July 4th Parade Volunteers

Representative Pam Byrnes needs you Saturday!

She will be marching (OK, walking) in several parades for the Fourth of July — the Ann Arbor parade at 10:00, Ypsilanti at 11:00, or the Whitmore Lake parade at 12:30. Come walk!

Odds are high that Willie, one of Pam and Kent's miniature donkeys, will join you in the parades. Who wouldn't want to be a part of that!

Contact Ryan Sebolt or call 517-927-3917 for further information.

Check Yourself for Chuck

Spread the word!

July is "Check Yourself For Chuck (Charlie Taylor) Month". Chuck is in need of a bone marrow transplant, and every person who gets tested and registered in the National Marrow Donor Program has the chance to help someone in need.

Please note these dates and locations locally:

• July 9, after 6:00 pm: Sights and Sounds, around the corner from Merkel's.
• July 12, morning: St. Pauls, St. Marys, and First United Methodist.
• July 19, morning: Free Methodist Church (at the old high school).
• July 20, 5:00-7:00: Wellness Center.
• Farmers Market and Zous Zous on another Saturday morning (date to be announced).

Testing for a match is not an invasive procedure. If a possible match is found, donors are able to give through a blood draw in most cases (like Charlie's).

More details on Charlie, his family, his condition, and facts about marrow donation can be found in the Chelsea Standard.

Email Jackie Maveal (jmmaveal(at)gmail.com) with any questions you might have, or to find out how you can you can send a donation in Charlie's name. Or, if you'd prefer, please call her at 475-6090.

July Member Meeting

See you there?

We'll hold a member meeting this month, July 13, at 7:00 p.m. We're going to try to reserve the back balcony at Dexter's Pub, or we'll just commandeer it if we can. Or we'll be at a large table upstairs. Join us!

Contact current Western Washtenaw Dems Chair Roy Schmidt for further information.

Relay For Life and the American Cancer Society

Join our team and help fight cancer

The Western Washtenaw Democrats participated in the Chelsea Relay for Life for the first time this year. Although the weather felt more like November than May, a good time was had by all. The number of teams, volunteers, survivors, caregivers, and friends & family who turn out for this event is truly astonishing.

At the opening lap, the Chelsea Relay had raised $48,000 towards its goal of $94,000. At the closing ceremony, the amount pledged had risen to $79,000. That's a lot of dough, but the Chelsea Relay still needs $15,000 to hit that magic number. If you can help, there's still time to support cancer research with a donation. You know what to do!

Our team collected $1650 in donations leading up to the big day, and also participated in the rummage sale and silent auction during the Relay. Now that we know the drill, next year should be even more fun and more successful.

A few of our team members are pictured above, including Chris Savage, Ann Savage, Roy Schmidt, Bernadette Malinoski, Thomas Knox, and Elsie Swanberg. Guerin Wilkinson and many others were also on the track during the long day and night. We made a good showing, and also fielded relayers during the Pirate Lap, Camoflage Lap, and other fun themed events during the day.

There are more pix at our photostream - check it out. Thanks so much to all who participated!

• Chelsea Relay Home
• WWDems Team Page

Contact current Western Washtenaw Dems Chair and our Relay for Life Team Captain Roy Schmidt for further information.

Spring Fundraiser Success!

Photos and Fundraiser Notes

Thanks to all our supporters and donors!

This year's fundraiser was held at the home of Dr. Irving and Cynthia Feller who graciously agreed to host our supporters for brunch. Jack Lessenberry (political journalist and host of Michigan Radio's "Jack Lessenberry’s Essays and Interviews") was our featured speaker.

The event was well-attended and Mr. Lessenberry's talk led to a good deal of discussion about what Democrats in Michigan should be doing in these difficult economic times.

In previous years funds gathered at similar events have enabled the Western Washtenaw Democrats to:

• host public events and programs,
• create and mail 20,000+ Western Washtenaw County Voter Guides,
• and manage an enormous poll greeter program on Election Day 2008.

Additional pictures and event details will be posted shortly.

Farm to School Program Summary

Photos and Meeting Notes

Thanks to all who attended and participated!

Food Service Supervisors Karen Carty (Chelsea School District), Julie Harsh (Saline Area Schools) and Sara Simmerman (Dexter Community Schools) join Michaelle Rehmann of Food System Economic Partnership (FSEP) and Deb Lentz (Tantre Farm) met with local citizens to discuss the obstacles that both the schools and the farms face when trying to start a Farm to School program. The issues touch on budgets, regulation, and legal matters. Michaelle also helped us navigate recent legislation passed in Michigan, in other states, and at the federal level. Turnout was great and a there was a vigorous discussion. Some pics of the event are just below.

Program fliers and handouts are still available:

• Farm to School Program Flyer

• About the Food Systems Economic Partnership

Want to know more? Follow these links:

• Food System Economic Partnership - Farm to School Program
• Michigan Farm to School @ MSU
• National Farm to School Website

Contact current Western Washtenaw Dems Vice Chair Jane Pacheco for further information.

Western Washtenaw Democrats "Kick some grass!"

Yes, we did!

A sturdy bunch of volunteer Western Washtenaw Democrats cleaned up our stretch of M-52 on Sunday, April 26, as we do three times a year. We are proud to report that the two miles of M-52 running south from Scio Church Road are now buffed, shiny, and ready for your driving pleasure.

We began at 1pm and finished before 3:30pm, thanks to the numerous members and friends who turned out. Thanks to all who participated! The spring cleanup is usually the toughest due to the accumulated flotsam and jetsam of the winter months.

We'll be doing this again in July and September so you still have a chance to kick some grass as you search for hidden "treasures" along the roadside. Stay tuned for more details. M-52 needs you!

Contact current Western Washtenaw Dems Chair Roy Schmidt for further information.

Fellow progressives in Western Washtenaw

There are many active progressives in Western Washtenaw striving for change. If you aren't familiar with the Dexter for Obama group, you should be. These grassroots activists rallied together as part of Obama for America (now renamed Organizing for America) during the 2008 presidential campaign, and they are still fired up, active, and working hard to make a difference.

Drop by and learn more about their activities and events - you won't be sorry.

Now Meeting All of Your Facebook Needs!

Yes, we are surging into the 21st century and you can now find us on Facebook. You should go there at once and become a fan! We've added a sidebar badge on this site (look to the left) that will be there all the time, for your linking pleasure. We'll do our best to update Facebook with our events, postings of interest, and photos of our activities.

Can Twitter be far behind? Signs point to 'No'.

February Membership Meeting Wrapup

We kept our meeting trim so we could carpool over to see Mark Schauer (D-MI7) in Dexter immediately after at his Town Hall.

Discussion centered around our Spring Fundraiser - dates and special guest are still not firm. We will likely push until April or May. We also discussed our various program plans for the year, and tried to zero in on community activities to get involved in. Our calender will be updated shortly with dates for the Western Washtenaw area Relay for Life and CROPWalk events, so stay tuned. No officer reports were given.

Please note there will be no member meeting in March.

The big event in April will be our program/roundtable on Farm To School programs, barriers, and opportunities in Western Washtenaw. Hence, there will no member meeting that month either. Stay tuned for more information on the program schedule and location.

Which brings us to our next member meeting in May! That event will be our annual Happy Hour to enjoy springtime fresh air, friendly conversation, and the beverage(s) of your choice. We will be meeting on Thursday, May 21 at 6:00pm at the Creekside Grill at 5827 Jackson Road in Ann Arbor. Find it! See you there?

Contact current Western Washtenaw Dems Chair Roy Schmidt for further information.

Annual Meeting Wrapup

Annual calendar from our January 29, 2009 meeting

At our annual meeting a draft calendar of events for 2009 was presented to the membership. This calendar is subject to change - check the website for the most up-to-date information. Member meetings and community events are firm, but our three programs and Spring Fundraiser still need to have their dates established.

Minutes from the meeting, including the officers reports, notes from the presentation by Roland Sizemore, and club election results will be posted shortly.

Inaugural Ball Memories

Photos from the Ball on January 20, 2009

Change: A Good Reason to Celebrate

Do you have additional pictures from the Ball? If so, and you'd like them included on our website, send them to the Secretary and we'll take it from there.