The next
meeting “Carroll CAN” will take place at the Carroll County Public Library in
Westminster on Feb. 12, 2017 2 p.m.
At the
January 26th, 2017 meeting of the Carroll County NAACP, Pam
Zappardino reported that a grass roots organization has formed in Carroll to
advocate for positive changes in the community.
The next
meeting “Carroll CAN” - organized by “Together We Will,” will take place at the
Carroll County Public Library in Westminster on Feb. 12, 2017 2 p.m. This will
be about the 3rd meeting. More information may be found on the
organization’s website here: https://carrollcan.org/
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The next
meeting “Carroll CAN” will take place at the Carroll County Public Library in
Westminster on Feb. 12, 2017 2 p.m.
According
to recent information on the Carroll Can listserve:
“…Come to the Carroll CAN meeting
at Westminster library at 2pm today! -AND/OR- If you are able to do so, please
sign up to help with a committee that you may have an interest in or maybe even
start your own if there is a need. We'd love to have some more people offer
their knowledge on specific topics as well to add content to our website and
keep the group informed.
“Some examples of the volunteer
needs are: Writer of Weekly/Monthly newsletter and Representatives’ Calendars
Liaison - report to communications/social media chairs when representatives
will have town halls”
We began with a meeting in November 2016 at a
Denny’s in Westminster. We used the time to feel empowered and encouraged that
a group had formed (we were only 300 members on a Facebook group site at the
time, but just that was so exciting at the time!). We shared our stories about
why we had come, and there was a common theme of “I thought I was the
only one.” The overwhelming feeling was one of relief to have found fellow
Carroll County residents who shared the same values and concerns.
And then we hit the ground running!
We developed an organizational and leadership
structure, which continues to grow as we find our groove.
We organized a bus to attend the Women’s March
on Washington. That wound up becoming 3 buses, with 136 passengers!
For many, it was their first march and their first moment of activism!
We had a volunteer design our green “March On” buttons that we now wear
proudly. After the march, a group of marchers went to a local restaurant
for dinner, still in their pink hats, and they received applause and invited
others to join our group!
We programmed our representatives’ numbers
into our phones, and faced our nervousness and discomfort by making calls to
their offices. We have now become comfortable with something that most of
us had never done before 2017!
We met for monthly meetings, and the rooms
were packed with energy and ideas.
We developed a list of local businesses to
support due to our common values and interests.
We built a website, and received donations to
host the site for the next year!
Some awesome stats: Our website has
had 3,952 views in the last 30 days (as of 2/8/17).
Some more awesome stats: In just the
first eight days of February, we have had 696 visits! Our Carroll CAN
public Facebook page grew at 14.5% last week, which is better than the Together
We Will USA page and Pantsuit District page. We engage more users than
Indivisible, TWW-MD, and Pantsuit District!
We have a Call to Action team that verifies
and disseminates an action item that we can do every day! They post these
calls to action on the website, facebook page and twitter.
We increased communication by having an email
liaison send the content of the facebook page to those who are not on facebook.
We developed a logo that signifies our
awareness that we are stronger as a united team. We once felt
alone because of our values, and now we have both comfort and unified action
because of our togetherness.
We had members who went to BWI to show support
to refugees and immigrants on the day the bad went into effect. We have
members who gather on Main Street in Westminster on Saturdays with signs that
have messages of inclusion, kindness, and support.
We have organized a Town Hall Meeting
on 3/2/17 focused on the Affordable Care Act! We have invited
our representatives to attend, and we are hopeful they will.
We organized small groups that meet at local
restaurants for support and brainstorming.
We have amazing passion and motivation! People
who have never been engaged in anything like this before have stepped up to
lead a subcommittee! People who made a suggestion wound up being willing
to make that suggestion happen! All it takes is that first thought of
“Can I do ___?” and you will get a resounding and supportive, “Yes you CAN!”
We have managed to add activism and
volunteering to our already full plates. We have given our talents
without expectation of recognition nor reimbursement. We have learned new
skills and been willing to go outside our comfort zones.
We are Carroll CAN—an action-focused, action-packed community
network of kind, compassionate, and dedicated Carroll County residents.
Together, we have, we will, and we CAN.
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