Posted Mar 5, 2014
Congratulations to the four Leagues awarded Daniel Scharfman Citizen Education Grants: Amherst, Cape Cod Area, Needham, and Westwood-Walpole. The deadline for the next funding cycle is June 2, 2014. The total amount dispersed in this cycle for the four grants was $812.50.
For information on the grant program click here.
The grant program offers funds to help Leagues carry out events and projects in the areas of citizen education and voter service. Generous contributions to the Lotte E. Scharfman Education Fund have made this successful grant program possible. Please consider donating to the fund. Donations can be made through the website, lwvma.org, and a big thank you to those of you who have donated in the past, making this grant program possible.
The February grant recipients are:
LWV Amherst: Reaching out to the community through Facebook ($250)
This grant will provide a stipend to a student from Mount Holyoke College for developing and maintaining a Facebook page for the Amherst LWV. Amherst is a large and active local league that carries out a variety of citizen education and voter service events and activities throughout the year. The Facebook page will help make these services visible to the greatest number of community members as possible in the Amherst area. She is part of a Facebook page team, assisting us in creating, choosing, editing, writing, and generally spreading the word about LWV Amherst and our educational and voter service activities. In the spring we anticipate that she will also work with us on voter registration drives and serve as a League spokesperson on campus and in the larger off-campus community.
LWV Cape Cod Area: Citizen Education Forum: Our Community Challenge: Mental Health Parity ($80)
The funds granted will be used for facility rental and materials for this forum held in Harwich on February 8. Mental illness is the leading cause of disability worldwide. The Affordable Care Act requires that benefits for mental health services must be on a par with those for physical health services. How is the Cape Cod community doing?
Panelists: Ron Holmes, Executive Director, NAMI Cape & Islands; Diane Wolsieffer, Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, CCH; Beth Albert, Director, Barnstable County Dept. of Human Services; Howard Baker-Smith, Director, SE Region, Mass. Dept. Mental Health; Dan Wolf, State Senator Cape & Islands.
LWV Needham: Civics Bee ($250)
The first Needham Civics Bee was held March 2, 2014. The Civics Bee is a fun, community-building event to encourage knowledge of government and increase civic engagement. Teams of three (adults and students grade 8-12) answer questions on our local, state and federal governments. The Needham Public Schools is co-sponsoring the event. The grant will fund printing, signage, and pads for audience participation.
LWV Westwood-Walpole: Candidates’ Night ($232.50)
Candidates’ Night in Walpole is held two weeks prior to the annual town election: Monday, May 19; election Saturday, June 7. This is a well-attended annual forum. All town-wide candidates are invited to participate (both contested and uncontested) as well as all Representative Town Meeting candidates. This is the only town-wide non-partisan forum held, giving voters the opportunity to become familiar with the candidates. This program is broadcast on Walpole Cable (several times throughout the two weeks leading up to the election). There will be coverage by both area newspapers with both editors invited to submit questions along with the audience in attendance.