Shoreline League of Democratic Women

September 18 - CFDW Hosts Dinner Meeting in South Windsor, CT

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The Connecticut Federation of Democratic Women will host their Fall dinner meeting on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2008 at Lena’s Restaurant, 655 John Fitch Blvd., in South Windsor, CT. Cocktails (cash bar) are served at 6:30 PM. Dinner served is at 7:00 PM. The cost is $24.00 per person including tax and gratuity. Menu is below.
RSVP by Thursday, September 4, 2008 – Deadline is Firm! To RSVP, call(860)528-5818, or email lneary@snet.net or joannelebeau@comcast.net. Checks are payable to: CFDW.
There will also be a raffle.
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Dinner
Choice of Entrée
Chicken Parmigiana or Baked Scrod
Dinner includes: Assorted Cheese and Vegetable Tray with Crackers, Vegetable, potato, salad, bread, coffee & tea

September 5 - SLDW Hosts THE Campaign Year "Meet and Greet" for Democratic Women

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The Shoreline League of Democratic Women will kickoff THE Campaign Year with a "Meet and Greet" on Friday evening, September 5th, 2008, 5:30 - 7PM, at the Old Madison Town Hall on the green, 10 School Street, in Madison, CT. Special guest speaker of the evening will be Connecticut's Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz who will speak on the topic of elections and getting out the vote. Refreshments will be served. All shoreline Democratic women are welcome to attend this free networking event.
To RSVP, call (860) 664-3590 or email:sldworg@gmail.com.
The SLDW "Meet and Greet" gives shoreline women an opportunity to socialize and meet Democratic dignitaries including Nancy DiNardo - Chairwoman of the CT Democratic Party, Senator Eileen Daily, Senator Ed Meyer, and other Legislators for CT Senate, Representative Deborah Heinrich and other Legislators for the CT House of Representatives, Democratic State Officials, and Representatives from the campaigns of Congressman Joe Courtney (2nd District) and our presumptive Presidential nominee Barack Obama.
The SLDW draws membership from the towns of Old Saybrook, Essex, Lyme, Old Lyme, Essex, Centerbrook, Ivoryton, Deep River, Chester, Killingworth, Westbrook, Clinton, Madison, Guilford and Branford.

April 18 - SLDW Fundraiser and Awards Night with Special Guest Katha Pollitt, award-winning Columnist, The Nation

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The Shoreline League of Democratic Women hosted "A Celebration of Progressive Change" at our Annual SLDW Dinner and Fundraiser on April 18 at the Clinton Country Club!
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This sold-out event featured our very special guest, Katha Pollitt, the award-winning columnist of The Nation. Katha Pollitt is a poet, essayist, and columnist for The Nation. She won the National Book Critic Circle Award for her first collection of poetry, Antarctic Traveller, as well as two National Magazine Awards for her essays and criticism. Visit the author’s website at www.KathaPollitt.com.

April 5 - SLDW Green Lifestyle Fair: Energy Alternatives and Home Products with Speakers, Exhibitors, Experts, Advocates.

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On Saturday, April 5, the SLDW hosted a Green Lifestyle Fair featuring Energy Alternatives and Home Products in the lower level of the Clinton Town Hall. The Green Lifestyle Fair attracted more than 500 shoreline citizens, and presented 8 guest speakers and 35 exhibitors offering valuable insight into real world energy alternatives, conservation and efficiency initiatives, and the most pressing challenges affecting our environment today. The event was free to the public.
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In the photo: Twins Ford and and Quinn Pender and sister Willow of Clinton, CT attended the Green Lifestyle Fair. The children and their mom Kate Pender-Flaherty, and aunt Christine O'Connor, came to see over 35 exhibitors and 8 guest speakers featuring many energy alternatives and green home products. Photo Courtesy of Deborah Rutty.
The Green Lifestyle Fair presents a stellar lineup of expert speakers presenting topics throughout the day on Saturday.
10:00 - 10:30AM Steve Elkin - CEO of Apricus USA, Solar Energy
10:30 - 11:00AM Richard King - King Energy Associates, Geothermal Heat
11:00 - 11:30AM Richard Hosley Jr. - Hale Hill Farm, Biodiesel Fuel
11:30AM - NOON Anthony Rish - Gateway Community College, Alternative Fuels and Automotive Technology
NOON - 12:30PM LUNCH BREAK
12:30 - 1:00PM Imani Zito - Green Conscious Consumer, Mother of 6!
1:00 - 1:30PM State Representative Betsy Ritter - CT Energy & Technology Committee
1:30 - 2:00PM Robert Ferretti - Yale University, Office of Sustainability
2:00 - 2:30PM Congressman John Larson - The Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming
The Green Lifestyle Exhibition Hall will feature a variety of alternative energy and green home product exhibitors, service providers, and leading environmental groups. Exhibitors include:
Hale Hill Farm - Biodiesel Fuel
King Energy Associates - Geothermal Heat
Middletown Monitor - Thru-wall heaters /Oil-fired tankless hot water
Monitor of Bristol - Solatube skylights & attic fans
Aegis Electric - Solar / Photovoltaic
Solar Generations - Apricus Solar Hot Water
SolarWrights/WindWrights - Solar /Residential wind
Waldo Renewable Electric llc - Solar
CT Hydrogen-Fuel Cell Coalition
JRV Home Inspection Services
CT Clean Energy Fund
Competitive Resources - CEEF Energy-Efficiency Programs
E - The Environment Magazine
Merrill Lynch - Green Investing
Lorensen Toyota - Prius / Hybrid
PACE (People's Action for Clean Energy)
New England Green Building Center
Gereman Enterprises
Green Home Solutions
The Center for Green Building
ReCONNstruction Center - Reclaimed building materials
Carpetland of NE - Eco-friendly Flooring
Foodworks – Green products
Community Energy - Wind, Land Fill Gas
Pete's Hearth and Home - Pellet Stoves
Westbrook Honda - Civic / Hybrid
Gereman Enterprises - Energy Conservation Services
SolarClarity
Maxilube Systems
Tidewater Institute - Green landscaping
Shoreline Segway
and more eco-friendly representatives from leading companies.

Mar 25 - RJ Julia and SLDW Co-sponsor Author-Book Event on Chasing Justice

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SLDW and RJ Julia sponsored an author-book event on "Chasing Justice" by exonerated death row inmate Kerry Max Cook. The event was held on Tuesday, March 25th at R.J. Julia bookstore in Madison, CT. Kerry Max Cook spoke about his book covering the account of his twenty-two year ordeal behind bars for a crime that he did not commit. His story was portrayed in the play "The Exonerated", staged in New York and later at New Haven’s Shubert Theatre.
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About the Author
Kerry Max Cook was born in Stuttgart, Germany, and spent much of his youth on army bases in Europe. In 1972, he and his family returned to the United States to live in Texas. Since gaining his freedom, Cook has been an outspoken advocate for legal reform. He has made numerous national and international media appearances and has lectured at Princeton, Yale, and the University of Chicago. He was awarded a Soros Justice Fellowship to write Chasing Justice.

Mar 5 - Popcorn and Movie Night - The Fight to Win Women's Suffrage

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SLDW Members and guests celebrated Women’s International Month on March 5 at the Shoreline Unitarian Universalist Society in Madison. The SLDW enjoyed the movie “Iron-Jawed Angels”, a film by Katja von Garnier - Winner of a Golden Globe Award. Popcorn and beverages were provided!
This movie covered a remarkable and little-known story of a group of passionate and dynamic young women, led by Alice Paul (Hilary Swank) and her friend Lucy Burns (Frances O'Connor), who put their lives on the line to fight for American women's right to vote.
Swank and O'Connor head an outstanding female ensemble, with Julia Ormond, Molly Parker, Laura Fraser, Brooke Smith and Vera Farmiga as a rebel band of young women seeking their seat at the table; and such cinematic icons as Lois Smith, Margo Martindale, and Anjelica Huston as the steely older generation of suffragettes.
This true story has startling parallels to today, as the young activists struggle with issues such as the challenges of protesting a popular President during wartime and the perennial balancing act between love and career. Utilizing a pulsing soundtrack, vivid colors, and a freewheeling camera, Garnier's driving filmmaking style shakes up the preconceptions of the period film and gives history a vibrant contemporary energy and relevance.

Feb. 5 - Women and the Peace Movement

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The SLDW Presented "Women and the Peace Movement" with guest speaker Mercy O’Bourke, former President of WILPF New Haven, on Tuesday, February 5, 7:30 pm at the Shoreline Unitarian Universalist Society, 297 Boston Post Road in Madison, CT.
SLDW members, spouses, family and friends were given a unique perspective on women leading the peace movement by challenging their governments’ beliefs that war and military solutions are necessary to resolve conflict. The Women’s International League of Peace and Freedom (WILPF) was founded in 1915 during the World War. Violence, poverty, political oppression and pollution are all part of WILPF’s challenges to overcome in order to promote a new world order. Born in Cuba, Mercy O’Bourke is a former President of WILPF New Haven, a multilingual interpreter for the CT Justice Department and a talented pianist. Her home is in New Haven but she has also resided in Canada and in Iran.
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Photo courtesy of Deborah Rutty

Jan 16 - "The Paper Chase Workshop - Getting Organized for the New Year"

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SLDW hosted a free-to-the-public program entitled "The Paper Chase Workshop - Getting Organized for the New Year" featuring professional organizer Kristin Mastromarino. The event was held on Wednesday evening, January 16, 2008, at 7:30pm in the Thomas Grady Program Room, Acton Public Library, 60 Old Boston Post Road, Old Saybrook, CT. Ms. Mastromarino shared tips to keep track of papers, lists, and events related to volunteering, grassroots action and other extra-curricular activities.
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The Paper Chase Workshop by Kristin Mastromarino
Kristin Mastromarino founded Livable Solutions (www.livablesolutions.com), a professional organizing company in 2003. After working on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. for five years, she decided her true talents were found in helping people organize their lives as a professional organizer. In 2005, she brought her company back to her hometown of Guilford, CT. She has performed various duties for her clients including: massive household purging, creating home filing systems, restructuring closets to make them more efficient, setting up spaces for home businesses, staging yard sales, selling unwanted objects online, purchasing custom products for clients, and hauling unwanted objects to donation sites. Ms. Mastromarino is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) and the Guilford Chamber of Commerce, the Association of Women Business Leaders (AWBL), Shoreline Helping Hands, the Home Referral Source, Service Magic and Women in Networking (WIN).
The SLDW will commence a brief meeting immediately after the conclusion of the public presentation.

Progressive Voices. Positive Choices.

Welcome to the official website of the Shoreline League of Democratic Women. Our organization’s charter is to establish a social and political fellowship to unite Democratic women, and to focus on issues important to women of all ages. Our objectives are:
* To unite women to support and advance the principles of the Democratic Party
* To encourage growth of a well-informed electorate
* To promote full participation of women in every level of the Democratic Party structure

The Shoreline League of Democratic Women is seeking membership from women who live in Clinton, Madison, Guilford, Killingworth, Old Saybrook, Essex, Westbrook, Chester, Deep River, Haddam, East Haddam, Old Lyme, and Lyme. The group will be involved in state and national elections. For more information, contact the SLDW at sldworg@gmail.com.

Meetings will be held the first Wednesday of the Month (unless noted otherwise) from September through May, with no meeting in December. The SLDW will host many informational events and campaign-oriented endeavors in the coming year. Our organization is forming a variety of Committees including Campaigns, Publicity/PR, Membership, Programs and Events, and more. We encourage all members to consider working on a Committee. The sharing of information and collaboration amongst Committees and the Executive Board will be key to the success of our many communal projects. The Internet will be utilized for the majority of our correspondence.

The SLDW is a chapter of the Connecticut Federation of Democratic Women. The CFDW is a chapter of the National Federation of Democratic Women. East Hartford’s organization, Connecticut’s oldest chapter, was founded in 1952. The National Federation of Democratic Women was founded in 1922 by Fannie Dixon Welch, a suffragist who saw the need to“…train local women to understand the workings of government and to take our places side-by-side with men.”

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2008-2009 Officers
Betsy Hodsgon, President
Gloria Star, Vice President
Diana Mastromarino, Secretary
Karen Redlich, Treasurer

Committee Chairs
Budget: Barbara Lupa
Campaign: Marie Farrell
Fundraising: Carol Miller
Legal: Belinda Jones
Legislative: Laurie Santos
Programs and Events: Gloria Star
PR/Publicity: Susan Glantz
Member Communications: Diana Rogers
Membership: Camille Sobrig

How Can You Contribute to the Shoreline League of Democratic Women?
All registered Democratic women are urged to join the SLDW to promote our valuable work in the community by becoming a member. Our aim is to inspire independent and disengaged women voters and “shine a light on women’s issues”. Members can participate in any capacity, whether it is 30 minutes a month, or 30 minutes a year. As a part of our educational charter, members will be notified of important pending state and national legislation. Our dues are $29.00 dollars per year. We urge all members to recruit your friends and like-minded women to join our organization.

To join the SLDW, please download and complete the Registration Form attachment below.

National, State, and Local Legislative Alerts
As a service of our organization, the SLDW will provide legislative alerts via email to keep our membership informed of late-breaking, important issues for women and their families. The 2008 Campaign year will bring many opportunities for each of you to find your political voice, and make it heard in our community.

For more information about the Shoreline League of Democratic Women, send an email to sldworg@gmail.com or call 203-887-2211 or 860-664-3590.