TDW of Ellis County January 23, 2024 Meeting
(Meeting was rescheduled from January 16th due to inclement weather)
The meeting was called to order by President Mary Lou Shipley at 6:00 p.m. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
Meeting Minutes and Treasurer Report:
Kathleen Bowen stated that the November 2023 minutes were available on the TDW website and made a motion to not read the full previous meeting minutes during meetings in the future. The motion was seconded by Rebecca Cockerham. All ayes.
Becky Kauffman made a motion to approve the November 2023 minutes. Rebecca Cockerham seconded. All ayes. Minutes approved.
Treasurer Mary Brooks reported a PAC account balance of $3,397.43 and a Scholarship balance of $5,237.26.
Installation of 2024 Officers:
Mary Lou read the duties of each officer, recited an oath and installed the following as 2024-2025 Officers: Nancy Post – President; Vivian Gibson – VP; Kathleen Bowen – Secretary; Mary Brooks – Treasurer.
Nancy Post then took over duties of the President. She thanked all outgoing Officers and Committee Chairs.
Committee Reports:
Nancy discussed the mission of TDW and the importance of committees. Each committee chair was then asked to discuss their committees:
Program – Lynda Begnaud
Everyone was encouraged to provide Lynda with upcoming meeting program ideas. Jeanetta Flores stated that the President of the Texas AFL-CIO can speak in February and Judge Kenneth Sanders from Mansfield can speak in March.
Scholarship – Vivian Gibson
Vivian reported that the committee met on January 18th and made updates to the application process – will be Ennis High School, 2 scholarships of $1,000 each (instead of $800), and a requirement that each recipient is required to provide their college account number by a specific date. Scholarship due dates are May 1st and recipients will be notified by May 3rd.
Community Outreach – Julie Mendenhall
Nancy reported that this committee does the annual baby shower, food drive, and other things that help nonprofits in Ellis County. Let Julie know if you know of an organization that may need assistance.
Fundraising – Nancy Post
Nancy stated that this committee sends out an annual fundraising letter, bake-less bake sale and other activities to raise money for TDW.
Refreshments/Social – Carol Young
Nancy reported that Carol will be in touch with members to help bring refreshments to each meeting.
Communications – OPEN
Nancy reported this committee is in need of a Chairperson. The responsibilities include PR and social media. Let Nancy know if you know someone who could fill this role.
Voter Registration – OPEN
Nancy stated this committee is also in need of a Chairperson. This role will work closely with the Ellis County Democrat group. Let Nancy know if you know someone to fill this role.
Fundraising Gala
Nancy reported on the upcoming January 24th fundraiser in Ennis featuring Dale Hansen and Chris Turner. The funds will go toward interior renovations of our building. If you cannot attend the gala, please consider making a donation.
Mary Lou discussed the current status of updates to the building – the exterior façade work should begin in the next week; a $7,0000 grant from Historic Waxahachie, Inc. will help with that. The City provides grants for interior work once the exterior has been completed. She discussed how important the building is and how fortunate Ellis County Democrats are to have such a facility. She stated that during the interior renovations, an alternate meeting location will need to be found. Mary Lou made a motion for TDW to provide $500.00 toward the renovations. Helen Brock seconded. All ayes.
Kathleen asked if any other grants – other than local – have been looked at. It is highly unlikely there are any because TDW is a political and not a nonprofit organization. Kathleen will investigate if there are any other type of grants or funding that may be available.
Presentation:
Lynda Begnaud gave a very informative presentation about all of the Democratic websites that are available. Information on voting, registration, conferences and much more can be found. She provided a handout and gave an online demonstration of the 12 websites and Facebook accounts available.
Refreshments:
February – Mary Lou Shipley
Next Meeting:
February 20th.
Upcoming Actions and Announcements:
Attend the Fundraising Gala on Thursday, January 24th or consider making a donation to benefit the building fund.
Consider chairing or volunteering for a committee. Look for new members to join TDW.
Adjournment:
Mary Lou made a motion to adjourn the meeting. It was seconded by Helen Brock. All ayes.
Meeting adjourned at 6:50 p.m.
The minutes were prepared by Kathleen Bowen.