V4CF's Dr. Bob Merrill: Small-government conservatives 'deluded' about solutions

V4CF's own Dr. Bob Merrill hit another important nail on the head with a letter to the editor published Sunday, June 6, in the Fresno Bee. In his letter, Dr. Merrill states:

How will a smaller government aid Gulf Coast citizens whose marine environment and economic base has been destroyed, resulting in a lack of work for years to come? Believing in smaller government while population grows is akin to believing you'll win the lottery.

In the full text of this letter, he's calling you out, 'small-government' conservatives. And he's doing so most correctly. Given the problems we're facing, from the BP Oil Spill to global warming, if government-based actions are always so inappropriate, where exactly should the solutions for those problems come from? We're waiting...

Food for thought, folks. And kudos to Dr. Merrill on speaking out on the issue so powerfully!

Who we are, and what we're all about

So... what is Volunteers For Change-Fresno? Who are we? And what are we all about? This 'get fired up' video from our Election Day Anniversary celebration should explain things.



Want to join us? You can join V4CF through this online form, or by sending us an an e-mail message. The cost is only time and passion; the payback is the Change you demand.

Community Food Bank Report & Upcoming Events

Thank you to all the members who came out to the Community Food Bank on May 15th.

That day we packed boxes that will be distributed on June 5th at the Essential Services Health Faire & Food Distribution. Volunteers for Change Fresno is signed up to work at that event, so it will be exciting to give out the boxes that we all packed together.

We need a big group of people to participate on at the Essential Services Health Fair & Food Distribution. If you are interested in signing up, please contact Kris Arden at kkarden@yahoo.com or 978-1736


Event Details:

Essential Services Health Faire & Food Distribution

9:00am - 4:00pm (Shifts may be available - TBA)

John W. Wells Youth Center
701 E. 5th St.
Madera, CA

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact Kris Arden.

Primary election the topic of June V4CF meeting

The June 8 primary election will be the primary topic (no pun intended) of our next Volunteers For Change-Fresno meeting, scheduled 7-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 1, in the large community room of the Fig Garden Library, 3071 W. Bullard Ave., in Fresno. The library is on the southwest corner of Bullard and Marks, in the shopping center.

At the meeting, members and guests will be invited to share their own views on the candidates running for various offices in the primary, the ballot propositions, and more. We'll also have brief presentations on GOTV efforts, Pride Day, and our usual bevy of volunteer opportunities.

Our usual fun and camaraderie will be included, of course, at no extra charge. We hope to see you there!

Several V4CF members to participate in 'Day of Action' May 22

Now as you know, Volunteers For Change-Fresno is not in the business or endorsing specific candidates; instead, we tend to focus on specific issues and on volunteer activities.

Still, we'd have to be living under a rock to somehow miss that the California Primary Elections are just days away, scheduled Tuesday, June 8. And since we're indeed living but see no granite, shale or marble above our collective heads, we did want to pass along word about an activity in which several Volunteers For Change-Fresno members plan to participate.

The event? It's called 'Day of Action,' and it'll involve precinct walking and phone banking in support of three local candidates friendly to our positions on our core issues. Scheduled 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, May 22, 'Day of Action' will allow volunteers to hit the streets in support of:

• Henry T. Perea, running for State Assembly District 31;
• Cynthia Sterling, running for Board of Supervisors District 1; and
• Oliver Baines, running for Fresno City Council District 3, who's spoken with V4CF on several occasions about both his candidacy and the annual Santa's Village event.

At the 'Day of Action,' each candidate is scheduled speak about the issues in their respective campaigns beginning at 11 a.m. An afternoon of phone banking and precinct walking for each of the candidates will follow, with a ‘Thank You Barbecue’ for participating volunteers scheduled at 3 p.m. To join in the Day of Action, RSVP by calling (559) 447-2578.

In the meantime, if there's a candidate's event for which you'd like to invite V4CF members' participation, send us the details at v4cfresno@yahoo.com.

Generation Green 2010 Report

On April 24th, Erik Nodacker and Kris Arden participated in Generation Green 2010 sponsored by Hands On Central California. The event kick-off took place at 8:00am at Woodward Park.

Kris and Erik worked on a milk thistle removal project with the San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust at the Jensen River Ranch. Despite the heat, prickly plants, and bugs, Kris and Erik enjoyed the event.

While working on the project, they noticed many large red beetles in the field. The project leader told them that the beetles were an endangered beetle called Elderberry Beetles. The plot of land we cleared has been set aside to help restore plant species native, such as the elderberry plant, to the San Joaquin River area.

After the event, Erik and Kris enjoyed eating a well-deserved frozen yogurt at the shopping center across the street from Woodward Park.

COMMUNITY FOOD BANK UPDATE!

Looking for V4CF members to participate at upcoming Community Food Bank distributions.
Be sure to bring a friend and wear your V4CF T-Shirt!

UPCOMING COMMUNITY FOOD BANK EVENTS & DATES

Essential Services Health Faire & Food Distributions:
Date: Saturday, June 5th
Time: 9:00am - 4:00pm
Location: Madera, CA (Exact location TBA)

Community Volunteer Program:
Location: Community Food Bank (3403 E. Central Avenue, Fresno, CA 93725)
Dates & Times:
Saturday, May 15 8:00am - 10:30am
Saturday, June 19 10:30am - 1:00pm
Saturday, July 17 10:30am - 1:00pm

Please contact Kris Arden at kkarden@yahoo.com or 978-1736 to sign up for any of the dates listed above.