See coverage of the First Lady’s visit in The Washington Post.
Volunteers for President Obama’s re-election campaign, including many from the LOW Democratic Club, are fired up and determined not to leave a single Orange County vote unturned in the November election.
Two phone banks have already been held by the North Orange Obama Team, resulting in contacting more than 800 people asking for help in assuring the president another four years to finish the job he has so successfully begun.
A voter registration drive has been scheduled outside the Food Lion Store in Locust Grove on June 9 and the Orange County volunteers are going to participate in a nationwide rally for the president on June 16.
About a dozen campaign volunteers participated in a phone bank conducted June 6 at Ken Martin’s house, resulting in more than 500 contacts and recruiting more Orange County volunteers.
Participating in the phone bank were Amy Peters, Charles Brewer, Helen Brewer, Sheila Clark, Vera Jackson, Nancy Arnold, Kerry Sipe, Jim Donovan, Fay Potter, Carla Loban, Zach Loban, Ken Martin and Marti Martin.
Despite the thrilling turnout for events so far, there are still lots of opportunities to get involved. Call one of the project captains below to find out how you can be a part of the next event:
- Team Captain — (540) 972-3416, kjm713@comcast.net
- Phone Banks — Nancy Arnold, (540) 972-4683, NancyLArnold@gmail.com
- Voter Registration — Mary Berger, (540) 972-3066, meberger1911@hotmail.com
- Data Entry — Kerry Sipe, (540) 972-2737, kerry.sipe@comcast.net
- Logistics — James Domovan, (540) 412-1337, jamiestoy@live.com
Good food, good company and good times will be the order of the day when The Lake of the Woods Democratic Club hosts its annual Flag Day Membership Picnic June 13 at Sweetbriar Park.
Wayne Powell, candidate for the Congress from Virginia’s 7th District, will be a special guest at the event. He’ll speak briefly about his determination to help restore a dysfunctional U.S. Congress.
The picnic will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the covered Lion George Lewis Pavilion in Sweetbriar Park.
Everyone’s invited to the picnic, which has become a much-anticipated early summer tradition at the Lake. There will be hamburgers and hot dogs and a groaning board of other all-America fare, such as potato salad, baked beans, casseroles, side-dishes, watermelon and red-white-and-blue cupcak es.
There’s no charge for admission, but donations to defer expenses are encouraged and appreciated.
After everyone has had plenty to eat, there will be patriotic program, beginning with a flag ceremony and featuring the club’s own “Demettes,” a crowd-pleasing bevy of divas belting out a repertoire of lively and hilarious songs, usually with political overtones.
Raffle tickets will be sold on a lovely wine basket, including two bottles of good wine, wine glasses, candle, two Democratic donkey pins, wine glass tags, gourmet crackers and other surprises.
A change in philosophy at the national and state level about how best to address homelessness contributed to the closing of the Sheltering Arms emergency shelter in Orange, according to Cathy Zielinski, program manager-human services planning for the Rappahannock-Rapidan Regional Commission.
Ms. Zielinski presented a status report on homelessness to the Lake of the Woods Democratic Club at its May 17 meeting.
The topic is of particular interest to club members because they had supported Sheltering Arms with their money and volunteer time for years before it closed last fall. The shelter was one of the few emergency shelters in the region and the only one that served single men.
Ms. Zielinski said federal and state authorities are now emphasizing getting homeless persons into permanent housing rather than temporary shelters and transitional housing. The philosophy is that public funds should be directed toward permanent solutions to the problem of homelessness rather than to short-term fixes. The result, she said, is that emergency shelters have suffered severe budget cuts.
The regional strategy for combatting homelessness is to provide a continuum of care directed to getting the homeless into permanent housing they can afford, she said.
The Piedmont Housing Network, which includes Orange, Culpeper, Madison, Fauquier and Rappahannock counties, the Rappahannock-Rapidan Community Services Board and the area agency on aging, maintains four emergency shelters, six transitional housing units and a permanent supportive housing unit for persons with disabilities. Efforts have begun to work with landlords and property owners in the region to establish a system of permanent housing.
Cathy Zielinski, program manager-human services planning for the Rappahannock-Rapidan Regional Commission, will speak to the club on the efforts of Orange County and its neighboring counties and towns to develop regional cooperation in addressing shared concerns, such as housing. transportation and tourism.