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LWV of Sanibel to host annual meeting, conclude programs for year

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Janine Zeitlin
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Patrica Borns

The League of Women Voters of Sanibel will hold its 2019 Annual Meeting on April 18.

It will conclude a successful series of luncheon programs for the year.

The program is “Social Justice & Drinking Water” and the guest speakers will be award-winning Southwest Florida journalists Patrica Borns and Janine Zeitlin. In the past few years, they have closely reported on two social justice issues involving the results of contaminated ground water in two Lee County communities: Dunbar and Charleston Park.

In Dunbar, the city of Fort Myers had been disposing of toxic sludge in a residential area for a number of years. Only recently has the city committed to cleaning up the site. Homeowners in Charleston Park, a rural community near Alva, were using drinking water from contaminated wells. Motivated by the women’s coverage of the problem, a handful of Lee County citizens organized to have filtration devices installed in a number of the wells.

Borns is a 2018 recipient of the Green Eyeshade and Florida Society of News Editors’ first place awards for public service and community leadership. She is skilled at change-making investigations and storytelling from deep source building, data and public records. Before joining the News-Press, Borns reported for the Miami Herald and Boston Globe, and did video reporting in Haiti.

Zeitlin is a freelance writer and storyteller for the News-Press and is also a contributor to Gulfshore Life and Gulfshore Business. She has taught feature writing at Florida Gulf Coast University. Zeitlin is also a winner of the 2018 Green Eyeshade for public service and 2018 Florida Society of Newspaper Editors’ community leadership award for environmental justice reporting in Southwest Florida.

Taking place at the Sundial Beach Resort, registration will open at 11:30 a.m., followed lunch and the program at noon. The annual business meeting will follow; LWVS members are urged to attend.

The cost is $25 per person for the lunch and program. Mail a check in advance with the names of all attendees to: LWV Sanibel, P.O. Box 1194, Sanibel, FL 33957, or attendees can pay at the door day of.

Reservations required by April 15 at lwvsanibel@gmail.com.

The Sundial Beach Resort is at 1451 Middle Gulf Drive, Sanibel.