Meetings

April 2023 GCRW tackled the economic challenges facing our country at the April meeting. We were honored to have Ty Hensley, Financial Advisor with LPL Financial,  talk about issues that affect all of us including inflation, interest rates, and short and long-term investment stability. He also discussed the Silicon Valley Bank collapse and the impact on the banking system. It was an informative meeting and we were happy to be back at Jackson’s Cafeteria. Thanks to everyone who attended.

March 2023 – GCRW had a great lesson on soil and water conservation in the county. We were honored to have our two new Soil And Water Conservation Board Supervisors Bill Ward and Dan Brandon with us. They brought John Searby, Catawba RiverKeeper Executive Director, to talk about issues in the county. John gave us a lesson on the Catawba River basin and discussed the impact of development and the potential lithium mine and other issues that have had consequences on our soil and water. He also discussed the partnership between his non-profit organization, the Gaston County Soil & Water Board of Supervisors, and municipalities to protect our water supply.

February 2023 – GCRW had another amazing meeting on Thursday, February 16th at El Pancho Villa Mexican Grill in Lowell.  Tanzy Wallace, State Secretary, Frederick Douglass Foundation of NC, gave us a history lesson on Frederick Douglass and the Foundation. She also discussed the mission and the outreachof the organization to promote the Republican party to the black community. It is a great way to honor Black History Month and support conservative values.

January 2023 -GCRW had a great meeting in January that was informative and full of fellowship and fun. District Attorney Travis Page guided us through crime statistics and discussed his office’s efforts to mitigate the opioid and homeless crisis in the county. We were blessed to have a large judicial presence at the meeting and we will continue prayers that God gives all of our judges wisdom and keeps them safe. We also had reports from the Chairs of the Americanism Committee, Campaign Committee and the Caring For America Committee. Thanks to everyone who attended the meeting !

November 2022 -The November GCRW meeting was full of laughter.  After the long election season, Denise Price Thomas blessed us with her humor. Denise is a local icon. She describes herself as “Home Grown and Nationally known”. She is a speaker, author, and life coach. Members provided desserts and beverages for the meeting. We also celebrated our 2022 NCFRW Tribute to Women Honorees – Charlene High was the GCRW Honoree and Pat Smith was the State Honoree. It was a wonderful way to decompress after the election and push us into the holiday season.

October 2022 -Another great GCRW meeting in October celebrating all of our midterm candidates ! Thanks to all of our candidates for their hard work and the sacrifices they made to answer the call to public service. Now it’s up to all of us to Get Out The Vote and have a great turnout on election day.

SEPTEMBER 2022: GCRW had another informative meeting in September. We focused on the courts and discussed the trend toward judicial activism. Martha Jenkins, who has served on the Executive Committees for the NC Federation and the National Federation of Republican Women was our keynote speaker.  Martha was instrumental in leading efforts for the Keep Nine Amendment. She discussed activism; the Keep Nine Amendment and other developments with the courts. We also had an update on our Hispanic Outreach efforts; poll working; election integrity; and Get Out The Vote efforts. Thanks to all club members for participating and thanks to Shae Faraday for leading the discussion.

AUGUST 2022 – The Gaston County Republican Women had a full house for our August meeting ! Dr. Andy Jackson,Director of the Civitas Center for Public Integrity, John Locke Foundation, gave an insightful presentation discussing election integrity victories and losses over the past few years; principles of election integrity reform; and, what reforms we should seek in the 2023 General Assembly session. Another highlight of the meeting was the kickoff of GCRW’s Hispanic Outreach initiative. Thanks to Mary and Gina for their hard work. And thanks to all members for continued support of our candidates and our club.

JULY 2022- GCRW had two wonderful speakers at our July meeting. Dr. Jenna Robinson, Director of Outreach for the James G. Martin Center, shared her expertise on the abuses of Title IX. Title IX was passed in 1972 to mandate gender equality for women primarily in college sports. Currently, the original intent of the legislation is being corrupted for alternative purposes especially with the push by universities and the Biden administration to allow biological men compete in women’s sports.  Dr. Robinson also alerted the club to proposed rule changes by the US Department of Education that will violate students free speech and due process rights. Click for more information.

JULY 2022 – We also focused on our Caring For America project with Webb Street School. The school focuses on teaching the fundamentals to our most vulnerable disabled children. It is a testament of creativity, ingenuity, and hard work of teachers and staff. Principal Chris Mills shared information about the school and the creative methods used for teaching students. GCRW will have a Back to School Cleanup Work Day on July 30th.

MAY 2022 – GCRW was honored to have two wonderful speakers at the May meeting to discuss some critical issues for Gaston County and for our State. Gastonia Councilwoman Jennifer Stepp educated us on redistricting in Gastonia and the changes to the wards. Gastonia residents will receive a letter in the mail identifying new voting wards and precincts. She also discussed the smart growth in the city and economic development plans.

Also for the May meeting, GCRW was thrilled to have Senator-Elect Brad Overcash enlighten us the legal perspective of the US Supreme Court leak and the draft Dobbs opinion and what the pending ruling does and does not mean for North Carolina. He led us through the history of the Roe v Wade case and the legal theory used in its passage which was not based on constitutional argument. If Roe v Wade is overturned, North Carolina legislators will then be responsible for passing legislation governing abortion.

APRIL 2022 – Education needs reform in North Carolina and parents need to be part of the process. NC House Representative John Torbett is the Chairman of a new committee, The House Select Committee on an Education System for North Carolina’s Future. He is counting on parents to help redefine education in our State. We were honored to have Representative Torbett as our keynote speaker for our April meeting to talk about the new committee, education initiatives and legislation, and the education bureaucracy in our State.

MARCH 2022 – American icon Clarence Henderson joined GCRW on March 12 to share his story of courage and hope that we need to carry forward in our lives today. Mr. Henderson participated in the sit-in at the Woolworth counter in Greensboro in 1960 and continues to advocate for freedom and conservative values. We were honored to have him as our keynote speaker. We were also honored to have Dr. Paul Brintley, NC Faith and Freedom Coalition, Kyshia Brassington, RNC Committeewoman, and David Warren, RNC Election Integrity Directory, participate in our meeting. Please click here for pictures.

FEBRUARY 2022 – We were very honored to have Reverend Dr. Pearl Burris-Floyd join us on February 17th for our monthly meeting. She was so inspiring as she shared her story about the strength of her family, the discrimination she conquered, the importance of education, and her faith that allowed her to become the influential leader she is today. She is currently the Gaston County Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer providing leadership for strategic initiatives that drive diverse, inclusive, and equitable programs and policies in our workplaces, work forces, and community services. What does that mean? She boiled it down into one simple statement that says so much. “Diversity and equity mean love.” Words to live by.  Please click here for more pictures of the meeting.

JANUARY 2022 – NC GOP Chairman Michael Whatley provided great information during our January meeting on continued election integrity efforts in North Carolina and on the redistricting battle in the courts. The  NC Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the redistricting arguments on February 2. Candidate filing is scheduled to resume Feb. 24 and the primaries are scheduled for May 17. Legislation passed by NC House (HB 605) would have delayed filing to March 24 and the primaries to June 7 to give the General Assembly more time to redraw the maps if required by the courts. Gov. “Veto” Cooper stayed true to form and vetoed the bill. (UPDATE: The US Supreme Court let stand the maps that were drawn by Democrat contractors and approved by the NC Supreme Court on the grounds that there was insufficient time for legislative action by the General Assembly. This battle will continue. )