Join Monroe County NOW for our February chapter meeting on Wednesday, February 18, at 5:30pm at the Southwest Branch of the Monroe County Public Library. We will be introducing our 2026 board and hear from each of our board members on their plans for this year. We would love to hear from you, our fellow members and friends, about what you would like to see more of from our chapter. We welcome any and all ideas about how we can better serve our members and the community at large.

The Monroe County NOW Election Committee has recently sent members in good standing information about our upcoming annual meeting and board election. If you are a dues paying member in good standing and have not received any information about the election, please email the committee at election.mcnow@gmail.com.

Monroe County NOW is excited to participate in Bloomington's Paint the Town Pink Resource Fair on Sunday, October 26, from 1 to 3pm at Switchyard Park! Visit our table, sign up for our newsletter, register to vote, and grab some MC NOW swag.

We currently have one volunteer tabling at the event and we are looking for one more person to help. If interested in volunteering, please email the Chair of our newly formed End Violence Against Women Committee, Pia Martin at endviolence.mcnow@gmail.com.

For more information about Paint the Town Pink, click on the graphic above or use the QR code. See you there!

List our table at this year’s Spencer Pride Festival.

We could use a couple more people to help us table. Click the link below to volunteer.

In lieu of a traditional chapter meeting this month, we're taking the opportunity to host a service day. Join Monroe County NOW and Sojourn House to create care packages for those in need. We will meet on Saturday, September 27, from 10:30am to 12:30pm at the Monroe County Public Library, Room 1B. Feel free to bring new supplies, like toiletries and socks, to add to the packages.

Sojourn House exists to defend, restore, and liberate women who have been exploited and trafficked. Their two main programs are the residential program, which provides two years of rent-free housing with a focus on healing and self-sustainability, and the community outreach program, where they meet women wherever they are to provide resources and support in a crisis. Sojourn House seeks to empower women and walk beside them on a path to true freedom from circumstances that keep them vulnerable to exploitation, like addiction, trauma, abuse, incarceration, and poverty/homelessness. For more information, visit https://www.sojournhousewomen.org.

Can't make it, but still interested in helping out? Sojourn House has an Amazon Wishlist of supplies we need to make care packages. Visit https://a.co/hNysbYX to donate.

Indiana NOW is pleased to announce the 2025 annual conference, hosted by Indianapolis NOW. Please join us on Saturday, September 20, at the All Souls Unitarian Church, located at 5805 E. 56th St. in Indianapolis. Our welcoming address will be given by the Indianapolis City-County Council Vice President Ali Brown. Our keynote speaker will be Sheila Suess Kennedy. Indiana House Representatives Sue Errington, Carey Hamilton, and Renee Peck will host a panel discussion on the state of Indiana politics.

 Check in/registration on September 20 begins at 9:45am, the conference begins at 10am, and programming will conclude by 3pm. Lunch (vegetarian option available), coffee, tea, and water will be provided. There is a Zoom option on the advanced registration page. For those who wish to Zoom, we will email information prior to the conference. NOW members are eligible for a sliding scale conference fee. Pay what you can afford. Choose the "Donation" option to do sliding scale and/or to sponsor another individual to attend. Credentialing for active members will be done on site. For those looking for overnight accommodations, we recommend the nearby Fort Harrison Inn (10 minute drive). Join us for some lively discussions, empowering speeches, and networking opportunities.

If you have any questions, please contact Indinapolis NOW at now.indianapolis@gmail.com and allow 48 hours for a response. Register at the link below and we’ll see you there!

Visit our table at Bloomington Pride’s 2025 Pridefest!

Come see us at this year’s Women’s Market!

If you’re interested in helping us table, please sign up at the link below.

Come join Monroe County NOW in the cool AC of the downtown public library (in person) as we march through this Hot Labor Summer. We will be spending our July chapter meeting sitting down with organizers from the Indiana Graduate Workers Coalition and Monroe County Education Association. Let's discuss the ongoing attacks on education, the labor movement, and working people! A feminist future with a just economy and education for all can only happen when we act together in our schools and workplaces. See below for more details and join us! Light refreshments will be available.

 Date: Thursday, July 24

Time: 7pm

Location: Monroe County Public Library Downtown Branch, Meeting Room 1B

 Please note: We are working on a Zoom option for those who prefer to join us from home. Click below to register for the Zoom link.

Join Monroe County NOW for our June Chapter meeting on Thursday, June 19, at 7pm via Zoom! During Pride Month we will feature the Bloomington LGBTIQ+ Community Center. This brand new organization exists "to support and enhance the lives of our diverse queer Family through the development of: safe and sober spaces for all, community engagement and education opportunities, programs and services that elevate and empower one another to lead healthy and fulfilling lives, and advocacy work for social equity and civil rights locally and beyond." MC NOW will welcome guest speaker Melanie Davis, who will give us information on the formation of the LGBTIQ+ Community Center and the board's goals. There will be time for a Q&A with Melanie. Stay tuned to next month's newsletter, our website and social media for any additional guest speakers. Let's learn about this important community resource and find ways we can help get the word out.

Learn more about the Bloomington LGBTIQ+ Community Center at https://www.facebook.com/LGBTIQCommunityCenter.

Participants must register in advance for this meeting at
https://us02web.zoom.us/.../register/3_UfH6yoSl6BxH-eJAjeuw.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. See you there!

Looking to feel inspired and connect with other Monroe County NOW members? Join our chapter president TammyJo Eckhart at the Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art at noon on Saturday, June 14, to tour the first American exhibit of Blanche Hoschedé-Monet's paintings. TammyJo has been a volunteer educator at the museum since 2010. She took special training with this exhibit and would love to share it, as well as information about the role of women in the art scene of Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. While other visitors may come into the gallery, our tour will be the only formal one scheduled for that space from 12pm until 1:30pm. The Eskenazi Museum of Art is located at 1133 E. Seventh St. in Bloomington, on the IUB campus near the IU Auditorium. Admission is free. Come along with other MC NOW folks, enjoy lovely art, and be inspired by an amazing woman artist. For any questions, please email TammyJo.

Join Monroe County NOW for our April Chapter meeting on Thursday, April 24, at 7pm via Zoom! This month we will feature the Sojourn House, which exists to defend, restore, and liberate women who have been exploited and trafficked. We will welcome Program Director Caitlyn Graber, who will start off with briefly sharing what Sojourn House is and who the organization serves. Caitlyn will give a presentation on how trauma, such as sexual assault and other forms of abuse, impact the body and brain. Afterwards, there will be time for discussion and questions for Caitlyn. The Q&A will be facilitated by MC NOW's newest Chair Pia Martin, who also works at the Sojourn House. Let's learn about this important community resource and find out ways we can get involved.

 Learn more about Sojourn House at https://www.sojournhousewomen.org.

Participants must register in advance for this meeting at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/3_UfH6yoSl6BxH-eJAjeuw.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. See you there!

Join Monroe County NOW, IU Cinema, Girls Inc. of Monroe County, Girls Rock Bloomington, and the League of Women Voters-Bloomington/Monroe County on Thursday, March 13 for a special film screening event. Take a look at what American democracy would be like in the hands of teenage girls as part of an immersive experiment to build a government from the ground up. See Girls State!

From the Emmy Award winners behind Boys State, Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine, comes the Emmy Award-winning film Girls State. Set against the backdrop of a nation grappling with a deepening democratic crisis and heightened political polarization, this compelling documentary delves into the experiences of 500 teenage girls participating in a week-long program where they construct their own state government. It underscores the significance of civic engagement, the intricacies of democracy, and the influence of female voices in political leadership.

A Q&A with Tochi Ihekona and Emily Worthmore, two of the film's subjects, will follow the screening.

Our hope is that in this off year in the Indiana election cycle, we can encourage women and girls to get involved in politics by showing them how a diverse group of young women in Missouri proved the value our voices and experiences can bring to government. All of us do so much to try and get out the vote and hold our elected officials accountable. Now imagine the impact we could have if even one or two more percent of the girls today were inspired to get involved after watching Girls State? This is a free but ticketed event. Get your free tickets at https://am.ticketmaster.com/iucinema/buy/MarchMay25.

This meeting is rescheduled from October 2024. Monroe County NOW needs you to help build a healthy and successful community in South Central Indiana.

Doing that starts with each of us. Join us on Thursday, February 27, at 7pm via Zoom for our interactive chapter meeting: Understanding Others. Our moderator is Jess Hoopengardner, MSEd, a diversity and inclusion facilitator who has been helping communities of all types to grow their influence by empowering their members and fostering collaboration among members. Fun fact: Jess was previously one of our board members before she left Bloomington!

The meeting should only last an hour.

Just bring yourself and your desire to make our world a better place.

The MC NOW Board looks forward to working with you all at this event.

You must register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/3_UfH6yoSl6BxH-eJAjeuw 

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. See you there!

A message from Chapter President TammyJo Eckhart:

If it looks like everything you've been fighting for is falling apart, you aren't alone in that feeling. So let's build Monroe County NOW back up from the inside to help us keep working to protect and improve our lives. We do that by starting with ourselves. This workshop needs you to show up and participate because all of our fights for a more just world begin in our hearts and minds. Yup, folks, the current federal and state administrations can try to take us back to the early 19th century, but we are doing the DEI work to make our chapter, our members, and our communities better and safer. Show your belief in our core issues by taking this step with me to gird up for the battles ahead of us.

– TammyJo Eckhart, MC NOW President 2024-25

As 2025 begins, Monroe County NOW wants each of you to know that we are here to help fight to protect and reclaim our rights to improve our lives, particularly those of women and girls. Join us for our next chapter meeting on Thursday, January 23, at 7pm! Come meet our 2025 board members, learn the results of our Member Survey from last year, discover ways you can help the fight, get fired up by our current plans for 2025, and share your ideas for what we should do going forward. Let's have each others' backs NOW and for the future.

 You must register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/IbQaQZEESP6nO-Txu4FUOQ

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. See you on the 23rd!

Monroe County NOW is proud to support the 2024 Spencer Pride Festival! We will be tabling at the event. Interested in volunteering at our table? We need volunteers for two of our shifts. We will be registering people to vote just before the Indiana voter registration deadline. Sign up to volunteer at https://www.signupgenius.com/.../20F0E44A8A828A5F49.... See you there!

Come meet and greet candidates for Indiana Senate, Indiana House of Representatives, and Monroe County County Commissioner. Candidates will respond briefly to questions, then meet and converse with voters.

Co-sponsors: Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, League of Women Voters of Bloomiongton-Monroe County, League of Women Voters of Brown County, Monroe County Branch NAACP, and Monroe County NOW

Where: This is an online Zoom event
Moderator: Sonia Leerkamp
Candidates: Russell Brooksbank (L) and Tim Peck (D); Erin Houchin declined
Hosted by: League of Women Voters of Bloomington-Monroe County
Cosponsors: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. - Kappa Tau Omega Chapter, Big Ten Voting Challenge, Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, IU PACE, League of Women Voters Bloomington-Monroe County, League of Women Voters Brown County, League of Women Voters Southern Indiana Monroe County NOW, Monroe County Branch NAACP, South Central Indiana Citizens’ Climate Lobby, Citizens’ Climate Lobby - New Albany

Have you had the feeling that our local news sources are disappearing or becoming biased? You aren't wrong and it is happening.

 Join Monroe County NOW for our next chapter meeting on Thursday, September 26 at 7pm! We will have a conversation with a couple of representatives from our local news media. Bring your questions and let's learn more about how their agencies function in this age of rapid online news, misinformation, and development of news deserts right here in Indiana. Invite your friends to attend this important discussion.

 Attendees must register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEqdOygpzooHtNOe7kR-slE9lzehLoodmsD 

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Where: Bloomington City Hall Council Chambers
Moderator: Beverly Calender-Anderson
Candidates: Joe Davis (write-in), Trent Deckard (D), David Henry (D), Cheryl Munson (D)

Hosted by: League of Women Voters of Bloomington-Monroe County
Cosponsors: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. - Kappa Tau Omega Chapter, Big Ten Voting Challenge, IU PACE, League of Women Voters Bloomington-Monroe County, Monroe County NOW, Monroe County Branch NAACP, South Central Indiana Citizens’ Climate Lobby

Monroe County NOW will be at Bloomington Pridefest this Saturday! We are in need of more volunteers for our table. Please consider helping us staff the table.

Members of the League of Women Voters Bloomington-Monroe County, Indiana and Hoosier Asian American Power will be tabling with us. We will be registering people to vote. If you're able to volunteer, please sign up at https://www.signupgenius.com/.../10C0A4FACAB2BA7F9CF8.... See you Saturday!

It's all about election protection during the 2024 election season! Join us on Thursday, August 29, at 7pm for a discussion with this month's guest speaker Ami Gandhi. Ami is the Director of Strategic Initiatives and Midwest Voting Rights Programs for the Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights (CLCFCR). Her work helps "reduce barriers to voting and improve civic participation, especially in communities of color and low-income communities in the Midwest." For more information about CLCFCR and the work they do, please visit clccrul.org.

You must register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/.../tZEqdOygpzooHtNOe7kR...

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. See you there!

Mark your calendars! The Indiana NOW 2024 State Conference will be held Saturday, August 24, from 9:30am to 4pm at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne. Our Northeast Indiana NOW chapter is hosting this year's conference.

Fort Wayne Mayor Sharon Tucker will welcome attendees. Join us for amazing speakers (others will be announced soon), motivational handouts, planning for the year ahead, and to vote for our next slate of State Council members. There will also be a PAC fundraising event on Friday, August 23. More information will follow.

You don’t want to miss this!

ARE YOU READY TO GO?

Need a place to stay? Reserve your room today! There is a reserved hotel block at the Hilton Hotel at the Grand Wayne Convention Center, located at 1020 S. Calhoun Street. The block is for Friday and/or Saturday night at $129 per night. Be sure to ask for the NOW rate if you call (260-420-1100). You can also make your reservation online at https://www.hilton.com/en/attend-my-event/fwafhhf-now-b5941977-ec6f-4fb4-856e-c384f5c84c12/.

Life has been CRAZY... And we need to laugh out loud to get through the craziness of this election season! Join us Friday, August 23, at 8pm as we raise money for the Indiana NOW Political Action Committee. We're heading to the Fort Wayne Comedy Club @ 469 Sports & Spirits where standup acts Asia Chardonay (https://www.alldisbody.com) and Sears (https://lissasears.com) will hit the stage. Check out their bios and let's have some FUN!

Indiana NOW PAC raises funds to support our endorsed candidates in Indiana who are committed to our core values and progressive ideals. Money raised goes directly to candidates.

Buy your tickets at https://secure.actblue.com/donate/indiananow-comedynight; tickets are $40 each.

The Fort Wayne Comedy Club @ 469 Sports & Spirits is located at 1324 Minnich Rd. in New Haven, IN. Doors open 15 minutes prior to the show. This is a private event. All ticket sales are final. See more information at https://www.fortwaynecomedyclub.com/events/96609.

Monroe County NOW is taking a break from Zoom meetings and we're hosting a Get Out the Vote (GOTV) event with allied friends and groups.

2024 is an Important Election Year

Our community needs to be energized.

All of our efforts to Get Out the Vote should be amplified.

Monroe County NOW invites you to a Kick-Off Picnic to Get Out the Vote.

Date: Sunday, July 28

Time: 11am-2pm

Where: Southeast YMCA Lower Shelter at 2125 S. Highland Ave. in Bloomington. This shelter has table space for about 30-40 folks under a roof, so please fee free to bring lawn chairs and/or blankets if you would like to enjoy the time outside. There is a playground right by the shelter, so feel free to bring kids!

If you plan to attend, please RSVP by July 22 via this Sign-Up Genius form to help us get numbers for plates, napkins, and utensils for enough folks. MC NOW will also provide some drinks and sandwiches.

What to Bring: Food item to share, Get Out the Vote materials your organization is using so we can amplify all our efforts, sunscreen, bug spray, and lawn chairs or blankets if you would like to enjoy the time outside the shelter. See you there!

Join Monroe County NOW at the 2024 Women's Market on Saturday, July 27, from 9am to 1pm at City Hall. The Women's Market is hosted by the City of Bloomington Commission on the Status of Women. The event will feature dozens of women's organizations, businesses, and individual creators to inspire us all to get more involved in our communities. MC NOW will be giving out information about our projects to improve the community, registering people to vote, and signing up new members.

Thank you to our tabling volunteers! Thanks to the generosity of your time, we have a fully staffed table for this event. Our treasurer Mandy Yates will be reaching out to you with specific information. We look forward to seeing all of you at the 2024 Women's Market!

Art can influence social issues by shining a light on injustices, offering insights into others’ lives, suggesting new ways of thinking, or it can reinforce existing systems of oppression. Join Monroe County NOW on Thursday, May 23, at 7pm via Zoom as we highlight the creations of Monroe County artists whose work is connected to the sociopolitical causes they and we care about.

Learn about how you can support their work and discover organizations where your own creativity could help fuel the goal of diversity, equity, and inclusivity.

Guest speakers for this meeting are as follows:
-Laura LaSuertmer, Assistant Creative Director and Facilitator of Women Writing for (a) Change
-Deborah Meader, Co-President of the Persisterhood Workshop
-Caleb Poer, Visual Artist
-Holly Warren, Assistant Director for the Arts, Bloomington Department of Economic and Sustainable Development

You must register in advance for this meeting:

https://us02web.zoom.us/.../tZEqdOygpzooHtNOe7kR...

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Mark your calendars! Our next chapter meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 25, at 7pm via Zoom. This meeting is all about housing equity and the impact on local women and marginalized communities. We are excited to have JaneAnn Gifford, CJAM (Community Justice And Mediation Center) Landlord-Tenant Case Manager and Senior Mediator and Erika Fotsch with the Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana. We will hear from our guest speakers about the challenges women in our community face regarding affordable housing; Q&A will directly follow. Join us and ask your questions!

You must register in advance for this meeting at

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEqdOygpzooHtNOe7kR-slE9lzehLoodmsD.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. See you there!