A lot happened at our October 2021 General Meeting, but if you missed it, don't fret! You can read our recap here, read all about it in our minutes, or even watch the replay on our YouTube channel. Big thanks to all who attended and especially our guest speakers, Sally Heyman, Deborah Billings and Dr Michelle Powell!

First, we had our Executive Board and Committee reports.

President Matthew Land talked about the current Miami Beach elections and our Democratic Voter Guide which is on our blog.  Vice President Amanda Knapp spoke about our upcoming events: voter registration at the Antique Market on Lincoln Road, our annual food drive, and a Victory Paw Hour social event planned for November 13. Secretary Janet Silverman reported that we have 102 members and reminded us that dues are only $25 per year. Treasurer Patrick Breshike reported that we have $6938 in the bank and that all expenses for the Pride Parade bus were covered by donations made for the event. Campaign Chair David Geller noted that Annette Taddeo has entered the race for Governor, and said that he is hoping to get her to address the club at one of our meetings. Communication Co-chair Steve Hawes spoke about the election season and pointed to both our Democratic Voter Guide and our Democratic Candidate Forum Recap blogs. Voter Registration Chair Teneramie Jimenez asked for volunteers to help with the Voter Registration Committee, and noted that we are still phone banking for Vote-by-Mail enrollment on Tuesdays in October. Email [email protected] to get involved in any of our committees!

We then had 3 incredible special guests who shared stories of involvement and public service.

Our first guest was our own County Commissioner Sally Heyman. She spoke about many county issues such as reapportionment, and encourged young people to get involved by running for office and by developing better Democratic messaging. She endorsed Micky Steinberg to take over her Commission seat in 2022 (as she is termed out) and noted that she is continuing to work for the betterment of all by working for Val Deming's Senate run. Next up was Deborah Billings from Kristi House. She told us about their mission to eradicate child sex trafficking and child abuse, and noted that all of their services are free of charge. Next, in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we heard from Dr Michelle Powell, a physician and recent breast cancer survivor. She spoke about the prevalence of breast cancer, urging people to seek early diagnosis. She also shared her own very personal story of her journey from discovery of her disease, through treatment and recovery. Click here to catch all of their stories and the Q&A on YouTube.

Next we held a special election to fill our open Board of Director #2 seat and Steve Hawes ran unopposed and won by acclamation. Then Parliamentarian Jeff Staugler presented proposed updates to our Bylaws, which were voted on and passed unanimously without objection.

Finally, don't forget that our next meeting will be held on Monday, November 15 beginning at 7 PM, which you can register for right now by clicking here. You can also read up on all of our meetings - past, present and future - on our Meetings page.

Thanks to every one of you who is fighting for change. You help make our club strong.