League of Women Voters Provides Unique Opportunity to Serve this Election Year
When she and her husband retired from civil service careers at 55, Janet was ready for a new adventure. Their grown daughter had left home, they were growing tired of snowy Northeast winters, and, on a vacation to Florida, they decided it was time for a change. A few short months later, they were packing up the moving van and heading south.
"After we settled in to the house and adjusted to our new life, I realized something was missing," Janet says. "Here I was, in a brand-new community, a beautiful climate, and had all the time in the world to relax-yet part of me was pining for the old days. Don't get me wrong; I didn't miss having to get up for work every day, but I did long for the feeling that my efforts were positively impacting the lives of others."
At a community center, Janet saw a flyer for her local League of Women Voters. She attended a welcome reception for prospective members, and decided to join.
"The League here in Florida-and all over the country-is making sure everyday Americans know about their democracy," she says. "I want to make sure women younger than me know how important it is for them to vote, and to care about what their elected officials are doing. The League lets me be part of making that happen."
For Janet's reason and many others, retiree women and men all over the country are turning to effective organizations like the League to make a continued community impact. Many are seeking to expand their post-career leadership skills, stay active in shaping local and national issues, and connect with like-minded individuals to bring about positive change. And in an election year as important as 2008, there is no better time to get involved.
"This election will affect the lives of all Americans," says the League's national president, Mary G. Wilson. "Our next president will determine how we will keep our communities safe, provide our children with quality heath care and education, and protect our financial security."
"From the national level, right on down to each of our individual towns and neighborhoods, it is critically important for Americans to not only vote-but also step up and do their part to help safeguard and strengthen our democracy. We are consistently finding that League members are the people to roll up their sleeves and make that happen. We invite everyone - women and men - to join us and be actively engaged in effecting change on the local, state and national levels."
Since 1920, the nonpartisan League of Women Voters has fought to improve our systems of government and impact public policies through citizen education and advocacy. The League's enduring vitality and resonance comes from its unique decentralized structure. The League is a grassroots organization, working at the national, state and local levels.
Membership in the League is open to men and women of all ages, and there are Leagues at work in more than 850 communities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands and Hong Kong. To connect with your local League, click here or visit www.lwv.org and click on "Find a Local League".
League members work to carry out the central activities of voter education-hosting candidate forums and debates, producing nonpartisan voters' guides, and hosting voter registration drives. They also work side-by-side with elected officials, other organizations, and the media to enact important reforms on behalf of all Americans.
"Retirement doesn't mean the end of productivity; it means getting to choose what I want to work on, and when I want to work on it," says Janet. "I'm making the most of that freedom by spending more time with my family, more time in my garden, and, of course, more time working with my fellow League members to make sure folks know that their voice-and their vote-makes a difference."
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