.m. You need not join the committee to help out with voter registration; in fact, we have trained non-League members to assist us with events. Please contact Anne Duncan at anned47@msn.com to save your spot and make a difference!
Partnership with Clerk and Recorder's Office. The Denver LWV partners with the Denver Clerk and Recorder’s Office, which encourages civic participation in Denver, including voter registration efforts. On July 26, outgoing Voter Service Chairs Jeanette Scotland and Anne Duncan, together with incoming Chair Lisa Haddox, met with the Community Engagement staff at that office. We confirmed ongoing partnership activities at Denver clinics, high schools, colleges, and jails, as well as identifying additional events/locations. The Community Engagement staff is aligned with city council districts. You might be interested in this handy map that shows city council districts and identifies current council members.
Fun Fact: During elections, the Clerk and Recorder’s Office staff takes a mobile drop-off ballot box to those neighborhoods without permanent drop boxes. The “Red Box” program was developed by the Community Engagement staff together with several community agencies. | Another Successful Bulb Sale
Thanks to all of you who contributed, sold or bought bulbs again this year. After 30 years, we need to pat ourselves on the back. We sold over $16,000 in bulbs for a profit of around $10,000. This is less than the budget committee hoped for, but they are always reaching a little high! We used to recognize those individuals who donated, bought, or sold $200 or more for the sale, but with the online option we have offered the last three years, it is impossible to know who is the “seller” for many of the orders made online.
 We had a lot of buyers this year who are not members. This is what we have always been encouraging members to do— reach out to others. We can give credit for this accomplishment to Barbara Mattison, who with her member-husband Roger, did an amazing job of marketing the sale to community groups and other Leagues in the state. Thank you, Barbara. Again, Co-Chair Andrea Mitchell did all the computer work, which is monumental. I worked on the paper orders, but Andrea put those all in the ClubExpress program we used, so everything is in one place. It is going to make sorting it all out in October a little harder, but we will get it done. We will be sending out a list of customers at some point, asking members if they know someone on the list and can handle the delivery.
Our supplier for 30 years is retiring. He was not encouraging about someone stepping up to take over our sale because the industry in Holland has become all big business. However, Barbara Mattison is in communication with a tulip farm in Oregon who may be interested in connecting us with a Holland grower. We have also discussed this with the Development Committee, and we are hoping to use our mission for more donations and grants. We will look at our options and keep you informed.
Thank you again to everyone who helped. In October, we will be looking for some hardy souls who can sort, package, and deliver 12,500 bulbs!
Marty Sloven
Bulb Sale Co-Chair | From the Membership Chair
Thank you for the warm welcome at the League of Women Voters of Denver Annual Meeting! I am excited to join as Membership Chair and grow alongside the League. I’ve heard loud and clear there’s a need for more members of varying and diverse backgrounds to join us so we can continue "to improve our systems of government and impact public policies through education and advocacy." I look forward to working with the Membership Committee to host more events to network with interested folks, engaging with new members to increase involvement, and working with existing members to retain our talented voices.
I’m excited to present my ideas to the Board of Directors at our next meeting to further our member engagement. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions, comments, or concerns you might have about the Membership Committee.
Sincerely,
Cassandra Bishop
cassandrabish@gmail.com or call/text 720-666-3990 | Drinks and Dialogue – Voter Education and Networking
This summer we’d like to host a Drinks and Dialogue event to welcome new members, celebrate our current, and encourage new folks to join the League!
Who: Anyone wanting to learn more about the League, new members, existing members + guests
When: Week of August 27 (exact date TBD)
Where: Town Hall Collaborative – a woman-owned gathering space featuring a bar, café, and creative space at 525 Santa Fe Dr.
Stay tuned for more information!
Please reach out to Cassandra Bishop, Membership Chair, with any questions: cassandrabish@gmail.com / 720-666-3990 | VOTER Articles Welcome!
We welcome articles from all members. We publish the VOTER on the fourth Thursday, so the deadline to submit articles is the Friday before. Here are the next dates:
| Article Deadline |
Voter Publication Date |
| Friday, Aug. 18 |
Thursday, Aug. 24 |
| Friday, Sept. 22 |
Thursday, Sept. 28 |
Please send your articles or ideas about articles to pzelarney@yahoo.com. | LWV Denver Units
A great place for meaningful conversations
Units are smaller groups of our members that meet after each briefing in members’ homes or local public places. It is a good way to get to know one another personally and discuss in greater depth the most recent briefing topic.The Units take a break during the summer, but will begin meeting again in September. Look for more information about individual Units and their meeting times in the September VOTER.
| Welcome New Members
Jolene Cardenas, 80219, Jojean.3000@gmail.com
Jane Dunk, 80205, Jane.dunk.wi@gmail.com
Pam Jundt, 80247, pamjundt@gmail.com
Rosemary Hartman, 80238, rosiehartman2014@gmail.com
Candice Leary Humphrey, 80203, c.a.leary01@gmail.com
Moriah Powers, 80019, moriah.powers@gmail.com
Arthur Velasquez, 80211, arthur.velasquez@gmail.com
| 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
|
$90 |
| Two sustaining members at the same address (includes an additional donation) |
$150 |
| Two benefactor members at the same address (includes an additional donation)
|
$450 |
Member needing assistance with paying dues
|
$5 |
| Part or full-time student |
$10 |
Members: Forward this VOTER and encourage your friends and neighbors to join! | 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
| | 1980 Dahlia Street, Denver, CO 80220
303-321-7571 | | | |