Volunteers needed for 'Back to School Health Fair,' on Saturday, Aug. 15

Volunteers For Change-Fresno is looking for 25 volunteers to help with the "Back To School Health Fair" being hosted by the West Fresno Healthcare Coalition.

The event targets children grades K - 12 and their families. Various vendors will provide health screening and health-related information. Children will receive backpacks filled with school supplies for the new school year. Free food will also be provided.

Volunteers For Change-Fresno plans to play a key role in the event by supplying the West Fresno Healthcare Coalition with 15 volunteers. Additionally, we plan to host a booth at the event where we will do voter registration, have children's activities, and pass out information on health care reform. Another 10 people will be needed to run the booth.

EVENT INFORMATION:
Event: Back To School Health Fair
Date: August 15, 2009

Time: 7:00 A.M. - 1:00 P.M.

Location: Hinton Community Center - 2385 S. Fairview Ave.

http://local.yahoo.com/info-28739353-hinton-community-center-fresno

Host: West Fresno Healthcare Coalition

Help local children start the school year off right!

To sign-up for the event, go to http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gpcr97.
To inquire about the event, contact Kris Arden at kkarden@yahoo.com or 559-978-1736.

Phonebanking for healthcare reform begins Wednesday, July 15

As announced at our Volunteers For Change-Fresno meeting July 7, we're inviting our members to participate in a phonebanking effort, to encourage our fellow Fresnans to call their Senators and Representatives and express their support for meaningful healthcare reform now.

On three Wednesday evenings this month -- July 15, July 22 and July 29 -- we'll get together to call locally, encouraging our neighbors to contact California's Representatives and Senators to support President Obama's principles for meaningful healthcare reform, including the public option.

We'll be making our calls 6-9 p.m. from Room 134 of the Lab School at Fresno State University, on Keats Ave. west of Maple, in east Fresno.

To participate, sign up at http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gpcrw2. Training and scripts will be provided, and other phonebankers will be there for mutual support. Bring your cell phone, your enthusiasm and your persistence.

Or, as event organizer Connie Peterson says, "It's great company and great fun. If you have never phone banked before, it is easier than you think--please give it a try! Come for all three hours or for however long you can spare."

We hope to see you there!

Groups planning budget rally at Governor's Fresno office July 15

From our friends at ACORN and Health Access comes this invitation:

The Fresno CLC, along with ACORN and Health Access, is organizing a rally at Governor Schwarzenegger's Fresno office to protest his indifference to the suffering being caused by budget cuts, and all community members are invited to join them.

Our organizing goals are:

1) To attach a local, human face to the consequences of the Governor’s proposed cuts to health, human services and education.

2) To call for a solution that does not place the whole burden of balancing the budget on those most in need of public services.

3) To persuade the Governor and Central Valley legislators to accept a balanced solution that includes revenues.

The rally is scheduled 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, July 15, outside the Governor's Fresno office, 2550 Mariposa Mall, in Fresno.

To participate, please send an e-mail message to Jessica Rothaar of Health Access at jessicar@health-access.org. Tell 'em Volunteers For Change-Fresno sent you!

President Obama's weekly address: Recovery and the jobs of the future

From our friends at Whitehouse.gov:

In his weekly address, President Obama explains how the Recovery Act helped end our economic free fall, and how his agenda is helping to set a new foundation for our economy. From healthcare reform to energy, to creating the jobs of the future, the President’s proposals will make our economy stronger for both the current generations and for our children, all in a way that will get our deficits under control.



If the viewscreen above is not visible, the President's weekly address can be viewed on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AN3R6zIt9dQ.

A Call to Action: Help V4CF and OFA support healthcare reform this weekend

As announced at our meeting Tuesday, Volunteers For Change-Fresno members will be helping the Organizing for America (OFA) organization with an important project this weekend: neighborhood canvassing in support of healthcare reform.

President Obama wants a comprehensive healthcare reform bill -- one that includes the tenets of reducing costs, allowing patient's choice in their own healthcare and doctor, and ensuring quality and affordable healthcare for all -- approved by the House and Senate before they end their sessions July 31.

That means the time to contact our Senators and Representatives in support of this effort is now.

But we can't do it alone. That's why OFA has asked us to help canvass, undertaking this effort to get our neighbors and friends to contact their Senators and Representatives as well.

Canvassing teams plan to visit selected neighborhoods in Fresno this weekend, July 11 and 12. Want to participate? Sign up for a canvassing session through the OFA website. Two sessions are available: Saturday, July 11, and Sunday, July 12. Canvassers will work in teams, and training will be provided.

We hope to see you there!

President Obama's weekly address: America's history of overcoming challenges

From our friends at Whitehouse.gov:

In his weekly address, President Obama recounts America’s great history of overcoming seemingly insurmountable challenges, and pledges to lead America in continuing that tradition. Focusing on creating a clean energy economy, comprehensive health reform, and revitalizing an education system in need of change, the President pledges not to leave these decades-old problems to yet another generation to solve.



If the viewscreen above is not visible, the President's weekly address can be viewed on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPcTv7EZWzo.

V4CF braves the heat to support Youth and Community Health March and Information Fair

From our member Kris Arden comes this recap of our June 27 Call to Action, the Youth and Community Health March and Information Fair:

The event began with a march from the Kearny Palms Shopping Center to Fresno's City Hall Plaza, a march in which several V4CF members participated, including Jesse Calderon, Julius Chatton, Peggy Davis and Connie Peterson.

The balance of our Volunteers For Change set up and staffed our V4CF booth in City Hall Plaza, where we registered people to vote, handed out health care reform information, and ran children's activities focusing on healthy eating and other health-related topics.

The event's sponsors also held a ceremony celebrating the event, attended by Fresno City Council member Cynthia Sterling. Afterward, the Fresno County Health Department conducted voluntary AIDS testing for those attending the Fair. 18 people volunteered to be tested, the highest number ever, with Council Member Sterling the first in line.



Though the day's extreme temperatures caused fewer people to turn out than expected, it was fun to see the smiles on the faces of the children who enjoyed coloring and playing with Play-Doh at our booth.

Thanks for the report, Kris! Here's how the event looked: