DEMOCRACY DINNER UPDATE
The League of Women Voters of California Education Fund Democracy Dinner was held this past spring in San Jose. Over 250 League members from local Leagues attended and heard former U.N. Ambassador Nancy Sodenberg. Her topic was, "Global Challenges, Global Realities." She related many anecdotes about her time in the United Nations and spoke of the recent changes in the U.S. relationship to other nations.
A silent and live auction was part of this festive evening, and your League participated. We offered a Monterey Peninsula package of two nights in a Pacific Grove member's home, entrance for four and a private tour of the Monterey Bay Aquarium given by a member, and lunch at the aquarium restaurant with a gift certificate paid for by our League. The package was a part of the live auction and sold for more than $500. Twenty-nine local Leagues submitted auction items for the event.
This past month the lucky bidders on the Monterey package stayed at the Pacific Grove member's home while celebrating the mutual birthdays of two of the four participants. Although aquarium tours are normally ninety minutes, these folks were so interested that we toured for almost three hours before they had to honor their luncheon reservation. It was a wonderful weekend for the League member and her guests, and it benefited the League at the same time!
The proceeds from the event were more than $38,000, with about half of the net income shared between the six Leagues that put on the affair and the other portion going to the state League's Education Fund.
Education funds are spent on voter education, citizen education on issues and study. We can be pleased that our League has helped benefit the coffers of the LWVC Education Fund, for there is always more that we can be doing to inform and educate our citizenry.
--Membership Codirector
