 |  | President's Corner - November 2020
Last Efforts!
The election is just a few days away, but we all have a part to play in getting out the vote. Just text or call your family members and friends and you might be successful in providing someone with the extra motivation they need to get to the polls.
Here are some other important voting messages that you might want to share-
• It’s now really too late to send mail-in ballots via the USPS if you want to be sure that your ballot arrives on time. Instead, please deliver mail-in ballots directly to drop boxes located at the four Brevard county Supervisor of Elections offices and all Early Voting sites. Your mail-in ballot must arrive by 7pm on Tuesday, November 3rd or it will not be counted.
• The last day for Early Voting in Brevard is Saturday, October 31st and Early Voting sites are open from 8am to 4pm that day.
• If you plan to vote in person on November 3rd, election day, make sure you arrive at your precinct early and that you do all you can to protect yourself from COVID-19. Go to the Supervisor of Elections website www.votebrevard.gov to make sure that you know where to vote and that your polling place has not changed.
• If you see or hear anything that could be considered election intimidation or harassment report the occurrence to a polling place deputy and call the election protection hotline at 866 our-vote
Finally, take the time to celebrate the act of voting especially if you know young adults voting for the first time. We are privileged that we live in a country where voting is a right. In this the 100th year since the passing of the 19th amendment we are well aware that it’s a right that men and women have died for. As League of Women Voters members we are charged with making sure that everyone realizes the responsibility they have to use their right to vote.
A big thank you to all LWV of the Space Coast members for all your efforts leading up to the election especially those who helped with voter registration, vote tripling at early voting sites, writing postcards, texting, and sending social media posts. On behalf of the LWVSC Board I want to let you know that your efforts are appreciated because without you we would not be able to continue our mission of Making Democracy Work.
Thank you for all that you do.
Stay well, stay strong and take care!
In League,
Jo Shim
LWVSC President
| | Pease join us for a Zoom Meeting on Thursday, November 12, 2020 from
5:30 pm to 7 pm
Our speaker from the Federal Trade Commission is Diane Jablonsky, Paralegal Specialist from the FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION
Diane has worked for the Federal Trade Commission ("FTC") the nation's consumer protection agency, for 14 years. In addition to doing consumer outreach on behalf of the FTC, Diane assists attorneys and investigators with preparing cases for filing in Federal Court.
There is no cost and open to the public. The link to register is below and you will receive information on joining the zoom meeting on November 12th.
| | |  | Glass Recycling Research Project
Recycling glass is becoming more difficult in Brevard. This past October, the city of Palm Bay changed the company providing recycling services for the area and, unfortunately, glass was dropped off the list of acceptable items.
The LWVSC Recycling Subcommittee is working on a research project to find alternative ways to dispose of glass waste produced in Brevard and offer feasible options to Brevard residents who would prefer to recycle their glass jars and bottles.
Members interested in learning more about this project may attend our meeting on the second Saturday of each month. Our next meeting will be on November 14th from 10-11am via Zoom. please Register Here
We are also looking for members willing to help with this project. At this time, we need assistance gathering data from 15 counties in Florida – one hour of your time may be all that is needed to cover one county. A computer with internet access is needed to complete this task. To sign up for this opportunity, please visit Recycling Research - Data Gathering . If you have any questions, please contact Recycling Chair Marcia Booth at Marcia@RecycleBrevard.org.
We hope to have the support of our membership to proceed with this project. Thank you! | | Calling all League Members who are interested in serving on the LWVSC Board
The Nominating Committee would like to hear from members who might be interested in a leadership position on the upcoming 2021-2022 LWVSC Board which would begin in April. Being on the Board provides an opportunity to become more directly involved in the League and its Mission. It also provides the opportunity to grow and utilize your leadership skills as well as enjoying the camaraderie of other dedicated Board Members.
Please feel free to contact Debra Mischley – Chair of the Nominating Committee and let her know that you may be interested. Call or contact her at: Mobile: 321-453-3025 or mischleyd@yahoo.com | | | Monthly League of Women Voters of the Space Coast Newsletters are found on the Home Page.
|  | | Alberta Wilson
Volunteer of the Month
Congratulations to Alberta Wilson, LWV of the Space Coast’s (LWVSC) volunteer of the month. Alberta has a long history of community service through membership in the League and other local and national organizations. In 2014 she was a League of Women Voters "Woman of Action" recipient, she also served on the LWVSC board for many years and as chair of the Justice Committee. In June 2017 Alberta received a lifetime achievement award from the Central Brevard NAACP, only the second person to receive such an award. She served as president of Central Brevard NAACP for almost nine years. She was a pioneer in campaigning for restoration of rights for returning citizens (ex-felons) in order to get Amendment 4 on the 2018 ballot. She has worked as a Rolling Readers volunteer at Endeavour Elementary School and served on Brevard Community College's board of trustees for four terms. Alberta is the current president of the Space Coast Chapter of the National Congress of Black Women and continues to work tirelessly to “make democracy work” through her commitment to registering new voters and getting out the vote. | | |  | Half Cent Sales Tax
by Education Chair, Fran Baer and Marilza Novaes-Card
The Education Committee knows that many have already voted, but it can’t hurt to share the following information prepared by Marilza Novaes-Card, member of the Education Committee.
“One of the amendments in the ballot for this election is the half-cent surtax extension. This surtax was approved by voters in 2014. Our schools have many needs including school security, educational technology and facility renewal. In 2014, the total estimated district capital needs was $757,449,002. The surtax funded $188,081,317. There are still $569,367,685 of critical needs that have not been met.
Many of our schools have serious problems such as air conditioners, roofs, plumbing systems and flooring systems that need to be replaced or repaired. In the area of technology, due to the pandemic, the need is greater than ever. The Surtax Renewal Plan 2020 shows the total renewal amount as $240,504,312: Educational technology $36,000,000, facility renewal $168,000,000 and security 36,000,000." brevardschools.org
The passage of the amendment to extend the ½ cent school surtax is so vital to the children, our schools, and our community. Well secured and maintained school buildings with up to date technology attract businesses and improve the value of our homes. Please remember and encourage your neighbors and family to vote “yes” on this proposal to extend the half cent we have been paying for the past six years. Worth noting, included in the amendment is the Citizen Oversight Committee which oversaw the numerous, favorable independent audits.
The Board of the LWVSC voted to support this surtax. It is our opportunity to build on the quality education our children and our future deserve.
Our next Education Committee meeting is Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020 at 10a.m. on Zoom. All members are welcome.
| | The International Relations Committee will have a zoom meeting on
Tuesday, November 10th at 1 p.m.
Diane Conaway will be leading our discussion on U.S. Relations with the Northern Triangle.
Our topics are from Great Decisions 2020 Edition. This publication is from the Foreign Policy Association.
If you are not a member of our committee and would like to join our meetings contact Joyce Calese, chair of the IR committee.
calese37@gmail.com so a zoom connection can be sent to you.
| | | |
LWV of the Space Coast has Teamed Up with other Organizations to bring a New Solar Co-op to Brevard!
Click HERE to register for the next Information Meeting on Thursday, November 19th at 6pm
| | |  | Preserving Quality of Life in Brevard for Today and for Future Generations
by Terry Mott - Co-Chair of Sustainability Committee
On October 17, 2020, the LWVSC’s Sustainability Committee launched its first in a series of webinars to study food systems--one of the key indicators for determining quality of life. Our guest speaker, Zachary Eichholz, Cape Canaveral’s Sustainability Program Manager and Resilience Planner, gave a stellar presentation entitled: Food Security: Feeding the Present Without Compromising the Future.*
Eichholz identified several of the challenges we face today. For example, while 80 billion pounds of food is thrown away each year in the U.S., more than 35 million people struggled with hunger in 2019.
While the news wasn’t all bleak in that there are innovative farming techniques continually being created, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people in the U.S. experiencing food insecurity could reach 54 million in 2020.
Georg Kell, Founding Director of the United Nations Global Compact, discusses COVID-19 in his April 11, 2020 Forbes article entitled: Four Lessons We Should Learn From the Pandemic:
1) Human history and natural history can no longer be separated--human health and the health of the planet go together.
Kell says that the pandemic should be a wakeup call that our wellbeing is closely tied to the health of the planet, and that despite scientists’ warnings about the high risk of animal-borne infectious diseases, we continue to destroy natural habitats.
2) Prevention is better than cure--we must learn to listen to science.
Here Kell states that moving forward, scientists should be encouraged to play a greater role in public debates and policymaking and the public should be encouraged to take a greater interest in science and support their work.
3) Global threats need global collaboration.
Kell advises that since diseases cannot be stopped at the border, the notion of a global stewardship and strong collaborative bonds across and between nations will be necessary.
4) The pivotal role of the private sector.
Kell states that commerce has long acted as a bridge-builder between nations by connecting cultures and people, not through military power, but by spreading knowledge, mutual understanding and economic benefits. Good corporate citizenship practices are needed to complement government efforts.
In sum, to preserve our quality of life, we need to recognize the power of our natural environment and learn to live in harmony with it, heed the warnings of our scientists, stop polluting the planet and destroying natural habitats, create global collaborations, encourage corporate citizenship practices, and inspire innovation in everything we do.
That all sounds doable. The last challenge will be to ensure that the average person understands that we each play a critical role in shaping the world, and that to ensure our quality of life for today and for future generations, the time to act is now.
*Zachary Eichholz’s presentation – Food Security: Feeding the Present Without Compromising the Future
(Link to recording of webinar)
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/fqer4-fSdYbIq_FSPNwNrNB4Ac2S1MQ8zNjIxyafHrvDbGKYveOAF5yn28kH-jh4.eyXa6dTr_xlhSCEX Passcode: m9kvb?Ch
Four Lessons We Should Learn From the Pandemic, by Georg Kell
https://www.forbes.com/sites/georgkell/2020/04/11/four-lessons-we-should-learn-from-the-pandemic/#42d5a82c6370
| | | Promoting Reuse through Recycling Club Memberships
Recycle Brevard is an independent non-profit organization 100% run by volunteers, focused on reducing waste and promoting sustainable living.
As part of the effort to promote reuse in our community, Recycle Brevard created a Reuse Room where materials appropriate for art, craft, school and other types of projects may be found. To access materials in said Reuse Room, the community has the option to become Recycling Club members.
For current Brevard Public School teachers, Recycle Brevard is donating teacher memberships. The teacher membership allows teachers to get materials from the Reuse Room for a whole year: four grocery bags per visit; two visits per month. Materials in the Reuse Room varies but you can see a list of the ones commonly found at http://bit.ly/ReuseRoom
If you are a current BPS teacher or know a teacher that could be interested, please send an email to info@RecycleBrevard.org.
| New Members and November Zoom Meetings | | We welcome the following new members
Lisa Fiddle
Cheri Ottersen Koser
Jackie Hansen
Ann Hansen
Rebecca McDermott | | Saturday, November 7th - Social Media Committee Meeting 10 am to 11 am
Tuesday, November 10th - International Relations Meeting 1 pm to 2:30 pm
Tuesday, November 10th - Board Meeting 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm
Thursday, November 12th - Natural Resources Committee Meeting 10:30 am to Noon
Thursday, November 12th - Hot Topic 5:30 pm to 7 pm
Saturday, November 14th - Recycling Committee Meeting 10 am to 11 am
Monday, November 16th - Social Justice Committee Meeting 6 pm to 8 pm
Wednesday, November 18th - Education Committee Meeting 10 am to Noon
| | | In Memoriam
Bill Bancroft
We extend sympathy to Jan Bancroft and family.
Jan and Bill were long time members of LWVSC. |  | | Jo Shim with League table and Vote Early Day Banner on October 24th at Kiwanis Park. |  | | Cheri Ottersen Koser with two voters who agreed to help "get out the vote" by texting three friends or family members. | | |
 | | Two young voters texting friends reminding them to vote. |  | | Gina Lindhurst and daughter Zoe thanking Brevard residents for voting. | | |
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