Watch for more information and signup links in our August Newsletter.
Tonight at the Schaumburg Library….
Please, Join us for some Deep Dives and Have Some Great Discussions Into the Facts about the Economic Recovery and Illinois Proposed Budget..
Want the Facts… Then Attend the Monthly Fiscal and Economic Issues Discussion Group Meeting and be amazed at what you discover.
We will have our standard update of the economy, both jobs and GDP. We will also continue our discussions of the economic recovery and policy issues that affect the recovery. The discussion will be based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics August, 2015 report on the June Jobs Report.
Preliminary agenda will be updated for today’s jobs report showing 215,000 jobs added in July. Unemployment Rate remains at 5/2% and U-6 doing down at last and Wage increases in 2% range.
As always bring your articles, questions and comments and let’s have another lively discussion.
NWSOFA Stand With Women (SWW) Invites you to join us Downtown at OFA HQ
What would you do if you weren’t afraid to fail?
Please join us at the OFA Community Organizing Institute on Wednesday, August 12, for an exclusive screening of the inspirational documentary, The Empowerment Project.
This film follows the incredible journey of a crew of female filmmakers driving across America to encourage, empower, and inspire the next generation of strong women.
Driving over 7,000 miles from Los Angeles to New York over the course of 30 days, the documentary spotlights positive and powerful women leaders across a variety of lifestyles and industries.
Special guests, Emmy-Award winning filmmakers Dana Michelle Cook and Sarah Moshman, will lead a conversation that will empower and encourage us to say our dreams out loud.
The NWSOFA
Gun Violence Prevention (GVP) Team
Will Hold their August 20th Meeting @ the Corner Bakery in Arlington Heights
The GVP Issues Team will meet on Thursday night August 20th.
We will spend much of our time on the proposal from the Illinois Council against Gun Handgun Violence calling for strict, statewide rules that all gun sellers would have to abide by. The Illinois Council is preparing packets for members of groups like ours to take to mayors and other elected officials asking for their support statewide rules for gun sellers. The packets should be ready soon, and we should be able to get someone to do training for those who are willing to go out to meet with their mayors.
We will continue our discussion about the economic costs of gun violence for our society. These costs are very high, billions and billions of dollars a year. Several groups that we have partnered with are beginning to talk about this issue. It is sad to say but it sometimes economic costs gain more traction than other arguments
.
The GVP Issues Team has been working for the past two years to keep the conversation about gun violence prevention going forward and to take action to change our laws with the goal of creating safer communities for everyone in our state and our nation. We hold 60 to 90 minute planning meetings typically (some exceptions) on the third Thursday of each month at 6:30 pm. If you are interested in working to reduce gun violence in America, we invite you to join us at our next meeting.
NWSOFA’s Gun Violence Prevention Co-Lead Natalie Warren Presented at Countryside Unitarian Church
August 9th
Members of the NWSOFA Gun Violence Prevention team lead by Natalie Warren, NWSOFA GVP Co-Lead presented to the Sunday Morning Discussion group at Countryside Unitarian Church on Smith Road in Palatine, Sunday, August 9th.
This was a interesting meeting since not everyone was in support of Gun controls or registration.. The moderator from CCUU was very professional and made sure that everyone had a chance to present their options. Natalie presented an excellent fact based foundation for the discussion.. the rest of us supplied the emotion.
Great Job, Natalie.. and thanks to the NWSOFA Team for the support!
NWSOFA had a blast at the Annual Picnic on August 8th while
Celebrating President Obama’s Birthday!!
An fun / interesting Day .. people came and left and other people arrived. Had 50 of so in attendance most of the time .. over 100 attend by the time we closed up at 10 pm.
We had Great conversations, relaxation, paddle boating, kayaking and swimming Most just relaxed or took a trip around the lake and played some games. Lots of partner group leadership attended and connected with us.
If you have chance, click on the side bar on the video of the late afternoon picnic goes singing “Happy Birthday” to the President on his 54th (we were a few days tardy). Thank you to Kathy Carter for getting the cake for us and organizing the “sing along”.
As you will see in the photos we had some our favorite IL Representatives in attendance and those that have run in recent contest.
See additional Pictures on the side bar
NWSOFA
Celebrating President Obama’s Birthday!!
Click the picture below to here the NWSOFA’s Happy “Happy Birthday to the POTUS
See additional Pictures on the side bar
NWSOFA Climate Change Team Testified at the
EPA and Department of Transportation
@ The EPA Public Hearing
Thursday August 6th in
Chicago
Background: The Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation have proposed standards to reduce carbon pollution and oil use from freight trucks. The agencies will hold a public hearing in Chicago on Thursday, August 6. With the support of Sierra Club’s Beyond Oil campaign, the Illinois Chapter will turn out supporters to testify at the public hearing, applauding the agencies for their proposal and asking them to strengthen it.
We talk a lot about the Clean Power Plan, and the electricity sector is number one for carbon pollution — but transportation is number two, and these trucks rules, along with the fuel economy standards from the first term, are a really big deal in cutting down that slice of the pie.
Great Organizing Meeting on August 4th with our, NWSOFA
SWW
Stand With Women
Lead Nikki Gundimeda
“NWSOFA & OFA stands with women-from expanding women’s leadership and economic security to protecting health care choices.”
The organization meeting had a well organized agenda focused on the key SWW Issues. Among the key topics: Economic Security, Equal Pay, Raising the Minimum Wage, Paid Leave and the conservatives attack on Planned Parenthood.
The gap between white men and everybody else in tech starts in high school. Teens of all stripes are glued to their smartphones, but, per a new study .. click on the title above to see the rest of the story.
NWSOFA Diversity Outreach Team
In Partnership with 25 “Open Communities” Partners Clebrated:
“Justice Day 2015”
Over 500 Enjoyed a Perfect Summer Sunday @ the Winnetka Village Green Sunday, July 26, 2015
We’ve come a long way, but still have a long way to go !!
It was a celebration. 50 Years ago (in 1965) the North Shore Summer Project, galvanized thousands of residents to push for open housing and brought Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to the Winnetka Village Green to inspire over 10,000 people to “go all out to end segregation.”
NWSOFA’s Diversity Outreach Team was there with Open Communities and 25+ Partners
Dynamic: Father Pfleger – called out Winettka resident, Gov. Bruce Rauner for not being there and doing more for the Illinois residents 20-miles south of Winettka (he told me he was expecting to be booed when he said that, but was happy that he received applause).
Informational: Hilary Shelton – Closely linked the work of NAACP with legislation in order to achieve justice. Informed crowd that the NAACP has a listing of the Civil Rights Federal Legislative Report Card (we have a copy for you).
Legislative: Jan Schakowsky was a sponsor of the Voting Rights Advancement Act to replace the SCOTUS rejected part of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Historical: Per Jan Schakowsky: MLK slept in the basement of her synagog when he spoke here 50-years ago because he was not allowed to sleep in a hotel due to the attitude for black citizens.
Comments from the NWSOFA Attendees:
Another good event and the feeling of community grows. They were also going to have another Selma March going from major cities in segments and ending up in DC. Should bring in lots of media to highlight how far we’ve come but still have a way to go
Our NWSOFA Attendees said every Speaker was better than the one before.. but they called out: Father Michael Pfleger and our own Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, 9th District of Illinois as Memorable Moments.
I continued to be inspired and motivated when I interact with so many people who are devoting their personal time or have devoted their lives to improve the lives of people they have never met. This is what community organizing is and how community organizing improves who we are individuals, as well as our communities.
The peaceful, thoughtful, educated approach to ensure justice, inspired by Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King’s life, continues to be the most effective way in which to make change happen.
Dr. King’s words still ring true and give me chills every time I read them or hear them recited.
Sunday afternoon at the Justice Day 2015 celebration at the Village Green Park – what a wonderful event
NWSOFA Held it’s Leadership Summit for Current and Upcoming Leaders on
Wednesday Night, 7/22
NWSOFA is growing. We have have new issue teams, a growing membership and a greater sphere of influence as we expand our traditional Northwest Suburbs boundaries.
With this comes new responsibilities and requirements of planning, executing and growing our NWSOFA team and the new extended NWSOFA space.
The meeting was designed to get new ideas on the table. We asked our “current” and “future” leaders to get involved , to learn from our experienced “organizers” and be part of the “Progressive” excitement in the Northwest Suburbs.
In January 2013 we started as a gathering of friends and neighbors from the NW Suburbs who wanted to continue to have impact on the progressive issues we voted for in 2012.This grassroots, bottom up movement spread across the country and sparked the creation of Organizing for Action, OFA National which now has Chapters all over the country. This is a non-partisan, volunteer organization that focuses on progressive issues we are committed to taking Action on to make a difference locally, statewide and nationally.
NWSOFA’s 1st Issue Team was right after the tragedy at Sandy Hook. The Gun Violence Prevention (GVP) team felt we needed accurate information and facts, events to teach others and actions we could take to make a difference on pushing for common sense gun violence prevention. That has been our basic format as new issues arose and team developed. We now have the GVP, ACA/Obamacare, Climate Change,Fiscal Issues and Stand with Women Issue Teams.Check out their individual pages to see all the events they have scheduled and to join the teams you want to make a difference with. Other teams are developing such as for Comprehensive Immigration Reform.
OFA National coordinates “Days of Action” that Chapters across the country will all do on the same day. Each team also has local events and may work with affiliate organizations i.e. Sierra Club, Al Gore Reality Project, etc. to combine like-minded groups on a local, state or national event.
In this type of organization there are numerous ways you can be involved with the teams and in other roles.We were looking for ways to get our events out and now have a Twitter Master, Kathy,and Press Lead, Kym.
Two new initiatives were introduced in January 2015 from OFA. The first one is to get more young people involved in progressives issues. We prioritized working with colleges to reach out to them. One of the major benefits of joining us is learning to be a community organizer. These skills can be beneficial for a lifetime. The second initiative is working with under served populations that traditionally have not a voice on issues that are crucial for them. If either of these sound like something you would be interested in helping to develop, please let us know.
Maybe you have a special skill we haven’t even thought about give us a call we’re always open to new ideas and teams.
Thanks for stopping and hope you’ll stay and join us.
NWSOFA is a whole, diverse wonderful family of people who want to do more than talk about the social issues. We explore and dig deep on the facts and decide what actions we can take that can have an impact locally and nationally. NWSOFA members not only “talk the talk”, but we “walk the walk”.
All our teams have numerous events that will enlighten and inspire you and yes, challenge you to make the effort to make a difference.
We invite you to join us!
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August Events ..
NWSOFA in Photos
NWSOFA Gun Violence Lead Presents to at the UUCC morning Group August 9th
NWSOFA Holds 2nd Annual Picnic on Lake Terramere in Arlington Hieghts
NWSOFA SWW Holds Organizing Meeting August 4th
Fight for Progress in Style:
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Notice:
This is a public meeting / event(s)
NWSOFA is a 501(c)4, non-partisan organization.
All opinions are solely those of NWSOFA
It’s time to Act .. It Is Time To Get Involved
Over the years the American Citizens have lost their voices, believing that we can not make a difference. We have been beat down by the constant droning noise of the conservative right. This onslaught has made us like sheep .. afraid to express our views. Not anymore! OFA gives us back our voices and by working together we are making change one issue at a time. Together we can and will make a difference.
Thank You to our NWSOFA Issue Leads in 2015
Just Click on the Photo to link the NWSOFA e-magazines daily & archived articles
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In January 2013 we started as a gathering of friends and neighbors from the NW Suburbs who wanted to continue to have impact on the progressive issues we voted for in 2012.This grassroots, bottom up movement spread across the country and sparked the creation of Organizing for Action, OFA National which now has Chapters all over the country. This is a non-partisan, volunteer organization that focuses on progressive issues we are committed to taking Action on to make a difference locally, statewide and nationally.
