The following student report was submitted by Ambassador League Agent Luke W. during the 2009-2010 League.
Mission: Volunteer for a Social Action Organization
Volunteering for political organizations ends up helping the helper even more than the helped. To complete this assignment, I volunteered for two different political organizations. I spent eight hours working for the Michigan Political Leadership Program (MPLP). A few weeks later I spent two hours assisting the Citizens for Traditional Values.
According to its website, MPLP is an organization that "recruits, trains, and inspires tomorrow's public policy leaders, preparing them with vision, commitment, and the skills for effective governance." MPLP is administered by an advisory board directed by Anne Mervenne and Steve Tobocman as a nonprofit entity supported by the MSU Office of the Provost.
In order to further their mission, MPLP had a breakfast on Feb. 26 in Grand Rapids where both Governor John Engler and Governor James Blanchard spoke on the same stage. Both former governors attended Michigan State University and that connection made its way into their remarks. The breakfast was the first time they appeared together publicly since the transition in 1990 when Engler stunned Blanchard by narrowly defeating him at the ballot box.
Before the dignitaries spoke, DeVos Place needed to be prepared for the hundreds of guests that would soon arrive. I worked with a team of students getting things ready and making sure things ran smoothly for individuals as they entered the building. During the preparation I found the fruits of volunteer work – donuts. They were absolutely delicious.
It was interesting to observe how things went on behind the veil of VIP's at an event where two former governors were speaking. One way to describe it is "somewhat controlled chaos."
Not only did the two governors share the same stage; they also shared the same page. While their political careers took them in opposite directions, their private sector interests have drawn them to agree on many things. A major area of agreement is that the Detroit River International Crossing (DRIC) should move forward.
Alongside the donuts, the DRIC Bridge is where I also received direct benefit from serving at the breakfast. I have been interning for the last eight months in Senator Alan Cropsey's office. He has taken a particular interest in this bridge and maintains there are many flaws in this approach. Cropsey's research indicates that finances cannot support the proposed bridge and projected traffic fails to show a need for it in the first place. Building the bridge is like sending a large ship with many holes into an ocean with no purpose. The Canadian government supports the bridge. Disagreeing with the last two governors and the Canadian government is kind of exciting.
I spent the last two hours of my volunteer efforts assisting the Citizens for Traditional Values (CTV). For the last twenty years CTV has been furthering conservative values by "knowing what is happening in the Michigan Legislature, by networking with state and local leaders to make sure conservative issues are promoted and protected and moving grassroots and candidates into action by training and equipping."
A key part of knowing more about the Legislature involves sending out questionnaires to find where candidates stand on the issues. The issues are always changing so the questionnaires need updating. I spent time researching current issues to see where they could be updated.
Volunteering for MPLP and for CTV not only helped them but it also helped educate me on several key policy matters currently before lawmakers.
