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** Happy Thursday Democrats!
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Newsletter Highlights

* We will be back at Downtown Friday this month. Want to volunteer and get free Democrats of Indian River swag? Read about it in the Democrats of Indian River Section
* If you haven’t dropped off a canned or boxed food items to feed 900 people in our community for Thanksgiving, next Tuesday (11/23) will be the last day.
* Volunteer Coordinator Needed! See the Get Involved Section



Office Hours

Our regular office hours are Tuesday and Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. so come on by and bring your Thanksgiving meal donations for the Big Bird Blessing. We can take canned or boxed food items. Let’s fill up the box!

The office will be CLOSED on Thanksgiving.


Newsletter and Gratefulness

There will be no newsletter next week due to the holiday.

But as we head into Thanksgiving week, I’ve been reflecting on what I’m grateful for this Thanksgiving – my husband, my kids, our health, vaccines, a Democratic President, a Democratic community of friends, a seemingly road to Covid recovery, and food on our table.

What are you grateful for?


Happy Thanksgiving!



Sign

We are back in business with a brand-new sign. A HUGE thank you to all that donated so we are visible again.

FEDERAL

It’s Okay to be Exhausted

As we head into Thanksgiving, and consider what we are grateful for, it is important to also recognize that sometimes we just need to rest. In that spirit, below is an article written by Dan Rather and Elliot Kirschner for Mr. Rather’s weekly newsletter Steady.

It’s Okay to be Exhausted

Today, I would like to talk about exhaustion.

I have a feeling, echoed in what I read in some of your comments to our posts here on Steady and elsewhere, that many of you, many of us, many here in this country and around the world, are exhausted.

Now the trevails of life are often exhausting. Illness, sadness, work, or the loss of work, strained relationships, all the stuff you need to do but have put off, these are but a few of the many prompts for exhaustion. And many of you are undoubtedly dealing with at least a few of these, or other ordeals.

But hanging over all of what would be the “normal” course of life, if there is ever such a thing, are some pretty existential wellsprings of exhaustion.

Covid, and our response to it, is exhausting.

The threats to our democracy are exhausting.

The former president and his allies are exhausting.

Vitriol is exhausting.

Our climate crisis is exhausting.

False equivalence is exhausting.

Injustice is exhausting.

Systemic racism is exhausting.

Income inequality is exhausting.

The fact that this list could go on and on (and on and on) is exhausting.

Now adding to all of this is the fact that we live in a media landscape where there is no limit to the size of the wave of information you can surf down into the depths of despair. You can doom scroll for hours, finding reasons for why you should be on edge, should give up hope, should be outraged with no seeming outlet to fix the outrage, which is even more cause for outrage. And after hours of this, days on end, well, you probably can see where I’m going. It’s exhausting.

It perhaps provides little solace to understand that exhaustion is not unique to our times. In fact, much of life, for most people, and most of history, was far more physically exhausting than what many of us are privileged to face. Ours is more a collective mental exhaustion - inputs and checklists of the mind that we can never fully contend with or complete.

We get to a point where the exhaustion is itself exhausting. And I firmly believe that the forces who seek to undermine our society, who seek to pit us against each other for their cynical gain, see exhaustion as a potent weapon at their disposal. The more exhausted people who care about solving difficult challenges become, the more uncertain success in these endeavors becomes. And I suspect many of you sense this as well. And find it exhausting.

There is a belief, and for good reason, that vigilance is necessary. But vigilance cannot be borne by any one individual alone. It is impossible to always be on the go. Remember even star athletes need a day off. Soldiers need R&R. Where would we be without a weekend?

Over the course of my career I have covered many protest movements that have ultimately proved successful. And I have found one of the hallmarks for that success is that they are collective actions where members of the group step up to help others when they get exhausted.

So not only is it okay to be exhausted, it’s okay, in fact necessary, to take a break. Step away from your screen or your newspaper and step outside for a walk. Talk to friends and family about topics other than politics or current events. Read for fun, or watch something escapist on television. None of this will solve the problems of the world. There is a place for action of course, and commitment. But resilience is a perspective that requires rest as well as determination.

We must acknowledge that not everyone can step back from exhaustion. To be able to take a break is its own form of privilege. There are people whose life circumstances never provide respite. But there is also a reason so many of the world’s religions have days of rest and reflection built into the calendar. The human body and mind cannot always be working, or it will cease to work well.

I say all of this not to diminish the challenges we face, quite the opposite. The world needs sustained effort and exertion. But effort and exertion requires energy. And energy requires us to acknowledge, attend to, and forgive our exhaustion.

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STATE

Security of Florida Elections

The Florida Supervisors of Elections have released a statement on the integrity of elections in our state. Their response to the misinformation and deceptions spread about elections can be found below.



LOCAL

Storm Grove Middle School and Beachland Elementary Science Fair Judges Needed

Storm Grove Middle School is looking for volunteers to help at their annual Science Fair. If you could spare even an hour of your time, it would be a huge help. You will have to be available to come to Storm Grove Middle School on Tuesday, December 7 from 8:10 a.m. and the fair ends at 11 a.m. If you are interested, please contact Joseph Refsland at ** [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])

Beachland Elementary is looking for judges for their fair on December 9^th from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. If you are willing and able to volunteer, please contact ** [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
.


Volunteering is easy, fun, and minimal on your time. Volunteer today!
Special Equestrians

Do you like horses and kids with disabilities? There is an amazing organization in Vero Beach that utilizes horse back riding to benefit children with disabilities. They are looking for volunteers. You can find out more and apply to be on a volunteer on their website at:

** [link removed] ([link removed])



DEMOCRATS OF INDIAN RIVER

Democratic Executive Committee

Want to be more involved in your neighborhood and community? Consider signing up to be a precinct captain for your local area. Precinct captains lead up Get Out the Vote efforts.

We need Captains in the following Precincts:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 14, 15, 20, 22, 24, 28, 29, 32

Contact Stacey at: ** [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
if you want to participate!

Democratic Women’s Club


Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong- and the New Research That's Re-Writing the Story by Angela Saini is the next Book Group selection. The virtual meeting will start at 2:00 pm on Friday, December 3. If you are not a Book Group member and would like to attend please contact Rita Milelli at
** [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])



Democratic Club of Indian River

Downtown Friday Volunteers Needed!

The Democrats will be back at Downtown Friday on November 26, 2021. We need your help to staff the booth. Those who volunteer will get to choose a FREE Democrats of Indian River item. There are 2 shifts – 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The 5:00 p.m. volunteers will meet the setup crew at 5:00 p.m. to assist in setup. The 7:00 p.m. volunteers will meet the take down crew at 9:00 p.m. to assist in the take down. If you would like to sign up to volunteer, please email
** [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])


We are planning a Democratic Club Holiday Party that will include members of the Democratic Women’s Club and the Democratic Executive Committee (DEC), at the Irish American Club on Thursday, December 9th at 6:00 p.m. Attendees will be asked to bring appetizers, hors d' oeuvres, or desserts to share. We request that attendees bring an unwrapped toy to donate to "Toys for Tots". The local band, “Friends and Neighbors,” will be providing the music. Masks and social distancing will be required as we monitor the diminishing COVID situation.


United Against Poverty 5K Trot Against Poverty on Thanksgiving Day


The Democrats of Indian River will be sponsoring the United Against Poverty 5K Trot Against Poverty on Thanksgiving Day. If you are interested in a complimentary race registration ($35 value) please let us know. Let's show our support for this great organization!




Florida Young Democrats

The Young Democrats of Indian River are planning a get-together on Tuesday, November 30th from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. at the Islamorada Brewing Company in Ft Pierce. Visit our Facebook page for more information.



TRAININGS




Leadership Blue


The Florida Democratic Party is excited to share that our annual Leadership Blue Weekend has been re-scheduled for December 3-5, 2021 at the Rosen Plaza Hotel* in Orlando, FL with the signature Leadership Blue Gala taking place on Saturday, December 4th at the Orange County Convention Center.

We are excited to finally be able to get together in-person for a safe, fun and productive weekend of events. You can visit www.LeadershipBlue.com for the most up to date information about the weekend, including hotel accommodations, schedules and speakers.

The room blocks will fill up quickly so we encourage you to reserve your rooms sooner than later. All sponsorships, ticket and table purchases made for the original event date will be honored for the rescheduled event, although seating arrangements will be modified to accommodate additional distancing.

New ticket and table reservations can be made via the Leadership Blue website. For sponsorships, please email Michelle Sierra at [email protected].
Please let us know if you have any questions. We look forward to seeing you in December for a weekend in support of FDP and Florida's Democratic candidates!


*Rosen Plaza implements measures to ensure that guest-rooms, amenities, and services are accessible to all guests regardless of abilities and disabilities. Should you require ADA-compliant accommodations, please reach out to [email protected]


GET INVOLVED


Volunteer Coordinator Needed

2022 will require a lot of work to register voters, text voters, canvass, participate in events, send out mailings and conduct literature drops. To do this work we will need volunteers – lots of volunteers! We are looking for a couple of volunteers who would like to help manage those volunteers. If you are interested email Stacey at ** [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])


CALENDAR

Friday, November 26, 2021


COVID TESTING, STATISTICS AND VACCINATIONS


Testing

If you are looking for a testing site, which is becoming harder to find, you can see a list of locations here:

** [link removed] ([link removed])



Statistics

A great place to check statistics for Indian River County is on Covid Act Now. You can access it here:
** [link removed] ([link removed])



Vaccinations

3rd shots are now available from Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson and Johnson.


You can search for vaccination locations and details by clicking here:

** [link removed] ([link removed])



TIDBITS

Have you ever listened to classical music and thought “There’s something missing”? I think it was a typewriter!

"The Typewriter" by Leroy Anderson, is a musical piece featuring an actual typewriter "played" as a percussion instrument. It's fascinating and whimsical and perfect for a good mood. Watch here:

** [link removed] ([link removed])


Have a great week!

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Democratic Executive Committee of Indian River County
2345 14th Ave.
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Vero Beach, FL 32960
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