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Health & Fitness

HF-Area LWV Members Attend State Convention

Five members of the Homewood-Flossmoor Area League of Women Voters recently served as delegates to the State LWVIL Convention held at the Marriott Hotel in Bloomington-Normal, IL.  Erin Roeper, co-president for 2013-15; Karen Maurer, secretary; Donna Moore, treasurer; and Sharon Cooper and Maureen McSherry, two of the League's six Board of Directors, participated in a variety of caucuses and workshops during the two-day convention.  Mrs. McSherry and Mrs. Roeper also attended an additional half-day MLD (Membership Leadership Development) training to be state coaches in the MLD program.

Topics about the environment -- "Protecting Illinois from Fracking," "Water, Water Everywhere: Is It Safe to Drink?" and "Genetically Modified Food -- Should I Be Concerned?" were presented.  Among other workshops of interest were "Flat Doesn't Work: A Better Illinois Alternative," "Stayin' Alive, Building Membership & Leadership" and "Women Candidates, Fundraising and Stepping Up."

This year's convention theme was "100 Years of Voting in Illinois: Power Influence, Change" and delegates celebrated the 100th anniversary of women getting the right to vote in Illinois -- June 26, 2013 -- six years before it became a law of the land.  Delegates were invited to wear hats (in honor of the suffragettes) at a special ceremony Friday afternoon of convention, in which the mayor of Normal read a proclamation honoring this anniversary and the Illinois LWV.  The delegation was entertained Friday evening by Ms. Jenny Riddle, actress, who gave a performance of Famous First Ladies, featuring Mary Todd Lincoln, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Jacqueline Kennedy.  Saturday night's program included the presentation of the Carrie Chapman Catt Leadership Award to Cynthia Schilsky of the Elmhurst League, who has served as president of the Cook County LWV for five years.  Delegates were then entertained by a female blues band, Loose Gravel, which included Lt. Gov. Sheilia Simon on bass guitar, banjo and electric bassoon.

During the plenary sessions of the convention on Saturday and Sunday, the delegates adopted budgets for 2013-14 and 2014-15, received reports from the Membership, Voter Services, Communications, and Issues Vice-Presidents, adopted the State League's program for 2013-15, and elected officers and a board of directors for the LWVIL 2013-15 season. The new Board includes HF-Area LWV's president, Erin Roeper.

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