I share this with you because the topic spoke to my heart after hearing people recently say "I don't vote; What good would writing or calling do; I don't have time to volunteer."
When I volunteered to be a community organizer several weeks ago, I was intrigued by the idea of helping to get the word out about another worthy cause. While the topic was Healthcare Reform, I saw the overall cause as something different. What did I see, you may ask. I saw the opportunity to continue learning, participating and educating family, friends, neighbors, strangers on the importance of being involved in the decision making process that helps to shape laws that govern our rights and privileges.
As John Adams said, "...Liberty cannot be preserved without general knowledge among people."
It was probably 9 years ago when I truly sought to better understand the political process at the local and national level. I was especially interested after 9/11 as the fears among citizens grew and the tolerance for diversity among faiths decreased. It became more important to me to learn what people in positions of leadership were saying about the future direction of my city and state - our country. So, I paid more attention to political commentary shared in the media like the NY Times, CNN and MSNBC and the local newspapers. After all, our parents, their parents and generations before endured unthinkable trials of might and faith to cause a universal cry for freedom, justice and equality. Their journey is inherently our journey because we hold the responsibility to maintain and improve on that which came before us. This means that we each hold a piece of the multicultural quilt that spreads across our free land. It also means we have a responsibility to let our voices be heard.
Our vote is one of the most critical ways we voice our opinions and take part in this beautiful system of democracy that was designed to work for the voice of the people. It is not a perfect system, but it is a beautiful system that continues to work to promote FREEDOM, JUSTICE, EQUALITY for all. There are thousands who lost their lives for the very rights that we have, and there are thousands more who are calling for actions to improve upon the rights that we do have. The recent Healthcare Reform debate is just one recent example.
There have been thousands upon thousands of calls and letters to government officials across our great nation to push for Healthcare Reform. No one knows yet what the line-by-line details of the final bill will include. What we do know is that the call for change is because our fellow Americans have spoken and said they witnessed or know of too many people negatively impacted by the loss of insurance, suffering declining health or losing loved ones because of a damaged healthcare system.
It took people, just like you and me, to make phone calls, write letters, share stories and sometimes hear the stories of families torn apart because of the horrific healthcare policies that are in place. It was the voice of people, like you and me, at the local and national levels that has helped push the proposed bill closer to becoming a reality. When it does, it will be a historic event.
As we continue on this collective road to shape our America, please be encouraged and continue to be encouraged that our voices do matter. It is very important that when we have the opportunity to speak for positive change- let us speak; when we have the opportunity to write for positive change - let us write; when we have the opportunity to vote for positive change - let us vote.
In general, I do not believe as adults we "do" because anyone tells us to. Instead, I believe we generally do because we allow ourselves to be open to the possibility that we can affect the outcome of a situation. That same openess to be a participant in the possibilities of life leads us to do the right thing in our time of need, and in preparation for tomorrow. I believe that resounding voice comes from a sense of honor, dignity, respect for our past and the hope for a great future that cares for all of our people - not just some.
If you are like me, your schedule is booked solid most of the time and you treasure your "me time." If you are like me, you understand that sometimes the best "me time" is when we open ourselves up to causes outside of "I" and give a portion to "we time." You are so very important to the progress of all people, not just in our great land.
Be blessed.
Seminole County Habitat for Humanity
Come to our Haunted House Fundraiser!!!!
Costume Contest!!!!! Kid Friendly!!!!Good Eats!!!!
$5.00 Admission and $5.00 Dinner
October 29, 30 & 31 - 6:00 - 10:30 PM
Haunted House for Habitat Houses in Seminole County, Florida or go to HabitatSeminole.org
Ask for Gayle (407) 696-5855 for more info.Come join us for a night of fright and delight! It's all for a great cause, as we seek to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world and to make a decent shelter a matter of conscience and action - and there's no better way than by starting in our own community.
This good-time family event includes two haunted houses, games, rides, a costume contest, great eats and fun for all ages.754 Fleet Financial Court next to Big Tree Park in Longwood.Fl$5 Admission and $5 DinnerFor more information please visit HabitatSeminole.org
We need volunteers to help out at our Central Washington state fair booth in Yakima, Washington especially September 25 to October 2, 2009. The times available change very quickly but they will be between 11 am to 10 or 11 pm. You and your friend will each receive a FREE fair pass for each four hours volunteer time. So go to http://tinyurl.com/VOLUNTEErforYakimaDemocrats and click on the evens like to RSVP you and your friend NOW... Yakima County Democrats are now on Twitter at http;//www.twitter.com/ycdemocratsSo come follow us for all kind of fun information that you just can not live without.
Thanks Randall (509.654.9740 or 509.210.2701) or questions e-mail: ycdemocrats@q.com
We need volunteers to help out at our Central Washington state fair booth in Yakima, Washington especially September 25 to October 2, 2009. The times available change very quickly but they will be between 11 am to 10 or 11 pm. You and your friend will each receive a FREE fair pass for each four hours volunteer time. So go to www.barackobama.com and click on the evens like to RSVP you and your friend NOW...
Yakima County Democrats are now on Twitter at http;//www.twitter.com/ycdemocrats
So come follow us for all kind of fun information that you just can not live without.
WTW will be launching a pilot program to give every person the opportunity to be a mentor and to have a mentor as part of the summer service initiative, which President Obama announced in his video message.
“In these tough economic times, we need volunteers more than ever,” said Arlan Berglas, WTW Executive Director. WTW is facing increasing demands for services, and volunteers can help us fill this growing need. We are pleased to join this national effort and thank the President for making this call to service.”
United We Serve kicks off on June 22 and runs through September 11, which will be marked for the first time as a national day of service and remembrance. The initiative is being led by the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency that improves lives and strengthens communities though volunteering and service.
“This summer, I'm calling on all of you to make volunteerism and community service part of your daily life and the life of this nation,” said President Obama in the video. “Economic recovery is as much about what you're doing in your communities as what we're doing in Washington – and it’s going to take all of us, working together.”
United We Serve focuses on five key areas where everyone can have a real impact in their community: education, health, energy and the environment; community renewal, and safety and security.
To make it easy for individuals to get involved, the Corporation created Serve.gov, a website that allows visitors to type in their zip code to find local volunteer opportunities, recruit volunteers by posting their organization’s projects, or get ideas for creating their own projects with friends, families, and neighbors. There you will find information about the Pass It Forward Movement.
“Everyone has something to give, and summer is a great time to get involved,” says Berglas. By serving this summer, we hope more people will make an ongoing commitment to volunteering throughout the year. For more information about WTW & the PIF Movement, please go to www.aunitedworld.org.
This Sunday, July 26, OFA will canvass for the President's three health care reform principles from 12:30 to 3:30 in West Chester, PA.Volunteers should sign up at
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/healthcarecanvass/gpfh3v
How many times have you asked yourself, “What can I, as one person, do to influence the national health care debate?” This is the answer. The personal meetings of a canvass in a town or neighborhood really do make a difference. We will gather declarations of support for the President’s principles of health care reform and send the declarations to the members of Congress for each signer.
And here’s the best part:
On Sunday, July 19, OFA had a table at the Turks Head Festival in West Chester, the county seat of Chester County, PA.
We had anticipated doing a canvass in parts of the town that day, but given the number of volunteers and the expected size of the crowd at the festival, we decided to table instead. So we had to postpone our canvass volunteer training using Hassle Lines (see the July 17 entry in this blog). Flexibility!
We had two volunteers initially: one remained at the table to engage passers-by and the other walked through the festival grounds clipboard in hand for the same purpose.
It would be interesting to research which way is the more effective at 1) gaining declarations of support for the President’s three principles, and 2) the next step, signing up volunteers for the OFA effort.
What is your organization’s experience with this? Please leave a comment.
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2009/07/fate_of_healthc.html
Sometimes it can be hard for volunteers in Nebraska to see how our efforts can change the outcome of a Congressional vote in Washington D.C. We tell ourselves that one person can't change anything. This mindset is a huge barrier to those attempting to organize the fight for health care reform in our state. It is hard to convince people to walk around a neighborhood going door to door, or call people they don't even know, if the volunteer can't see how there efforts matter.
This is what makes the fight for health care reform so unique and intriguing for those of us living in Nebraska. Our state does matter and our senator is nationally accepted as one of the key votes in the Senate. Ben Nelson's vote is one of two that the president himself has accepted as the key votes. The Boston Globe reported that President Obama set up private meetings with two senators that he sees as the votes he needs to pass serious health care reform. Senator Nelson was one of these two senators and his vote is accepted by many around the nation as the vote that will decide the outcome of this reform.
Nebraska, this is our chance to change the world. This is our opportunity to actually make a difference in this country. To change the way future generations think about health care. This really is our moment. Senator Nelson will listen to us if we show him that we want this reform. It is hard to put into words how monumental this moment really is for our state. Our senator could be go down in history as the key vote on a bill that literally changed everything we know about health care. Unfortunately, it could also go the other way. Nelson could be remembered as the one who stopped the change. The way history remembers him, and us, is up to us as volunteers here. We must show him we support this change.
So please get involved- call, write, knock on doors. Show the nation that Nebraska wants to see change in the way we view health care. Supporters are here, but that doesn't help the cause if we don't tell Senator Nelson that the supporters are here. He needs to see there is support across the state. We have to show him that we want change and that Nebraska really does care about the future of our country. It is hard to overstate the importance of our work as volunteering now. Can we really afford to go down in history as the state that didn't do everything in its power to influence our key senator? Do we want to be the state that killed our generation's chance to fix our broken medical system?
This is not how I want our state to be remembered. Let's go down as the state that made this happen. The state that gave our children affordable health care. The state that finally won the war for reform.
This Sunday, July 19, OFA will canvass for the President's three health care reform principles in West Chester, the county seat of Chester County, PA.
If we have new volunteers who have never canvassed before, we will do a brief training. We will, of course, hand out the printed materials and make sure everyone understands them. But, after that, we will do an exercise called Hassle Lines.
Hassle Lines
The group makes two lines facing each other--like a Virginia Reel. The members of one line take the role of OFA volunteer, knocking on a door. The members of the facing line take a different role, usually a person opening the door who we would like to talk to about health care. We give each line a few moments to get into their roles and then ask that they begin the conversation. We let it run for only 30 seconds or maybe one minute.
President's Volunteer Service Awards & Netwoking Social (Fundraising)The President's Volunteer Service Awards & Networking Social Sunday August 30, 2009.
11:30 am - 2:30 pm (3 hr Lake St. Clair Cruise)Brunch Cruise and Awards Ceremory aboard the elegant 135 foot yacht Ovation.
3:00 pm - 6:00 pm Networking Social at the Beach Grill and Resort
Jefferson Beach Marina - Ovation yacht (St Clair Shores, MI) 24420 Jefferson AveSt Clair Shores, MI 48080
$125.00 donation includes:3 hr Brunch Cruise aboard Ovation, Awards Ceremory, Beach Grill networking social, plus your Business Card ad in Program Booklet.
$50.00 donation includes:3:00 pm - 6:00 pm Networking Social at the Beach Grill & Resort, plus your Business Card ad in the Program Booklet.
$20.00 donation includes:3:00 pm - 6:00 pm Networking Social at the Beach Grille & Resort, plus your 1 line ad in the Program Booklet.
Hosted by Charity Music Inchttp://www.presidentialawards.nethttp://www.charitymusic.com
info 586-808-7445
