OFA Leaders from Across the Country Gather at Washington, DC
President Obama
Address’s Group
The Washington DC OFA National Summit 2/25/14
The Best .. Hearing from the President
We Spent 4 days Walking, Walking & Touring
Jon Carson, Executive Director of OFA
Over 300 OFA Leaders Came Together on 2/25
NWSOFA is ACTION .. In 2013 We Found Our Voice..
…In 2014 We Are Amplifying & Focusing Our Voices
March 1, 2014
Sara Horan & Bill Davis
Chapter Co-Leads
In February NWSOFA used their Voices at 17 Event…More to Come in March, Kathleen,
Capping a 17 event run total for February was the the National OFA Summit in Washington DC. With every Issue Team holding events there was always something happening. Our SWW Team had a film showing of “If these Walls could Talk) followed by the GVP team’s meeting on the Concealed Carry Law. As the month progressed we had several ACA downtown Rallies and Press Events while the CIR team held an Immigration Reform update and the Climate Change Team held two events on Power Aggregation and Global Mitigation. Completing the month was the Fiscal & Economics team having two events.. the largest being the Downtown Federal Plaza “Raise the Minimum Wage and Extend Unemployment Insurance” Rally with U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky.
The Icing on the cake for some of us was attending the OFA Summit in Washington, DC and hearing from President Obama that for a one year old organization we have made a difference! While acknowledging all that we have done on the issues we are involved in: ACA Healthcare, Climate Change, Gun Violence Prevention, Stand With Women, Comprehensive Immigration Reform, Marriage Equality and Fiscal & Economics Issues, the President laid out areas where we could help the most.
He told us that it was “All Hands on Deck” on Healthcare signups with the fast approaching 3/31 deadline. He urged us to maintain our fight for Immigration Reform and stressed his continuing efforts on Raising the Minimum Wage as the key Social Issues Agenda.
The President is aware as we are that we can not accomplish change from the comfort of our couch’s, easy chairs or homes.. that we must take “ACTION” and make our voices be heard.
Join us this month at one or more of our many event and add your voice and action….especially stop in and get a “Taste of NWSOFA” at our March Monthly Meeting (3/11 at the Schaumburg Library)!.
Sara & Bill
Interested in Women’s Rights, Pay Equality then Stand With Women is for You
SWW (Stand With Women)
Day of Action
March 6th, 2014 7 PM – 9 PM
Various Locations .. See detail below
March is Women’s History Month
“March is Women’s History Month. Copy the newsletter shown below and pass out to as many women as possible on March 6 to participate in someway, the OFA’s Date Of Action! Finally, everyone, please post one copy of this newsletter in a public place frequented by women to inform them of their right. Let’s try to blanket the Chicagoland area!!!!
Also on any day, visit the Palatine Library and view the 1st Floor display case to see how this momentous occasion is being highlighted. Our NWSOFA SWW organized this display for the young women in the community.
Together we STAND WITH WOMEN!”
Start by “Registering To Vote.” This right “Granted to women in 1920” with the passage of the “Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution”, which provided: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.”
❏ Exercise your right by standing with the Affordable Health Care Act (Obamacare). Don’t let rich politicians convince you this is not beneficial to you.
❏ Exercise your right by voting for ProChoice legislation. It is your body, your life. Don’t let rich politicians convince you they know what’s best for your body.
❏ Exercise your right to Income Equality. Women make up the largest population of poverty. Don’t let rich politicians convince you it is ok for you to make less than a man for the same work.
❏ Exercise your Right to Vote by voting to keep your right. Don’t let rich politicians convince you, you cannot vote for reasons that are unconstitutional.
Stand With Women Day of Action in Chicago
(Stand with Women — Action Event)
Thursday, March 6, 2014 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Federal Plaza (Chicago, IL)
230 S. Dearborn St.,
Chicago, IL 60604
Two-thirds of minimum wage workers are women — and they’re often working to support a family. Join local supporters as we tell lawmakers that it’s time to give American workers a raise. It’s the right thing to do for our families, our communities, and the economy.
Stand With Women, SWW, in partnering with the Fiscal and Economic Discussion Group in a “Movie Night” .. Location and exact date to be announced… either 3/17 or 3/18 @ 6 pm to view “Inequality For All”.
Conversations about Today’s News, Calls to Progressives on our Programs & Letters to the Editors and Congressmen
Come Join Us
March 6th, 7-9 PM
&
Every Thursday for the 4C’s
(Coffee, Conversation, Cookies and Calls)
@ the Coffee Planet
1450 Golf Rd,
Rolling Meadow
Each Thursday night NWSOFAer’s get together to relax, drink some coffee, discuss current topics, eat some cookies and make some pretty important calls to other Progressives notifying them of our meetings and Action Items.
We call these the 4C’s and we need your help. Volunteer for an hour or two doing what we do best “organizing”.
We have added “Letters to the Editors” and “Letters to the Congressmen”
We are bringing back LTE’s and LTC’s with a passion, through Traditional Letters and Emails. All NWSOFA LTE’S and Emails will be sent to OFA National for collection and Promotion.
FYI.. You are invited to attend the DT event .. Just show up!
“NATIONAL COMING OUT OF THE SHADOWS 2014”. Put together by Immigrant Youth Justice League (IYJL) and Organized Communities Against Deportations (OCAD).
The event has been going on since 2010 and it started out as event for young undocumented youth to come out. This year since both IYJL and OCAD have been working to stop deportations …there will be speakers who are going through the deportation process or who have been affected by deportations. The event is open to the public.
Ready to Learn More About the ACA & Put Your Beliefs into ACTION!
Chicago
Affordable Care Act
Community Outreach
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Swedish Covenant Hospital
5145 N. California Ave
Chicago, IL 60625
There are only a few weeks left of ACA enrollment and OFA is reaching out to as many uninsured folks as possible to let them know about the upcoming deadline. Join us for a press conference which will be followed by some flyering in your community.
There will only be 20 days left of enrollment on March 11, and OFA’s mission will be to reach as many uninsured as possible to let them know about the upcoming deadline and direct them to local resources to get covered. One-on-one conversations providing the uninsured with the information they need to get covered is the priority.
Goals:
Communicate about the health insurance marketplace and the benefits of the ACA to the uninsured.
Collect and Share stories of people who are benefiting from the ACA (via social media)
Ways to Achieve Goals:
Volunteers should join partner organizations to support their efforts to engage the local community to get covered by March 31st.
Events can include joining organizations in phone banks or canvasses to reach the uninsured, helping to promote upcoming enrollment events or other activities designed to engage the uninsured. (See right side Column for local events)
Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, millions of Americans now have access to better, more affordable health care, Join local supporters and hear from those in your community who are already benefiting from the law- then help others learn how they can get covered.
This will be the first Monthly Team Meeting @ the Schaumburg Library of 2014. The meeting will include presentations from all Issue teams: ACA – Healthcare, CIR – Immigration Reform, Climate Change, Fiscal and Economic Issue Group, Stand With Women (on equal pay), Gun Violence Prevention, Marriage Equality and much, much more.
Special Guest Speaker:
State Representative
Michelle Mussman
District 56
Representative Mussman will bring us up to date on the State Legislative activities and provide time for a Q&A from the audience.
If you have an issue you feel strongly about, NWSOFA most likely has a group for you to be involved in. In 2013 OFA found their voices! Learn what you can do to amplify and focus our combined NWSOFA Voice in 2014. Get involved, attend, participate. and learn what you can do to be part of Change.
March 13 is a Climate Change DOA Which will be announced next week.
April 1 Fools Day Climate Change DOA also will more than likely be a joint OFA chapter Climate Change DOA. Possibly a joint Peter Roskam event in Barrington
The Time is Now… Comprehensive Immigration Reform in 2014
Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR)
3/15
Road Trip Canvas
to Lagrange
“Tell Rep Lipinski the #CostOfInaction on Immigration Reform”
Lagrange Metra station, 25 West Burlington Road, La Grange, IL
Saturday 3/15 10 am – 12 pm
Join us as we canvass the 3rd congressional district to inform constituents on Representative Lipinski’s position on reforming our broken immigration system and ask them to contact their Representative to urge him support comprehensive immigration reform. We will meet at the Lagrange Metra station and head out to various parts of the district to conduct high traffic and door to door canvassing.
Their are over 10 million “Shadow Citizens” living in the US… It is time to take ACTION.
Jan Schakowsky US Representative at the Raise the Wage 2/19 Rally
Fiscal & Economic Issues Discussion
Thursday, March 18, 2013
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Location: TBD
This Month, We will start the meeting at 6 pm to allow for the reviewing of the Robert Reich documentary “Inequality for All”.. this will make you really reach down and think!
This 90 minute film (with popcorn) follows the US economy from the 1930 to today and through interviews, documents, graphs and charts explains why this is the most important discussion of the next few years. Also as part of the “after film” discussion we will talk about:
1) The Inequality of Women’s pay in the US
2) the key statistics as presented in the movie
3) status of the recovery in terms of jobs as well as the status of the budget and the deficit.
4) Status of the economic recovery, including the February 2014 jobs report.
As always bring areas of opportunities for discussion.. bring a article or a thought.. put it on the table and let the conversation begin.
Participants in the “Concealed Carry Law E#xplained”
Gun Violence PreventionTeam
Issues Planning Meeting
Coffee Planet,
1450 Golf Rd.,
Rolling Meadows, 60008
Thursday,
March 20th at 6:30 pm.
At our planning meeting, we will be discussing our OFA Day of Action on April 14. Afterwards plan to stay and help reach out to other progressives on the phone who might like to know about us and other issues.
We hold a short (30 – 45 minutes) Planning Meeting on the 3rd Thursday of every month and afterwards many of us stay to help out with the weekly NWSOFA Phone Banking.
NWSOFA is a whole, diverse wonderful family of people who want to do more than talk about the social issues. We explore and dig deep on the facts and decide what actions we can take that can have an impact locally and nationally. NWSOFA members not only “talk the talk”, but we “walk the walk”.
We receive direction from National OFA on “Days of Action” that will be coordinated across the country. Many of our issues have a start and end, but most are lifetime issues we have to continually push to move forward i.e. gun violence prevention & climate change. All our teams have numerous events that will enlighten and inspire you and yes, challenge you to make the effort to make a difference. We invite you to join us!
Every Thursday
Coffee, Conversation, Cookies and Calls
Each Thursday night NWSOFAer’s get together to relax, drink some coffee, discuss current topics, eat some cookies and make some pretty important calls to other Progressives notifying them of our meetings and Action Items.
We call these the 4C’s and we need your help. Volunteer for an hour or two doing what we do best “organizing”
Every Thursday
LTE & C Night
“Letters to The Editors
& To Congressmen”
We have added “Letters to the Editors” and Letters to the Congressmen”.
We are bringing back LTE’s and LTC’s with a passion. through Traditional Letters and Emails.
All NWSOFA LTE”S and Emails will be sent to OFA National for collection and Promotion.
Please Join us every Thursday Night in conjunction with the 4C’s group at the Coffee Planet 7-9 PM.
VIP:ACA / Obamacare
Phone Bank
When: Every Tuesday
Where: Panera Bread
5 W. Rand Rd
Arlington Hts., IL 60004
Every Tuesday
from now till March 31
6:30 p.m. -9:00 p,m.
Note: March 11th is now on Monday March 10th..
Special Phone bank sponsored by a (non OFA) partnering organization
to make calls to help educate the public on their enrollment options.
NWSOFA Fiscal & Economic Feb 17th Discussion Group Meeting
@ Arlington Heights Library
NWSOFA CIR Immigration Reform 2/15 Update Meeting
@ Palaine Library
Notice: This is a public meeting / events. NWSOFA is a 501(c)4, non-partisan organization.
All opinions are solely those of NWSOFA
It’s time to Act .. It Is Time To Get Involved
Over the years the American Citizens have lost their voices, believing that we can not make a difference. We have been beat down by the constant droning noise of the conservative right. This onslaught has made us like sheep .. afraid to express our views. Not anymore! OFA gives us back our voices and by working together we are making change one issue at a time. Together we can and will make a difference.
