Past Events

July 28, 2008 Presentation of Donations to Candidates   Candidates endorsed by TDWCC were presented with checks at the general meeting on July 28, 2008.  All photos were taken with TDWCC President, Barb Walters, who made the presentations.   Judge Jim Jordan Candidate for Chief Justice of Texas Supreme Court    Judge Don Chae, Candidate for 5th Court of Appeals, Place 3     Glenn Melancon, Candidate for U.S. Representative, District 4  Tom Daley, Candidate for U.S. Representative, District 3     Victor Manuel, Candidate for County Commissioner, Precinct 3     Eric Roberson ,Candidate for U.S. Representative, District 32   Stephen Sargent accepted the check for Rep. Rick Noriega, Candidate for U.S. Senate

July 4th Plano Parade TDWCC members, family and friends turned out in record numbers to walk  with the Democratic Party of Collin County in the Plano Fourth of July Parade.  We proudly carried our banner in front of a Yellow Dog Democrats truck driven by Bea Warner's husband, Jim.  Riding in the truck were two of our yellow dog friends, Gypsy and Lilly, along with their owners Dory and Michael Handley. We handed out hundreds of our new push cards that have our contact info and key voter facts. We were winners all around.  The Democratic Party of Collin County entry was selected by the Plano Independence Day Parade Judges as the winner of the Best Use of Theme Award! Congratulations!

June 14, 2008 TDWCC Rummage and Craft Sale TDWCC members cleaned out their houses and donated lots of items for our Rummage Sale in order to raise much needed funds for our Get Out The Vote efforts.  They cleaned out their houses so that we can clean out the White House!! Thanks to the large amount of donations and the hard work of a huge group of volunteers, the event was a great success!

TDWCC Members at 2008 Texas Democratic Convention Many members of Texas Democratic Women of Collin County went to the Texas Democratic Convention June 5-7, 2008 as delegates and alternates.  They participated in issue caucus meetings, Senate district caucus meetings, voted on Texas Party officers, and elected delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Denver.  They also, of course, had lots of fun together! To see speeches from the Texas Democratic Convention, click here. To see a list of the people who will represent Texas at the Democratic National Convention, click here. To see the Texas Democratic Party video, "By the Numbers," which talks about how far Texas Democrats have come in the last two years and where we are going, click here.

TDWCC "Soy Sisters" Winners at DPCC Chili Cook-off Texas Democratic Women of Collin County entered the chili cook-off competition at the Democratic Party of Collin County Memorial Day picnic on May 24, 2008.  They "Soy Sisters" team was made up of TDWCC members Jovi Walker (head cook), June Jenkins, Jihaan Karjeker, Jeanne Rubin and Lynn Wolfe.  The team won first place in Showmanship and third place for their excellent vegetarian chili.

May 7, 2008 Arianna Huffington Event   On May 7th, Texas Democratic Women of Collin County, the North Dallas Texas Democratic Women and Dallas County Democratic Party welcomed Arianna Huffington, who spoke about her latest book "Right is Wrong: How the Lunatic Fringe Hijacked America, Shredded the Constitution, and Made Us All Less Safe." Speaking to crowd of approximately 200 people, Ms. Huffington shared the premise of her book and her personal campaign:  as Democrats, we must stand up to the Fringe Right agenda and the unconscious Media and do all we can to keep John McCain out of the White House.    Before her lecture, about 40 guests gathered to enjoy hors d'oeuvres and wine while getting an opportunity to speak to Ms. Huffington directly.  "I was happy to meet people tonight who confessed to also being former Republicans," Ms. Huffington announced at the beginning of her lecture.   Given the event was at the Plano Convention Center, many of those in the audience laughed knowingly.

April 28, 2008 TDWCC Candidate Endorsement Meeting   The packed room of approximately 60 people at the Texas Democratic Women of Collin County (TDWCC) monthly meeting on April 28th was yet another example that Democrats in Collin County are excited to participate in the political process this year.  At this meeting TDWCC voted to endorse the following Democratic candidates.    Rick Noriega for United States Senator Tom Daley for United States Representative, District 3 Glenn Melancon for United States Representative, District 4 Eric Roberson for United States Representative, District 32 Jim Jordan for Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Susan Strawn for Court of Criminal Appeals Judge, Place 3 Don B. Chae for 5th Court of Appeals Justice, Place 3 Victor Manuel for Collin County Commissioner, Precinct 3             Note:  TDWCC does not endorse one Democratic candidate over another.  Therefore the position of President was not up for a vote.   These endorsement decisions were a critical step in determining allocation of TDWCC Get Out The Vote (GOTV) resources.  With a GOTV office in Plano and an active team of volunteers who made over 3,000 calls for the Primary, TDWCC is ready to work hard to make a difference for these candidates.    TDWCC began their endorsement process at their March meeting.  Those in attendance submitted candidate questions, which were compiled into surveys for Democratic candidates.  Candidate survey responses were made available to the public on this website.  Candidates who sought endorsement by completing the survey were placed on the endorsement ballot at the April 28th meeting.  Members voted to endorse all candidates on the ballot.   While this meeting was important for completing the endorsement process, it was also an excellent opportunity to meet, hear from, and ask questions of some of the candidates.  Candidates in attendance who spoke and answered questions were Daley, Melancon, Roberson, Jordan, and Chae.  Noriega, who lives out of the area, sent a representative.      Left to right: Candidates Don B. Chae, Jim Jordan, Eric Roberson, Glenn Melancon, Tom Daley, and Shawn Stevens (rep. for Rick Noriega)

TDWCC Booth at 2008 County Convention   Texas Democratic Women of Collin County had a booth at the Democratic County Convention on March 30th and it was a big success!  We handed out literature about our organization to more than 500 people, had many people stop to learn more about our group and join, and received lots of donations.    In addition to a display about our organization and literature, we had two raffles and lots of fun merchandise.  Merchandise included TDWCC items, as well as Why My Mommy is a Democrat and Why My Daddy is a Democrat books, a bumper sticker that read “Democrats in Collin County? You bet your donkey,” and box sets of note cards with a Molly Ivins quote.  They were all a big hit.  We will have them at future meetings while supplies last if you are interested.   Thanks to everyone who helped prepare and staff the booth.  We definitely made people aware that there are active Democratic women in Collin County and raised funds to help get Democrats elected in the process.  It is a good thing we moved to a bigger meeting location because Democrats are ready to make change!

March 20, 2008 "A Soldier's Peace" Film Event   On March 20th, members and guests of Texas Democratic Women of Collin County (TDWCC) gathered at Angelika Film Center in Plano for the DFW premier of A Soldier’s Peace, a documentary about Sgt. Marshall Thompson, Iraq war veteran and peace activist.  Presented by special permission of the Thompson family, the film tells the inspirational story of Sgt. Thompson’s 500-mile journey on foot across his native state of Utah in protest of the war.  The event raised funds in support of TDWCC’s Get Out the Vote program.

TDWCC 1st Annual Dinner - October 20, 2007   SOUTHFORK RANCH, PARKER, TEXAS – The grassroots Texas Democratic Women of Collin County (TDWCC) has a  large membership of active women who roll up their sleeves and volunteer to effect change at every opportunity. The organization is also very aware of the importance of raising the necessary funds to fulfill their mission to Educate, Activate and Elect.  This past Saturday, October 20th, TDWCC hosted their 1st Annual Dinner: Countdown to Change and received an outstanding response from Democrats throughout Collin County and beyond.   With 100 people in attendance and an additional 26 people giving money in support of the event, including notable Hosts Fred Baron, Lisa Blue, Craig Hall and Hon. Kathryn Hall, the Texas Democratic Women of Collin County raised more than $11,000.  In her speech, McKinney Councilwoman Gilda Garcia Garza said, “Look at this event.  It is a 1st annual dinner.  How many 1st annual dinners have you been to with such a big crowd, such unique and valuable silent auction items, such an amazing keynote speaker, and pictures with a live donkey?”    The pictures with the Democratic donkey were certainly a big hit, but most agreed the highlight of the evening was the speech given by Keynote Speaker, Mary Mapes.  As the news producer who won a Peabody Award for her story on the Abu Ghraib prison tortures and who broke the Bush National Guard story, Mary delivered an eloquent speech about the importance of a free press, not controlled by a small number of corporations and able to report important stories without fear of reprisal.  Moved by her speech and call to action, TDWCC’s November monthly meeting will be dedicated to this issue.      TDWCC President Barb Walters and her son Kevin Walters with the Democratic donkey     Keynote Speaker Mary Mapes, Kelley Van Auken and Barbara Oldenburg     TDWCC VP Prissy Wisnewski and Sheriff Lupe Valdez     County Commissioner candidate Victor Manuel, sister Julie Manuel and Barb Korman   To view more photos of the dinner, click here.

Texas Women's Museum Event - July 28, 2007   A large group of Democratic women and men gathered on July 28th at the Women’s Museum to enjoy a guided tour and listen to an inspiring guest speaker.  The well attended event was put on by the Texas Democratic Women of Collin County. The guided tour included the Women’s Museum permanent exhibits, as well as the special exhibit Women in War: Reflections of Courage.  Many of the attendees said that they learned so much on the tour about great women who have lead and sacrificed throughout history.   Keeping with the theme of the special exhibit, the guest speaker was Jane Jensen, the wife of a WII Prisoner of War.  Mrs. Jensen’s speech had the crowd laughing as she told of her husband’s lifelong aversion to raisins, the first food he joyfully ate upon liberation that soon made him sick, and they had tears in their eyes as she spoke of receiving the telegram notifying her of her husband’s capture.  The group was fascinated as she discussed her work with the Red Cross during WWII and nodded in agreement as she mourned the unnecessary loss of life in the War in Iraq.     Thanks to mckinneynews.net and frisco-online.com for publishing articles about our event.   Check-in Desk A group of attendee's Guest Speaker, Jane Jensen, with three daughters and two grand-daughters

TDWCC at the 2007 Plano Independence Day Parade Here are a few pic's from the parade. The TDWCC joined with other Democratic groups of Collin County in this event. This year we had a lot more "thumbs up" and cheers from the spectators.

Debate Watching Party on April 26, 2007 An excited group of 49 Democrats gathered at the Bavarian Grill on Thursday, April 26, 2007 to watch the first 2008 Democratic Presidential Primary Debate.  The event, put on by the Texas Democratic Women of Collin County, Democratic Party of Collin County and Texas Democratic Men’s Club, provided Collin County Democrats with the opportunity to watch the debate among like-minded friends.  With some attendees having a favorite candidate and others still on the fence, the group as a whole found themselves applauding at many of the candidates’ responses.  Advertised by the MSNBC sponsor as the earliest Presidential debate ever, the candidates were quite civil and very few negative comments were made about each other.  While pundits predict that this will most likely change as we get closer to the Primary, those watching enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about the candidates’ views without a lot of mud-slinging.  The Collin County event planners provided an additional opportunity to learn about the candidates in the form of a Debate Party Quiz packed with lesser known facts about the candidates.  Four knowledgeable attendees won prizes when they tied for first place.  The successful event was a great early kick off to this Presidential election and inspired everyone to work hard in the next 18 months.      Here is the copy of the article that appeared in the Plano Insider that provided positive exposure for the TDWCC!

Guest Speaker Dr. McElvaney On April 23, Rev. William McElvaney gave an outstanding presentation about the Bush Library and Think Tank that is planned for the SMU campus.  He is professor emeritus at the Perkins School of Theology, and together with another professor started the campus dialogue about the library.  The presentation was very informative.

"Shut Up and Singe" Movie Event A spirited crowd of 119 gathered at the Angelika Film Center in Plano to celebrate freedom of speech. The event, organized by the Texas Democratic Women of Collin County (TDWCC), was a viewing of the award winning documentary Shut Up & Sing. The film follows the Dixie Chicks over the three years during which they were under political attack after lead singer Natalie Maines stated on the eve of the Iraq war, “We’re ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas.” During the time the film showed in theatres across the country, it did not play anywhere in Collin County. Believing it was a story that needed to be told, TDWCC rented the theatre and put on the event to honor our First Amendment rights. “Regardless of whether you are a Democrat or a Republican, against the war or for it, we all should be able to speak our mind without reprisal,” said TDWCC President Barb Walters. “After Natalie spoke out, radio stations refused to play their music, she received a death threat, and they were called traitors. It is those actions, not her voicing her opinion, that are truly un-American.” Many of those in attendance are planning to attend candlelight vigils on the anniversary of the start of the Iraq War on Monday night March 19, 2007.