 |
IRS Holiday Gift for LWVJoCo
Happy shrieks! Pumped fists! The cause? Official news that the Internal Revenue Service granted LWVJoCo our much-anticipated 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. Almost all foundations require it before reviewing funding requests. Donors seek its tax-deductible benefit.
On November 19, we received the official IRS letter stating that our League is exempt from federal income tax. “…Donors can deduct contributions…” and “You’re also qualified to receive tax deductible bequests, devises, transfers or gifts…”
The status is retroactive to August 27, 2020, when former treasurer Anita Kaiser and I filed the 32-page online application. At that time, the IRS had warned that review could take up to 18 months.
Work started in September 2019. Pro bono advice and review by LWVUS advisor Tom Carson saved many hours. LWVJoCo leaders provided needed data. During that period, the IRS was slammed with:
Processing the 80,000 501(c0(3) applications received annually slowed. Misplaced JoCo documents (later found by the IRS) and an extra review step (for a political organization) delayed progress.
Getting status information wasn’t simple. The IRS does not use email due to security concerns. In contrast to the 2021 real-time, electronic world, IRS staff communicate via telephone, fax or US postal service. Truly heartfelt thanks go to IRS Exempt Unit agent Joseph Kennedy and his supervisor, Maria Tritch, for taking phone calls. Talking to a real person soothed our nail-biting suspense.
All told, the entire process took 26 months. But the final approval couldn’t be better timed! Working with consultant Elevate Agency, the JoCo board has started work on a new strategic plan. Members will give input at the January 2022 Planning Session. We all can celebrate having an updated tool kit that now includes IRS 501(c)(3) tax-deductible status.
Submitted by Ellen Miller
From President Amber Stenger:
Many thanks to Ellen Miller and Anita Kaiser for the many hours they devoted to this endeavor during the past three years. Thank you, too, to Jerry Gilson, our fearless treasurer, for helping us get to the finish line.
Because of Ellen, Anita and Jerry’s vision, determination and patience, LWVJoCo is poised to be a powerhouse for voters in the years to come.
What a wonderful way to close out 2021.
|  | |
Saturday, December 4, 2021
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Join us for League Day where the LWV chapters of Kansas will update members on activities, exchange ideas and coordinate future activities and planning. See the agenda.
Note there is a $5 registration fee.
| |
Help LWVJoCo chart our course for 2022 and beyond.
We’ll start with a sneak peek at our 2022-2025 strategic plan and then move to some small-group brainstorming on important initiatives. We’ll end with an ask-the-board-anything session.
We need your input to make LWVJoCo even stronger!
Advance registration required.
|  | 
December 1 is Rosa Parks Day, commemorating the day in 1955 when Ms. Parks quietly refused to yield her bus seat to a white passenger, sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycott. But, did you know that her civil rights activism started over a decade earlier with her desire to vote?
Ms. Parks attempted to register to vote three times between 1943 and 1945. On her final try in 1945, she was given a test and was convinced she had answered the questions correctly. So she copied down the questions and her answers, in the event they were needed as evidence in a legal challenge. Seeing this, the registrar approved her application.
Ms. Parks cast her first vote in 1945 despite being required to pay poll taxes totaling $16.50, or $251.45 in 2021 dollars. And she voted in every subsequent election during her lifetime. Having secured her own voting rights, Ms. Parks continued helping others register to vote.
Efforts to honor Ms. Parks’ contributions to civil rights continue, including the Rosa Parks Day Act introduced this year that seeks to create a federal holiday on December 1 honoring the civil rights icon. At the League of Women Voters, we must continue our work registering voters, fighting voter suppression, and advocating for expanded voter access to honor the work and legacy of voting rights pioneers like Rosa Parks.
For more information about Rosa Parks’ voter registration work:
https://time.com/5933396/rosa-parks-voting-rights/.
For more information about the Rosa Parks Day Act:
https://www.fedsmith.com/2021/09/03/seeking-another-federal-holiday/
Submitted by Angela Thornton-Millard
|  |  | Myrna Louise Stringer
Longtime League member Myrna Stringer passed away on November 16, 2021. She was a leader in both LWVJoCo and LWVK, and she served as co-president in 2003-04, with Diane Kuhn.
You can read about another member's "Myrna Moment", under “March Forth” by Kathy Hockley, in this article. |
Looking for objective information about voting and other important issues for your group?
Representatives of League of Women Voters of Johnson County are eager to speak to schools, churches, companies, neighborhood associations and other groups.
LWVJoCo offers interesting and nonpartisan presentations on a wide range of topics adaptable to meet your group’s needs, from a short 20-minute overview to a longer presentation and discussion. No fees are required. Here are some of the presentations we offer:
Making democracy work
-
LWVJoCo: What We Stand For and Positions We Champion
-
Redistricting/Gerrymandering/People Powered Fair Maps
-
Being an Informed Voter: Knowing Where to Look for Valid Information
-
Making Your Voice Heard: Discovering Your Style as an Advocate
-
What Is the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact
-
Media Integrity: Identifying Fake News
Contact Kathleen Morrow to schedule a presentation: kathleenmorrow66@gmail.com | 816-835-0830
|  |
Mapi Buitano
Maureen Hale
Joarvonia George
Jamie L Rollheiser
Whitney Wilson
| Member Spotlight: Heidi Matthews
This member finds the League a place to be civically engaged, but avoid divisive and ugly discourse.
| Observer Corps Reports
Catch up on the actions, decisions and proposals of our local public officials.
- Charter Commission update
- Workforce housing approved near New Century Airport
- Affordable housing issue getting traction in NE Johnson County
Read the latest summaries by League members who attend several public meetings in our area.
| Board and Committee Briefs
💧 The Pivotal Role of Water: Many thanks to those that attended our November meeting on water, and to our moderator, Kansas Rep. Lindsay Vaughn, and our other excellent panelists:
Dawn Buehler, Riverkeeper and Executive Director of Friends of the Kaw and Chair of the Kansas Water Authority; Kansas Rep. Ron Highland, chair of the Kansas House Committee on Water; and Connie Owen, director of the Kansas Water Office. If you missed it, you can watch it here. We also appreciate the DEI Moment provided by Jeannine Linnane. And as always, we couldn't do this without the leadership of LWVJoCo Vice President Janet Milkovich and the behind-the-scenes help of Mitchell Krasnololer and Debbie Kitchin.
🗳️ Election canvass: A special thanks to Julie Lester and Becky White for serving as the League’s representatives at the Johnson County election canvass. Of 442,236 registered voters in Johnson County, 111,761 voted (25.27%). A total of 187 ballots were not counted: 83 because the voter was not registered and 92 because the ballots were returned too late.
🔷 Charter Commission: The Charter Commission’s next meeting is 4 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 6. See the agenda and find out how to watch here, and read Eileen Marshall and Alleen VanBebber’s latest updates about where we are in the process.
👀 Legislative Observer Corps: Become a member of LWVK’s Observer Corps and help League fulfill its watchdog role and improve government transparency. Attend an organizational session on Thursday, Dec. 16 at 5 p.m. For more info, go to our calendar or reach out to Kristin Salmans of the Lawrence League at kristinbrightstar@gmail.com.
⚖️ Lawsuit editorial: LWV of Kansas presidents Martha Pint and Jacqueline Lightcap explain in an op-ed why local Leagues were forced to cease registering voters this summer due to a newly passed law that jeopardizes the safety of League volunteers.
✨ Sponsored memberships: In an effort to make our organization more inclusive, the board voted to sponsor four regular memberships during this fiscal year. Students can now join for free as well. For more information, contact us.
💡 LWVUS 55th Annual Convention: LWV’s next national convention will be a hybrid event in Denver, Colo. from June 23-26, 2022. Several LWVJoCo members typically serve as delegates. Start thinking about whether this is something you’d like to attend and watch for information here.
📰 Stay Current: Read about latest work of Leagues throughout the state in the latest issue of LWVK’s VOTER Notes newsletter.
| Stay Connected
Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.
Check our Events page.
Keep current on developments through our Facebook page.
Find out more about what the Kansas League is doing.
We welcome your feedback! Please contact the newsletter editor.
View past issues of our newsletter.
Our monthly newsletter, The VOTER, provides information on League programs and events. Get it delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free!
| |