When LTDO throws a Holiday Party, it does not fool around! The festivities at Meson Sabika featured an elegant setting, great food, and lots of quality schmoozing. Thanks to our Events Chair Urzula Urzua for conceiving and planning this (and coping with late responses and no-shows)!
Heads up — next year, the Holiday Party will be a fundraiser via advance ticket sales only Start saving your pennies!
The Chili Cookoff Fundraiser is returning! We hope to hold the event sometime this Spring, but we don’t know yet when it will be safe to do so. Admission will be $30 per individual, $60 per family, and $5 off if you bring a dish.
We’ll hold four competitions:
1. Chili – any kind 2. Chili – vegetarian 3. Cornbread 4. Dessert
We are still seeking a site for this event, so if you have any ideas or connections, PLEASE let us know at urzula@gmail.com.
2021 is almost over and it’s time to renew your membership if you haven’t already! As of now, dues payments are credited to 2022. For the first time in many years, we’ve increased our dues slightly. The new structure is:
Individual: $30
Household: $40
Election Judge/Student/Senior/Disabled: $15
Our treasury has been doing great compared to former years, but, the need for new funding never ends. Once again in 2022, we need to fight deep GOP cash coffers with our superb volunteers who require and deserve our generous support. Please consider a year-end gift to support us in these efforts.
As always, you can sign up for a monthly contribution, which is much appreciated for the predictable income it provides.
Make a Recurring Monthly Donation
As 2022 approaches, we are working hard at the grassroots level to get Democrats elected to local, state, and national offices. Your generous contribution will help provide the resources necessary to carry our candidates to victory.
Thank you!
Diane Hewitt, LTDO Chair
Me and Steph
Want a great way to wake up in the morning?! Try listening to Stephanie Miller! She’s is an upbeat, liberal ray of sunshine, no matter what’s going on in the world. Her long-time listeners refer to her as “mama”, as in mama bird, for her ability to take huge chunks of unpleasant news and feed it to her baby chicks (her listeners) in more palpable, humorous bites.
Some of her weekly regular guests include former US Navy specialist in cryptology Malcolm Nance, pediatrician and director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University Dr. Irwin Redlener (lovingly referred to as Dr. Doom), and comedian and political commentator John Fugelsang, just to name a few.
She has special guests including famous comedians, TV hosts like Joy Reid, and assorted Congress critters. And like all talk radio shows, you can call in and ask questions. You may even become a regular like Karen from Chicago, Sue in Rockville, or Kevin in DC. Her listeners are like family and have in-person meet-ups and biweekly zoom meetings. There is even a monthly book club!
Mama and her sidekicks usually tour nationally in person. Their live shows ended with the pandemic shutdown in March of 2020 but during the quarantine, they had a live-streamed comedy show monthly. Their only live show in 2021 was in October in Madison, WI.
You can listen to her on the radio here in Chicago on WCPT AM 820 weekdays from 8am-11am. Also listen online at WCPT 820, view the livestream on Freespeech.org. or listen on Sirius XM channel 127.
Fun fact: Stephanie is the daughter of 1964 Republican Vice-Presidential nominee William Miller. Maybe there’s hope for Liz Cheney?
The best gift of all is the gift of your time in meaningful presence with others.
These personal actions will combine toward making a restored, healthy planet. Supporting local businesses is better for the earth and the economy. Consider buying locally produced goods to help our small local businesses.
Toys: In a recent study at the University of Toledo, Ohio, researchers hypothesized that “an abundance of toys reduced the quality of toddlers’ play”, and that fewer toys will benefit children in the long-term.”
There is a significant advertising push for us to buy Christmas gifts early, due to supply chain issues. This is a perfect opportunity to re-consider our holiday traditions for gift giving. Consider buying gift cards for services, such as a massage or a restaurant meal. When giving gifts, think about what the recipients need or something unexpected. Perhaps a coupon for a night of babysitting, a coupon for yard work help, or maybe they need money to help pay bills. A card with a note telling someone how important they are to you could be the best gift they receive. Orake a contribution to a charity and let your recipient know you made this as their Christmas gift.
SCARCE, located at 800 S. Rohlwing Rd. (Rt. 53) (Unit D) in Addison, has a vast selection of donated LPs for collectors of vinyl records-and at a significantly lower price than vinyl record stores. They also carry a large selection of donated DVDs and books curated by a volunteer librarian.
Start a tradition of playing gift bingo: Each person brings a wrapped gift (many in re-usable gift bags) and takes turns selecting them. These gifts could be anything from a jar of pickles or some grapefruits, to a book previously read. It is a fun way to spend the holiday and to give away things that you no longer wish to keep but that someone else could enjoy.