| Quad Cities National Organization for Women |
| Events & Actions |
 |
| In November of 2003, we hosted a mixer to reintroduce ourselves to the community. Members presented information about importand NOW issues. There was a wide variety including Women's Health, Domestic Violence, Love Your Body, Reproductive Freedom, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Equality and Political Action. It was a fascinating day of feminist thought and conversation. We appreciate the participation of everyone involved. |
| On April 25, 2004, the QC NOW Chapter joined over a million people in Washington, DC to send a message that we will not let our reproductive rights be taken from us. It was an amazing display of unity as we marched the streets of Washington demanding to be heard. To learn more about this historic event, please visit www.marchforwomen.org, the official site of the event. |
 |
|
|
|
|
| MARCH FOR WOMEN'S LIVES |
| COMMUNITY INTRODUCTION |
|
| I DO CELEBRATION |
| As the nation debates the issue of marriage equality, local lesbian and gay couples celebrated their love and commitment in a ceremony on August, 29. Ceremonies were performed in a beautiful garden setting with a lovely reception following. Our chapter assisted with planning the event and did the decorating. In a display of unity, supporters went with couples the previous week as they applied for marriage licenses in both Iowa and Illinois. If you would like to learn more about the legal issues regarding gay marriage, please contact QC NOW. Next summer, we will be co-sponsoring a marriage equality forum with QCAD, Equality Quad Cities, and local ACLU. |
|
| ELECTION ACTIVITIES |
| The 2004 election was a top priority for our chapter. We were involved in many campaign and voter registration activities in both Iowa and Illinois. Although the outcome of the election was disappointing for us, we will keep up the fight to protect our rights and continue our involvement with candidates we believe in. |
| 2005 ROE VS. WADE EVENT |
| This year, QC NOW held an exciting event to celebrate the 32nd Anniversary of Roe vs. Wade. In the beautiful setting of the Butterworth Center, our group explored opportunities to protect our reproductive rights and listened to enthralling speakers from Planned Parenthood and a founding member of our chapter. |
| LOVE YOUR BODY PARTY |
| Even activists need a night of relaxation and a chance to celebrate themselves. This October, Jenny hosted a party to do this for our chapter. We brought all our favorite foods to snack on, wore our most comfortable clothing, had massages and of course had some informative discussions about media portrayals of women and what we can do to raise awareness about the importance of protecting our youth from these images. |
| DAISY VISIT |
| On January 18, 2005, representatives from our chapter visited a local Daisy troop to help them earn their purple petals representing self-esteem. Gwen and Amy led a discussion with these girls encouraging them to love themselves for who they are on the inside. |
|
|
|
| MERCHANT OF SHAME CAMPAIGN |
| In the Spring of 2005, QC NOW took the lead in a campaign addressing the unethical practices and policies Wal-mart. A very successful picket in April, with one coming in May, along with letter writing and media coverage have made this a successful campaign. |
|