Volunteers For Change-Fresno rocks at 'Rally in the Valley'

With the weather truly changing by the minute, and given President Obama's promise to end the Iraq War responsibly, turnout for this year's PeaceFresno "Rally in the Valley" was perhaps a bit lower than in years past. The Fresno Bee reported that about 300 people attended the Rally -- braving everything from sunshine and heat to hail and wind -- to show their solidarity with the peace movement and other progressive causes from across the spectrum.

Volunteers For Change-Fresno (V4CF) used our "Rally in the Valley" booth to take action on Organizing For America's "Pledge Project," in which people are asked to pledge their support for President Obama's budget and its three stated priorities of education, energy independence and healthcare.


A V4CF team comprised of members Ruth Afifi, Myra Coble, Nancy Griesser, Mercy Grieco, Connie Peterson and Tim Savage collected more than 50 signed pledges for OFA at the Rally; an excellent result given the event's smaller-than-expected attendance this year. Those pledges will now be submitted to Organizing For America.


And while we'd like to say "We hope to see you out there next year," our finest hope is that by next year a peace rally will no longer be necessary. Let's make it happen. Many thanks to PeaceFresno for having us there!