Obama Works Alexandria group is doing great work in Virginia. (A crucial swing state!) They were rained out on the National Day of Service, but that didn’t stop them for long; they came together today and put together a fantastic park cleanup. The below writeup is courtesy of Jill Murray:
On a perfect early fall morning, more than 20 energetic volunteers, inspired by Sen. Obama’s call to service, pitched in to clean up Jones Point Park Alexandria, VA on Sept. 20. Jones Point Park, the largest open space in the Old Town Historic area, encompasses 60 acres in the southeast corner of Alexandria, Virginia, at the site of the new Woodrow Wilson Bridge. The Park is owned by the National Park Service and managed by the Alexandria Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities. Because of the somewhat remote location along the Potomac River, it doesn’t receive some of the attention given to other open spaces in the city. Volunteers showed up with work gloves and enthusiasm for the event. The park is used primarily as a dog walking area and several regulars let us know what a great job we had done in beautifying the shoreline. What a great morning it was and what a terrific group of people answered the call to service.
A great event! Also make sure to check out our Day of Service page for similar wrapups of events that happened on the 6th as we post them.
From one of the Obama Works organizers in Dayton, Ohio from this past Saturday, April 12th.
“The Obama Dayton Sweep was a success !!!
I Just wanted to let everyone know how much I appreciated all your time and hard work Saturday during the Obama Sweep. We had over 40 people. We cleaned up over 5500 lbs of trash!!! Y es, almost 3 tons of trash was removed from our alleys and park!!!!!! Even though it was cold and sometimes raining, everyone stuck it out until mid afternoon. About 15 of us diehards worked until evening. I know there were several aching backs, knees, legs etc. Please know that your efforts are worth while.”
Keep up the great work Obama Workers. Together, We Truly Can!
Fired Up in Philly!
Obama Supporters Put His Words to Action
By Laura Jensen
April 5, 2008
Thirty-four people of varied ages and diverse backgrounds came together yesterday to sweep a neighborhood in York City, Pennsylvania. What these people shared in common was an understanding of Senator Obama’s vision for a new kind of politics. What they shared was a sense of empowerment to take personal responsibility, not just to help Senator Obama win the Pennsylvania Primary, but to be a part of the real sweeping positive change that they absolutely believe an Obama Presidency will mean for our country.
These folks are part of a rapidly growing grassroots movement called “Obama Works” whose mission is to help people organize community service events which demonstrate support for Senator Obama while making a concrete contribution in their communities.* The movement began in New Haven, Connecticut just about seven weeks ago, and has spread to cities in Pennsylvania, Oregon, California, New York and Washington State. It is spurred onward primarily by people’s realization of Barack Obama’s message that “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”
Armed with work gloves, trash bags, brooms, shovels and rakes, all donated by Penn Waste and York More Beautiful, the York City group convened at a Hess Station at the busy corner of College Avenue and Queen Street. Dividing into three teams, which respectively headed east, south and west into residential neighborhoods, the workers filled as many as ten large trash bags on some blocks. Several of the younger kids waved Obama rally signs, eliciting honks and cheers from passing cars. Neighbors emerged from their homes, appearing inquisitive and grateful. Some folks stopped to chat, to discuss the issues on their minds with this upcoming election. Information was disseminated and many new volunteers were directed to the Obama York Headquarters.
Most importantly, real connections were made within this diverse group of volunteers and within this community. When it came time to close the event just about everyone, though tired and hungry, lingered on that corner with a sense of camaraderie, connection, accomplishment, and real hope for the future of our country.