APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) — The work of the League of Women Voters of Appleton-Fox Cities received statewide recognition as recipient of the 2023 Membership and Leadership Development (MLD) Award.
The non-partisan organization was first created as a result of women’s suffrage to help women make informed voting choices; now their mission is to inform all voters.
The MLD Award honors local Leagues that demonstrate how they’ve grown and strengthened their membership participation, have supported and recruited leadership, and incorporated diversity, equity, and inclusion into their work and programming.
LWV of Appleton-Fox Cities President, Linda Bjella, accepted the award at their conference in La Crosse earlier this month on behalf of the Board of Directors and members of the local League.
“We are always looking to engage more people of color, and more young members,” said Bjella. “Typically the League has been an older demographic and that’s something we’re looking to change.”
Bjella says one of their efforts to increase membership is by hosting a book study.
“We’re going to focus on books that center around themes of diversity, inclusion, and equity,” said Bjella. “We hope that will bring in some new members.”
Additionally, in December 2021, the League changed their name from the Appleton League of Women Voters to the Appleton-Fox Cities League of Women Voters, which increased membership.
“We now have taken our advocacy beyond just Appleton, Outagamie County, and the Appleton Area School District to other communities and local governments in the Fox Cities region,” said Bjella.
Many services and informational programs were acknowledged in the award nomination. The League hosted 18 events between May 2022 and May of this year.
Among the events were programs on discrimination in the Fox Cities, new rules and procedures for elections in Wisconsin, affordable housing, the Wisconsin Court system, immigration in the Fox Cities, public school funding, and the importance of local journalism.
