Sara Horan and Bill Davis – NWSOFA Chapter Co-Leads
MOST INSPIRING MONTH YET!
April was jam packed with some significant accomplishments.
It was a month of marches, coordinating resources and turnout and enlightening presentations. What was most inspiring was our resistance has not waned but gotten stronger. More folks are coming out to have their voices heard. The March for Science on the 22nd in Palatine brought close to 500 people! On the 29th the rain and cold in Chicago did not deter 1000’s from the People’s Climate March while those that met with 200,000+ in DC had 90 degree heat. Check out our pictures to see how we and others around the country are making a difference.
NWSOFA, Chicago North and staff from HQ connected with hundreds of folks who came to the Resist Fair on the 8th in Chicago. We networked with 50+ exhibitors and were thrilled with the turnout. Many were people who had never been involved with any groups.
We are very proud of our Fellows Managers, Sue Friedman and Abrar Quader. On the 26th their 7 new OFA Fellows completed a crucial speakers’ event on the Myths and Facts of the ACA with a Global Perspective. Welcome to your NWSOFA family, Kim Cavill, Eileen Rasche, Patricia Cahill, Kathryn Westburg, Steven Givhan, Julia diLiberti and Leksa Pravdic. The National OFA Fellows training is an intense 6 week program on community organizing, and we are so impressed with their success. If you or anyone you know would like to be in the Fellows Summer Program, applications will open soon. Watch for details. The fight to save the ACA is not over so watch for calls for action as Congress tries to repeal and replace with devastating bills that impact millions.
The Gun Violence Prevention team had a major victory when the IL Senate passed the Gun Dealer Licensing bill. It’s is now headed to the House! Your calls and personal meetings with Senators made the difference. After 2 years we need your help to get this finalized before the end of the session.
All the teams continued meetings and events and have some great ones coming up. 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 MAY
AT A GLANCE
AND MAY IS GOING TO BE ANOTHER ACTIVE MONTH: SEE OUR UPCOMING
Click on image above to link to calendar
EVENTS:
OFA Monthly Volunteer Call – National Call MAY 1 @ 7:00 –
8:00 PM
Stand With Women March Action Planning Meeting MAY 2 @ 6:00 – 8:00 PM
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.
What Women Mean to the Nation’s Fight to Protect Families and Children:
Healthcare Rights for Families and Children
Immigration Rights .. for Families being torn apart by the current administration
Racism and Bigotry towards Families and Children
Marching.. Using our Voices to Protect
Join us for a lively non-partisan discussion and help us enact our plan for 2016-2017 annual action events calendar to proudly and boldly Stand With Women!.
Join the Coalition for a Better Illinois 6th and other grass root activist as we protest Rep. Roskam and Lt. Gov Sanguinetti’s Cinco De Mayo fundraiser.
Representative Roskam has a terrible record when it comes to immigrant communities yet he is holding a Cinco De Mayo fundraiser with the Lt. Governor in Wheaton.
NW Suburbs Immigration Coalition Ask Your State Legislator to Support the Illinois Trust Act Conference Call.
What: Join NWSOFA and activist from Illinois as we discuss the best strategy for you to call your state legislators offices to ask them to support the Illinois Trust Act. We will also discuss setting up in district meetings with your state legislators to ask them to Support the Illinois Trust Act. The Illinois Trust Act will make Illinois safe for our immigrant communities.
Steve Moon from Asian Americans Advancing Justice and Patrick Watson from NWSOFA and CBIL6 will host the call.
Dial in Number – (605) 475-4855 Access Pin: 560168
RSVP: pawatson83@gmail.com
Climate Change Meeting
NWSOFA
Climate Change Film:
“This Changes Everything”
FRIDAY MAY 5th
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Elk Grove Public Library
1001 Wellington Ave.
Elk Grove Village, IL ,
If you are interested in making a difference attend:
“THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING” film showing on Friday at Elk Grove Village Library
In April we went up to Lake Forest College to participate in a federal budget workshop hosted by Congressman Brad Schneider and the Concord Coalition. Then we had a short NWSOFA breakout meeting before heading out for beer and pizza in Lake Forest. Attached is a Concord Coalition PowerPoint on the federal budget, as well as my PowerPoint from the April meeting.
Come get the facts about the economic recovery and the status of ongoing appropriations challenges at both the state and national level.
We have added about 2.2 million jobs nationally in the last 12 months (through March). March reported only 98,000 jobs added, but the first quarter was a decent +533,000. In March the (U-3) unemployment rate was at 4.5%, while the U-6 rate was 8.9%. While down from a high of 17.1% during the downturn, this U-6 rate is still higher than the 8.4% in the fall of 2007 before the Great Recession of December 2007 to June 2009.
Illinois is now operating without appropriations since December 2016. The revised jobs report for Illinois shows job gains for 2015 of 81,000. Job gains in 2016 were reported at 18,900. The current fiscal year (FY) ends June 30th and the FY 2018 budget is basically due May 31st.
The April jobs report comes out Friday, May 5th, so we will have that data to discuss at our meeting. Preliminary 1st quarter real GDP growth was reported this morning at +0.7%. It looks like we will avoid a federal government shutdown. If not, that will likely be our meeting focus. Otherwise, at the federal level we will probably be diving into the president’s tax cut proposal. But we will also take a look at the status of Illinois state budget discussions in Springfield. .
Bring your articles and other topics. Come join us for some exciting discussions.
Then come join us for continued discussions at Lou Malnati’s after 9:30 pm. While OFA may not be political, we can discuss the politics of what is happening now at Lou’s.
JOIN Congressman Brad Schneider for a public screening and discussion of a very important documentary about reducing gun violence.
He’ll be showing portions of “Making a Killing: Guns, Greed, and The NRA,” including a case study of Chicago gun trafficking
Following the screening, Congressman Schneider will hold a conversation and question and answer session with two community leaders in the gun violence prevention movement:
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.
GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION MEETING
NWSOFA
Gun Violence Prevention Planning Meeting
THURSDAY MAY 18th
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!
SWW PARTNER EVENT WOMEN’S STUDIES COMMITTEE, COLLEGE OF DUPAGE – HOW TO GET POLITICALLY INVOLVED SUN JUNE 4
OFA VOLUNTEER CALL MON 5
STANDING WITH WOMEN – TUE 6
CLIMATE CHANGE MONTHLY MEETING- TUE 13
GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION – THUR 15
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 .._
