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June 30th will mark the end of my terms as President of this amazing organization. It has been a major highlight of my professional life and a true honor to serve in this role.
As I reflect on the 6 years of my presidency, I am humbled at what we have accomplished through teamwork and dedication by so many of you. Some of the highlights that come to mind include the expansion of our partnerships within the community; a new website and extensive social media outreach; a trained speakers bureau that provides a variety of educational programs; action team advocacy on important community issues; keeping the League going through the COVID pandemic; our community wide celebration of the League’s 100th anniversary; and increased membership outreach efforts.
Much work, however, remains. Our world has changed, and the League is facing challenges that must be addressed. One of the biggest issues is managing to stay non-partisan in a very partisan world and at the same time staying relevant to a changing population. Recruiting younger members to join our work and broadening our membership to better reflect the community remain top priorities. I have great confidence in our capacity to find solutions and know we will continue to grow and prosper.
There are too many folks to try to thank personally in this short space, but to my board members for their leadership, advice, support and dedication to LWVVC; to our action teams and committee chairs for making our work possible; and to each of you, our members, for being such caring, dedicated, and committed individuals no matter what the task; my heartfelt thanks for your friendship and support.
I am excited about the future of LWVVC and know we will be in good hands as we turn the reins over to our new president, Nancy Vaughn, and her terrific leadership team. Please join me in welcoming Nancy in her new role as leader of LWVVC.
In League,
Nicki Junkins, President LWVVC
president@lwvvc.org
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I am so honored to serve as the newly elected president of the League of Women Voters of Volusia County. I am incredibly grateful to Nicki Junkins, who served for the last six years. She has left us with a strong organization and an inspiring vision for our future.
With our incoming board of directors, we will continue to build upon this foundation looking toward the challenges we will face. I am excited to work with all of you as we anticipate our bright future.
Your support and participation are crucial to our success, and I look forward to collaborating with each of you.
Nancy Vaughn, Incoming President LWVVC
nancyvaughn411@msn.com
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To all members who have renewed, thank you! If you are unsure of your membership expiration date, please login to the Membership Portal at https://portal.lwv.org/home, use your email address as your login. Most long-time members have a June 30 due date. Once you renew it will be extended to June 30, 2026.
Here is a video that will show you, step by step, how to renew your League membership.
https://go.screenpal.com/watch/cThF21n61Zu
Members whose membership is due this coming June 30th got a reminder on May 1st, which came from LWVUS using the new platform. The video above will walk you thru the processes. If you have a different due date, LWVUS will send you a reminder one month before your membership expiration date.
As a volunteer organization, our members are our strength. We currently have 220 members. The Local Leaguers program has encouraged more members to become active! We mostly work through Action Teams, which cover a variety of public issues. To get involved, you can pick one or more topics that interest you. Below is a list of the current teams and their leaders. If you want to be plugged in, reach out to me and I will refer you to the correct person.
Olga Hernandez, oah@vyndicar.com
Membership Roster Manager
| | League of Women Voters of Volusia County Action Teams | |
- Education – Pat Drago
- Growth Management – Saralee Morrissey
- Membership – Bonnie Friedman
- Speakers Bureau – Ann Smith
- Natural Resources – Patricia Gertenbach
- Media/Publicity/IT – Kimberly Cline
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- Observer Corp – Cindy Wakeland
- Voter Service – Nancy Nusbaum
- Women’s Issues – Alicia Keenon
- Social Justice – Vacant
- Fundraising – Vacant
- Legislative Team - Vacant
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On May 17, the League of Women Voters of Volusia County held its Annual Meeting at the Palmetto Club. Our speaker was Judge Grimes, who gave an outstanding presentation.
The membership voted on the 2025-2026 budget, changes to the bylaws, and the slate of new officers, which included the new president, Nancy Vaughn.
Outgoing president, Nicki Junkins was honored and celebrated with speeches, gifts, and cake.
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If you are a member, come to our meetings, and just like to support the League, we have T-shirts and name tags! The name tags are classy with a magnetic backing that won't ruin your clothes.
T-shirts and name tags are $20 each.
Contact Kimberly Cline to order yours today!
kim@kimberlycline.com
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The League year is July 1st through June 30. That means that we are wrapping up our 2025-2026 year with a June outing.
This seems like a good time to say thank you to all the Action Team Leaders and the members who made our year successful. The programs were so informative and dealt with issues we vote on and that impact our lives. There is a whole team of people who bring us these events. The Action Teams usually bring us an update on issues their teams are looking at.
Other programs also come to us as because a current topic has become very important to our citizens and members. Many people were involved in our monthly events and I want to thank everyone who was a part of our busy calendar.
I also want to thank our members for supporting the League by attending and encouraging guests to join us. We hope you will continue to join us for the upcoming year. It looks like we will have some amazing conversations!
Carla Christianson, Program Chair
reclaim4all@gmail.com
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2025 Legislative Update
presented by Equal Ground
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The Legislature had a very eventful session this winter. Now we have an opportunity to see what was determined during the session.
This event is sponsored by:
Clergy Alliance
Equal Ground
League of Women Voters of Volusia County
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
There are two events open to the public at no cost. Both events will cover the same information.
When: Monday June 9, 2025
Time: 6:00
Where: Bethune Cookman University Civic Engagement Center, 740 W International Speed Blvd. Daytona Beach
RSVP HERE
When: Tuesday June 10, 2025
Time: 6:00
Where: Greater Union First Baptist Church is 240/S Clara Ave. DeLand
RSVP HERE
For more information, email info@equal-ground.com
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Join the League on June 11 for a lovely evening of fun!
We are going for a beautiful Sunset Dinner Cruise on the Halifax River aboard the Lady Dolphin of Daytona. Enjoy the warm breezes and breathtaking views of the Intracoastal Waterway, a delicious meal, and social time with League members!
What: Dinner Cruise on the Halifax
When: Wednesday, June 11, 2025
Time: 5:30 arrival to ensure you can sit together – we Sail at 7:00
Cost: $38.89 per person
Where: 125 Basin Street, Suite 140, Daytona Beach, FL 32114
The scenic 1 1/2-hour dinner cruise aboard the Lady Dolphin of Daytona paddle wheeler is available for: $25.95 (plus tip, tax and port fee) a total of $38.89.
The price includes dinner, dessert, unlimited soft drinks, music, sightseeing information, free parking, and free prizes. There is a full bar on board with discounted drinks.
Full menu options are on the website: HERE
Please purchase our tickets directly through them in advance.
To reserve, go online HERE or call at 386-402-1353
Make sure you reserve for the correct date and time!
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Speed Dating With the League Event on Wednesday, April 30th was very successful. Thirty-six people attended. Fourteen of these were guests of the League and several of them have become members because of attending. Participants shared that they learned quite a bit at the action team tables and some signed up to join a team. The teamwork was wonderful, and I heard many positive comments from our board and membership. The tables were beautifully decorated and there was lots of information available.
A Think Tank was set up for Monday, June 2nd at Taino’s Italian Restaurant at Daytona 1. Several of our younger, dynamic women participated in this dinner discussion, which took place at 5:30 p.m. One of the participants suggested this location to support local family run dining establishments and it is a good place to either have a drink, an appetizer or a full dinner. The purpose of this Think Tank is to come up with a plan to bring younger people into the League. Time, location and meaningful programming is critical. Please let me know if any of you would like to be a part of this growing group.
During the quiet months of summer look for a Local Leaguers discussion get togethers. The topic, location, and specifics will be announced. Participants will be invited to bring a guest.
We are still actively searching for members who are willing to host a Meet & Greet at their home. These have all been very successful and resulted in new memberships. You provide your home and a possible guest list and we will do the rest. It’s easy, fun and very beneficial to the League.
Bonnie Friedman, Membership Outreach Chair
407-312-4944 or bonnietunes@yahoo.com
| | Natural Resources Action Team | | |
The Natural Resources Team held their very timely Hot Topic on April 26th at the Deltona Public Library: “Rising Water – Flooding Concerns and Solutions”, which consisted of a panel discussion by local experts on flooding issues in our community. The goal of the panel discussion was to educate the public on how complicated flooding issues and solutions are. The experts that participated in the panel were:
Dr. Jason Evans, Professor of Environmental Science and Studies at Stetson University, who gave an excellent overview of how changes in the climate and the built and natural environment affect flooding.
Storm Kazmeirczak the Assistant County Engineer / County Development Engineer for Volusia County’ s Engineering and Construction Department. Storm’s presentation built on Jason’s overview by focusing on the technical and engineering issues the County faces, and the solutions the County is working on, including updating Stormwater regulations.
Glenn Whitcomb the Public Works Director for the City of Deltona. Glenn’s presentation drilled down even more on both Jason’s and Storm’s discussions, providing local examples of flooding and how the city has and continues to address them.
There were about 30 attendees, including District 5 County Councilman David Santiago, City of Deltona Commissioner District 2 Emma Santiago, and Supervisor Volusia Soil and Water Conservation District Wendy Anderson. A video of the discussion will be posted on the LWVVC Facebook page.
It was a wild ride in Tallahassee this legislative session with some notable environmental issues on the agenda. Judy Hushon did another amazing job this year tracking the record number bills – nearly 2,000! One of the GOOD bills passed this year was HB 209 State Land Management. This was the Legislature’s answer to a Department of Environmental Protection proposal that surfaced in 2024 aimed at opening state parks to a wide range of questionable attractions. The bill is intended to maintain “conservation-based recreational uses” at state parks. The Governor has indicated that he will sign this important legislation.
At the local level, the League, along with several other organizations, signed onto a letter that was prepared by the ECHO Volusia Forever Alliance and sent to the Volusia County Council regarding the purchase of land using a combination of ECHO and Volusia Forever Funds. The issue is that the land is a high priority for the Florida Wildlife Corridor, but the County Council is planning on putting a motocross facility on part of the land – this would set a dangerous precedent and, as pointed out in the letter, appears to be in direct conflict with several County and State documents. We will continue to watch this issue.
Pattie Gertenbach, gertenbachp01@gmail.com
Natural Resources Co-Chair
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Now that we have had a chance to catch our breaths after the campaigning, amendments, festivals, etc. of a big election year, it is time to gear up over the summer to be prepared for the fall. Your LWVVC Speakers Bureau is ready to speak to any group who has an interest in the following topics:
Your Voice, Your Power, Your Vote
o An explanation of the hard-fought battle of getting the right to vote for ALL Americans. In 1776, only 10% of Americans had the right to vote. Learn about how voting rights were expanded and the important benefits, as well as rights and responsibilities, for citizens who turn out and vote.
Civics and Critical Thinking
o How federal, state, and local governments work; rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizenship; critical think and how to evaluate the credibility of information sources
News: Separating Fact from Fiction
o This presentation explains how to examine if News stories are presented with bias, or entirely false.
Women’s Suffrage
o The year 2020 marked the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which gave women the right to vote. This PowerPoint recounts the sacrifices of activists whose tireless efforts from 1848 to 1920 culminated in women’s suffrage.
League of Women Voters of Volusia County
o Who are we and what do we do
If you or any group to which you belong is interested in having a League speaker for an upcoming program, most presentations are 30 minutes long plus Q and A. Please contact Ann:
Ann Smith, 386-235-3957 or ahsmith5@bellsouth.net
Speakers Bureau Chair
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We need observers!
You don't have to live there to be an observer for the Observer Corps!
You can share the responsibility with another LWVVC member. The function of the Observer Corps is to attend and observe meetings, and submit short reports for The Voter.
If you want to become an Observer and learn what this responsibility entails, please contact Cindy Wakeland at cwakeland905@gmail.com
To view a PDF of the observer reports submitted by the Observer Corps members, please click HERE. You can download and read at your leisure.
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Support the League of Women Voters of Volusia County directly by donating!
You will support free informational programs and the important work we do!
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