Emerge Updates
Looking for an internship?
Emerge America
is looking for interns to help with our new media strategies and fundraising. If you are in San Francisco this fall and interested please email your resume
and a small paragraph about why you want to see more women in office to
contact@emergeamerica.org.
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Why do YOU want to run for office?
I can't tell you how many times I had to answer that question when I ran for office in 2008. I lost count. I also had a lot of reasons to run for office:
- I love my community
- I'm good at conflict resolution
- My friends, family and many others wanted me to
- I knew I could do the job
The list goes on and on. Then one day as I reflected on the exact moment I knew I was going to make a difference it hit me... my daughter... She was the reason I wanted to run for office.
The
moment happened during a Planning Commission meeting. As I was reviewing mountains of paper for Bend's Urban Growth
Boundary Expansion, I recognized some names.
I remembered my parents and grandparents talking about some of these
folks in the 70's and 80's. It dawned on
me that I was my daughter's age, in elementary school right here, the last time
Bend had gone
through this monumental land use process.
Whoa. I was now the 'grown up'
making decisions that would affect my daughter's generation.
I
understand the importance of thinking about those who will come after us. I want to make decisions that will benefit
those generations, not take from them.
We must ensure our daughters have women leaders to look to for guidance,
and to equip them should they want to seek appointed or elected office.
That is why I ran. That is why I am
running again this year. How about
you? Do you have a defining moment? Why do YOU
want to run?
By Jodie Barram
Bendy City Councilor
Emerge Oregon Class of 2010
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Kentucky Kick-Off
I submitted my application for Emerge Ky.; at the same time I decided that it was time to seek public office. Can I do both? I now find myself in a campaign with few funds and very little time...but I do have many supporters and truly believe that grassroots is the greatest asset to any campaign.
I started the class with hesitation and apprehension, is it worth my valuable weekends that I need to be campaigning??
Yes, yes, yes....what a great group of women!!! I am so glad to be a part of the whole experience. It is such a diverse group; some running for the 1st time like me and others who've been there & done that!! What energy, awesome resource and support!! I have members who have offered to volunteer for my little campaign and many with really good advice. Any doubts that I had were quickly eased and I came out of my 1st class with such energy and enthusiasm that I feel can definitely keep me focused & motivated through out the rest of my campaign. I'm looking forward to checking in with the others in a couple of weeks.
Tracey Heflin
Emerge Ky Class of 2010