Sara Horan and Bill Davis – NWSOFA Chapter Co-Leads
Resist, Resist, Resist, Rally, Rally, Rally…
The 6 R’s to Restoring America to Former Greatness ( 90 days ago)…
March was an absolutely monumental month! Our #1 Priority was the ACA .. your Voices were heard.. you Saved the ACA.. the GOP Plan crashed and burned and lives were saved… for now. This will not be the end of the fight. Our Spring Fellows Team is finalizing an in depth presentation on the ACA, Veterans health care and heath care in other countries. They’re confirming their expert speakers and details so save the date of Wed. April 26th and look for details below.
The resistance has continued to grow. We, as NWSOFA, have a unique position to help coordinate all the various coalitions, alliances, and partnerships. The power of this comes from people who know we are at a critical point in our country and are not going to sit back and let it happen. This is the time for you to join our NWSOFA family and help in the fight by coming to events, joining a team, bringing your talents and friends to make sure our voices are heard.
We are in this for long haul so hope you can join us, and we guarantee you’ll be glad you did!
It’s Time to Get up, off the Couch or the Easy Chair and Stop yelling at the TV and Make a Difference.
Year of the Resistance
Join the NWSOFA Team as we protect the gains we made
over the last 8 years and move our
Progressive social issues forward in 2017 … Sara & Bill
Sign up now—->
Coming in APRIL
AT A GLANCE
IT’S GOING TO BE ANOTHER ACTIVE MONTH: SEE OUR UPCOMING
Click on image above to link to calendar
EVENTS:
OFA Monthly Volunteer Call – National Call April 3 @ 7:00 –
8:00 PM
SWW Partner Event: 7th Annual Equal Pay Day Rally
April 4 @ 12:00 – 1:00 pm
Stand With Women March Action Planning Meeting April 4 @ 6:00 – 8:00 PM
Stand With Women Partner Event: Illinois Women Moving Forward Women’s Advocacy Day April 5
Stand With Women Partner Event: Fierce over 40 April 8 12 – 4 PM
Participation in Illinois Resistance Fair – Chicago
April 8 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Climate Change Monthly Team Meeting April 11 @ 6:00 – 8:00 PM
FIscal and Economic Issues – Concord Coalition Budget Workshop
On the first Monday of each month, this call is open to all volunteers and will serve as a place to get updates from OFA on our issues. Please join the call if you are interested in getting more information about the work we are doing to join the call.
(Private Meeting Room is on the left when you enter)
Are you concerned about women’s issues?
Join us to review our actions from March-
3/8/17 A Day Without Women on International Women’s Day,
3/24/17 Oakton Women’s Conference:”In Challenging Times: Women, Activism, and Leadership.”
We’d love your input in our lively discussions on what is happening in the news that we women will take action toward positive solutions. *If you are a member of a group that is a strong supporter of women’s rights, please come and share about your group and how we can work together toward strengthening our human rights and the betterment of our democracy.
Planned Parenthood works to advance policies that advance economic justice for women and families. Join our coalition partner in support of Equal Pay Day Chicago!
If you’ve never been to the Black Women’s Expo, this is your time to dedicate a couple of hours to get to know your sisters better, plus enjoy great speakers, entertainment, and food. If you have attended Black Women’s Expo before, we hope you will join us this year.
The March is honored to support Diane’s initiative “Fierce Over 40” at the Black Women’s Expo with a rally and workshop. WE ENCOURAGE YOU to be part of the rally and workshop, and join up with “Fierce Over 40” if you’re looking for a way to get involved with a group of diverse women who want to get out into their communities and make a visible difference.
These are difficult times for people who value an inclusive, progressive, and hopeful America. Yet there is hope bubbling up all around us as lifelong organizers and activists join with new converts to fight back against harmful policies emanating from Springfield and Washington.
In Illinois, we’d like to help accelerate this process by co-hosting with Democratic GAIN a large one day “resource fair” where activists, professional organizers, 1st-timers, and everyone in between can come together and channel their energies and frustrations into local organizations doing work right here, right now.
#ILResistance
Working with a host committee of 50+ committed and experienced organizers and activists, along with Democratic GAIN, the event will provide professional development opportunities for people seeking employment in the progressive movement while also offering local organizations who are hiring or foresee doing so in the coming months, a convenient opportunity to gather resumes.
Beyond those seeking employment, we want to help harness the incredible energy of those looking to help the resistance by making connections with more than 90 local partners that are engaged in progressive organizing, community building, and political activism throughout the Chicagoland area. We’ve invited organizations focusing on the following areas:
(Private Meeting Room is on the left when entering)
If you are interested in making a difference:
JOIN US as we discuss direction of climate initiatives and events.
MOVE THE EARTH WITH US as we review major events and changes which affect climate. We will be discussing various action possibilities, especially with other climate issue organizations.
In lieu of our April Fiscal and Economic Issues meeting, we will be joining Congressman Brad Schneider for a Concord Coalition Federal Budget Workshop at Lake Forest College.
The public is encouraged to participate in this free event. Participants will engage in a realistic discussion about the federal budget and how several recent policy proposals could impact our nation’s economy, debt and defici
Questions participants will consider during the workshop include:
What is the current composition of the federal budget? How are taxes spent and who pays them?
What options are being considered to change the federal budget, strengthen the economy and improve our quality of life?
What kind of political will and compromise will be required of our political leaders to change or even to maintain current federal budget priorities?
This is a workshop base event meaning participants will work in groups to discuss and formulate budget solutions together
IMPORTANT – While you can sign up here so NWSOFA has an idea of how many of our members will be attending, you need to also sign up at the link below to reserve a space at this workshop, since we are not the sponsors.
To sign up, copy and paste: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/congressman-brad-schneider-hosts-a-federal-budget-workshop-tickets-32967996164
GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION MEETING
NWSOFA
Gun Violence Prevention Planning Meeting
THURSDAY APRIL 20th
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
The Meeting location is to be announced.
When you RSVP, you will receive an acknowledgement and location for the meeting upon our receiving your RSVP.
If you are interested in great coffee and lively conversation and want to learn how you can take action now – to honor all victims of gun violence and make our communities safer – then come to our monthly Gun Violence Prevention Planning Meeting.
Our Agenda:
Current News related to gun violence prevention
Summary of GVP Legislation being introduced in the Illinois Legislature
Planning for GVP Actions and Events
The GVP Issues Team has been working for the past two years to keep conversation going about gun violence prevention and to take action to change our laws with the goal of creating safer communities for everyone in our state and our nation. We hold 90 minute planning meetings typically (with some exceptions) on the 3rd Thursday of each month at 6:30 pm. If you are interested in working to reduce gun violence in America, we invite you to join us at our next meeting. SINCE SEATING IS LIMITED, REGISTRATION IN ADVANCE IN REQUESTED. Come and join us in building safe communities here in the northwest suburbs and all across America!
This panel discussion will focus on the features of the Affordable Care Act and what may be next in the continuously evolving issue of healthcare reform. We’ll look at a global perspective of healthcare for possible answers.
Organized by the NWSOFA Fellows Class of Spring 2017.
There are people right now waiting for our Connections Team to call. People sitting at home, wanting to get involved in social change, but not knowing how. It is up to us to teach them. But first, we must connect with them.
Our Connections Team, our phone outreach team, is one of our newest ways to build our organization and thus inspire change. Flexibility is one of its best features. It only requires as much or as little time as you are willing or able to give
Most often, we work from home. That means, we can work in our pajamas sipping espresso, even if it’s 3 in the afternoon. No one will know. And yes I have done it.
We are trying to get together a rather large team to do our outreach. We already have a few great members. We want to expand this, so that we can reach more people. We also want a team ready to make a few calls quickly if we have an event that is organized spontaneously, like our recent rallies and marches.
Some people are a little nervous about making calls, I was at first. However, we train and are always happy to help with questions.
You also need to know that we are not trying to sell timeshares or even unload those leftover Girl Scout oatmeal cookies that are piled up in our garage. We are simply giving people information about our events. No pressure, we are always respectful. Overwhelmingly, those I have called have been positive. They thank me for keeping them informed and reminding them about our events. It is like a special invitation
We would love to have you join our team. If you don’t feel like u can make a commitment, it would be great if you could make a few calls periodically.. Even if each person makes 10 to 24 calls, that would grow our base. I would also like to expand our team to do other types of outreach.
Please call me at 708-436-9564 or email me at gaylelewis3155@gmail.com if you would like to join us or have questions. I hope to hear from you soon!
Gayle Lewis,
Connections Team Lead
IN THE BOOKS: RECENT EVENTS
“IN THE BOOKS”: Our recent Events
(click event to view the pictures)
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Partner Event – ACLU Illinois tele-town hall conversation about immigration March 1 @ 7:00 – 8:00 pm
Partner Event – ICIRR 2017 Summit to Make The Road to a Welcoming Illinois!March 4 @ 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Coalition Partner League of Women Voters Film Event – Making a Killing: Guns, Greed,and the NRA
March 23 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Coalition Partner Event – Oakton Women’s and Gender Studies Program 2017 Conference- “In Challenging Times: Women, Activism and Leadership” March 24
Notice: These are public meeting(s) / event(s)
NWSOFA is a 501(c)4, non-partisan organization.
All opinions are solely those of NWSOFA
NWSOFA EVENTS PLANNED FOR APRIL
Click on the Calendar for more information
SAVE THE DATES
in MAY!
OFA VOLUNTEER CALL MON 1
STANDING WITH WOMEN – TUE 2
SWW Coalition Partner Event: Strike Out Sexual Assault May 4
CLIMATE CHANGE MONTHLY MEETING- TUE 9
CLIMATE CHANGE MOVIE EVENT “This Changes Everything” SUN 14
GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION – THUR 18
iIn The Books our June Event
NWSOFA is Action..
Hope is not blind optimism. Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it, and to work for it, and to fight for it.
Thank You to our NWSOFA Issue Leads in 2015
Click on the above Image to see each lead and the issues they work on .._
