OFA offering two new tools to assist with 'Pledge Project' calls

Calling your Senators and Representatives this week in support of President Obama's budget?

If so, California's Organizing For America coordinator Mary Jane Stevenson has made two new tools available to Volunteers For Change-Fresno members, both designed to assist with our calling efforts.

The first tool helps volunteers to call supporters and ask them to call their congressional representatives. It's available at http://my.barackobama.com/page/contact/splash/budgetaction

The second tool offers a quick and easy way to find your representative's telephone number (for those whose numbers aren't listed below), and includes a sample script for those who want some guidance in what to say. It's available at http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/callcongress/budget/

Here's an excerpt from Mary Jane's invitation:

After winning a two-year campaign for the opportunity for change, we are now embarking on a four (and hopefully eight)-year campaign to accomplish that change. Please join me in these beginning stages of that campaign – as so many of you already have with your continued commitment to the pledge project. And now, as we help our President get a budget passed – a budget that is the essential blueprint for his agenda.

Almost 50,000 calls were made yesterday across the country, in one day! Every single district got called, and the average per office was more than 100 calls. Let's keep it going!

We're with you, Mary Jane! Keep making those calls, everyone, and don't forget to record your results at http://my.barackobama.com/callreport

The folks to call are:

Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-CA-18)
CALL: (202) 225-6131 or (209) 383-4455

Rep. George Radanovich (R-CA-19)
CALL: (202) 225-4540 or (559) 449-2490

Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA-20)
CALL: (202) 225-3341 or (559) 495-1620

Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA-21)
CALL: (202) 225-2523 or (559) 323-5235

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
CALL: (202) 224-3841 or (559) 485-7430

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
CALL: (202) 224-3553 or (559) 497-5109

First Lady Michelle Obama to speak at UC Merced's graduation in May

Wow! Breaking news from the Fresno Bee:

First lady Michelle Obama will deliver the commencement speech to UC Merced’s first full senior graduating class in May, her office announced today.

The Office of the First Lady said UC Merced students waged a successful letter-writing campaign to her, her office, friends and family to secure her address on May 16. Her office said it will supply details later.

http://www.fresnobee.com/updates/story/1290710.html

We Get Press: V4CF's garden action covered March 24 in the Fresno Bee

The Fresno Bee covered Volunteers For Change-Fresno's community garden "Call to Action" as part of a broader article in its Tuesday, March 24, edition. From the article:

Volunteers toted rakes, hoes and other tools to the West Fresno Health Care Coalition’s existing community garden at Tulare and A streets.

As the only community garden in West Fresno, this project aims to teach young people about self-sufficiency, nutrition, health and community service.

Connie Peterson, a member of Volunteers for Change-Fresno, brought a group of about 35 to work at that garden on Saturday. She’d proposed the project to Volunteers for Change-Fresno, a nonpartisan group of Barack Obama supporters.

“I personally feel that a garden is a small personal change that anyone in our area can make,” she writes in an e-mail.

Want to read more? Here's the full article.

Call your Senators and Representatives; tell 'em you support Pres. Obama's budget

Did you sign on to Organizing for America's (OFA) "Pledge Project"? If so, the time has come to take action on that pledge.

OFA is asking all Volunteers For Change-Fresno members and anyone who signed the pledge to take the next step:

Call your Senators and Congressmen right away, and state your support for President Obama's budget.

Our representatives need to know that we support:

• Renewable energy to reduce our dependence on foreign sources of oil;
  
• Making healthcare more affordable for every American by cutting costs; and
  
• Improving education so our children are prepared for the jobs of the 21st Century.

OFA is also asking our members and everyone calling to follow up by clicking the links provided below. So, it's three calls and one click to help bring about the change we demanded when we elected President Obama.

Here's the note from OFA:

Members of Congress will begin debating President Obama's budget this week, with a vote likely set for next week.

What you do now will decide what kind of debate they have -- one that's dominated by special interests and partisan voices intent on keeping the status quo, or one that reflects the priorities of citizens like you.

Last week, thousands canvassed their communities to talk with neighbors about the need for a new direction. Now, it's time to take that message to Washington.

Can you pick up the phone and let Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Sen. Barbara Boxer, and your district's Representative know where you stand on President Obama's budget?

Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-CA-18)
CALL: (202) 225-6131 or (209) 383-4455

Rep. George Radanovich (R-CA-19)
CALL: (202) 225-4540 or (559) 449-2490

Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA-20)
CALL: (202) 225-3341 or (559) 495-1620

Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA-21)
CALL: (202) 225-2523 or (559) 323-5235

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
CALL: (202) 224-3841 or (559) 485-7430

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
CALL: (202) 224-3553 or (559) 497-5109

After your call, please record your feedback at http://my.barackobama.com/callreport

We can't afford to ignore the long-term threats to our prosperity. Now is the time to build the foundation for a recovery that lasts.

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!

MoveOn.org launches campaign for 'new energy' economy

From our friends at MoveOn.org:

The fate of President Obama's plan to rebuild the economy isn't going to be decided in Washington, D.C. It'll be decided in communities like Fresno all across the country.

A core part of Obama's economic plan is creating millions of good, green jobs and repowering America with clean energy. But Congress is afraid to cross Big Oil and Big Coal, which are spending millions opposing the president's proposals.

So we're launching a new grassroots campaign for a new energy economy, called Power Up America. We'll work together locally to show our senators and representatives how we can transform the economy, create jobs that can't be outsourced, and fight the climate crisis.

We're kicking off the campaign in Fresno at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 4. You can learn about the campaign, meet other MoveOn members, and find out how to get involved.

To participate in the Power Up America kick-off, sign up through the MoveOn.org website.

Successful community garden action brings volunteers together

Yesterday's Volunteers For Change-Fresno "Call to Action" was a tremendous success, with more than 30 of our members joining people from two other organizations in helping to clear the West Fresno Health Care Coalition's "Watch Us Grow" community garden.

At the event, we found ourselves working alongside members of Common Vision, a group of volunteers dedicated to cultivating ecological awareness and respect for the Earth while generating social and environmental changes towards sustainable lifestyles. Common Vision volunteers initially went to work helping to clear the garden, and later "showed V4CF how it's done" by planting more than a dozen fruit trees. Common Vision members also made the day even more enjoyable with a live African-drum performance; for their participation, expertise and energy, V4CF offers our most sincere thanks!

Couldn't make it? Here's how the day felt. (Please click the "HQ" button at the bottom of the video's viewscreen; the movie will look much better.)



And here's how the day looked.






































































In the end, our "Call to Action" Community Garden project was a great activity and a very successful effort. Many thanks to all of our Volunteers For Change who participated!

President Obama's weekly address: A budget equal to the task before us

From our friends at Whitehouse.gov:

In his weekly address March 21, President Obama reflects on lessons from his time spent outside Washington recently, which only reinforced the core principles in his budget. The budget will be his central focus throughout this week.

"These investments are not a wish list of priorities that I picked out of thin air – they are a central part of a comprehensive strategy to grow this economy by attacking the very problems that have dragged it down for too long: the high cost of health care and our dependence on oil; our education deficit and our fiscal deficit."