ASSEMBLY is ONLINE THIS MONTH

We all hope we are all staying healthy and away from CV-19.

SATURDAY OCTOBER 10th at 10:30 am
Online on our HWF Friends PG private Facebook group again

HWF’s October is about: Area Homeless and Hungry as is our quarterly charity.

MONTHLY ASSEMBLY PRESENTATION:
It will include two videos for about one hour total on homelessness and the hungry in America. They are new and current and reflect what we see right here on the Gulf Coast. Let’s free-think how we can help this issue better. HWFs quarterly charity is Seans’ Outpost that is a champion of homeless outreach.

The Mission of HWF- A chapter of the American Humanist Assn.

The Mission of the Humanists of West Florida is to facilitate the advancement of humanist thought and action in Pensacola and surrounding areas by interconnecting groups of humanists, atheists, agnostics and non-religious.

We will strive for equal participation in government and societal life through building strategic partnerships with other humanist and freethought organizations and with our religious neighbors to advance the greater good of humanity.

*** See the AHA mission below–

Announcements:
The missions of AHA an HWF are always in this newsletter. The AHA follows our chapter presidents letter.

Our Annual Calendar is now available and shown at the bottom of this newsletter, and is also posted on our Facebook Friends page as well.

And an election is coming. This is from our Secular Coalition.
https://secular.org/actions/tell-your-elected-officials-that-youre-a-secular-values-voter/?mc_cid=47bed61c2a&mc_eid=2d26abcf98 And VOTE!

PRESIDENTS MESSAGE:

Greetings all!
Condolences to all who suffered damages to themselves, their homes, and/or property in the wake of Hurricane Sally’s visit on September 16. Any supporting members who have significant losses are welcome to reach out to the BOD. The BOD will be discussing ways that HWF can help during October’s quarterly BOD meeting. Sadly, we understand that insurers are being slow to respond. It is unlikely that we will be able to meet the needs not covered by your insurance and FEMA, but we may be able to offer some funds toward food, medicine, and utilities.

1ST QUARTER IN REVIEW:
Activities of our first quarter (July, Aug, Sept) included online streaming of our monthly assemblies. We streamed from Ever’mans and/or stationed a BOD member there in case anyone chose to attend in person. No one elected to attend; thus in-person meetings will be suspended until further notice.
Everyone is encouraged to join us each month at 1030AM on the HWF PG page where we will continue to live stream assemblies.The meeting dates are Oct 10, Nov 14, and Dec 12 for our second quarter.
We acquired enough funding by UUCP members and friends to build two little free libraries (LFL). Recently, we lost a co-lead for the LFL Project. Any person willing to step up into this slot or anyone who is willing to work on the library building crew should contact a BOD member. Unless we are able to find volunteers soon, building will be deferred until January 2021 or later.

OCTOBER’S ACTIVITIES:
For October the following events may be of interest:
October: Freethought Month
October 5: Atheist Appreciation Day
October 11: National Coming Out Day
October 12: National Freethought Day
October 20–26: United Nations Week
October 24: United Nations Day
October 31: Halloween

Online assembly is Saturday October 10, 1030AM. The topic is [insert topic and any pertinent info here].
Any 2nd quarter donations (Oct, Nov, Dec) received by HWF will be gifted to Sean’s Outpost. Sean’s Outpost is an umbrella nonprofit who, among other things, oversees the activities at Satoshi Forest Homeless Camp and Food not Bombs, a group that distributes food to homeless and low income families. Please be generous.

UPCOMING EVENTS:
Next assembly is Nov 14, topic TBA.

HWF 3rd Annual Shoe Drive to benefit Alfred Washburn Homeless Day Care Center will commence during the entire month of November with donations of shoes (new or used for men or women), socks, sweaters, and scarves being collected. Due to hurricane damage and COVID quarantine we may not have drop off sites at our avail. Instead, it is possible that we will arrange for pickup at your door. Please begin gathering items and ask family and friends to donate. More info will be posted on HWF PG page as soon as it is known.
A reminder: Tuesday, November 3rd is the last day to vote in the national election. Whether you vote early, by mail, or in person, please do not forget your civic duty. Thanks, all.

Sincerely, Betty Myers, HWF President

BOARD of DIRECTORS
Next regular meeting is October 10th, 9:00 am @ Ever’mans EC

Our HWF Charity of the Quarter:
Seans’ Outpost led by Michael Kimberl.
Seans’ is the owner operator of Satoshi Forest Homeless Camp, and Michael operates Food Not Bombs that feeds the homeless downtown on MLK plaza every Friday at 6pm.
You can send donations to our PO box at the bottom or online at our website and designate for Seans’.

*** The American Humanist Association
has stood as the voice of humanism in the United States for over 75 years.
We strive to bring about a progressive society where being good without a god is an accepted and respected way to live life. We are accomplishing this through our defense of civil liberties and secular governance, by our outreach to the growing number of people without traditional religious faith, and through a continued refinement and advancement of the humanist worldview.

Humanism is a nontheistic worldview with ethical values informed by scientific knowledge and driven by a desire to meet the needs of people in the here and now. At the foundation of those values is an affirmation of the dignity of every human being.

We count humanists and other nontheists as the core of our movement but are always willing to work with friends and allies on issues of common concern. The positions we hold and the actions we take are not simply for our own benefit, but for the betterment of all of society and the world in which we live.

The HUMANIST MAGAZINE: current bi-monthly magazine
Christ the Redeemer, How churches scored billions in Covid relief.
https://thehumanist.com

AHA Monthly THEME: Freethought October (see below)

From the AHA Leadership:

Dear members,

Donald Trump’s nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court of the United States threatens all of our humanist principles. Barrett has shown, in her writings and speeches as a law professor at Notre Dame and in decisions in the scant three years she has served as a judge, that she is a threat to separation of church and state, reproductive rights, anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people and immigrants, voting rights, and healthcare for all.

This nomination puts every one of our civil rights on the line. In 2012 Barrett told a class at the University of Notre Dame that a “legal career is but a means to an end…and that end is building the Kingdom of God.” As one Senator said of Barrett in 2017, she has “a long history of believing that religious beliefs should prevail.”

The American Humanist Association (AHA) will do everything in our power to stop Trump and the Republican-controlled Senate from pushing through the nomination of such a far-right justice in the middle of a presidential election. The election—for President and for many Senators—is just around the corner and early voting in many states is already underway. It is imperative that voters be allowed to have our say.

President Trump has already said that the Supreme Court could decide the outcome of this election, so tampering with the court now is the last thing the Senate should allow him to do. The nomination to fill this seat on the highest court in the land must come from the next, duly elected president. And the next Senate must have the chance to approve it.

The rights of generations of humanists, women, LGBTQ people, Black and Brown people, and immigrants are at stake, but we can fight this. Your donation today will help stop this attempt to add Barrett to a packed conservative court before the inauguration of the next president. With your help, we won’t let our democracy become a theocracy.

Working in collaboration with other progressive organizations, the AHA will make it clear on Capitol Hill that the nomination process cannot happen on this unprecedented timeline, when voting in states is already underway.

This is a unique time in history, and our rights are on the line. Support the AHA’s coordinated efforts to fight for our rights with a donation of $50 or $100 or more now.

I hope you will stand by the AHA as we employ everything at our disposal: Our attorneys, lobbyists, and activists will be at the ready to fight against this nomination.

Donate what you can today to make a direct impact in this fight. Together, we can ensure the humanist future we want― now and for decades to come.

Yours in humanism,

Roy Speckhardt
Executive Director

VOTE!

From the AHAs’ upcoming activities:

AHA announces the Humanist Action Headquarters for Grassroots Advocacy. https://americanhumanist.org/actionhq/

AHA Center for Education to learn more about us–
https://americanhumanistcenterforeducation.org/
As an AHA member you have access to the Zoom presentations they are offering plus other activities as well.

Good day everyone,

My name is Caroline Peters and I am the intern for the AHA’s HERE for Climate initiative. I am a senior at Colorado College and studying Environmental Science. As a student studying our changing climate, I am constantly thinking about how it is affecting other people in other parts of the world, but I often forget how it affects my daily life.
With the recent tropical storms and wildfires that have riddled the nation, it has been easy for me to revert to only seeing the distance between me and climate change. This is just not true. Despite living over one thousand miles away from the fires, I still felt the effects. Smoke blew in and lowered the air quality in my region. My housemates and I stayed inside for a few days, kept all the windows and doors closed, and I developed a sore throat. This experience is nothing compared to those on the frontline whose homes and livelihoods are being destroyed, but I still felt ramifications.

These small, yet impactful, hindrances to our lives are becoming increasingly common as our climate continues to change.

Last week I had another wake-up call. This time, over waffles drizzled with maple syrup. I talked with my housemate who is from Vermont, the maple syrup capitol of the United States. Over our breakfast, we discussed how the maple syrup harvesting season is changing every year because of climate change. It may seem small, but our environment effects our personal lives, businesses, and economies in ways that we often can overlook.

My question for you today is how is climate change effecting your daily life, on a small, but still impactful, scale? Have you experienced or felt anything similar to my experiences? It is important to look to our own lives and talk about the changes we see! Please send HERE for Climate your responses. I look forward to reading your personal anecdotes and responses.

Best,

Caroline Peters, HERE for Climate Intern

Share with us how climate change impacts your daily life with this short survey

Do you have a legal question you would like answered?
Legal Tuesdays

Watch the most recent Legal Tuesdays video with our Legal Director and Senior Counsel Monica Miller. Be sure to tune in or send an email if you have a question!

DONATE TO THE WORLD: Want to help people suffering from national or global catastrophes? Do it here as a Humanist to the Foundation Beyond Belief-FBB. This is the AHAs’ disaster relief partner organization.
https://foundationbeyondbelief.org

IMPORTANT DATES: in the secular world.

October: Freethought Month
October 5: Atheist Appreciation Day
October 11: National Coming Out Day
October 12: National Freethought Day
October 20–26: United Nations Week
October 24: United Nations Day
October 31: Halloween

HWF Annual Calendar July 2020 thru June 2021

Q 1 Summer

Charity: Member Memorial Fund(honors with a book to local library)

July 11th Assembly – The Freedom to Assembly & Right Vote Theme.

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Q 2 Fall

Charity: Seans’ Outpost(owns Satoshi Forest and does Food not Bombs)

October 10th Assembly – Homeless and Hungry Theme

BOD meets:

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Q 3 Winter

Charity: Currie House(providing shelter & housing for youth)

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Q 4 Spring

Charity: Earth Ethics Inc.(provides education and environmental advocacy)

SUGGESTIONS?
Contact us with your ideas-

Email
info@hwfl.org

Humanists of West Florida
P.O. Box 11930
Pensacola, Florida 32524
Phone: (850) 366-3410

***The American Humanist Association is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable educational organization, as well is the Humanists of West Florida. Donations to the Humanists of West Florida , a chapter of the American Humanist Association, are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

FLORIDA REGISTRATION #: CH54590 “A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE (800-435-7352) WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.”