Upper Keys BPW Connection August 2026 |
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Our mission is to achieve equity for all working women through advocacy, education and connections.
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What Our Upper Keys Women Built
Before They Could Vote Hi {Contact_First_Name},
In 1882, on the northeast end of Upper Matecumbe Key, Mary Ann Russell homesteaded 163 acres in her own name. Three years later, family members homesteaded another 31 acres in the name of her late husband Richard. She filed first, for five times more land. What grew there became Russellville, the largest family settlement in the Upper Keys before Flagler’s railroad arrived.
Mary Ann could not vote. Not for the county commission that taxed her acreage, not for the officials who decided where the road went. It would be almost four decades before women were given that right.
In that gap is where BPW began. When the country mobilized for World War I, the War Department realized it had no record of the skills its professional women held. It funded a Women’s War Council to find out. When the war ended, those women did not disband—they organized. The National Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs was founded July 15, 1919, and our BPW/Florida that same year. Women would not win the vote until the following August.
Florida itself did not ratify the 19th Amendment until 1969. Forty-nine years later. Florida women voted routinely the entire time, empowered by Federal law rather than by their own state.
Meanwhile, Keys women kept building. When local charter captain Bill Smith went into the service in World War II, his wife Bonnie picked up his charters. With her sisters Beulah Cass and Frankee Albright, she pioneered saltwater fly fishing out of Islamorada. Frankee was sought out as a guide over the sisters’ own husbands. These three women filled in during wartime and ended up building the industry this island is known for.
Then there's Katharine "K" Wilkinson, who came to Planter (south Key Largo) in the 1930s and later led the Upper Keys Historical Preservation Society. As PTA president, she was among the parents and residents who pressed for a local high school. In 1948 they petitioned the school board. In 1949 the board put a $500,000 bond on the ballot. It passed. Coral Shores opened in 1951. Our children have a high school because voters said yes.
And we can't foget Wilhelmina Harvey, aka “Wild Willie,” the Grand Dame of Keys politics, who was elected president of the Florida Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs in 1952. Later she became the first woman elected to the Monroe County Commission, and the first woman to serve as Mayor of Monroe County. A BPW/FL president governed this county.
The thread runs from a homestead claim to a bond issue to a county commission, and it runs straight through this organization.
Our 2026/2027 BPW/FL Public Policy Platform says the rights of women require constant vigilance. It commits us to pay equity, health care access, and Item 3: free and fair elections, expanded access to the polls, and fairly drawn districts. It names no party and no candidate. It never has.
It’s our time. Confirm your registration with the Monroe County Supervisor of Elections. Check your address. Know your vote-by-mail deadline. Then read the entire ballot. And VOTE.
Mary Ann Russell would have.
In service, |
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Enjoy an evening of CASUAL NETWORKING ~ ~ ~ Wednesday, August 19
6-8 p.m. BAR VICTOR 97630 Overseas Highway, Key Largo
Below Vicky Bakery ~ ~ ~
Free to register / Cash bar Please register to let us know you're coming! ~ ~ ~ |
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8 a.m. via Zoom
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Start your day by sharing something good - and catch up on the latest news from BPW members and friends - while sipping your favorite morning beverage. (Come as you are, even if that means pajamas and wet hair... this is a no-judgment zone!)
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Cutting Through the AI Noise:
An AI 101 Guide
Presented by Becky Wagner
Senior Manager, AI and Analytics, Oracle Corporation ~ ~ ~ Join us for an Educational LuncheonWednesday, September 16
11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Holiday Inn ~ Key Largo ~ MM 99.7
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*ADVANCE REGISTRATION REQUIRED*
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In case you missed it... members and guests at our July luncheon enjoyed an information-packed discussion on mental health, life coaching and the iimportance of self-care, featuring panelists (and BPW members) Beatriz Martinez-Penalver, LMHC, and Stephanie Snyder, LCSW. Click here for more photos.
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Follow us on your favorite social media platform for the latest
news and event updates from Upper Keys BPW: |
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Start spreading the word! |
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Small Business Sponsorship Option
Just $100 for members/$150 for non-members |
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Upper Keys BPW event sponsorships offer an incredible opportunity to expand awareness of your business or organization while supporting the BPW mission and programs. Our events attract a diverse group of members and local residents.
For small businesses, we offer a limited number of multi-sponsor opportunities that feature up to three sponsors per event. Co-sponsorships are currently available for our evening "Meet, Mix & Mingle" events on August 16, February 17 and April 21. Each sponsor receives:
- Prominent logo placement in all event announcements sent to our email list of 450+ members and Upper Keys residents
- Sponsor recognition in the monthly BPW newsletter that goes out prior to the event and in BPW social media event pages and posts promoting the event
- One dedicated e-mail promotion to our list (per sponsor)
- Opportunity to provide samples or handouts on a shared display table at the event
- Opportunity to briefly address attendees at the event
Questions? Ready to claim your spot? Either way, send an email to bpwupperkeys@gmail.com.
Sponsorships support our Adult Women's Scholarships and other BPW programs designed to empower local working women. |
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Promote your business, event or campaign to our email list of 450+ |
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Would you like us to send an email to more than 450 local residents on behalf of your business, event or political campaign? It's EASY! You provide the message, and we prepare and send it directly to our contact list. Proceeds support our Adult Women's Scholarships and other BPW programs for working women.
CLICK HERE TO ORDER A PROMOTIONAL MESSAGE
$25 for BPW members, $40 for non-members
(Log in to your member account for the discounted price.)
CLICK HERE TO ORDER A CAMPAIGN AD
$100 per email, up to three emails before August primary;
up to five emails after August primary for November races.
Questions? Send us an email: bpwupperkeys@gmail.com. |
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Next selection: The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict Members will meet to discuss the book (and select the next book) on Wednesday, September 23, 6-7pm. Watch your email for registration details coming soon or check the BPW/FL event calendar as the date gets closer. |
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Now available: BPW Florida t-shirts, water bottles, mugs, stickers and more! Click here to shop. |
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IT'S TIME TO VOTE! If you haven't done so already, make your plan now to vote by Tuesday, August 18.
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This year, many Florida Keys races will be decided in the August election, which closes next Tuesday, August 18. These include nonpartisan School Board seats, the District 2 County Commission seat, the District 2 Mosquito Control Board seat and County Judge.
Here are three options for casting your votes: - IN-PERSON EARLY VOTING - Today through Saturday, 8/15, 8:30am-5pm. Vote at any of the five designated early voting locations throughout the county, including the Murray Nelson Building in Key Largo (MM 102) or Plantation Key Community Center (the old courthouse) at MM 88.8. See all Monroe County early voting locations here.
- VOTE-BY-MAIL BALLOT - Vote-by-mail ballots must be received by the Supervisor of Elections Office by 7pm on Tuesday, August 18. If you requested but have not yet mailed yours, you may drop it in a Ballot Intake Station (ballot box) at early voting locations during the early voting days/hours noted above OR hand-deliver it to a Supervisor of Elections Office by 7pm on Tuesday. Another option is to surrender it at your voting precinct on Election Day and vote in person instead. (They will not accept a vote-by-mail ballot at the precinct on Election Day.) Find more details about vote-by-mail ballots here.
- IN PERSON ON ELECTION DAY - Vote at your registered precinct on Election Day, Tuesday, August 18, 7am-7pm. Your precinct is determined by your address. Not sure where to vote? Use the address search tool here. Remember to bring your ID - click here for acceptable forms of ID. A voter whose eligibility cannot be determined at the polling site may vote with a provisional ballot that will be counted once eligibility is verified.
See you at the polls!
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Atta Girls!
- Dr. Brittany Snyder has been named Interim President of the College of the Florida Keys. Way to go, Brittany!
Do you know of a BPW member who recently achieved a personal or professional goal or milestone? (Maybe it was you!) Let us know and we'll highlight it here. Send an email to bpwupperkeys@gmail.com. |
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Renewing Members in July 2026
Glad you're still with us! - Bonnie Barnes, member since 2021
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Cynthia Gneiser, member since 2015
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Mary Houston, member since 2020
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Victoria Leonard, member since 2019
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Arianna Matos, member since 2025
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Hulya Okur, member since 2025
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Barbara Overton, member since 2023
New Members in July 2026
Welcome!
- Cathleen Greene, Alzheimer's Association, Southeast Florida Chapter
- Angelia Swanson, Salty Cowgirl Charters / Coastal Angler Magazine
- Anastassia Webb, Keys Pelvic Floor Wellness
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Members: Do you need a BPW name badge? You can easily order a name badge for $18 via the link below. Orders are placed once a month, at the beginning of each month. |
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