Something BIG is Happening in Racine

Racine, WI, November 15, 2008 — A new group in Racine is attracting international attention. After only one week in existence, Yes We Can Racine has already been featured on National Public Radio and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Tapping into the spirit of volunteerism, Yes We Can Racine is a new non-profit dedicated to taking local action to solve local issues.

“The response has been phenomenal” according to Kelly Gallaher, one of the founding members. “We gained twenty-four volunteers in the first twenty-four hours of operation. After only seven days there are already more than seventy volunteers connected online.”

Yes We Can Racine was formed in the wake of the recent presidential election. According to Gallaher, “Several of us worked together to elect Barack Obama as president. We knew during the election that we were connected to something larger than a political campaign – we were part of a movement. Now we’re taking the ‘campaign for change’ and we’re transforming it into the ‘community for change,’ our own self-directed movement.”

Diana Kovacs, Director of Generation Obama, or GO! commented “I didn’t want the movement to end when the election was over. I love being part of this group. It gives us a chance to take the organizing principles we learned during the campaign and to apply them to local problems. It’s sort of that spirit of ‘We are the ones we have been waiting for.’ If there are going to be solutions to our issues in Racine County, it’s going to be up to us. No one else is going to do it for us.”

First steps have already begun for Yes We Can Racine. A web site is up and running at http://yeswecanracine.com. A meeting is planned for December 6 at 10 AM at Blueberry’s Eatery (522 6th St, Racine, WI). See the web site for details.

A fundraiser for the Racine County Food Bank is also being planned for January.

Yes We Can Racine!

Do you wish we could keep the momentum of the campaign going now that the President has been elected? Some of us have been thinking about how we can keep the spirit of the campaign going, and we think we’ve hit upon an idea. We’ve started a web site for Racine County Wisconsin called YesWeCanRacine.com. There you can add your voice to the discussion at the forums, keep up with the latest events and remain involved in the movement to change our world.

Yes We Can Racine is more than just an online presence. It is a local community movement. It is about answering the call of President Barack Obama in our neighborhood:

“And above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it's been done in America for 221 years - block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

“What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek - it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice.

“So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers - in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.”

- Barack Obama, 44th President, 4 November 2008

Join the movement today. Log on to http://yeswecanracine.com/ and let the conversation begin.

Light a Candle in the Dark

Have you ever read this quote?

“It is better to light one candle than curse the darkness.”

In the past I've written about my anger over the violation of civil liberties and human rights. I've been frustrated over the war and...There I go again. There's no need to repeat what I'm unhappy about.

This quote about lighting a candle instead of cursing the darkness is beginning to sink in to me. Do you ever get tired of hearing how bad things are in the world? I know I do. If you want to light a candle, here are a few ideas.

End Extreme Poverty

It’s really hard to get our mind around, but somehow more than 1.2 billion people live on less than one US dollar per day. That’s one in five. While intellectually I can accept that, it is hard to get a picture.

A friend of mine recently returned from India and she told me this story. If you have a weak stomach, you might want to skip ahead. She said she saw raw sewage running down a street. As she passed in a car, a woman stooped down and scooped up a tin can full of the sewage. She asked the driver what was going on. He told her that the woman was getting her supper. That was what she was going to eat that night. And there are millions more just like her.

ONE.org was formed to address the following issues (click here to see more details):

· HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
· Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
· More and Better Aid
· Education for All
· Clean Water & Sanitation
· Trade Justice
· Debt Cancellation
· Maternal and Child Health
· Corruption
· Food
· Orphans
· Housing

You can join a local chapter of ONE like this one in Cedar Rapids, IA or you can start your own group.

Lend Your Learning Skills

A lot of people who read this blog have teaching and training backgrounds. Here’s a way that you can have an impact on a third world country without ever leaving your home.

LINGOs, Learning for International Non-Governmental Organizations, works with NGOs to increase their efficiency through better learning. They have thousands of volunteer opportunities, which you can read about here. If you contact them, you will find a way to help from your home. They will provide everything you need to help.

Find Your Own Way

If you haven’t yet found a volunteer opportunity that works for you, then check out Idealist.org. At Idealist you will find over 65,000 organizations, more than 11,000 volunteer opportunities and even 6,500 jobs with non-profit organizations. If you’re serious about lighting your candle, then there are plenty of chance to do so.


Bobby Kennedy said, “Some men see things as they are and say, why; I dream things that never were and say, why not?” Why not light your candle today? Why not join together with others so that your light is much brighter? Maybe someday the world will be less dark and we can look back and know that we made a difference.