Happy Thursday, Fellow Democrats!
We are now 103 days away from electing a new President of the United States!
JUNE VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH
Our volunteer of the month for June is Beverly Kummerling! Beverly has been a rock star phone and text banker since April. She has made approximately 800 calls and countless texts! Beverly is a dedicated volunteer who is always keeping us informed of new programs and trends in phone banking and ways to reach voters. Thank you, Beverly, for all you do for the Democrats of Indian River. You are truly appreciated!!!
FRAUDULENT PHONE CALLS
We have had a few people report that they are receiving calls from people claiming to be “Democrats” who are informing them that they are all signed up for Vote By Mail. These callers then claim that there is nothing else they need to do and to just wait for their ballot to arrive. Unless YOU have signed up for Vote By Mail, you cannot be signed up by anyone else. There is an easy way to check to see if you are signed up.
You can confirm that you are or are not signed up for Vote By Mail by going to the Indian River County Supervisor of Elections website at: https://www.voteindianriver.com/REGISTER-TO-VOTE/Update-My-Record
You will enter your first and last name and date of birth. Your voter record will come up and it will indicate if you are signed up for Vote By Mail and for how long.
Remember – the Primary is on August 18th. Please VOTE!
CANDIDATE INFORMATION
The Democrats of Indian River have posted on our website, under the “Voting” tab, candidate information sheets for those candidates running in the August 18th primary. Every year, the Democrats provide short bio sheets and links to online interviews with the candidates. Thank you to our wonderful mother-daughter volunteers who drafted this year’s biographies!
Call Headquarters at 772.226.5267 if you have questions. During the pandemic, it is only staffed on Wednesdays and Fridays.
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY NEEDS ASSESSMENT
Did you know that 50% of our community is living in or is one pay check away from poverty?
The Indian River Community Foundation recently released the 2019 Indian River Community Needs Assessment. You can read more about our community and the needs here:
https://ircommunityfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/REPORT-Indian-River-Community-Needs-Assessment-2019.pdf
MASK WEARING FACEBOOK GROUP
A new Facebook group is gathering data on local businesses who are requiring staff and patrons to wear masks. This group is to highlight the responsible businesses in Indian River County that follow the CDC's recommendations for COVID-19 https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov
Businesses should recognize that there are many vulnerable people at risk for severe COVID symptoms and they should do all they can to minimize that risk. As patrons, the group is looking for merchants who value the health and safety of their customers and their families.
This is not to shame businesses but to provide information to people who would rather spend money at places where public health is a priority. If you are interested in joining the group, go to: https://m.facebook.com/groups/898859100600176?group_view_referrer=profile_browser
VOTE FORWARD
If you are interested in writing letters to fellow Democrats throughout the country, Vote Forward is a great place to start. They provide the template, have researched the most important voters to write to and you can do it right from your couch (or favorite chair). Go to https://votefwd.org/ and get started!
DEMOCRATIC CLUB UPDATE
The next meeting of the Democratic Club will feature two Indian River Democratic candidates, Al Griffths and Scot Fretwell. Al is running against Erin Grall for the Florida House, District 54. Scot is running for the Florida Senate, District 17, against Debbie Mayfield.
Please mark your calendars with the meeting date and time: Wednesday, August 12th at 6 p.m. The meeting will be via Zoom. The link will be sent a few days prior to the meeting.
DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES FOR IRC OFFICE
BIDEN AND DEMOCRATIC GEAR
We have some Biden gear in our office! Currently we have:
T-shirts $15
Yard signs $10
Bumper stickers (rectangle and oval) $2
Buttons $1
If you would like to pick us some Biden gear from the office, Stacey will be in the office on Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Just knock on the door and she will meet you outside as our office is still closed to visitors.
SEBASTIAN RESIDENTS - If you would like to purchase a Biden yard sign and are unable to get to our office, contact Al Griffiths at 203-537-1762 and he has them for sale in Sebastian.
We also have "I give a Dem" signs available again! The signs are bright blue and feature the Democrats of Indian River County logo. The cost is $6 and includes a wire stand sign for outdoor use. To place an order and arrange pick up, contact Claudia Martino at [email protected]
And don’t forget our cute Democratic Facemasks! Lovingly made by a fellow Democrat, they are being sold for $10. Contact our office if you want one at: [email protected]
ONE-THIRD OF MUSEUMS MAY NOT MAKE IT THROUGH THE YEAR
In a recent survey of 760 museum directors, 33% of them said there was either a "significant risk" of closing permanently by next fall or that they didn't know if their institutions would survive the Covid-19 shutdown. There's a large public perception that museums rely on government support, when the reality is they get only a quarter of their funding from the government. This is true of the museums and cultural centers in Indian River County, too! In an effort to raise funds during the coronavirus pandemic—and give you something to do while you are social distancing at home--the Heritage Center is selling a 500-piece puzzle, 18x24, for a $53 donation. The puzzle is a photo of the beloved 85 year-old building. Let’s all support our museums and centers!
DEMOCRATIC HEADQUARTERS UPDATE
As COVID cases are still on the rise in Indian River County, our office will remain closed for visits and in-person meetings. We will continue to undertake essential activities with Operations Coordinator Stacey Klim on Wednesdays and Fridays 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Democrats coming to the office should knock on the door, social distance, wear a facemask, and provide their own hand sanitizer. Thank you as we continue to look after the safety of our fellow Democrats.
COVID-19
Indian River County currently has 1767 cases and 31 deaths. The number of cases is increasing both in our county and in the state at a high rate. Social distance and wear a mask!
To stay up-to-date on the cases of Covid-19 in Indian River County and the State of Florida, click on the link below. Updates are made every day at approximately 11 a.m. EST.
https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/96dd742462124fa0b38ddedb9b25e429
Indian River County has created a website dedicated to the Covid-19 virus that contains numerous resources and county information. You can access this information by going to: https://www.ircgov.com/coronavirus.htm
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY COVID-19 TESTING SITES
The Florida Department of Health has issued a Public Health Advisory advising all individuals in Florida to wear face coverings in any setting where social distancing is not possible, with limited exceptions. As a reminder, the Indian River County Board of Commissioners have recently issued an Emergency Order requiring all persons working in restaurants, grocery stores, food service, retail establishments, businesses open to the public, or any other locations visited by the public where social distancing is not possible, to wear face coverings.
The Florida Department of Health in Indian River County continues to provide drive-through testing for COVID-19 at the Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital, by appointment only. To request an appointment, please call (772) 794-7411.
The following drive-through COVID-19 testing locations do not require an appointment and may be visited at the designated times:
Indian River County Fairgrounds
7955 58th Ave, Vero Beach
Mondays and Wednesdays 8:30am to 10:00am
Treasure Coast Community Health
12196 County Road 512, Fellsmere
Fridays 2:30-4:30pm
Gifford Health Center
4675 28th Court, Vero Beach
Saturdays 8:30-10:00 am
You may find the most up-to-date information and guidance on COVID-19, by visiting the Department of Health’s dedicated COVID-19 webpage: FloridaHealthCOVID19.gov. For any other questions related to COVID-19 in Florida, please contact the Department’s dedicated COVID-19 Call Center by calling (866) 779-6121. The Call Center is available 24 hours per day. Inquiries may also be emailed to [email protected].
That’s all folks. Stay healthy!!!
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