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:

Next steps in supporting healthcare reform the topic of V4CF meeting July 7

With President Obama's July 31 deadline for passage of comprehensive healthcare reform legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives, healthcare reform is still the hot topic for summer.

As such, our next steps in supporting that reform will be the topic of our next Volunteers For Change-Fresno meeting, scheduled 7-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 7, in the large community room at 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.

Our agenda will include:

• The next steps in supporting President Obama's healthcare reform initiative, including ways we all can help;
• Opportunities to take action on healthcare and healthcare reform in our area, including participation in health fairs in August; and
• Actions in support of our local food banks, who are asking for urgent assistance during the summer months.

Want to help right away? Bring a nonperishable food item or canned good to our meeting. We'll collect them and make sure they get to the people who need them!

Want to help our Fresno libraries? Bring a used book or few to our meeting. We'll collect them and donate them to the Fresno Library System on behalf of Volunteers For Change-Fresno.

We hope to see you Tuesday!

Healthcare rally June 25 outside Sen. Feinstein's office gets attention

From our member Kris Arden comes this:

Our first Call to Action in June was the Rally for Health Care Reform, which took place Thursday, June 25, outside of the Fresno office of California Senator Diane Feinstein.

After the rally, I went up to Sen. Feinstein's office with several other Volunteers For Change-Fresno members, including Carol Penn and Julius Chatton, and about 12 others from various agencies.

There we met for about an hour with Sarah Moffat, a field representative from Sen. Feinstein's office, where we all shared our stories related to healthcare or the lack thereof. Ms. Moffat said that personal stories are what will really sway Sen. Feinstein, so hopefully our stories and thousands of others will help the Senator to get on board with President Obama's vision for healthcare reform.

Here's how the rally looked:

Thanks for the report, Kris! And thanks to all V4CF members who participated in the rally! Way to Be the Change!

HuffPo reports public option gaining Senate support

From our friends at the Huffington Post:

Democrats on a key Senate Committee outlined a revised and far less costly health care plan Wednesday night that includes a government-run insurance option and an annual fee on employers who do not offer coverage to their workers.The plan carries a 10-year price tag of slightly over $600 billion, and would lead toward an estimated 97 percent of all Americans having coverage, according to the Congressional Budget Office, Sens. Edward M. Kennedy and Chris Dodd said in a letter to other members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

The full article is available on the Huffington Post at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jason-rosenbaum/all-13-democrats-are-voti_b_224853.html.

President Obama invites you to join online 'town hall' meeting about healthcare reform Wednesday

From our friends at Whitehouse.gov:

Health care reform is already a hot topic, and as legislation moves through Congress, Americans across the nation have questions about how costs will be brought under control to make quality affordable health care accessible to everyone.

That's why the White House is taking another step to connect with people outside of Washington and answer some of the most common questions you have. In the coming days, we're going to focus on your questions about health care, with President Obama and some of his top health care advisors providing answers.

On Wednesday, the President will hold another online town hall to answer more of your questions. This online town hall will be a little different than the last one. This time around, we are engaging online networks outside of WhiteHouse.gov, such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

(If the viewscreen above is not visible, President Obama's invitation can be viewed on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sY7HccFXjZU.)

It is safe to say that we are going to get a ton of questions from a lot of sources and won't be able to answer every one. But over the coming days, we'll use this blog, online chats and the President's town hall on Wednesday to address some of the most common issues we see.

Don't know how to respond to the President's video with your question? Check out this tutorial from YouTube about how to create your own and add it as a response.

If you are a Twitter user, you can also ask your question with this hashtag: #WHHCQ or head to Facebook and ask your question there.