Posted By: ivillagecares on
I was a total skeptic when it came to politics. I was from the Nixon generation and was a career woman who always turned to the business page of the paper rather than the political section. It was 1992; I was recently married and had just moved to a new part of the country. It was a quiet city in Southern Virginia where most of the women led a traditional life - their lives focused on their family, friends and volunteer work.
Looking for a way to meet some of these women, I went to a gathering to discuss the Samaritan House, which was a local shelter for battered women that was in financial trouble. At this gathering, I was immediately struck about how capable and passionate these women where about restoring the lost funding for the Samaritan House. We visited the shelter and heard the stories of the women who depended on this small but pristine little house that provided shelter and anonymity for these physical battered and mental bruised women. While most of us thought the inhabitant were poor unfortunate souls, as we listened to their stories it became apparent that these women came from all walks of life and were literally fleeing for their lives and the lives of their children.
Our group was determined not to let this safe haven be destroyed due to a lack of public funds. We brainstormed and shared ideas and came up with a strategy that all 20 of us would go to the city council meeting and convince the members of the city council to restore all or at least part of the funding for the Samaritan House. We designated one speaker from our group so that our message would be strong and clear. I went home inspired by the women in the shelter and emboldened by the women in our group, but wondered how we could make our presence felt.
That night of our visit to the shelter I had an idea. The meeting was in three days so I had to work fast. The evening of the meeting I showed up with boxes filled with white baseball caps bearing the bright green lettering Save Samaritan House. We must have given over 300 hats to people as they walked into the meeting. We listened respectfully while all the other presentations where made to the city council. It was a long, laborious evening and since we were last, we were particularly happy that we had chosen our most articulate member to state our case. At the end of her well-crafted and compelling statement, she turned to the audience and said, "So everyone here who supports the Samaritan House, please stand up." A sea of white hats rose - nearly half the room. It was stunning. Needless to say our presence was felt and full funding was restored!
I tell this story because it is the reason I decided to commit myself to politics. Where would we have come up with the tens of thousands of dollars needed to save this shelter without the political process and the City Council? Where would these women and children have gone if the shelter had closed? The success of our grassroots campaign to save the shelter was the political system at its best.
As a result of my work on behalf of The Samaritan House, I have worked on numerous political campaigns. In addition, I have raised money and advocated for many politicians that I have come to know and deeply respect. After all, the people who occupy the various political offices have a profound impact on all of our lives....in more ways that we can imagine.
Beth Dozoretz's recommended organization: Vital Voices
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