GREENVILLE – Jena Powell, District 80 Ohio State Representative along with Paul Schlechty and Jason Schmidt of the Darke County Board of Elections were the guest speakers at the Greenville Business & Professional Women’s (BPW) Club meeting on Sept. 19 to kick off the 2019-2020 business year.
The Legislation Committee consisting of Chair Peggy Foutz, and members Betty Kosier, Diane Delaplane, Gail Snyder, and Brenda Miller hosted the meeting. Delaplane introduced District 80 State Representative Jena Powell. Powell grew up in Darke County and entered the political arena to give this area more of a voice in Columbus. She spoke about the last 10 months of her work of being a state representative. Powell remarked that what happens in Columbus has a lot more effect than what is going on in Washington, D.C. She took the oath of office on Jan. 7. She went to work on the state budget and talks to lobbyist that have years of experience and are very informational. She hears from her constituents and has worked on policy. She has been involved in writing a bill and has the responsibility to convince the committee to vote yes and then brought to the house floor and then to the senate to vote. Jena talked about Ohio being fourth rated in the nation for sex trafficking because of the I-70/I-75 interchange. She is a sponsor and writing a bill on pornography regulation to raise awareness. Powell’s biggest surprise in the last 10 months is hearing the stories of how our kids are hurting.
Delaplane then introduced Schlechty and Schmidt from the Darke County Board of Elections. They demonstrated the new voting machines that Darke County purchased at a price of $650,000 (which was paid for by the state). There are 126 machines throughout the voting districts in Darke County. These machines met all certification requirements set by the State of Ohio. An open house on the new voting machines will be held on Oct. 7 from 4:30-9 p.m. at the Darke County Board of Elections, 300 Garst Ave., Greenville.
The club is working on its annual guest night fun event ‘What a Girl Wants’ to be held on Oct. 10. The evening starts with a shopping experience from 4-6 p.m. at the featured stores of Merle Norman, Sadie Grace, Sweet Annie’s Cabin, The Natural Path, Expressions of Tyme, Shelly’s Antiques and Décor, Wieland Jewelers, Beanz Buttercream Bakery, Happily Ever Co., Refined Purveyors, and Youniques Boutique in downtown Greenville. Also included is the 4One Apparel store in downtown Arcanum. The evening will continue at the VFW at 219 N. Ohio St., Greenville.
The night will include vendors, a fashion show, silent auction and the tickets to the Super Raffle. Tickets can be purchased at Greenville downtown merchants: Merle Norman, Sweet Annie’s Cabin, and Shelly’s Antiques and also at 4One Apparel (Arcanum) for a cost of $15. Follow Greenville BPW Club on Facebook for more information. All proceeds from this event are used for scholarships for the young women of Darke County.
The Greenville BPW Club’s mission is to achieve equity for all women in the workplace through advocacy, education, and information. The club holds fundraisers throughout the year to raise money to grant scholarships to Darke County senior high school girls and young women furthering their career. The club meets the second Thursday of every month for a dinner meeting. Those interested in learning more about the club can contact Membership Chair Sonya Crist at (937) 423-3657 or [email protected].
