Monroe County NOW is proud to support the 2024 Spencer Pride Festival! We will be tabling at the event. Interested in volunteering at our table? We need volunteers for two of our shifts. We will be registering people to vote just before the Indiana voter registration deadline. Sign up to volunteer at https://www.signupgenius.com/.../20F0E44A8A828A5F49.... See you there!

Come meet and greet candidates for Indiana Senate, Indiana House of Representatives, and Monroe County County Commissioner. Candidates will respond briefly to questions, then meet and converse with voters.

Co-sponsors: Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, League of Women Voters of Bloomiongton-Monroe County, League of Women Voters of Brown County, Monroe County Branch NAACP, and Monroe County NOW

Where: This is an online Zoom event
Moderator: Sonia Leerkamp
Candidates: Russell Brooksbank (L) and Tim Peck (D); Erin Houchin declined
Hosted by: League of Women Voters of Bloomington-Monroe County
Cosponsors: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. - Kappa Tau Omega Chapter, Big Ten Voting Challenge, Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, IU PACE, League of Women Voters Bloomington-Monroe County, League of Women Voters Brown County, League of Women Voters Southern Indiana Monroe County NOW, Monroe County Branch NAACP, South Central Indiana Citizens’ Climate Lobby, Citizens’ Climate Lobby - New Albany

Have you had the feeling that our local news sources are disappearing or becoming biased? You aren't wrong and it is happening.

 Join Monroe County NOW for our next chapter meeting on Thursday, September 26 at 7pm! We will have a conversation with a couple of representatives from our local news media. Bring your questions and let's learn more about how their agencies function in this age of rapid online news, misinformation, and development of news deserts right here in Indiana. Invite your friends to attend this important discussion.

 Attendees must register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEqdOygpzooHtNOe7kR-slE9lzehLoodmsD 

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Where: Bloomington City Hall Council Chambers
Moderator: Beverly Calender-Anderson
Candidates: Joe Davis (write-in), Trent Deckard (D), David Henry (D), Cheryl Munson (D)

Hosted by: League of Women Voters of Bloomington-Monroe County
Cosponsors: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. - Kappa Tau Omega Chapter, Big Ten Voting Challenge, IU PACE, League of Women Voters Bloomington-Monroe County, Monroe County NOW, Monroe County Branch NAACP, South Central Indiana Citizens’ Climate Lobby

Monroe County NOW will be at Bloomington Pridefest this Saturday! We are in need of more volunteers for our table. Please consider helping us staff the table.

Members of the League of Women Voters Bloomington-Monroe County, Indiana and Hoosier Asian American Power will be tabling with us. We will be registering people to vote. If you're able to volunteer, please sign up at https://www.signupgenius.com/.../10C0A4FACAB2BA7F9CF8.... See you Saturday!

It's all about election protection during the 2024 election season! Join us on Thursday, August 29, at 7pm for a discussion with this month's guest speaker Ami Gandhi. Ami is the Director of Strategic Initiatives and Midwest Voting Rights Programs for the Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights (CLCFCR). Her work helps "reduce barriers to voting and improve civic participation, especially in communities of color and low-income communities in the Midwest." For more information about CLCFCR and the work they do, please visit clccrul.org.

You must register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/.../tZEqdOygpzooHtNOe7kR...

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. See you there!

Mark your calendars! The Indiana NOW 2024 State Conference will be held Saturday, August 24, from 9:30am to 4pm at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne. Our Northeast Indiana NOW chapter is hosting this year's conference.

Fort Wayne Mayor Sharon Tucker will welcome attendees. Join us for amazing speakers (others will be announced soon), motivational handouts, planning for the year ahead, and to vote for our next slate of State Council members. There will also be a PAC fundraising event on Friday, August 23. More information will follow.

You don’t want to miss this!

ARE YOU READY TO GO?

Need a place to stay? Reserve your room today! There is a reserved hotel block at the Hilton Hotel at the Grand Wayne Convention Center, located at 1020 S. Calhoun Street. The block is for Friday and/or Saturday night at $129 per night. Be sure to ask for the NOW rate if you call (260-420-1100). You can also make your reservation online at https://www.hilton.com/en/attend-my-event/fwafhhf-now-b5941977-ec6f-4fb4-856e-c384f5c84c12/.

Life has been CRAZY... And we need to laugh out loud to get through the craziness of this election season! Join us Friday, August 23, at 8pm as we raise money for the Indiana NOW Political Action Committee. We're heading to the Fort Wayne Comedy Club @ 469 Sports & Spirits where standup acts Asia Chardonay (https://www.alldisbody.com) and Sears (https://lissasears.com) will hit the stage. Check out their bios and let's have some FUN!

Indiana NOW PAC raises funds to support our endorsed candidates in Indiana who are committed to our core values and progressive ideals. Money raised goes directly to candidates.

Buy your tickets at https://secure.actblue.com/donate/indiananow-comedynight; tickets are $40 each.

The Fort Wayne Comedy Club @ 469 Sports & Spirits is located at 1324 Minnich Rd. in New Haven, IN. Doors open 15 minutes prior to the show. This is a private event. All ticket sales are final. See more information at https://www.fortwaynecomedyclub.com/events/96609.

Monroe County NOW is taking a break from Zoom meetings and we're hosting a Get Out the Vote (GOTV) event with allied friends and groups.

2024 is an Important Election Year

Our community needs to be energized.

All of our efforts to Get Out the Vote should be amplified.

Monroe County NOW invites you to a Kick-Off Picnic to Get Out the Vote.

Date: Sunday, July 28

Time: 11am-2pm

Where: Southeast YMCA Lower Shelter at 2125 S. Highland Ave. in Bloomington. This shelter has table space for about 30-40 folks under a roof, so please fee free to bring lawn chairs and/or blankets if you would like to enjoy the time outside. There is a playground right by the shelter, so feel free to bring kids!

If you plan to attend, please RSVP by July 22 via this Sign-Up Genius form to help us get numbers for plates, napkins, and utensils for enough folks. MC NOW will also provide some drinks and sandwiches.

What to Bring: Food item to share, Get Out the Vote materials your organization is using so we can amplify all our efforts, sunscreen, bug spray, and lawn chairs or blankets if you would like to enjoy the time outside the shelter. See you there!

Join Monroe County NOW at the 2024 Women's Market on Saturday, July 27, from 9am to 1pm at City Hall. The Women's Market is hosted by the City of Bloomington Commission on the Status of Women. The event will feature dozens of women's organizations, businesses, and individual creators to inspire us all to get more involved in our communities. MC NOW will be giving out information about our projects to improve the community, registering people to vote, and signing up new members.

Thank you to our tabling volunteers! Thanks to the generosity of your time, we have a fully staffed table for this event. Our treasurer Mandy Yates will be reaching out to you with specific information. We look forward to seeing all of you at the 2024 Women's Market!

Art can influence social issues by shining a light on injustices, offering insights into others’ lives, suggesting new ways of thinking, or it can reinforce existing systems of oppression. Join Monroe County NOW on Thursday, May 23, at 7pm via Zoom as we highlight the creations of Monroe County artists whose work is connected to the sociopolitical causes they and we care about.

Learn about how you can support their work and discover organizations where your own creativity could help fuel the goal of diversity, equity, and inclusivity.

Guest speakers for this meeting are as follows:
-Laura LaSuertmer, Assistant Creative Director and Facilitator of Women Writing for (a) Change
-Deborah Meader, Co-President of the Persisterhood Workshop
-Caleb Poer, Visual Artist
-Holly Warren, Assistant Director for the Arts, Bloomington Department of Economic and Sustainable Development

You must register in advance for this meeting:

https://us02web.zoom.us/.../tZEqdOygpzooHtNOe7kR...

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Mark your calendars! Our next chapter meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 25, at 7pm via Zoom. This meeting is all about housing equity and the impact on local women and marginalized communities. We are excited to have JaneAnn Gifford, CJAM (Community Justice And Mediation Center) Landlord-Tenant Case Manager and Senior Mediator and Erika Fotsch with the Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana. We will hear from our guest speakers about the challenges women in our community face regarding affordable housing; Q&A will directly follow. Join us and ask your questions!

You must register in advance for this meeting at

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEqdOygpzooHtNOe7kR-slE9lzehLoodmsD.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. See you there!

Join us for our next general meeting next Thursday, February 22, at 7pm! We invite our members and friends to meet our 2024 Board and weigh in on future meetings, events, and happenings. We are also putting out a call for vacant board positions. And we'll have a conversation with longtime Monroe County NOW member Shruti Rana! We want to thank Shruti for her work with our organization and show appreciation for her time and expertise.

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEqdOygpzooHtNOe7kR-slE9lzehLoodmsD 

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. See you next Thursday!

Indiana NOW is pleased to announce its 2023 annual conference! Join us on Saturday, November 11, at the Monroe County History Center in Bloomington. Speakers include Indiana gubernatorial candidate Jennifer McCormick, State Senator Shelli Yoder, State Representative Carolyn B. Jackson, and Bloomington's next mayor Kerry Thomson.

Registration begins at 9:45am and the conference will conclude by 3pm. For those attending in person, IN NOW will provide coffee, water, snacks, and lunch from Hive Bloomington. The planning committee has secured a block of rooms at the Hilton Garden Inn in downtown Bloomington, only a few blocks away from the conference. There is also a Zoom option on the registration page. For those who wish to Zoom, the Planning Committee will email information out before the conference.

The Indiana NOW 2023 State Conference is a must-attend event for all advocates of gender equality and women's rights! Join us for a day filled with inspiring discussions, empowering speeches, and networking opportunities. The Monroe County History Center is located at 202 E. 6th St. in Bloomington. Register NOW, as tickets will sell out! See you there!

Indiana Period Action Day is Wednesday, October 18, from 11am to 2pm at the Statehouse in Indianapolis. Legislators from the House and Senate will be speaking on period poverty, healthcare access, and menstrual stigmatization, as well as legislation that will be introducedin January. Join MADVoters for this day of action!

Monroe County NOW is excited to once again table at the Spencer Pride Festival on Saturday, October 7. We need volunteers for our table set up, shifts, and tear down. Please review the available slots at SignUpGenius and click on the button to sign up. We will reach out to our volunteers with any updates as we receive final details. Thank you for your help!

Monroe County NOW invites you to join us for our next chapter meeting Thursday, September 28, at 7:30pm via Zoom.

The meeting will feature a conversation about the 2023 MCCSC referendum (https://www.mccsc.edu/2564_4). We'll be joined by Dr. Jeff Hauswald, MCCSC Superintendent, and Dr. Markay Winston, MCCSC Deputy Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction.

Advance registration via Zoom is required for this meeting. Please register at
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcoduGvqzsjGt1MwsNFi5PT_YFLnitODhBA.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. See you there!

Please join Hoosier Jews for Choice and Monroe County NOW for a vigil and call to action at the Monroe County Courthouse on Monday, July 31, at 5:30pm. WE ARE NOT DONE!

Confirmed speakers include State Senator Shelli Yoder, County Councilwoman Jennifer Crossley, City Councilwoman Sue Sgambelluri, City COS Josefa Madrigal, Bloomington Latino Outreach Coordinator Ximena Martinez Ruiz, Jessica Marchbank of All-Options, and Haddie Katz from Tandem Birthing Services.

Join us to grieve, hold space for one another, and fight for the future of reproductive justice in Indiana.

In lieu of a traditional July chapter meeting, Monroe County NOW is participating in a day of action. We are joining and supporting MC NOW board members Jennifer Crossley and Shruti Rana, as they host a community listening session with Kerry Thomson, Nicole Bolden, and Isak Isare.

Join us Thursday, July 27, at 7pm at the Steve & Connie Ferguson Crestmont Boys & Girls Club. We are tabling, registering people to vote, and will have water and swag to hand out. Let's show up and chat about issues that affect our community! All community members are welcome.

We are also asking people donate to the Crestmont Food Pantry, as the pantry needs the following:

• toilet paper

• dish soap

• trash bags

• ziplock bags

• deodorant

• body wash

• cleaning supplies

• wipes

• anything else people cannot purchase with SNAP benefits

Donate these items and we will get the donations to the pantry.

Please note, Monroe County NOW is a 501(c)4 organization. Tabling at this event is not an endorsement of any candidates.

Monroe County NOW is delighted to host its first in-person chapter meeting in more than three years! Join us Thursday, June 22, from 7:30 to 9pm at the Monroe County Public Library's Downtown Branch (Meeting Room 1C). We have updates on our GOTV efforts, the July 4 Parade, Pride festival plans, and a special guest update from the Monroe County Women's Commission! Two MCNOW Board members are on the MCWC (Susan Hingle and Julie Hardesty) and they will be joined by other commission members to share the latest work from this newly-energized community group. It is a good time to gather and we hope we'll see you there!

For those who need a Zoom option, we are offering a hybrid meeting. For Zoom, advance registration is required for this meeting. Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEsc-qvqToqHdDGG-dV_ERGfKeT1GJWh-Ov.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Join us on Thursday, April 27, at 7:30pm for a discussion with Middle Way House Executive Director Carrie Stillions. MWH is dedicated to providing comprehensive support and services to ALL survivors. Learn about the services Middle Way House provides and how you can get involved.

Advance registration is required for this meeting. Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0tdOqtqz4tE9V7XB-AF2awWhQA13logm5p.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Join Monroe County NOW, the University Alliance for Racial Justice, IU PACE, ICPE Monroe County, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Monroe County NAACP, NAPAWF Indiana, and IU Student Government for a municipal debate forum on Saturday, April 1, from 2 to 5pm. This event will be held in person at the Monroe County Public Library Auditorium, as well as live-streamed on CATS. The debate forums will feature candidates in all contested municipal races in Monroe County. Submit your questions by filling out this form.

Monroe County NOW is a proud sponsor of the 2022 Candidate Forums! In lieu of a chapter meeting this month, we are encouraging our members and friends to attend these forums beginning next Wednesday, September 28. You must register for the forums via the QR code or at https://www.lwv-bmc.org/content.aspx?page_id=22....

The debate committee is looking questions! Please email voterservice@lwv-bmc.org with your suggestions. Please identify the forum(s) for which a question is recommended. See you there!

Monroe County NOW is a proud sponsor of the 2022 Candidate Forums! In lieu of a chapter meeting this month, we are encouraging our members and friends to attend these forums beginning next Wednesday, September 28. You must register for the forums via the QR code or at https://www.lwv-bmc.org/content.aspx?page_id=22....

The debate committee is looking questions! Please email voterservice@lwv-bmc.org with your suggestions. Please identify the forum(s) for which a question is recommended. See you there!

Monroe County NOW is a proud sponsor of the 2022 Candidate Forums! In lieu of a chapter meeting this month, we are encouraging our members and friends to attend these forums beginning next Wednesday, September 28. You must register for the forums via the QR code or at https://www.lwv-bmc.org/content.aspx?page_id=22....

The debate committee is looking questions! Please email voterservice@lwv-bmc.org with your suggestions. Please identify the forum(s) for which a question is recommended. See you there!

Monroe County NOW is a proud sponsor of the 2022 Candidate Forums! In lieu of a chapter meeting this month, we are encouraging our members and friends to attend these forums beginning next Wednesday, September 28. You must register for the forums via the QR code or at https://www.lwv-bmc.org/content.aspx?page_id=22....

The debate committee is looking questions! Please email voterservice@lwv-bmc.org with your suggestions. Please identify the forum(s) for which a question is recommended. See you there!

Join us this year for Bloomington’s annual Pridefest! Stop by anytime 2-8pm, grab some swag, and get registered to vote. Have more time to hang out? Help us table! You can sign up to volunteer at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0e44a8a828a5f49-volunteer2. See you there!