Republican Women Day @ the Legislature

                                Minority Leader in the House, Del. Tim Armstead (Kanawah Co.)

                                    
                                        West Virginia Attorney General, Patrick Morrisey

                                     West Virginia Supreme Court Justice, Allen Loughrey


Many members of the West Virginia Federation of Republican Women gathered on Monday, February 18, 2013 for the annual "Republican Women's Day at the Legislature."  Nine of the 11 clubs throughout the state were represented.  It is sponsored by Senator Donna Boley and her Secretary, Carolyn Dawson, who provided refreshments for all.  The special event is a time to gather at our beautiful capitol building from all parts of this great state and to have a presence during the Legislative Session.

Many Republican representatives make it a priority to come and share information with our group.  WV Attorney General, Patrick Morrisey, Supreme Court Justice, Allen Loughery, Senators:  Mitch Carmichael (4th District), Bill Cole (6th District), Mike Hall (4th District), David Nohe (3rd District) , and Chris Walters (5th District) addressed our group on various legislation they are involved with and are sponsoring.  House of Delegates who shared with us were Tim Armstead (32nd/Kanawha Co.-House Minority Leader), Jim Butler (Mason Co.), John Ellem (10th/Wood Co.) Dave Evans (Marshall Co.), Woody Ireland (7th/Ritchie Co.), Carol Miller (15th/Cabell Co.-"Den Mother"), Josh Nelson (Boone Co.), Anna Border-Shepard (9th/Wood Co.), Steve Westfall (12th/Jackson Co.).

We had a photo taken on the Senate floor and enjoyed lunch in the capitol cafeteria.  Opportunities to make connections and fellowship are perks to attending.  Be sure to make plans to attend next year as this day is always on President's Day.  This holiday allows many to attend should they work and to have ease in parking. 

Michelle Bekkering, Director of Women's Democracy Network

The W.V.F.R.W. Spring Board will be here before we know it!  Just one of the items to look forward to is Michelle Bekkering as a guest speaker.  Read on for more information.

" We believe that a full and robust democracy depends on the equal participation of
women."  Established in March 2006, the Women’s Democracy Network (WDN) is an
initiative of the International Republican Institute to increase women’s political
participation, leadership and representation in elected office.
 
WDN accomplishes this goal by linking these women with their peers in other
countries who share similar struggles, providing mentorship from experienced women
who have are leaders in their fields, and through skills-building trainings designed
to target their identified needs.
 
A team led by WDN Director Michelle Bekkering at the International Republican
Institute in Washington, DC oversees the global Network, fosters communication among
its members, and conducts events and trainings around the world. 
 
Most importantly, the WDN is a member-driven network and depends on guidance
directly from its membership to determine the needs of women across the globe.  This
information is used to design and implement programming and to accurately address
the issues and concerns of Network members.
 
To date, the Network is active in 60 countries in every region of the world.  In 15
countries, women have formed WDN Country Chapters which are partnerships between WDN
and groups of members within a country. Country Chapters coalesce women under one
umbrella to target the barriers which restrict women’s empowerment in their country.
What sets WDN Country Chapters apart from other women’s organizations in their
countries is that membership is multi-sector and multi-partisan.

Dorothy Andrews Kabis Memorial Internship

Each February ushers in the opportunity for a young lady from West Virginia to go to our nation's capitol and be in the hub of this great country.

The Dorothy Andrews Kabis Memorial Internship honors the former president of the N.F.R.W. (1963-67) who later was appointed U.S. treasurer by President Richard Nixon. The internship gives female undergraduates the opportunity to spend part of the summer working at national headquarters in Alexandria, Va. It includes a small monetary allowance, round-trip airfare to and from Washington, D.C., and housing in the D.C. metropolitan area.

Applicants must be at least a junior in college or a college student 21 years of age or older. They should have a general knowledge of government, a keen interest in politics, campaign experience, and sufficient clerical office skills that are adaptable to a busy office. Internship recipients may not reapply. WCRW would love to have a young lady from Wood County to apply for this wonderful opportunity.

Applications can be found at National Federation of Republican Women website bottom left under "Access 2013 Information" click on "Revised Scholarship/Internship forms"

Deadline: Applications due to WV Federation President, Gladys Lemley gblemley@suddenlink.net by February 20th.