Friday, January 7: Noon.League of Women Voters of Charlottesville and Albemarle Annual Legislative Luncheon. Boar's Head New Pavilion Ballroom. Registration 11:30 a.m. Cost of lunch $25. Reserve lunch by noon on January 4, to lwv@avenue.org or 970 1707. Sens Emmett Hanger and Creigh Deeds, Dels Rob Bell and David Toscano will discuss the upcoming legislative session and answer your questions.

Friday, January 7: 5:30 p.m.A reception to honor Delegate David J. Toscano will be held at The Space Downtown (210 W. Water St.) Charlottesville.

To become a sponsor and/or RSVP contact Sarah Buckley at sarah@davidtoscano.com or 434-220-1660. Tickets are $75. Sponsorships: Supporter: $250 Friend: $500 Patron: $1,000 Host: $2,500.

Saturday, January 15: 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.The 5th annual Grace Tinsley Scholarship fundraiser at the Elks Club just off Route 20 north. It will include live music by the CHS Jazz Ensemble, heavy hors d'oeuvres, a talk by a college student who received one of our scholarships, and of course great people!

Tickets are $30; available at Quilts Unlimited (on the Mall), Rose Hill Market, and at the door. For more, contact Russ Linden at russlinden@earthlink.net

Saturday, January 15: 9:30 - 11:00 a.m. The Charlottesville - Albemarle Democratic breakfast series continues on January 15 at 9:30 a.m. in the McIntire Room of the Jefferson / Madison Regional Library next to the downtown mall. We will have the pleasure of welcoming Dr. Saher Sabri of the Islamic Society of Central Virginia. Dr. Sabri will touch on a number of important issues in his presentation, including:

1. The demographics of the Muslim community of Central Virginia.

2. The challenges facing Muslims in our area as well as nationally.

3. Refugees from Muslim countries and the particular challenges of their assimilation into local communities.

4. Aspirations of established Muslim individuals (political, financial and social).

5. US foreign policy and its effect on local Muslim communities.

The speaker's presentation will be followed by questions and discussion. Join us on January 15!

Wednesday, January 19: 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. The Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership and Sorensen's Charlottesville regional alumni are co-sponsoring a panel discussion with the League of Women Voters as part of the Community Celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.

School Boards: Are They for You? at the media center of Burley Middle School at 901 Rose Hill Drive in Charlottesville.

Tom Smith, former Fluvanna County school superintendent; Leah Puryear, chair of Charlottesville's School Board; Brian Wheeler, former Albemarle County School Board member; and Virginia School Boards Association director Barbara Coyle will discuss how to be a positive force, an activist, or a school board member; and how to run for a school board. There will be sufficient time for questions from the audience. If you are interested in participating in your community, attending school board meetings or running for a school board, come join us for this important discussion. There will be at least three vacant seats on both the Charlottesville School Board and Albemarle County School Board in 2011.

Further information: Bob Gibson, Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership. Phone (434) 982-4998 eMail: bob.gibson@virginia.edu

Tuesday, January 25: < fontcolor="#0000a0" size=+2>6:00 p.m. The University of Virginia Center for Politics will host a special free-admission screening of the acclaimed documentary “Freedom Riders” as part of the University of Virginia’s Community MLK Celebration. The screening will be preceded by a discussion with Center for Politics Director Larry Sabato and Julian Bond, a leader of the civil rights movement and former chairman of the NAACP.

More information can be found at http://www.virginia.edu/mlk/Freedom_Riders_screening.html.