LEAGUE-WIDE NEWS & EVENTS
| January General Meeting: 2026-2027 Program Planning
January 12, 2026
6:30-8:00 pm via Zoom
(Join early at 6:00 for social time!)
A preparation guide for the annual Program Planning meeting has been sent out to League leaders. At Program Planning, our teams will lay out the priorities and actions they're planning for the coming year and all members will have an opportunity to ask questions and provide input. This is an important meeting for our League membership, so please make plans to attend by registering on the Calendar. The meeting will be held via Zoom from 6:30-8:00 pm.
If your team has not yet turned in your Planning Worksheet, please complete it and send it to Trish Warner by January 7. Your participation is critical to the success of our League. There are so many actions being taken by many, so think about how to build on those in planning for the new League year!!
Thank you!
Program Planning team: Trish Warner, Eve Bingham, Kathy Maher
| Orientation to the League of Women Voters
Saturday, January 10, 2026
10:00-11:30 am
Our Saviour's Lutheran Church
2000 S. Lemay Ave ~ Fort Collins, CO 80525
Prospective and new members are invited to start the new year with getting to know the League! Meet face to face with members and learn how you can engage around your interests and passions to make our democracy work.
We'll begin the morning with light refreshments and informal conversation followed by a discussion of our mission, structure and program priorities. Bring your questions and join us for a stimulating conversation.
Reservations are requested by January 7 on the LWVLC Calendar; space is limited. Carpooling can be arranged. Questions: Linda Mahan, membership@lwv-larimercounty.org.
| Cheers!
December’s “In League with Kindred Spirits” solidarity happy hour at Verboten Brewery in Loveland was another glass-raising good time. Pictured above are a few of the merry-makers who attended, from left to right: Mary Carraher, Stephanie Schwenn, Marian Lilley, Linda Hutchinson, Trisha Sellers and Trish Warner.
Don’t miss the next one at the mid-town Gilded Goat Brewery (near Trader Joes) in Fort Collins on Wednesday, January 28, 4:30-6 pm. Register ahead through the League calendar to join the fun and camaraderie. See you there! | | "Signs of Solidarity" Action Update
A key part of the LWVLC Unite & Rise 8.5 campaign between now and the 2026 elections involves Signs of Solidarity (SOS): partnering with IndivisibleNOCO and ISAAC (Interfaith Solidarity & Accompaniment Coalition), building solidarity with local businesses to support our immigrant community. In December five two-member teams from our League went door to door in downtown Fort Collins sharing Know Your Rights information so businesses would be prepared if ICE arrives. They also provided window signs with the beautiful, locally designed butterfly symbols that visibly signal support and help immigrants feel welcome. | | | The teams reported an overwhelmingly positive reception! Look for these signs across downtown Fort Collins, then go in and say thank you and consider a purchase!
In January, the campaign plans to expand to downtowns of Loveland, Timnath, Wellington, and Windsor. Does anyone speak Spanish? ISAAC originally planned to canvas northern FC businesses with native speakers, but has now asked the wider group to cover the area. Spanish is not required but would be helpful for sure. Join us in expanding this movement! You will receive training and supplies. Contact team captain Beth DeHaven (bethadehaven@gmail.com or 417-860-9303) for more information.
| Health Care Team Meeting
January 8, 2026, 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
*Please note a change of location
Care Communities Meeting Room
(Next to Heart of the Rockies Church)
6514 Brittany St
Fort Collins, CO 80525
The agenda will feature:
• Health Care Team mission and 2026 team goals.
• A discussion regarding the Larimer League PR/Social Media campaign.
• Follow-up discussion about the potential use of AI to summarize issues from the Health District of Northern Larimer County and Board of Health monthly meetings.
• Generating ideas for how to strengthen our local impact by partnering with community health care organizations.
The team will also give updates on current gun violence prevention legislation & activities, community behavioral health care initiatives, and other priority health care issues.
| Affordable Housing Team Sets Goals for 2026
Affordable and supportive housing continue to top the list of concerns here in Northern Colorado and throughout the country. In the months ahead, our team will be educating itself and sharing with our community about steps being taken to address this need. Partnering with the Northern Colorado Community Foundation on some projects is under discussion.
League members are invited to join our tour of the L’Arche building at Heartland Hill in Fort Collins on January 8 from 1:30 to 3 p.m. L’Arche serves people with mental and physical disabilities. Register here: Tour of L'Arche at Heartland Hill
The next regular meeting of the AHT will be on Feb. 12, 2026, 1:30 to 3 p.m. on Zoom. Register here to get the link: Affordable Housing Team Meeting - 2/12/2026
| Wishing YOU an Educated Climate Science 2026
from the Climate Emergency and the News Access & Literacy LWVCO Task Forces!
Here is your invitation to hear the Truth about Forever Chemicals (PFAS) and How They Are Living Up to Their Names. In our continuing series about mis- and disinformation in Climate Science, LWVLC’s own Dr. Kathleen Gilbert will Zoom with us on Wednesday, January 21, 7:00-8:00 pm.
| News Access and Literacy
On January 20, 2026, at 5 p.m., the News Access and Literacy Task Force is hosting Democracy on the Precipice: What Happens When Local News Disappears? This will be a panel discussion centered around the documentary Stripped for Parts.
|  | Voter Services Team News
Next Meeting: Tuesday, January 13, 2026 6:30–8:30 PM (online via Zoom)
Please register on the calendar to get the meeting link.
Throughout 2025, our incredible volunteers worked to strengthen our democracy by providing trusted voter information through candidate forums, ballot-issue education, Vote411, and a new eBook voter guide. They supported civic participation by registering voters across the community and in high schools, offering classroom presentations, and partnering with the Girl Scouts to cultivate informed future voters.
If you would like to join this work next year, email Heather Sulgrove, attend our January meeting, and/or come to the January voter registration training.
Voter Registration Training
January 17, 9:30-11:00
Old Town Library, Fort Collins
OR January 15, 6:30-8:00 pm via Zoom
All voter-registration volunteers are required to retrain each year to meet Secretary of State requirements. Our in-person session on January 17 will cover updates to the registration form. Please register in advance for that training session here: Volunteer Training for Voter Registration - 1/17/2026
| Gear Up for Action with the Legislative Action Committee (LAC)
In preparation for the 2026 Legislative Session (which begins on January 14), LWVCO has scheduled three LAC Professional Development meetings. The first two sessions, held on November 14 and December 5, were recorded and are now available for viewing HERE (log in first!). The remaining session, Part 3, will be held via Zoom at 9:00 AM on January 9, 2026.
These educational sessions are required for returning and new LAC members, but any LWVCO member is welcome to attend!
Anyone not currently an LAC member but interested in joining a group of dynamic people who follow legislation at the state level is encouraged to reach out to Andrea Wilkins (awilkins@lwvcolorado.org), Kathy Ebersberger (action@lwvcolorado.org), or Linda Hutchinson (actionadvocacy@lwvcolorado.org) for more information.
| Informed Citizen Book Club
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM : In person meeting, second Wednesday of the month.
7:00 – 8:30 PM: Zoom Meeting, on the second Wednesday of the month.
Our next meeting will be on January 14, 2026, when we'll be discussing The Flag and The Cross: White Christian Nationalism and the Threat to American Democracy by Philip S. Gorski and Samuel L. Perry. Register for either the morning or evening sessions here:
Looking for a good, informative read? Have a look below at the list of the next 6 books we will be reading in 2026 and consider joining us!
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COMMUNITY EVENT OF INTEREST
| More Signs of Solidarity!
You are invited to join Our Saviour's Lutheran Church Faith & Justice Team on Sunday, February 1, from 3 pm - 5 pm in the church fellowship hall at 2000 S. Lemay Ave., Fort Collins, to view and discuss the documentary "Refuge." The film follows the unlikely friendship of a Syrian refugee and a former Klansman white supremacist as they challenge themselves to grow and truly “know each other.”
See a short 2-minute film trailer HERE
OSLC youth staff will provide childcare (kids get to see their own movie!) You must register for childcare HERE
| Concerned about transparency in government?
Sign up for the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition’s Colorado Transparency News. It’s free and comes straight to your inbox once a month.
| Social Media Corner
If you would like to spread the word around the work you are part of on social media platforms, join us for our monthly social media planning Zoom meeting on January 9 at 2pm. Meetings are open to ALL members who have an interest in using social media to spread League messaging.
This is a monthly meeting to build a schedule 3 months out to plan posts. Sure, we can always advertise our calendar events, but Jen Pena, our Social Media Lead, advises us to think in terms of themes and stories to plan a longer-term engagement strategy.
Is there messaging your team wants to amplify in the first quarter of 2026? If you have ideas, please attend this meeting! Please register on the Calendar to receive the Zoom link and to let us know whom to expect!
If you're not able to help plan our social media presence, please do what you can to boost the visibility of our messaging and that of our partners! Follow LWV-LC on social media (Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky) to keep up with action alerts, advocacy campaigns, education resources, partners' actions, and local League events. After viewing a post, like, share, and comment to help amplify the League’s nonpartisan work!
| Attention, Issues Teams!
Time to claim your General Meeting!
The following months are available for Issue Teams to plan a general meeting: February, March, June, July, August. Complete the “Add Event to Calendar” form with details at least one month in advance. Contact Trish Warner with any questions.
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JUST ONE MORE THING BEFORE YOU GO...
| Thank You, Unidentified Donor!
In November, 2025, LWVLC received a particularly generous donation processed through a California-based financial management firm. The donor was not identified in the paperwork we received, but it wasn't clear to us whether the donor intended to be anonymous. Because no donor information was provided, we aren't able to send a letter of thanks. If the donor would like to come forward, we'd like to make the association in our records. Please contact Ann Keith if you would like to identify yourself. In any event, our local League thanks you sincerely for your generous donation!
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