Advancing Voices of Women (AVOW) is pleased to offer the first in a series of Civil Conversations designed to include women in nonpartisan discussions about complex and/or controversial issues in a respectful, engaged fashion. The event, which is free and open to the public, will be 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15, at the Arts United Center gallery.

Titled “Vouchers: Needs of my children and the impact on the community,” the conversation will open with a welcome by AVOW co-founder and AWS Foundation CEO Patti Hays, followed by a panel discussion including:

· Niki Kelly, Statehouse Bureau Chief, Fort Wayne Journal Gazette

· Julie Hollingsworth, President, FW Community Schools Board of School Trustees

· Betsy Wiley, President, Institute for Quality Education

After comments from the panelists, participants will form small groups to discuss the topic, then regroup to share feedback about commonalities or unifying issues that each group was able to agree upon. The next conversation in the series will be Thursday, Dec. 14, and titled "Does My Vote Count?"