TEXAS STRONG Texas Strong Women Presents Refuge for Women North TX, Anna Melvin Our April program will feature Anna Melvin for Refuge for Women North Texas. Refuge for Women is a national non-profit, faith based organization that provides long-term care for women who have escaped human trafficking or sexual exploitation. Refuge for Women offers safe housing with 24-hour-a-day staffing. The program is designed, and staff trained, to help residents recognize their goals in life, and to assist them in reaching those goals, and facilitate healing. Their goal is for each woman to leave Refuge for Women with selfsustainability and a life marked with dignity and hope. Date: Wednesday, April 12, 2017 Time: 11:30am Registration 12:00 pm - Lunch and Meeting Place: Italian Bistro 501 Byron Nelson Blvd Roanoke, Texas 76262 Anna and her husband, Andy have been volunteering with Refuge for women for over a year now. Andy serves on the board of Refuge for Women North Texas and Anna serves on the development board speaking to organizations about Refuge for Women s mission. Volume 2, Issue 4 April 2017 Inside this issue Letter From Your President 2 Membership Campaign Opportunities Legislative Update Our Sponsors 5-7 5 8 10-11 Included on page 3, you will find a list of current needs for Refuge for Women North Texas. In addition to these needs, everyday toiletries are needed. We would like to encourage everyone to bring an item to help these women and achieve their goal of becoming independent. RSVP https://www.eventbrite.com/e/texas-strong-republican-women-monthly-meeting-tickets-33032908318 1
Letter from your President It s All About YOU! "Resist, persist, insist, enlist." This poetic rallying cry comes from none other than Hillary Clinton as she returns to the public arena to lead Democrats, indivisibles and other liberals in their open defiance of the Donald Trump presidency. While we federated Republican women can rightfully feel proud of our successful efforts for the great GOP Victory last November, we cannot rest on our laurels, as the recent disruptions of Congressional town halls right here in our own Congressional districts demonstrate. We must be strong --- Texas Strong --- for the upcoming Election Cycle. YOUR help is needed in several ways to keep Texas Strong RW as effective and meaningful as possible. Politics is still on people s minds, and we can help them become informed and involved. Indeed, there is strength in numbers: We are in the midst of a recruiting campaign right now to increase our club s membership numbers Here are some current opportunities for YOU to be a part of our club s leadership team: 1) Recruit new members for our club by inviting them to attend one of our educational and interesting meetings. Offer to pick them up to come with you. 2) Volunteer just an hour or two a week to help on one of our committees such as phoning some fellow members to remind of meetings; assist in planning and executing special events; welcoming guests and new members, etc. 3) Serve as a committee chair to report briefly each month on topics such as Americanism, aiding Veterans, or reviewing club bylaws (information and suggestions provided by TFRW and NFRW.) We know that everyone is busy with family, job responsibilities and life in general, but to keep the November 2016 momentum going during this off year, we need YOU to help us grow our numbers, increase our effectiveness and get a running start on Victory 2018! What part do YOU want to embrace? Best regards, Margot Leurig P.S. YOU are invited to attend a special event for TFRW members in north and central Texas on Saturday, April 22, to learn more about the indivisibles and also hear the amazing NICK ADAMS encourage us about American exceptionalism. TX Strong is a member of the Lone Star Council so there is no charge for you to attend, just purchase your own lunch at Fort Worth s Riata restaurant. Full details will be sent out shortly! 2
Refuge for Women North Texas Current Needs List Your Support is Changing Lives Thank You~ Miscellaneous 2 Porch rocking chairs Gas Grill Folding Table & Chairs African American hair care African American Make-up Personal CD players w/ headphones Adult Bikes Cleaning Supplies Laundry Soap Garbage Bags Lint Rollers Home Maintenance Shovel/rakes Gardening tools Homework/Office Supplies 1 & 3 Binders Copy Paper Paper Shredder Super & Spray Glue Binder Dividers Bible Tabs ***GAS CARDS These are used to transport to and from medical appointments, AA/CR meetings and church. ****Gift Cards Walmart Staples Target- Lowes Home Depot Amazon (for curriculum) - Kroger Books Jesus Calling Message Bible Celebrate Recovery Step Study Guides Concordance If you have items to donate please contact Lynnie Anderson at: lynnie.anderson@refugeforwomen.org 469-844-1973 Or send by mail to: Refuge for Women North Texas 1980 E. University Dr. Denton TX 76266 3
Membership Counts! A Message to all Region 6 Clubs from Beryl Dowd, Deputy President TFRW convention is in our back yard in Dallas next fall (October 19-21). That means that the next couple of months will decide how big a voice you have in TFRW for the next two years. At the very least, convention will find us debating and voting on the next slate of officers, bylaw changes, and resolutions. The number of members your club has determines how many delegates you will send to the convention, one delegate for every 10 members. These delegates will be selected by your club to vote for what you and your club want to happen in TFRW. Obviously, that means you all want to boost your membership numbers. TFRW headquarters is working on those numbers now and the final delegate allotments will be made in May. That gives us a bit more than a month to get our numbers up. Here are some things your club should consider. First Every time you get a full member the information should be sent to TFRW, no matter how small the list. Second Get in touch with any members who have not re-upped. This is essential, since most of us have so much going on that we forget what we have rejoined and what we haven t. Most ladies and especially elected officials want their names associated with a TFRW club. So, call, text, email, and snail mail, knock on their door, send a carrier pigeon, whatever works! One club sent the list to all board members and each person contacted the ones they know personally and 100% rejoined. Third Have a membership event and make it a membership event not just a party. One club charged members to attend a fashion show and their guests got in free and picked up lots of new members. Give prizes and praises to the members bringing the most guests. Meet Your Elected Officials get togethers work well with a certain group. All members should always carry small membership forms with them, and don t forget to announce your club meetings and speakers at other meetings you attend. I am sure you are all on your County Republican Calendar, so be sure and check every month to have the speaker info highlighted. Be creative just a club name, date and time won t inspire anyone to attend! Our new president and his attacks by the Dems who are determined to resist his policies are making politics interesting again so, people do want to be involved. Let s accommodate them and get them involved! By signing them up, you gain members to expand your club s influence, plus clout in TFRW and at the convention in Dallas. 4
Membership We have 1 new member: Mary Denny Total members 55 Full members 35 Associate members 20 Patron member 24 By Diane Khalar, Membership Vice President Campaigns It s time to report your hours! Even though campaign season is over, our hours continue to matter. Please report your hours for the first quarter of 2017. Any hours spent working for republicans, preparing for a meeting, attending fundraisers (don t forget Lincoln-Reagan day fundraisers), republican workshops, and DRIVING to meetings count! Anything you have not been paid for, counts toward our club s total hours to turn into TFRW and NFRW. You may e-mail them to me, send me a message on Facebook, or go to our website and submit your hours. Have any questions, please just e-mail me at JHBU99@aol.com 5
a t r o n (n): A very special supporter; one who provides extra encouragement and help; one who is especially appreciated. The Texas Strong Republican Women s Patron Program We cordially invite you to become a Patron Member of the Texas Strong Republican Women. This group of supporters will donate $100 each year to Texas Strong RW. The Patron s program will serve two purposes: 1) To raise additional funds for TX Strong RW and 2) To provide our Patrons with a few exclusive and enjoyable experiences each year to foster fellowship and friendship among our Patrons. A Patron membership is $100 a calendar year and a Patron membership also includes either Active or Associate member as appropriate. Special Patron events will be announced periodically and will include Patron receptions and other special outings. Patrons also will be specially identified in the Texas Strong Membership Directory. Yes, I want to be a TX Strong Patron Member! Buy One Get One half off for couples - $150 Name: Address: City: Zip Phone: Email: Occupation: Employer: Spouse (if applicable): Type of Membership: Active Associate BOGO Spousal (Active Member of which other TFRW Club?) Political advertising paid for by Texas Strong Republican Women, Susan Parker PAC Treasurer, Contributions are not deductible as charitable contributions for income tax purposes. Corporate contributions are not permitted. 6
Texas Strong Republican Women Club Membership Application Membership Information Date: Name Spouse s name Address Referred by City ST Zip Home number Work number Cell number Occupation (Required by law for Political Action Committee. If not employed; homemaker, retired, private tutor, volunteers) Employer: Email address Please print email legibly and notify us with changes. This is our preferred means of communication Registered Voter? Yes No Precinct # Senate District # $30 Active Membership $15 Associate Membership (women with another federated membership, spouse, Republican men) Donation to Local RW (optional) $15 Nametag ( magnetic pin) I do not want my information printed in the annual Membership Directory TOTAL ENCLOSED $ CHECK # CASH I AM INTERESTED IN THE FOLLOWING COMMITTEES Campaign Activities Fund Raising Community Engagement Legislative Membership Caring for America Programs Publicity Fundraising Telephone Other Political advertising paid for by Texas Strong Republican Women, Susan Parker, PAC Treasurer, 8816 Crestview Dr., Denton, TX 76207. Contributions are not deductible as charitable contributions for income tax purposes. Corporate Contributions Are Not Permitted. Mail to: Susan Parker 8816 Crestview Dr Denton, TX 76207 7
Legislative Update March 26, 2017 Here are just a few of the hot topics in Austin. Please do not hesitate to call on anything you feel is important! 1. HB 3903 by Rep. Cindy Burkett is a bill we would like for you to support. It deals with fixing the issue judges and judicial candidates are having with donating money to GPACs like our TFRW clubs. Please call your legislators and let them know you support HB 3903! 2. SB 5, the Photo Voter I.D. bill was passed out of committee in the Senate on March 14. The next step is for the Senate to schedule it for floor debate. Call your senators and the lieutenant governor to encourage them to schedule a vote on the bill soon! This is very important! 3. HB 2 by Rep. John Zerwas, the "supplemental appropriations" bill in the House, was scheduled for a second hearing on Thursday in the House Appropriations Committee. The hearing was cancelled. This is the legislation dealing with appropriating funds from the Economic Stabilization Fund, better known as the "Rainy Day Fund." Please call your legislators on this. The Senate has passed an appropriations bill that does not touch the Rainy Day Fund. If you are looking for detailed information about "How a Bill Becomes Law," or information on the budget process, and much more, check out the House Research Organization. Their publications are reliable and informative, so bookmark the site and use it often! I am not certain what is going on in Washington D.C. It is very disappointing when you have a Republican House, Senate and the White House and no one can get a bill passed. I did not like the healthcare bill they were going to vote on. It seems all these years later, they could have had something ready just in case the day came. We need the Supreme Court Justice to be confirmed one way or another. Hopefully, there will be another one in June! I will be following the tax bill very carefully. We do need tax reform and the rates reduced. Thank you Dianne Edmondson for some ideas. I really appreciate you. Vandolyn L. Roszell Legislative Chair 8
Thank you to our Sponsors! PROUD TO SUPPORT TEXAS STRONG REPUBLICAN WOMEN SenJaneNelson SenatorJaneNelson JaneNelson.Org Paid Pol. Adv. Friends of Senator Jane Nelson, P.O. Box 608, Grapevine, TX 76099 9
From the Treasurer Donating Cash to the Club Our club is considered a PAC under the Texas State Legislature (via the Texas Ethics Commission). ALL cash donations to our club require the following information along with the donation: Name, address, occupation and employer. Failure to provide the information requires our club to donate the money to a 501(c) (3). Susan Parker, Treasurer 10
2016 Board of Directors President... Margot Leurig VP Campaign...Jill Tate VP Communications/Chaplain...Jube Dankworth VP Legislation...Vandolyn Roszell VP Membership...Diane Khalar VP Programs...Jill Tate Treasurer/PAC Treasurer...Susan Parker Secretary...Avie Raburn Fundraising Committee Chair...Jeanne DeArment Newsletter Editor.....Heather Moss Awards Chairman.....Dianne Edmondson Political advertising paid for by Texas Strong Republican Women Susan Parker, PAC Treasurer, 8816 Crestview Dr Denton TX 76207. Contributions are not federal tax deductible as charitable contributions. Corporate contributions are not permitted. Texas strong PO BOX 549 [Recipient] Address Line 1 Address Line 2 Address Line 3 Address Line 4 11