[ Falcon Heights - Lauderdale - Little Canada - Maplewood - Roseville ]

LWV Roseville Area will host a presentation by Sarah Walker, founder of Minnesota Second Chance Coalition.  Second Chance is a nonpartisan coalition of over 50 organizations who advocate for policies and outreach to enable individuals who have been incarcerated to transition successfully into their communities and to prevent relapse into the criminal justice system.

Among Ms. Walker’s extensive background in social justice, is service as a board member of the William Mitchell Reentry Clinic Advisory Board and past member of Governor Dayton’s Minnesota Sentencing Guideline Commission.  In 2016, she was named one of the “40 under 40” by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal for her contributions as a lobbyist, Second Chance founder and president of the Coalition for Impartial Justice.

The State of Minnesota has a program where individuals who contribute money in 2018 to a candidate for STATE office or a STATE LEVEL political party may get a refund of their contribution. The maximum refund is $50/individual.   The goal is to encourage grass roots participation in the political process.

LWVRA received notice on June 1st that it had been awarded a Martin Brown Voter Services Grant in the amount of $1000.  The LWV Grant Committee determined awards by reviewing proposed projects, budgeted expenses, treasury balance, local contribution toward voter service, and Education Fund balances (where applicable).  The Grant application was spear-headed by Past President, Rita Mills, and completed in collaboration with June Stewart, Barb Anderson, Joyce Briggs, Cecilia Warner, and Karen Lake. There were 27 Grant applications and $30,352 in funds awarded.

The League of Women Voters Roseville Area is once again hosting the highly popular Brews and Book Reviews event on Tuesday, July 24 at 7:00 p.m. at the Bent Brewstillery, 1744 Terrace Drive, Roseville (between Lincoln Drive and Fairview Ave.).  Attendees are encouraged to bring a book to recommend to others for summer reading.  Craft beers and non-alcoholic drinks are available for purchase.  

The event is open to the public.  Invite a friend and join us for a relaxing evening discovering what is on everyone’s recommended book list.  Consider posting the flyer attached to the Voter in an area that you visit. 

League of Women Voters U.S. requested that local studies be submitted to their clearinghouse to allow other Leagues considering similar studies be able to see how previous ones had been done.  LWV Roseville Area has contributed both our police and affordable housing studies.  If you would like to see other studies listed go to:

https://sites.google.com/a/leagueofwomenvoters.org/clearinghouse/.

LWV Roseville Area members, as part of the affordable housing study, toured Prior Crossing in St. Paul.  The facility is 44 studio appartments for homeless aged 16-24.  The Wilder Foundation provides on-site services, and the facility was built and is administered by Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative.  We were extraordinarily impressed by the services available to residents and its facilities.  Our tour leader, Denise Ellis, assured us that our voices are the most powerful and valuable resource we can use to promote the cause of affordable housing.

This photo shows what greets every resident when they enter their own apartment for the first time.  There will be a full article in the July-August issue of The Voter.  

After a seven year absence, LWV Roseville Area will have a presence in the Rosefest Parade on Monday, June 25.  We will be carrying the banner Marching is Not Enough. Vote. and probably other signs about voting.  We won’t try to do voter registration.  We’ll just be reminding the crowds that League is around and encouraging them to vote.  It should be a fun time.  The course starts at Roseville High School at 6:15 p.m. and we march to Lexington, turn left past Central Park and then turn on County Road C and finish at Civic Center Drive.  It’s one mile long.  Please contact June Stewart at juneret@comcast.net  or Sherry Hood at sherrychood@comcast.net to get more details and let us know you will be participating.  We hope to see you there.

LWV Roseville Area is taking a housing field trip.  On Wednesday, June 13, 11:00 a.m., we will visit Prior Crossing, a 44-studio apartment facility on University Avenue for homeless youth.  Built by Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative and managed by CommonBond, it is one of many Beacon residences for homeless and low-income individuals and families throughout the area. We will tour the facility and participate in a presentation that explores all of the housing options Beacon provides including a future development for men re-entering the community after incarceration, a group that has a particularly difficult time finding homes.

If you would like to attend please send your contact information to Bonnie Koch, toouray@aol.com.  Specific information about the meeting and parking will be sent out just prior to the date.  Those who are interested may carpool from the Roseville Oval parking lot.  Interested Leaguers will have an opportunity to lunch together after the meeting.

The Annual Report prepared for the 65th Annual Meeting of the League of Women Voters Roseville Area can be viewed here.