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.

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!

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.

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/.

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!

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!

Indiana NOW is pleased to announce its 2023 annual conference! Join us on Saturday, November 11, at the Monroe County History Center in Bloomington. Speakers include Indiana gubernatorial candidate Jennifer McCormick, State Senator Shelli Yoder, State Representative Carolyn B. Jackson, and Bloomington's next mayor Kerry Thomson.

Registration begins at 9:45am and the conference will conclude by 3pm. For those attending in person, IN NOW will provide coffee, water, snacks, and lunch from Hive Bloomington. The planning committee has secured a block of rooms at the Hilton Garden Inn in downtown Bloomington, only a few blocks away from the conference. There is also a Zoom option on the registration page. For those who wish to Zoom, the Planning Committee will email information out before the conference.

The Indiana NOW 2023 State Conference is a must-attend event for all advocates of gender equality and women's rights! Join us for a day filled with inspiring discussions, empowering speeches, and networking opportunities. The Monroe County History Center is located at 202 E. 6th St. in Bloomington. Register NOW, as tickets will sell out! See you there!

Indiana Period Action Day is Wednesday, October 18, from 11am to 2pm at the Statehouse in Indianapolis. Legislators from the House and Senate will be speaking on period poverty, healthcare access, and menstrual stigmatization, as well as legislation that will be introducedin January. Join MADVoters for this day of action!

Monroe County NOW invites you to join us for our next chapter meeting Thursday, September 28, at 7:30pm via Zoom.

The meeting will feature a conversation about the 2023 MCCSC referendum (https://www.mccsc.edu/2564_4). We'll be joined by Dr. Jeff Hauswald, MCCSC Superintendent, and Dr. Markay Winston, MCCSC Deputy Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction.

Advance registration via Zoom is required for this meeting. Please register at
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcoduGvqzsjGt1MwsNFi5PT_YFLnitODhBA.

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

Please join Hoosier Jews for Choice and Monroe County NOW for a vigil and call to action at the Monroe County Courthouse on Monday, July 31, at 5:30pm. WE ARE NOT DONE!

Confirmed speakers include State Senator Shelli Yoder, County Councilwoman Jennifer Crossley, City Councilwoman Sue Sgambelluri, City COS Josefa Madrigal, Bloomington Latino Outreach Coordinator Ximena Martinez Ruiz, Jessica Marchbank of All-Options, and Haddie Katz from Tandem Birthing Services.

Join us to grieve, hold space for one another, and fight for the future of reproductive justice in Indiana.

In lieu of a traditional July chapter meeting, Monroe County NOW is participating in a day of action. We are joining and supporting MC NOW board members Jennifer Crossley and Shruti Rana, as they host a community listening session with Kerry Thomson, Nicole Bolden, and Isak Isare.

Join us Thursday, July 27, at 7pm at the Steve & Connie Ferguson Crestmont Boys & Girls Club. We are tabling, registering people to vote, and will have water and swag to hand out. Let's show up and chat about issues that affect our community! All community members are welcome.

We are also asking people donate to the Crestmont Food Pantry, as the pantry needs the following:

• toilet paper

• dish soap

• trash bags

• ziplock bags

• deodorant

• body wash

• cleaning supplies

• wipes

• anything else people cannot purchase with SNAP benefits

Donate these items and we will get the donations to the pantry.

Please note, Monroe County NOW is a 501(c)4 organization. Tabling at this event is not an endorsement of any candidates.

Monroe County NOW is a proud sponsor of the 2022 Candidate Forums! In lieu of a chapter meeting this month, we are encouraging our members and friends to attend these forums beginning next Wednesday, September 28. You must register for the forums via the QR code or at https://www.lwv-bmc.org/content.aspx?page_id=22....

The debate committee is looking questions! Please email voterservice@lwv-bmc.org with your suggestions. Please identify the forum(s) for which a question is recommended. See you there!

Monroe County NOW is a proud sponsor of the 2022 Candidate Forums! In lieu of a chapter meeting this month, we are encouraging our members and friends to attend these forums beginning next Wednesday, September 28. You must register for the forums via the QR code or at https://www.lwv-bmc.org/content.aspx?page_id=22....

The debate committee is looking questions! Please email voterservice@lwv-bmc.org with your suggestions. Please identify the forum(s) for which a question is recommended. See you there!

Monroe County NOW is a proud sponsor of the 2022 Candidate Forums! In lieu of a chapter meeting this month, we are encouraging our members and friends to attend these forums beginning next Wednesday, September 28. You must register for the forums via the QR code or at https://www.lwv-bmc.org/content.aspx?page_id=22....

The debate committee is looking questions! Please email voterservice@lwv-bmc.org with your suggestions. Please identify the forum(s) for which a question is recommended. See you there!

Monroe County NOW is a proud sponsor of the 2022 Candidate Forums! In lieu of a chapter meeting this month, we are encouraging our members and friends to attend these forums beginning next Wednesday, September 28. You must register for the forums via the QR code or at https://www.lwv-bmc.org/content.aspx?page_id=22....

The debate committee is looking questions! Please email voterservice@lwv-bmc.org with your suggestions. Please identify the forum(s) for which a question is recommended. See you there!

After staying silent on SB1 – a near total abortion ban that puts Hoosier lives at risk – the Greater Bloomington Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch at a private luncheon at the Graduate Hotel on Tuesday, August 9 at 11:30am. Lt. Gov. Crouch will be giving a talk on “Empowering Women Leaders IN Indiana.” This talk is a slap in the face of all Hoosier women after the Indiana State House voted on Saturday to take away access to safe, compassionate, and evidence-based reproductive healthcare. We call on the Chamber to rescind this invitation, sponsors to pull out of the event, invitees to decline to show up, and we ask Bloomington business owners to stand up in support of women and girls’ basic rights.

Concerned Hoosiers will assemble outside the Graduate Hotel on Tuesday, August 9, at 11am to discuss what it means to empower women leaders and to make our voices heard.

Speakers include City Councilwoman Isabel Piedmont-Smith, Erin Tobey from Hopscotch Coffee, and Mary Catherine Carmichael. Stay tuned to our social media for any updates!

Women's History Month: We Cannot Go Backwards

What are our options if Roe is overturned?

Join us for our March chapter meeting on Thursday, March 31, at 7:30pm for an important panel discussion.

This month we are excited to welcome Evelyn Smith, State Programs Manager for All-Options Pregnancy Resource Center. Evelyn will talk with us about what All-Options is, what services they provide, and what is on the horizon in Indiana and for abortion rights access. There will be time for questions from the audience.

Zoom pre-registration is required. Register in advance for this meeting at MC NOW March Chapter Meeting.

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

Please join us for our first general meeting (via Zoom) of 2022 on Thursday, January 27, at 7:30pm - “Our Fight for Reproductive Rights in the Indiana Statehouse and What is Next.” We will be joined by State Senator Shelli Yoder and State Representative Matt Pierce, a legal expert who will talk about reproductive rights cases to watch around the county, and a local provider who will speak on how things might change locally.

Zoom information will be added as we get closer to the date; please follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MonroeCountyNOW.

Join Monroe County NOW members and friends for our October chapter meeting! We are excited to let you know what we are working on this month and beyond. Have ideas to share? Please bring them to the meeting!

This month's panel discussion will be on menstrual equity in our community and in our state. Panelists are Professor Deborah Widiss from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law and a representative from the Dignity Project, a local nonprofit that provides women in need with the hygiene products necessary to lead a healthy and successful life.

We ask that you consider making a donation to the Dignity Project's current Coronavirus Protection Fundraiser (https://www.gofundme.com/.../coronavirus-protection...).

Our meeting will be held via Zoom. Please use the Zoom information provided below.

October Chapter Meeting Agenda: https://docs.google.com/.../1_S0MbHyYOChKUa1a0.../edit...

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88697288049...

Meeting ID: 886 9728 8049

Passcode: 382900

One tap mobile

+13017158592,,88697288049#,,,,*382900# US (Washington DC)

+13126266799,,88697288049#,,,,*382900# US (Chicago)

Monroe County NOW is proud to support Students Against Reproductive Restraints. SARR will be a peaceful, sign holding, student-led protest in support of the fight against abortion restrictions. SARR welcomes everyone to join them at Indiana University’s Sample Gates. More event information can be found at https://www.facebook.com/events/531810951453226.

Join us for El Mercado! on Sunday, September 19, from 1 to 5pm! MC NOW is proud to partner with the Monroe County NAACP, Count Us IN, and League of Women Voters Bloomington-Monroe for this special event, which will include speakers on the importance of voting. Register to vote in Monroe County! More information can be found at https://www.facebook.com/events/2991037024509081.

Women4Change Indiana invites you to Listen, Connect, & Participate | Economic Stability

Speakers:

• State Representative Carolyn B. Jackson

• Alison Bell, Chancellor of WGU Indiana

• Dr. Laura Merrifield Wilson, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Faculty Leader of the Gender Center at the University of Indianapolis

Moderator: Joy E. Mason, Founder of Optimist Business Solutions

This program is in partnership with the National Coalition of 100 Black Women Indianapolis Chapter, Indiana Institute for Working Families, AAUW Indianapolis, AAUW Indiana, and Monroe County NOW.

To register, please visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/listen-connect-participate-economic-stability-tickets-160239453519?fbclid=IwAR03W4vaM2_ZIQnyD4REVB0lHCtAb3gao0LWK0KoFiN925CXTo3sq-PIllo. Scholarships are available. Please contact haley@women4changeindiana.org for more information.