As I reflect back over the last three years, the impact of COVID is huge.
It had its impact on us in several ways: As many of us in the League have worked together for years and we already knew each other pretty well, we made the transition quickly to virtual meetings. In many ways, they are easier and sometimes better: they take less time as we need not get ourselves dressed top to bottom and then drive to a meeting place. It is easy to record our meetings so anyone can easily answer a question like "Now what did she say?" Our candidate forums and Lunch with League events can now be seen by a much wider audience than before.
After last Saturday's "Newcomer's Picnic," which was a success thanks to many people, we easily felt how wonderful it is to meet in person. We share more energy and excitement. I hope all who attended enjoyed the morning as I did and will continue to work with us.
I feel so honored and humbled to have been your president for the last three years. It has been a pleasure to work with dedicated and experienced people who share a common vision to make our democracy work better in our community.
We will greatly miss those members of the board who are leaving:
Julie O’Keefe has served as treasurer since 2018 and has done a fabulous job tracking our money by improving reports so the board has more clarity when money is an issue in making decisions.
Kathy Muller has served as our very able secretary since 2020 and, when she saw that we needed to raise some money this past year, she volunteered to also chair the fundraising committee which included applying for and winning a grant from the Farrington Foundation to further our Voter Service work.
And, not least, Marie Arnold has served as our Membership Director for many years and has tirelessly brought new members into our organization and managed our pre-COVID in-person Lunch With League events.
And now it is time for NEW Leadership! I am very excited to turn over the "keys" to Diane McNutt and Taryn Upchurch. Both of them bring strong leadership skills. I know they have a lot of exciting ideas for how our League of Women Voters can strengthen our community. Join me in supporting them while they lead us forward!!
Stay safe and healthy,
Carol