Tag: hunter mill

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Red and Minor Terry take fight against pipeline across Virginia

By Karen Kirk:

After spending 34 days living in trees to block the Mountain Valley Pipeline from being built on their property in Roanoke County, Red Terry and her daughter Minor are taking their fight around Virginia this week. They were joined by Virginia Delegate Mark Keam, 35th District, Delegate Sam Rasoul, 11th District and attorney and activist Jonathan Sokolow at a briefing to the public in Fairfax County on Wednesday.

“Today we want you all to understand a major environmental crisis is happening and it is becoming more of a threat every single day and we want you to understand what you can do about it,” said Keam at the event at Northern Virginia Community College.

Read the rest at The Blue View.

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Hunter Mill Outreach Helps as Vienna’s First Baptist Church Raises Over $14,500 for ‪Rise Against Hunger

On April 28, as a part of the Hunter Mill Democrats’ Outreach efforts, Phil Haber and Shyamali Hauth worked at the Vienna First Baptist Church’s Rise Against Hunger event.

Phil put in more than four hours and Shyamali was there for more than three hours. In that time, they helped pack 33,000 meals.

Pastor Walton presented Rise Against Hunger with a check for $14,532.48 from the church.

If you’re interested in getting involved with Hunter Mill’s Outreach efforts, please contact Shyamali Hauth, HMDDC Vice hair for Outreach.

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Grassroots Profiles: Herndon-Reston Indivisible

Editor’s Note: Another in our periodic surveys of local grassroots organizations, compiled by Holly Hazard. This time: Herndon-Reston Indivisible. 

Herndon-Reston Indivisible’s mission is to fuel a progressive network to resist the Trump agenda while electing Democrats who support our values of transparency, inclusion, tolerance & fairness. HRI is led by a steering committee: Heidi Zollo, Carrie Bruns, Anne Alston, and Joanne Collins.

Q: Other than the 2016 election results and/or the Women’s March, what was the spark that moved you to create your organization and what has kept you engaged?

A: Heidi: Fear of living in a country governed by Trump’s values and policies. I believed that citizens had to do something to respond to Trump et al., in some way. I had an idea that Herndon and Reston election volunteers could join forces to respond against Trump and Republicans. We would organize by issues, but could respond as a group if a larger voice was needed. I pitched my idea to Carrie, and, after some brainstorming, we agreed to call ourselves Herndon-Reston Indivisible.

A: Joanne: Early on HRI began breakout Issue groups where participants took on leadership roles. Issue groups which have coalesced include: Election, Immigration, Defending American Institutions, Science & Environment, Education, Gun Violence Prevention, Economy, Healthcare, Federal Government, & Voting Rights. These groups have their own meetings monthly outside of the general meeting held each month. Each group participates in resistance activities and groups collaborate on initiatives and the whole of HRI comes together to participate in marches, letter writing, postcards, voter registrations, canvassing, phone banking, lobbying, and meeting with representatives. The HRI Issue groups partner with other local groups working on the same initiative to enhance their effectiveness. Our strongest groups are led by activists who care deeply about their issue.

Read the rest at The Blue View.

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Come Knock Doors With Us!

The closer we get to election day, the more opportunities will arise for you to take part in canvassing—knocking on doors to talk to potential voters. Hunter Mill is already doing canvassing events on May 5 and May 19. These are part of a Voter ID project in which we are trying to learn more about how voters in those precincts vote in elections, and lay the groundwork for more effective candidate campaigns in the fall.

Canvassing is one of the most powerful tools in the electoral toolbox. While political campaigns work hard to get their messages out to voters through television, radio, mailers, email, text messages, and phone calls, there is really nothing as potent as a face-to-face conversation. It really shows your neighbors how important you think voting is, and how passionately you feel about the issues at stake. It is easy to dislike or dismiss a faceless group of people, but a canvasser’s knock on a door helps a neighbor realize that parties are made of people who care enough to talk to them, person to person.

And voters are just that: your neighbors. Canvassing is a great way to meet the people who live in your community. We all tend to walk our normal paths and stick to our usual friends and acquaintances, but we are part of a larger community. Canvassing can help you build your own understanding of the individuals who form that community.

Canvassing also helps the party better understand the community. That, in turn, facilitates more effective engagement with the community’s priorities. Effective engagement with communities is how grass roots become blue waves.

And, of course, who among us couldn’t use a little sunshine and exercise?

So, as you see canvassing opportunities arise throughout the summer and fall, right up through election day, consider participating and deepening your and your party’s ties to the community, and building the momentum that will set Hunter Mill District, Fairfax County, Virginia, and Washington on the path to a brighter future. Don’t hesitate to reach out to Hunter Mill’s Vice Chair for Precinct Operations, Joanne Collins at collinsjoanne@yahoo.com or 585-703-1121 if you have questions.

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Early Primary Voting Has Begun!

If you live in the 10th CD (Hunter Mill Precincts COLVIN and FOX MILL) you can vote in the June 12 primary for the candidate to oppose Barbara Comstock. If you will be unable to vote on June 12, you may vote early (“absentee in-person”). You will need to have a valid reason why you cannot vote on June 12; don’t worry, this is not an obstacle (see full info).

You may vote through June 9, at one of ten polling locations throughout the county (you do not need to live near the polling location for early voting). These ten include the main Fairfax County Government Center in Fair Lakes.

Full information available here and here.

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Nothing in her military career prepared her for this conversation

By Shyamali Hauth

How does an 18-year old immigrant woman whose parents are both college professors and steeped in a tradition of non-violence end up in the armed forces?

I was working three part-time jobs and struggling to pay rent and college costs. A friend mentioned that as a reservist, the Army paid part of her tuition. So I went to see the Air Force recruiter. I liked what he said, not just about the tuition assistance, but about what I would be doing. So I enlisted, thinking I would serve my four years and get out.

Little did I know the four would stretch to 10 years on active duty (enlisted and officer) and another 22 as an Air Force spouse. I got those college degrees — a BA and an MS – gave birth to four children, and served with a group of people from all over, of all races, working together because, like me, they loved their country.

Read the rest at The Blue View

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Lasagna Dinner Tickets Are Running Out

There are a lot of reasons to move now to get your tickets to the 43rd annual Hunter Mill Democrats Lasagna Dinner, but perhaps the most pressing one is that tickets are limited by the size of the room and we’re running out fast. We wish we could fit everyone into the Reston Community Center on April 7, but alas, space is limited.

And don’t forget that if you wait until after March 14, the tickets that are left (if any) will be more expensive! Prices go up on March 15.

We will have special guests Rep. Gerry Connolly* and Del. Elizabeth Guzman, we will have a live auction with our incomparable auctioneer, Del. Ken Plum.  and we will have plentiful pans of lasagna.

Get your tickets here, feel free to share this link with more information, and if you’re a denizen of the social media domain, share the Facebook event with your hordes of friends and followers.

*Gerry Connolly is appearing at this event as a special guest. Gerry Connolly is not soliciting funds or donations