by Dawn Smith, Chair After taking the summer off from meetings (while remaining very active), Voter Services met again, in person, on Thursday, September 3, at the Brown County Central Library, with a packed agenda. Dawn Smith & Lynn Meshke spoke with St. Paul’s United Women of Faith on the upcoming Constitutional Amendments on September 14. Members of Voter Services tabled at a back-to-school event, “Sample the City,” at UWGB on September 15. Lynn Meshke designed and create

by Terri Gulyas, Chair Reflection on James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time The question at the heart of James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time is whether we Americans can face the truth about racism deeply enough to change our country. Baldwin shows how racism harms Black Americans directly, while also trapping white Americans in false ideas about our history. For Baldwin, progress takes more than promises or changes in the law. We white Americans must examine our beliefs and the sy

By Jean Marsch, Co-chair The next meeting of the Healthcare and Environment Committee will be Wednesday, October 14 at 10:30 am via Zoom. All are welcome. Please contact Jean Marsch at jean.marsch@gmail.com to request the Zoom link. Here are three excellent resources we recommend: One in 10 Wisconsinites Skipped Needed Health Care Due to Cost. From Wisconsin Public Radio, this article summarizes the latest State Health Assessment from 2025. From the Press Times, local legi

Denise Gaumer Hutchison, Chair. The next meeting of the Education Committee will be announced soon; stay tuned. In the meantime, we offer below an opportunity and an update. Back to School Virtual Town Hall Back-to-school should be exciting: kids reuniting with friends; teachers prepping classrooms; families imagining fresh starts and new possibilities. But there’s also a lot to be nervous about. School funding cuts, censorship, ICE threats, layoffs and closures have many p

Jean Marsch, Chair The next meeting of the Healthcare and Environment Committee will be Wednesday, September 9 at 10:30 am via Zoom. All are welcome. Contact Jean Marsch at jean.marsch@gmail.com for a Zoom link. Social Media Concerns and Claims Wisconsin was one of 47 states that filed claims against social media giant Meta, alleging the company harmed children and designed their platforms to be addictive to children. Read the article by Wisconsin Public Radio. Food Addi

Terri Gulyas, Chair September: A Season for New Beginnings—and Action For me, September has always felt a little like the beginning of a new year. Perhaps it is a lingering memory from my school days: a new academic year, new teachers, new classmates, and new opportunities to learn. As we enter September during an important election year, it seems like an appropriate time to reflect on how far our country has come in expanding participation in our democracy—and how fragile th

Denise Gaumer Hutchison, Chair The next meeting of the Education Committee will be announced after I have a chance to poll the members as to their availability. Stay tuned. Wisconsin Public Education Network (WPEN) held its twelfth Annual Summer Summit in Superior July 24-25, 2026, at Superior High School and UW Superior. On Thursday evening, the League of Women Voters of WI joined the Network in co-hosting an education forum with four of the candidates for governor. All c

Dawn Smith, Chair Voter Services did not meet in July, with it being so close to the Fourth of July, but we’ve stayed busy. In recognition of the League’s Unite and Rise Day of Action, and the anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, we will be hosting a Proclamation from the Mayor and the County Executive on Thursday, August 6, at 1:00, in City Hall’s Council Chambers. Local community organizers have been invited to speak, and an invitation has been extended to local and state

Jean Marsch, Co-chair The next meeting of the Healthcare and Environment Committee will be Wednesday, August 12, at 10:30 a.m. via Zoom. All are welcome. Contact Jean Marsch for the Zoom link: jean.marsch@gmail.com. We’re taking a close look at two health/environment issues in the news today, sharing some reliable sources with you: Cyclospora: Are even worse foodborne outbreaks ahead? Across the U.S. concern grows because federal cuts are making it harder to detect and st

Terri Gulyas, Chair Connect, Learn, and Build Community One of the best ways to strengthen our community is by learning from one another—and our friends and allies have some wonderful opportunities to do just that! Migration Advocacy (COMSA) is launching a new virtual book club, and League members are warmly invited to participate. The first discussion will be held Monday, September 21 at 3:00 p.m. via Zoom and will feature Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen by Jo

Dawn Smith, Chair June has been a busy month for Voter Services. We spent most of our June meetings planning events. Members of Voter Services hosted tables at Juneteenth and Pride. I had the opportunity to stop by the Pride event and join Lynn Meshke and Lynn Gerlach, who were representing the League at our table, and it was a lovely event. We also got 50+ people to sign up for our newsletter, which is a huge accomplishment. Pictures from both events can be found on our Fa

Jean Marsch, Chair The next meeting of the Healthcare and Environment Committee will be Wednesday, July 8 at 10:30 am via Zoom. All are welcome. Contact Jean Marsch at jean.marsch@gmail.com for the Zoom link. Two Articles from KFF Health and Wellbeing Series February 14, 2026: The United States spends more on health care than any similarly large and wealthy country. However, in 2023, Americans had a life expectancy of 78.4 years, compared to an average of 82.5 among peer

Terri Gulyas, Chair Disability Rights: From Awareness to Allyship July is a meaningful time to reflect on disability rights and inclusion. This month marks the anniversary of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), signed into law on July 26, 1990. The ADA prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities and has helped expand access to employment, education, transportation, public accommodations, and civic participation. While significant progress has bee

Denise Gaumer Hutchison, Chair The May LWVGGB Education meeting wasn't held so that members of the committee could join my presentation sponsored by Indivisible Green Bay at the Brown County Library on current funding issues for our public schools. Thanks to the League members who attended the event. Legislation was then pending with the Wisconsin State Legislature and the Governor's office that would have positively impacted the reimbursement rate for special education; it f

Dawn Smith, Co-Chair At May’s Voter Services meeting we were provided an update on the collaboration event we co-hosted on August 25 with the YWCA. Our League hosted a Sim-Vote for the kids in attendance; they were asked to vote for characters of K-Pop Demon Hunters who are running for political office. My favorite moment of the day was when an 8-year asked, “What does State Treasurer do?” The Sim Voting was such a hit with the kids who attended that the YWCA asked if we’d be

Jean Marsch, Chair The next meeting of the Healthcare and Environment Committee will be Wednesday, June 17 at 10:30 am on Zoom. All are welcome. Contact Jean Marsch at jean.marsch@gmail.com for the Zoom link. Healthcare NEWS for you Telehealth: Technology meets Health Care Telehealth is the use of digital information and communication technologies to access health care services remotely and manage your health care. Technologies can include computers and mobile devices,

DEI Committee Report for June 2026 – Terri Gulyas, Chair June is Pride Month — a time to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, honor the long struggle for equality, and recommit ourselves to protecting the civil rights of all people. Here in Northeast Wisconsin, Pride events continue to grow in visibility and community support. Green Bay Pride is planning a family-friendly downtown celebration in June, while Door County’s Open Door Pride Festival in Sturgeon Bay will feature music

Denise Gaumer Hutchison, Chair The LWVGGB Education Committee met April 23, 2026. The following issues were discussed: Fund Our Public Schools lawsuit (school districts suing the state) Continued work on the Tax Bill Transparency Project, Now 40+ school districts are trying to put the cost of state-mandated private school vouchers on the tax bill, with Green Bay leading the way. Wisconsin Public Education Network Summer Summit is July 23-24, 2026, in Superior Wisconsin. L

Dawn Smith, Co-chair Voter Services met the first Thursday of the month in April. We were hoping to start meeting in person but, due to some bad thunderstorms, we met via Zoom for one last month. The primary focus of the April Voter Services meeting was to discuss and get volunteers for the Empower the Vote event that our League co-hosted with the YW. At the event we helped at the registration table (and we had someone show up specifically to register), and we hosted a sim

Terri Gulyas, Chair The committee will resume meeting in fall. As we head into a summer shaped by an increasingly complex political climate—including renewed debates over voting rights, LGBTQ+ protections, and how we understand and teach our shared history—it feels more important than ever to stay informed, curious, and connected. While our DEI Committee meetings pause for the summer, the learning continues. This is a chance to read deeply, explore new perspectives, and eng