MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

March 2021

Wanda Aizpurua,
President of Louisiana Federation of Republican Women
​2019 - to May 2, 2021 
Wanda Aizpurua is a woman, daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, teacher, office manager for her husband’s GYN Clinic and President of LFRW. In her “free” time she likes to read and belonged to a LFRW Book Club in Region 6. Wanda is interested in Politics and as President of LFRW she gets a front row seat of what is going on in our State of Louisiana and passes on this information to the LFRW Membership by her choice of Speakers for all LFRW Meetings.

Wanda was elected to be LFRW President in 2019. She has been President through 2 Hurricanes (Laura, August 2020 and 6 weeks later Delta) and February 2021’s Ice Storm that did considerable damage to Louisiana especially to the LFRW Federated Club in Lake Charles and the surrounding area: PLUS, the bonus of the Pandemic Coronavirus D-19 (March 2020 to today March 2021) YIPPEE....How lucky can she be? All of this in 2 years. Wanda laments the fact that she will always be known as the “Pandemic” President.
​Here she is in 2019 speaking as President for the first time. The theme of this 34th LFRW Convention 2021 suits Wanda down to the ground because:
“She has come a long way Baby.”
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Her Spring and Fall Board Meetings in 2020 and 2021 went like this...Send out an eBlast to save the Date, Time, Where, When and What in a timely manner and then send out another eBlast to say it has been cancelled and is being rescheduled. A total of 4 times, because our Governor said Nope, you can only have 10 people attending or wait you can have 25 people or wait for it 50 people! Poor Hotels and poor Caterers and poor Members and our poor Treasurer! This past year was enough Stress to take out the 5th Army, but Wanda hung on and fought back.
Then in November 2020 just for the FUN of it; we had an Election for President and Wanda puts on her Red, White and Blue Trump Hat and rallied the Troops...Members registered new Republicans and started campaigning in earnest! The Clubs got in the Act with Trump songs, Fundraisers, Candidate Forums, Rallies for Trump (But) because of the dear old Virus no gatherings, no knocking on doors, but being Cajuns with Boats, lots of Bayous, Lakes, Roads, and Rivers; Louisianians did their gatherings in vehicles/Boats with lots of Music, American Flags, and Trump Signs! Geaux VOTE, Louisianians and Republicans turned out 2.1 million + Voters to carry the State RED! In this time frame, Wanda sent out 90 eBlasts to keep the Members informed about the Absentee Vote Forms/ Legislature fight to the Senator Bill Cassidy Vote on the Trump Impeachment.

When the Club Monthly Meetings were cut short by COVID; LFRW then went to ZOOM Meetings to meet Candidates, have Executive Committee Meetings, Club monthly meetings, have Book Club meetings, PEC meetings, etc. etc. It was a learning experience for all Club Members, but COVID did not stop LFRW nor its Clubs. Wanda wanted to show the Members that they were in Quarantine, but that they still had a Voice.

Members sent many letters, phone calls, texts, posted on social media and showed up at Candidate’s Offices (with Masks) to help get their word out to Louisianians to Geaux Vote. Wanda still visited Clubs at this time and installed Club Officers for their new term of Office.

LFRW lost members to COVID and Wanda made sure not only the Members who died were recognized but also the Associate members families were offered sympathy from the LFRW President. When elected District 5 US Representative Luke Letlow died due to COVID - complications it triggered a special election that his widow, Julia Letlow, won tonight with the help of the Federated Clubs in Monroe, Bossier, Shreveport and Caddo. LFRW is a family.

LFRW Facebook Group has grown from 100 to over 1600 members and requests from all over Louisiana has been received on the Website to join LFRW Clubs. Two Clubs have been reorganized and one new Club will be ready by the time the Convention opens. This is a good sign for LFRW Membership, and it gives Wanda hope that Republicans are not defeated but are gearing up for a fight for the US House of Representative and the Senate in the 2022 Election cycle. We may not have Trump at the helm, but he taught us how to fight.

The 34th Biennial Convention 2021 will begin on Friday, April 30th with a Spring Board Meeting and on May 1st and 2nd, 2021 the Biennial Convention. Wanda has her fingers crossed and a prayer that it will not be cancelled due to all the Members who have taken the COVID Vaccine. Wanda was Chair for the 33rd Biennial Convention in 2019 and it was a huge success, plus the fact that she was elected President.

LFRW is going to go Online with a new Website this month. Wanda has been working on that project since July of 2020 to today. It has been a lot of additional work thrown on to her shoulders, but the Website will go Online before the Convention and it has a Store that LFRW members can shop at for our LFRW red shirts and grey and red Blankets on the website to buy for Convention. (Two weeks needed for delivery to your door).

Wanda’s thinks it would be great if we all showed up at the Convention April 30th, 2021 in a Sea of RED! LFRW Members wore them at the NFRW CONVENTION, and it was a success.

This a Spotlight Report for LFRW Website and LFRW Members: WANDA AIZPURUA, LFRW PRESIDENT I personally cannot give her a Medal for these past 2 YEARS, but I can acknowledge her work, achievements, and devotion to making LFRW the best political organization that helps not only Candidates but also all our communities in these unusual times.
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CARITA WILSON,
​LFRW WEBMASTER