Volunteer: Join Our Teams!
The League Needs You...
Since 1920, individuals like you have shaped the issues impacting our communities and our democracy through their connection to the League. The League of Women Voters of Palo Alto is an all volunteer-run organization and our success depends on the enthusiastic participation of our members.
We are a grassroots organization
Volunteers make everything we do possible. It's our volunteers who organize our programs and forums, speakers, and manage our election activities and register voters.
Why Volunteer?
CONTACT US TO GET MORE INFORMATION. LEARN MORE ABOUT TEAMS & MEETING TIMES.
Join our CORE, ISSUE or BOARD SUPPORT Teams:
If you would like to join any of our Teams, please contact us using our CONTACT PAGE! You can learn more about our teams and their meeting times HERE.
CORE TEAMS
Help us move the League mission forward and join these teams:
VOTER SERVICES (Voter information, education & registration)
Jean Lythcott
Kathy Miller
ADVOCACY (Action on critical public policy issues & League positions)
Lisa Ratner
PROGRAMMING/EVENTS (Educational forums to amplify priority issues/positions)
Megan Swezey Fogarty
Maureen O'Kicki
ISSUE TEAMS
Learn about and involve yourself in advocacy and educational activities on issues that matter to you:
EDUCATION TEAM
Diane Rolfe
Sigrid Pinsky
Learn More>>League Positions on Education (Palo Alto and CA)
HOUSING & TRANSPORTATION TEAM
Steve Levy
NATURAL RESOURCES/CLIMATE TEAM
Maureen O'Kicki
RESPONSIBLE GUN OWNERSHIP TEAM
Hilary Glann & Katie Causey
Email: lwvpa-responsible-gun-ownership-team@googlegroups.com
IMMIGRATION TEAM
Lisa Ratner
NEW VOICES FOR YOUTH (NV4Y) - A LWVPA and LWVSSMC Program
Veronica Tincher
Learn more about New Voices For Youth
BOARD TEAMS
Our Board provides critical organizational and operational management support to ensure our work at the League is carried out in a meaningful and strategic way. Our programs and work in voter education, advocacy and action need talented people who can share their skills to help move the League mission forward. Please contact any of us if you would like to join one of the Board teams!
Learn More>>Team Info & Meeting Times (See below.)
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
Ellen Smith
BUDGET COMMITTEE
Bonnie Packer
COLLABORATIONS AND OUTREACH
Karen Kalinsky
COMMUNICATIONS
Ellen Forbes
FUNDRAISING
Mary Alice Thornton
Aisha Piracha-Zakariya
MEMBERSHIP
Linda Henigin
Bonnie Packer
NOMINATING COMMITTEE
Lynne Russell
Team Info & Meeting Times
Come to a LWVPA Team Meeting and learn about important issues affecting you and your community! You can copy the meetings from our Google Calendar to yours.
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT TEAM
Meets at 9:30 am on the fourth Wednesday of each month. For location and further details, please contact Ellen Smith.
COLLABORATIONS AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH TEAM (CoCO)
Meets a few times a year, usually on a weekday evening.
In order to increase our League’s effectiveness, we identify other organizations who share our values in general and our goals on individual issues, and then work with those allies in a variety of ways. For example, we connect with them:
• for possible co-sponsorship of events or publicity on an issue-by-issue basis;
• for possible collaboration on our mutual advocacy and voter education goals and programs;
• for possible membership in coalitions or organizations that advance our common advocacy objectives;
• for possible sharing of resources such as publicity or event space.
In the past few years we have partnered with such organizations as the AAUW Palo Alto, Mid-Peninsula Chapter of the ACLU, Acterra, Avenidas, Congregation Beth Am's Equal Start and Tzedek Councils, Palo Alto Forward, and of course, other Santa Clara County and San Mateo County Leagues.
If you are interested in joining our team, please contact the chair, Karen Kalinsky.
COMMUNICATIONS
Meets 7:00 to 8:30 pm, usually on the first Wednesday of each month (not May 2019; please check calendar)
Join our Communications Team! We need people who love to write publicity pieces, publish online and do website work. Create content and help us pitch our awesome League!
Please contact Ellen Forbes if you'd like to join our growing team!
HOUSING & TRANSPORTATION TEAM
Meets 1:30 to 2:30 pm on the third Monday of each month
The Housing and Transportation committee meets to discuss and, when appropriate, take positions (consistent with state and national positions) on housing and transportation issues in Palo Alto. The committee often prepares letters and speaks before the the city council and planning commission to reflect local LWV positions. The committee has guest speakers to brief us on local housing and transportation issues.
For location and further details, please contact Steve Levy.
NEW VOICES FOR YOUTH (NV4Y)
New Voices for Youth, a youth outreach program of LWV Palo Alto and South San Mateo County, is based in the EPA Boys & Girls Club and the Siena Youth Center and serves middle school youth in East Menlo Park, East Palo Alto and North Fair Oaks, RWC.
Fourteen years ago, LWV members created New Voices for Youth (NV4Y) an after-school program that discovers and trains youth leaders from underrepresented communities in the techniques of video documentation. NV seeks support for its functions from organization and government grants and individual donations. The Palo Alto League makes an annual contribution.
NV4Y is run by a steering committee of volunteers from the co-sponsoring Leagues. In NV classes, youth work with experienced directors who provide expertise in video arts and youth organizing. Young people explore issues that can be communicated visually and that encourage civic engagement. In Fall 2018 New Voices sponsored is first screening party presenting a video describing New Voices. The event was held at the Midpeninsula Media Center and proved a wonderful celebration of student work. Watch a sample of the videos, produced by New Voices: New Voices Video Gallery.
If you would like to help young leaders communicate through video, please contact Veronica Tincher.
NOMINATING COMMITTEE
Who will be the next generation of League leaders? The Nominating Committee is always on the look-out to bring talented, diverse, and dedicated members to the League’s board of directors. This committee communicates during the first few months of the calendar year and makes recommendations for a slate of board nominees to be voted on at the Annual Meeting in the spring.
To reach the Nominating Chair, contact Lynne Russell.
RESPONSIBLE GUN OWNERSHIP TEAM
Meets 7:00 to 8:30 pm on the second Wednesday of each month
This team follows the League of Women Voters of the US position on gun safety: 'Protect the health and safety of citizens through limiting the accessibility and regulating the ownership of handguns and semi-automatic weapons. Support regulation of firearms for consumer safety'.
For location and further details, please contact Co-Chairs Katie Causey or Hilary Glann.
Since 1920, individuals like you have shaped the issues impacting our communities and our democracy through their connection to the League. The League of Women Voters of Palo Alto is an all volunteer-run organization and our success depends on the enthusiastic participation of our members.
We are a grassroots organization
Volunteers make everything we do possible. It's our volunteers who organize our programs and forums, speakers, and manage our election activities and register voters.
Why Volunteer?
- Gain experience in leadership and collaboration
- Hone your skills or learn new ones
- Learn about critical advocacy and voter education activities
- Get a behind-the-scenes view of League operations and decision making
- Meet other fascinating League members!
CONTACT US TO GET MORE INFORMATION. LEARN MORE ABOUT TEAMS & MEETING TIMES.
Join our CORE, ISSUE or BOARD SUPPORT Teams:
If you would like to join any of our Teams, please contact us using our CONTACT PAGE! You can learn more about our teams and their meeting times HERE.
CORE TEAMS
Help us move the League mission forward and join these teams:
VOTER SERVICES (Voter information, education & registration)
Jean Lythcott
Kathy Miller
ADVOCACY (Action on critical public policy issues & League positions)
Lisa Ratner
PROGRAMMING/EVENTS (Educational forums to amplify priority issues/positions)
Megan Swezey Fogarty
Maureen O'Kicki
ISSUE TEAMS
Learn about and involve yourself in advocacy and educational activities on issues that matter to you:
EDUCATION TEAM
Diane Rolfe
Sigrid Pinsky
Learn More>>League Positions on Education (Palo Alto and CA)
HOUSING & TRANSPORTATION TEAM
Steve Levy
NATURAL RESOURCES/CLIMATE TEAM
Maureen O'Kicki
RESPONSIBLE GUN OWNERSHIP TEAM
Hilary Glann & Katie Causey
Email: lwvpa-responsible-gun-ownership-team@googlegroups.com
IMMIGRATION TEAM
Lisa Ratner
NEW VOICES FOR YOUTH (NV4Y) - A LWVPA and LWVSSMC Program
Veronica Tincher
Learn more about New Voices For Youth
BOARD TEAMS
Our Board provides critical organizational and operational management support to ensure our work at the League is carried out in a meaningful and strategic way. Our programs and work in voter education, advocacy and action need talented people who can share their skills to help move the League mission forward. Please contact any of us if you would like to join one of the Board teams!
Learn More>>Team Info & Meeting Times (See below.)
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
Ellen Smith
BUDGET COMMITTEE
Bonnie Packer
COLLABORATIONS AND OUTREACH
Karen Kalinsky
COMMUNICATIONS
Ellen Forbes
FUNDRAISING
Mary Alice Thornton
Aisha Piracha-Zakariya
MEMBERSHIP
Linda Henigin
Bonnie Packer
NOMINATING COMMITTEE
Lynne Russell
Team Info & Meeting Times
Come to a LWVPA Team Meeting and learn about important issues affecting you and your community! You can copy the meetings from our Google Calendar to yours.
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT TEAM
Meets at 9:30 am on the fourth Wednesday of each month. For location and further details, please contact Ellen Smith.
COLLABORATIONS AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH TEAM (CoCO)
Meets a few times a year, usually on a weekday evening.
In order to increase our League’s effectiveness, we identify other organizations who share our values in general and our goals on individual issues, and then work with those allies in a variety of ways. For example, we connect with them:
• for possible co-sponsorship of events or publicity on an issue-by-issue basis;
• for possible collaboration on our mutual advocacy and voter education goals and programs;
• for possible membership in coalitions or organizations that advance our common advocacy objectives;
• for possible sharing of resources such as publicity or event space.
In the past few years we have partnered with such organizations as the AAUW Palo Alto, Mid-Peninsula Chapter of the ACLU, Acterra, Avenidas, Congregation Beth Am's Equal Start and Tzedek Councils, Palo Alto Forward, and of course, other Santa Clara County and San Mateo County Leagues.
If you are interested in joining our team, please contact the chair, Karen Kalinsky.
COMMUNICATIONS
Meets 7:00 to 8:30 pm, usually on the first Wednesday of each month (not May 2019; please check calendar)
Join our Communications Team! We need people who love to write publicity pieces, publish online and do website work. Create content and help us pitch our awesome League!
Please contact Ellen Forbes if you'd like to join our growing team!
HOUSING & TRANSPORTATION TEAM
Meets 1:30 to 2:30 pm on the third Monday of each month
The Housing and Transportation committee meets to discuss and, when appropriate, take positions (consistent with state and national positions) on housing and transportation issues in Palo Alto. The committee often prepares letters and speaks before the the city council and planning commission to reflect local LWV positions. The committee has guest speakers to brief us on local housing and transportation issues.
For location and further details, please contact Steve Levy.
NEW VOICES FOR YOUTH (NV4Y)
New Voices for Youth, a youth outreach program of LWV Palo Alto and South San Mateo County, is based in the EPA Boys & Girls Club and the Siena Youth Center and serves middle school youth in East Menlo Park, East Palo Alto and North Fair Oaks, RWC.
Fourteen years ago, LWV members created New Voices for Youth (NV4Y) an after-school program that discovers and trains youth leaders from underrepresented communities in the techniques of video documentation. NV seeks support for its functions from organization and government grants and individual donations. The Palo Alto League makes an annual contribution.
NV4Y is run by a steering committee of volunteers from the co-sponsoring Leagues. In NV classes, youth work with experienced directors who provide expertise in video arts and youth organizing. Young people explore issues that can be communicated visually and that encourage civic engagement. In Fall 2018 New Voices sponsored is first screening party presenting a video describing New Voices. The event was held at the Midpeninsula Media Center and proved a wonderful celebration of student work. Watch a sample of the videos, produced by New Voices: New Voices Video Gallery.
If you would like to help young leaders communicate through video, please contact Veronica Tincher.
NOMINATING COMMITTEE
Who will be the next generation of League leaders? The Nominating Committee is always on the look-out to bring talented, diverse, and dedicated members to the League’s board of directors. This committee communicates during the first few months of the calendar year and makes recommendations for a slate of board nominees to be voted on at the Annual Meeting in the spring.
To reach the Nominating Chair, contact Lynne Russell.
RESPONSIBLE GUN OWNERSHIP TEAM
Meets 7:00 to 8:30 pm on the second Wednesday of each month
This team follows the League of Women Voters of the US position on gun safety: 'Protect the health and safety of citizens through limiting the accessibility and regulating the ownership of handguns and semi-automatic weapons. Support regulation of firearms for consumer safety'.
For location and further details, please contact Co-Chairs Katie Causey or Hilary Glann.
