Local League Accomplishments
Building Stronger Communities
Study, education and action by League members have made our Southwest Missouri communities stronger and more livable.
The League’s highly regarded study process educates members so our positions on issues have a solid foundation for advocacy and action. Sometimes, the League has been out front, shining a bright light on critical areas even before the rest of the community was noticing. Here are some accomplishments of the League of Women Voters of Southwest Missouri since its founding in 1953.
- Creation of the Ozarks Mental Health Network (2015), pulling representatives from diverse groups working together for the first time to address the accessibility of mental health care services.
- Leading the push for preservation of shrinking green space in the face of rapid population growth, and the development of a joint Springfield-Greene County park board (1966).
- Advocating for a “safe path to school” for children (1965), resulting in sidewalk construction in the Springfield Public School system.
- At other times, our studies serve to educate members who then use this knowledge to prod the work of local government to make improvements.
- Support of a wider, regional approach to issues of transportation and planning (1999).
- Making certification of early childhood teachers a priority (1990).
- Strengthening neighborhoods by ensuring adequate government financing (2001).
- Advocating for uniform minimum standards for prisons and efforts to improve physical conditions and prisoner morale. (1979)
- Supporting coordination between Springfield and Greene County to improve comprehensive planning (1975).
- Backing the concept of waste to energy (1991).
- Promoting the position of a Homeless Service Coordinator (1987).
- Calling for education, business and government leaders to collaborate to attract higher-paying technical and professional jobs to the region and offer advanced training to citizens (1999).
Members find the League’s focus on careful study followed by advocacy and action is often a roadmap to public service. Through the years, League members have answered the call, serving on city councils, boards of education, planning and zoning commissions and others.
Members have been elected to the Missouri General Assembly and appointed to statewide commissions and local task forces.
Many more members have used the knowledge gained from League studies to lobby legislators, volunteer for campaigns and organize issue-focused public events.