Jan, Reed, and Judy (Modesto), Elaine, Marie, Don, and I (Turlock), Sam (Merced) and two others from Los Banos (sorry, I don't have names) attended a meeting hosted by the Fresno group. Representative from several Central Valley groups were also in attendance, most of whom we were meeting for the first time. Together, we shared our thoughts on . . .
Group growth/Focusing our efforts
Finding and nurturing leaders
Fundraising
And
Coordinating with other groups
What can we do to help group growth/Focus our efforts?
1. Ask for a regular donation from membership;
2. Reach out to young people - those who are booing us;
3. Create concise messaging and take them to very specific venues;
4. Find experts within the community to come as speakers;
5. Educate people on how lack of involved has a direct impact on their personal bottom lines;
6. Connect with Rotary, Elks, Lions, Kiwanis, and KC - offer to come speak to their groups about TPP;
7. Reach out to Chamber of Commerce and Hispanic Chamber of Commerce;
8. Check out possible programming on our local valley channels
9. Use social pressure at public rallies to control protesters who cross the line on being noisy and negative;
10. Rally around a theme. Have a purpose. Announce it with good signage;
11. Leave the crazy signs out of it. Skip costume hats (like tri-corns). Look normal so people can identify;
12. Start connecting with festivals in under presented communities. Ex: Hughson's Fruit and Nut Festival;
13. At the end of general meetings have a list of simple things that can be easily done that will help get people involved. Ask the membership what they want to do or feel they can do?
14. Set up radio interview at other am/fm stations (Ex. - KCSS);
15. Invest in a supply of common sense trading cards;
16. Write letters to representatives when they do something right. Don't just complain;
Finding and nurturing leaders
17. Acknowledge an individual when you see them doing something that is beneficial to the group. Acknowledge their contributions and strengths. Don't let people think they are invisible;
18. Create job descriptions for regularly occurring needs. Create cheat sheets so a new leader does not feel they are starting out cold;
19. To promote growth, grow your leaders first;
20. Look at TPP site and click the link to study the leadership instruction;
Fundraising
21. Membership - urge people to commit to a low monthly contribution of $5 to come to the group as an auto-deduction;
22. Taxes? Spend what you get. Zero out.
23. Arrange for percentage back nights at participating businesses. Ex: Pizza Factory gives back 20% of income if TPP in mentioned on meeting night;
24. Sell merchandise;
25. Set up a Pay Pal link on your website;
26. Sponsor a 50/50 raffle on general meeting nights. Winner gets half. Group gets half. OR
27. Raffle an item that has been donated to the group;
28. NOTE - if you are going to raffle something big, be sure to check state/federal laws;
Coordinating with other groups and news gathering
29. Email;
30. Participate in multi-group meetings;
31. Share your speaker list;
32. Support each other's events;
33. Submit news to your website and to What's Happening in the Valley;
34. Subscribe to the Heritage Foundation, a rich source of news.
The after closed with Brad (Fresno) presenting a short seminar on using the internet to achieve our goals. All in all, it was a day of good information, good food, and good bonding with like-minded thinkers.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Christmas Parade, Turlock, 2010 Originally Posted by Annie Jeffries on December 4, 2010 at NVP original site
We participated in Turlock's annual Christmas parade this year for the first time. What an adventure. We put up a booth, had members walking in the parade; it was a lot of fun. Walkers were Don, Marie, Elisha, Marie R and grandsons, Rick and his boys, Carl C., Denise C., and April. Nancy and John C. brought up the rear in their pretty Model A automobile
The walkers were well-received. We got lots of cheers, a few boo's and a couple of Viva la Mexicos (what in the world is that). Oh well, the viva yellers were kids and they probably don't know any better. Let's hope that changes.
The Model A was the only one in the parade. She was so pretty but she got tired and pooped out towards the end and had to be pushed. Once she cooled off, she started up again.
The walkers were well-received. We got lots of cheers, a few boo's and a couple of Viva la Mexicos (what in the world is that). Oh well, the viva yellers were kids and they probably don't know any better. Let's hope that changes.
The Model A was the only one in the parade. She was so pretty but she got tired and pooped out towards the end and had to be pushed. Once she cooled off, she started up again.
Spending a morning at TID and Learning a Thing or TwoPosted by Annie Jeffries on September 28, 2010 at 1:42am at NVP original site
Many hands make light work. It also fosters new friendships and cements blossoming friendships. This morning's heavy lifting was done at the TID offices (Turlock Irrigation District) on behalf of Mike Berryhill, candidate for Congress for the 18th Congressional District.
As usual, political distortion, while based on a truth, doesn't tell a whole truth. So this morning found me wading through 26 years worth of weekly TID meetings minutes all in a quest of verifying Mike's actually attendance record at these meetings.
The distorted political truth in the current campaign for the seat in the 18th Congressional District is that Mike Berryhill, has been absent or late to TID Supervisors meetings 30% of the time over the last 26 years. That leads the ad listener to believe that Berryhill is not responsible or reliable. I used to think that a statistic put out there had to be true because an untruth can be proven. Naive, I known, but I'm losing my naivete fast.
My exploration into 26 years of meeting minutes taught me a few things about "truth".
1. The late arrivals were, in reality, arrivals that were no more that 5 - 15 minutes late on meetings that last in excess over four hours and often lasted longer. This means that instead of missing 30% of the voting ; in reality he was present for 85% of them.
2. The absences were in large part clustered in the Fall season. Mike is a working farmer who manages a 200 acre grape operation. He is up early, working the vineyards, running in to clean up and then driving to Turlock for a meeting that starts at 9 a.m. It doesn't take much to slow things up - broken machinery can't wait; urgent harvesting may be dictated because unseasonal weather can ruin a crop at the last minute.
3. I found it appalling that as a resident of Turlock, a vast farm community, we are not part of the 18th District. Stockton and Modesto, cities that don't rely on farming, are. Merced, surrounded by farms also does not rely on farming. Many small farming communities do make up the 18th District, but not one of the biggest - not Turlock. I started to understand the meaning and real implications of gerrymandering. Somewhere along the line, politics excluded Turlock from its natural voting so that democrats would have a more stacked for winning district.
So, you must wonder, if I can't vote for this man, why am I working for this man? It's an easy answer. He is a neighbor. He lives less than ten miles from me and yet I can't vote for him. If I CAN'T vote for him, I WILL work for him.
I don't believe it is one individual that influences good change through better government. I believe that good individuals of similar minds are going to do what it takes to effect change and save our state not to mention our country. It is this philosophy that thrust me into political activism at this stage of my life. I wouldn't have imagined it even two or three years ago but too much has happened in the last three years politically for me to sit still anymore.
I have become part of a large body of Americans who object to being controlled by regulatory rules that have nothing to do with the rule of law, let along the Constitution.
I object to being subjected to the rule of NAFTA with all of its unbalance slanted south.
I object to businesses in California being taxed out of existence - literally - only to see those jobs resurface as outsourced jobs.
I object to unions having so much influence in this state that political extremes can be handled by the same handler and never know they are being managed.
I object to farmers losing farms (due to lack of water) because they are being sacrificed upon the altar of eco-terrorism in the form of a 4 inch fish.
I object to logging operations shutting down resulting in lumber having to be imported from Oregon.
So, I did some heavy lifting this morning and it felt good. I built up a bit of a political resume and committed myself to caring about the future and not giving up. We all know and remember Thomas Jefferson, or the Wright Brothers, or Albert Einstein. But do you know who "Jerry Cresip" is? No, I thought not. You see - he gave up.
As usual, political distortion, while based on a truth, doesn't tell a whole truth. So this morning found me wading through 26 years worth of weekly TID meetings minutes all in a quest of verifying Mike's actually attendance record at these meetings.
The distorted political truth in the current campaign for the seat in the 18th Congressional District is that Mike Berryhill, has been absent or late to TID Supervisors meetings 30% of the time over the last 26 years. That leads the ad listener to believe that Berryhill is not responsible or reliable. I used to think that a statistic put out there had to be true because an untruth can be proven. Naive, I known, but I'm losing my naivete fast.
My exploration into 26 years of meeting minutes taught me a few things about "truth".
1. The late arrivals were, in reality, arrivals that were no more that 5 - 15 minutes late on meetings that last in excess over four hours and often lasted longer. This means that instead of missing 30% of the voting ; in reality he was present for 85% of them.
2. The absences were in large part clustered in the Fall season. Mike is a working farmer who manages a 200 acre grape operation. He is up early, working the vineyards, running in to clean up and then driving to Turlock for a meeting that starts at 9 a.m. It doesn't take much to slow things up - broken machinery can't wait; urgent harvesting may be dictated because unseasonal weather can ruin a crop at the last minute.
3. I found it appalling that as a resident of Turlock, a vast farm community, we are not part of the 18th District. Stockton and Modesto, cities that don't rely on farming, are. Merced, surrounded by farms also does not rely on farming. Many small farming communities do make up the 18th District, but not one of the biggest - not Turlock. I started to understand the meaning and real implications of gerrymandering. Somewhere along the line, politics excluded Turlock from its natural voting so that democrats would have a more stacked for winning district.
So, you must wonder, if I can't vote for this man, why am I working for this man? It's an easy answer. He is a neighbor. He lives less than ten miles from me and yet I can't vote for him. If I CAN'T vote for him, I WILL work for him.
I don't believe it is one individual that influences good change through better government. I believe that good individuals of similar minds are going to do what it takes to effect change and save our state not to mention our country. It is this philosophy that thrust me into political activism at this stage of my life. I wouldn't have imagined it even two or three years ago but too much has happened in the last three years politically for me to sit still anymore.
I have become part of a large body of Americans who object to being controlled by regulatory rules that have nothing to do with the rule of law, let along the Constitution.
I object to being subjected to the rule of NAFTA with all of its unbalance slanted south.
I object to businesses in California being taxed out of existence - literally - only to see those jobs resurface as outsourced jobs.
I object to unions having so much influence in this state that political extremes can be handled by the same handler and never know they are being managed.
I object to farmers losing farms (due to lack of water) because they are being sacrificed upon the altar of eco-terrorism in the form of a 4 inch fish.
I object to logging operations shutting down resulting in lumber having to be imported from Oregon.
So, I did some heavy lifting this morning and it felt good. I built up a bit of a political resume and committed myself to caring about the future and not giving up. We all know and remember Thomas Jefferson, or the Wright Brothers, or Albert Einstein. But do you know who "Jerry Cresip" is? No, I thought not. You see - he gave up.
New Direction
I'm picking up on this blog again. It will be entirely private. My pictures and post from NVP are here.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Day One Hundred and Nineteen
I weighed myself yesterday. The scale sat there and yelled at me. The good news in that I did not do a lot of damage to myself after all. Friday was another good day for me, Saturday not so much. Between lunch out with E, popcorn at Avatar, and dinner later with Don, the day was pretty much a wash. I will consider it a day off and forget it.
Today is good. Slept in till 9:30; I'm sipping coffee and having fun at the computer as I relive my pleasure in seeing Avatar yesterday. I'll update the food for the rest of this day later this evening.
I had dinner leftovers for lunch today and Chinese takeout tonight (from Raley's) with a diet coke.
Today is good. Slept in till 9:30; I'm sipping coffee and having fun at the computer as I relive my pleasure in seeing Avatar yesterday. I'll update the food for the rest of this day later this evening.
I had dinner leftovers for lunch today and Chinese takeout tonight (from Raley's) with a diet coke.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Day One Hundred and Sixteen
Lunch has come and gone. I've had abundant amounts of coffee with h/h, one oatmeal raisin cookie, a grilled turkey/bacon/cheese sandwich, and a cup of AJ's yummy veggie soup.
AJ's makes the best veggie soup. You know the kind; the kind that has a great beef broth base and then whatever veggies are on hand that goes into the pot. Today's offering had lots of cabbage. Divine and perfect for a day that just can't get above 44 degrees.
My day ended with aBig Mac for Don and the remains of last night's turkey stew for me. I think I got the better of the deal. I spent part of the evening looking at and clipping recipes. I posted them away in my special book. I'll choose something from there to make this weekend along with the yam/cranberry/apple side dish recipe Tammy Stevenson sent to me.
AJ's makes the best veggie soup. You know the kind; the kind that has a great beef broth base and then whatever veggies are on hand that goes into the pot. Today's offering had lots of cabbage. Divine and perfect for a day that just can't get above 44 degrees.
My day ended with aBig Mac for Don and the remains of last night's turkey stew for me. I think I got the better of the deal. I spent part of the evening looking at and clipping recipes. I posted them away in my special book. I'll choose something from there to make this weekend along with the yam/cranberry/apple side dish recipe Tammy Stevenson sent to me.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Day One Hundred and Fifteen
I had lunch today with Elaine at HOJ. I chose from their new menu and got a grilled salmon sandwich and potato salad. They serve the sandwich on a thin, round whole wheat roll. The serving size was perfect being neither too big nor too small. Lunch was satisfying. I just had a light swipe of mayo along with onion and lettuce. Tasty.
Dinner was so good. I boned and skinned a turkey thigh and cut it into chunks. After dicing and sauteing onions, carrots, and celery, tossed in the turkey along with a can of defatted chicken brooth and a can of diced tomatos. Season was s/p, oregano, parsley and garlic. Good. Warm. Filling. Fast. The whole thing - prep to table - took about 45 minutes.
Over lunch today, I told Elaine I wasn't going to weigh myself anymore. I know very well where I'm at depending on how the clothes are fitting. When I actually have nothing that fits at all, I might get on the scale then but maybe not. I really don't care anymore. More than anything else, I just want to get comfortable in my own body.
Dinner was so good. I boned and skinned a turkey thigh and cut it into chunks. After dicing and sauteing onions, carrots, and celery, tossed in the turkey along with a can of defatted chicken brooth and a can of diced tomatos. Season was s/p, oregano, parsley and garlic. Good. Warm. Filling. Fast. The whole thing - prep to table - took about 45 minutes.
Over lunch today, I told Elaine I wasn't going to weigh myself anymore. I know very well where I'm at depending on how the clothes are fitting. When I actually have nothing that fits at all, I might get on the scale then but maybe not. I really don't care anymore. More than anything else, I just want to get comfortable in my own body.