Okaloosa County BOCC — February 11, 2013 — OCCSW Annual Report — reading text

Okaloosa County Commission on the Status of Women Eighteenth Year 2012 Annual Report This report includes the activities and accomplishments of the Okaloosa County Commission on the Status of Women (OCCSW) for the year 2012. The OCCSW was established in 1995 by the Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners with the purpose of recognizing and honoring women who have made significant contributions to the improvement of women and citizens of Okaloosa County. The Okaloosa County Women’s Wall of Honor was established by OCCSW in partnership with the University of West Florida (UWF) to accept nominations from the public for women deserving recognition for sacrifices made to help and encourage members of our community. In May 2012, a ceremony was held on the shared UWF/Northwest Florida State College (NWFSC) Ft Walton Beach campus for the Wall of Honor inductees. Seventeen worthy ladies were honored. In 2012 the college designated a Wall of Honor room on the second floor in the library. A plaque with the honoree names and a book with their biographies and pictures are on display in that room. Each year the OCCSW also organizes the competitive selection of new members for induction into the Okaloosa County Women’s Hall of Fame, which honors outstanding county women from past to present who have made an important impact on women and citizens in the county. In August, in recognition of Women’s Equality Day, a ceremony was held at the NWFSC Niceville campus to recognize all six 2012 nominees and to induct three of them into the Hall of Fame. Pictures of all Hall of Fame current and previous inductees are displayed in the Okaloosa County Commission offices, the Niceville City Council Chambers and the Crestview Courthouse. In 2010 Governor Charlie Crist appointed Barbara Wall (OCCSW commissioner, District 5) to the Florida Commission on the Status of Women (FCSW). The FCSW is a nonpartisan board, statutorily created in 1991 and comprising 22 appointed members. The Commission is administratively housed in the Office of the Attorney General. The Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the President of the Senate, the Chief Financial Officer and the Attorney General each appoint three members for a term of four years. The Commission’s mandate is to study and make recommendations to the Governor, Cabinet, and Legislature on issues affecting women. These recommendations are presented in the form of an annual report that is distributed in the first quarter of each year. As a liaison, Mrs. Wall has continued to keep the OCCSW up-to-date regarding current legislation and trends affecting Women’s issues in the State. She served as the secretary of the Florida Commission for 2012. The “Suit-Up to Move-Up” program is a joint effort of the OCCSW and JobsPlus that coordinates collection of career- appropriate clothing for women and men in the community who are seeking jobs and need assistance dressing for interviews and eventually their prospective job/career. We donate clothes either directly to JobsPlus or through the Goodwill Easter Seals, and JobsPlus receives vouchers to be distributed to clients. Awareness of the accomplishments of the women of Okaloosa County has risen significantly over the past few years due to the amount and quality of publicity for women obtained through the OCCSW. More details about the honorees and the events can be viewed at our website www.occsw.org. The OCCSW also maintains a Speakers Bureau of members who are available to speak to clubs and/or organizations on a number of issues concerning the status of women and their needs in Okaloosa County, as well as other topics of interest to all county citizens. 1  of  2   The Okaloosa County Commission on the Status of Women does not receive any public funding. OCCSW’s annual events and projects are funded through community and corporate donations, along with in-kind donations of food, beverages, paper products, etc., from commission members. Additionally, Helen Back graciously provided pizza for our monthly meetings in 2012. With financial contributions from local citizens, businesses and organizations, OCCSW has been able to continue its support of women in Okaloosa County. The majority of monies spent were used for honoree plaques, certificates, picture frames and scrapbooks. The Commission also contributed funds to Children in Crisis and the Shelter House. We added a third donation in 2012 to the Children’s Advocacy Center. Specific OCCSW accomplishments in 2012 include: • County Commissioner Don Amunds installed new OCCSW officers in January 2012: Tammy McDaniel, chair; Shirley Pigott, vice chair; Mary Blackwell, secretary; Shirley Daniel, treasurer; and Jeanne Rief, historian. • We began the year with $842 and ended in December with a balance of $2,392.98. • We established six standing committees and named chairs for each committee. • We presented our 2011 annual report to the County Commissioners in March 2012. • We supported the NWFSC 2012 Women’s History Month program featuring Florida Supreme Court Justice Peggy Quince as the keynote speaker. • We sent a delegation of commissioners to the Florida Women’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony. • We updated our web page to include Facebook. • We reviewed and amended our By-Laws. • Our Webmaster established an electronic press kit with the assistance of the chair. • Our Chair conducted our first TV interview with Kathy Newby on Channel 6. Then the Chair and Vice Chair were interviewed on 1260 Radio Talk Show about OCCSW, and publicized the Wall of Honor. (The Wall of Honor is the commission’s annual fundraiser.) • We participated in the quarterly FCSW teleconferences. • We initiated discussion to establish a $1,000 unendowed scholarship at NWFSC. The Scholarship Committee is finalizing recommendations, and the scholarship will be available for the 2013-14 school year. • The Hall of Fame committee successfully obtained sponsorship donations to cover event expenses. • We initiated plans to ask the county and each city in the county to sign a Proclamation declaring the Month of March as 2013 Women’s History Month. • An audit committee was formed to examine our books before turning them over to the 2013 incoming treasurer. There were no discrepancies. • We established a budget for 2013. • The Nominating Committee presented a slate of officers for 2013: Shirley Pigott, chair; Valerie McLaughlin, vice chair; Mary Blackwell, secretary; Amy McBride, treasurer, and Jeanne Rief, historian. (They were installed in January 2013.) We are hopeful, with the support of the community and the Board of County Commissioners, that we can further our efforts to recognize the many women who have made, and continue to make, Okaloosa the great County it is today and to empower women to reach their full potential. Shirley Pigott OCCSW Chair 2  of  2