The following student report was submitted by Ambassador League Agent Elizabeth D. during the 2008-2009 League.
Mission: Take Action - Volunteering for a Political Campaign
Volunteering for a campaign is a wonderful way to stretch yourself in many different ways. Some of these activities might be making calls for various candidates in your party, going house to house with literature, sometimes even talking with the home owners, or simply arranging literature for 'lit drops.' These areas were all learning experiences for me.
In the Fall of 2008, I volunteered for Mr. Tim Fair, who was running for Clinton County Commissioner. A group of friends and I put together brochures for Mr. Fair, complete with stickers, reminding the recipients to vote on Nov. 4th.
Another experience volunteering for campaign 2008 was making calls for Republican candidates and the Republican Party. Some of the calls were very interesting, with people talking to us and sharing their opinions, or, very funny at times, people even hung up on me, who had differing views on subjects. I thought it very convenient that the telephone had questions on the screen, so I simply had to read the questions off, and press buttons for different answers. It was a lot of fun after I got over my nerves of talking to people I’ve never seen, in my life (and probably never will). It was very interesting hearing a few accents as well, that made the time enjoyable.
Another volunteering activity I participated in, which was also for Mr. Fair, was called 'judgment day'. We started the day early, and went out in groups to roads marked out for us. Quickly we got out of the van, and speed walking or running, we went to each house, from one end of the road to the other, placing literature about Mr. Fair(and also reminding them to vote) on or near their doors, or under the weather stripping. We worked from about 9:00 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., respectively, stopping for lunch in between. While passing out Mr. Fair’s literature, it was also a good way to get your exercise, running from house to house, while trying to avoid the mean looking big dogs or pesky little chi wa-wa’s that chased us!
I never knew how much work went into a political campaign, but now that I do, I have a much greater appreciation for those running for offices. I hope it helped reduce stress for those who labored many long weeks and hours, and I enjoyed getting the stretching experience working for the campaigns.
