2023 Annual Meeting & Breakfast
While the calendar says that spring is here, we still have snow on the ground here in
Idaho. We recently held our annual meeting up in Boise. We came away from the
meeting energized and motivated by the women across our great state. We would like
to take some time to discuss our 2023 annual award winners as we selected some
awesome women who are truly some of the best that our state has to offer.
This year our Young Distinguished Woman Award received an above average number of
nominations. We are proud to announce that this year’s award winner is Kaylee
Peterson of Eagle. This remarkable young woman, who is the new Idaho Young
Democrats President, ran for Congress last year as a sophomore in college while raising
two young children. She plans on running again in 2024 in the 32 nd reddest district in
the entire country.
The Marguerite McLaughlin Award honors an elected Democratic woman serving in
public office in Idaho. This year’s award winner is State Senator Janie Ward-Engelking
of Boise. She serves as the Minority Caucus Chair in the Senate and is a fierce advocate
of public education.
Our final award is the Dottie Stimpson Award (otherwise known as the “worker bee”
award). This year’s award winner is Betty Hansen Richardson of Boise. She has been
involved in all aspects of government in Idaho and is a dynamic speaker on mobilizing
voters. She also is the founder of the Facebook page Idaho Women for Biden/Harris,
which has more than 10,000 followers.
It is women like our award winners who put in the hard work everyday to try to elect
Democrats in Idaho. I echo the words of former Senator Cherie Buckner-Webb: “Thank
you for standing, resolute, in the face of daunting opposition. Thank you for what you
have done, and the incredible work you will do in the future. Thank you for your
leadership in bringing opportunity, copious amounts of truth telling and tireless
commitment.”
2023 Annual Breakfast
The Idaho Democratic Women’s Caucus wholeheartedly invites Democratic Women throughout Idaho to our 2023 Annual Breakfast & Membership Meeting. This year’s meeting will be held on Saturday, March 11, 2023, at 7:15 am at the Boise Centre in Boise. Tickets for the breakfast are $25.00 per person.
Our featured speakers are Diane Jensen and Josi Christensen. Both of these ladies have run for the State Legislature in very red districts. Josi is a middle school teacher by trade and has done a lot of research on passing the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in Idaho. Her friend, Diane, is a member of the SW NOW will discuss women’s rights and how those rights are changing in Idaho.
Before the breakfast portion of the event, we will hold our annual membership meeting. At our membership meeting, we shall be electing the Vice President, Treasurer, and Regional Directors for Regions 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7.
We encourage all Idahoans to join our organization and to work together in electing more Democratic women into public office. To become a member or renew your existing membership, you must pay the annual membership dues. Annual membership dues are $20. Seniors (65 and older) and students can join for $10.
For more information about this event, please contact our organization via email at BALLOU2350@msn.com or find us on Facebook.
Requesting Nominations for 2023 Awards
Do you know a great Idaho Democratic Women’s Caucus member that you feel has made a difference in her community in 2022?
We are requesting nominations for our Dottie Stimpson Award (aka “worker bee” award), the Marguerite McLaughlin Award (the elected official award), and the Distinguished Young Woman Award (for those 35 and younger). The deadline is February 24th! If so, please take a moment to nominate her using the form below.
If you need descriptions on these three awards, please visit: https://idwc.org/awards/. We look forward to learning all about the amazing Democratic women that we have in Idaho!
NFDW Western Regional Meeting
On October 1, 2022, the Nevada Federation of Democratic Women hosted the Western Regional Meeting featuring Senator Catherine Cortez Masto. It was held at the Paradise Park Recreation Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event also featured a memorial commemoration by Assemblywoman Sandra Jauregui, who is a survivor of the October 1, 2017 shooting with a prayer led by Rev. Pat Spearman.
President Gini Ballou joined other leaders from across the region and state in coming together to help create a coalition for change. She was joined by NFDW President Gail Buckner, NVFDW President Audrey Dempsey, and DWCF President Monica Readus.
At a time when the rights and voices of women are under attack in our great state, it was important to gain strength from each other as we head into the November 2022 election.