Fifteen members of the LWVE leadership gathered on June 17, 2026, as part of the transition from the 2025–2026 to the 2026–2027 Board. We celebrated the service of retiring Board members and the addition of new ones. Co-President Lisa Seegers graciously offered her home for our dinnertime gathering, with delicious dishes contributed by the group. One person described it as “a smorgasbord of tastes.”
Following the meal, we each described a special experience we’d recently had through the League, something important we had gained, or something we were looking forward to. Some women reflected on their greater awareness of and involvement in important things happening in Evanston and Skokie or their greater appreciation of our communities. Many responses highlighted the extent to which LWVE members value each other, for example:
“I’ve learned so much from everyone here.”
“League members are such a dynamic, involved, smart group of people.”
“I appreciate members’ intelligence, integrity, and drive to make things better.”
Following this exchange, we discussed dates for upcoming Board meetings and plans for upcoming events, including LWVE participation in
Juneteenth and
Fourth of July activities and
voter registration.
Several times during the evening, an important goal was highlighted. Many LWVE members, including some members of the Board, live in Skokie. However, we’re formally the League of Women Voters of
Evanston. In addition, the Juneteenth and Fourth of July activities we participate in are in
Evanston, and two of our Local Programs (Environmental Justice and Envision Evanston) focus on
Evanston. We want to make sure Skokie residents feel welcome to join the LWVE and see it as representing them too. Thus, one Board goal this upcoming year is to strengthen the Evanston–Skokie connection by increasingly referring to our organization with labels like “League of Women Voters of Evanston, also representing Skokie” and in other meaningful ways as well.
The 2026-2027 year will, we know, present other challenges too— some smaller and some larger. The conviviality, admiration, and gratitude displayed at the gathering reinforced how fortunate we are to be working together to educate ourselves and our neighbors, improve our communities, and defend democracy.