by Peter Breitholtz—Minnesota
I canvassed a door last Friday in Anoka and the entire family was pretty excited about an activist being present at their home. The couple’s young daughter insisted on signing up as a member. While her father signed up the little girl extended her left hand to me to shake and said, “Thank you for your activism!”
Tags: children, family, membership
by Jackie Lima—Pennsylvania
I met a 96 year old woman tonight. She invited me into her home and we began discussing health care. She had good reason for signing up as a member of Working America. Her son was denied his medication at their small town pharmacy because he owed too much money. In fact, there was a note on her table to that end. The woman expressed how hard it is to see her children suffering and vowed to sneak down to the pharmacy and pay her son’s bill. I told her if we had national health care, this wouldn’t be an issue—that her son would have his medications. Instantly, a look of relief filled her eyes. “That is why I’m out here,” I said. She gave me some fruit and sent me on my way.
Tags: children, Health Care, membership, prescriptions, seniors
by Donald Pettyjohn—Ohio
On my ninth day of canvassing in Dayton for Working America, I met a woman with an interesting and inspiring story. She was in her late fifties and raising her ten-year-old grandson, whose mother and father didn’t want anything to do with him. She didn’t want to see the boy sent to a foster home and so took custody of him. She explained that she had a medical problem consisting of a mass building up inside of her and didn’t know what exactly it was, except that it causes her a lot of pain. She also said that she had so many medical bills from her past problems that now she couldn’t possibly pay them with what she was receiving on social security. As such, she felt she couldn’t go to the doctor to find out what was wrong with her on her $450/month from social security. A few months ago, her social security had been raised to $520/month, but as a result her food stamp allowance had been reduced to $23/month. As she started crying, she told me that her rent was $325/month and that she could barely afford food and utilities.
She said between sobs that she couldn’t pay any dues but said she would make phone calls for Working America, put together fliers or even follow canvassers around with something cold to drink. I thanked her for her generosity and willingness to help despite her situation and she told me, “No, thank you for coming out each day trying to help better the lives of people like me.” I gave her a big hug and assured her that things will get better and she smiled.
As I left, I couldn’t help but think about what we do and the impact it has on peoples’ lives. And I know in my heart that coming to Working America was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. If we don’t stand up and fight for these people, no one will.
Tags: children, Health Care, membership, seniors, social security
by Patricia Penton—Pennsylvania
I stepped inside the home of a mother of two young boys, while the mother was reading over the issues on our sign-up sheets she called over one of the boys and asked him, ”Remember when we were talking about how if you were president you would change five things? What were those five things?” The boy replied, “Health care, the schools, planting trees for the environment, taking care of the elderly, and bringing our troops home.” Three of those issues are on our member sheets!
The mother said, “Take a look at this,” and pointed at my clipboard. Her son read the issues and exclaimed, ”Wow! I picked the right ones!” I told him that he sure did and he enthusiastically signed a band-aid sticker for better health care.
This reminded me of how important it is that we fight for these issues every day, they are clearly in such a feeble state that even children are aware we need serious change.
Tags: children, Health Care, membership
by Matthew Fitting—Virginia
As soon as I said that we were organizing in his neighborhood for better health care, the man at the door raised his eyebrows. Turns out, the issue had been constantly on his mind because of his family. The way he said it, I figured we were talking about two or even three kids, but he and his wife had only recently had their first son.
Still, this meant sacrifices. His wife had to take a job with evening hours—he does landscaping during the day—solely to pay for their child’s health care. The costs, he said, were just killing them.
After signing as a member, he also signed a band-aid petition, meant to put a spotlight on the depth of the health care crisis in America. I also suggested he take a look at the AFL-CIO’s online health care survey. Hopefully he can tell his story to other people, too.
Tags: children, Health Care, membership
by Renee Chandel—Pennsylvania
The man that answered the door held a newborn in his arms and there were two small children at his knees. When I told him “We’re fighting to lower the cost of health care for working families,” he nodded and signed up as a member. I noticed his hand was swollen, and he told me he broke it while working as a contractor. He has health insurance for his children, but none for himself, so he can’t get any treatment for his broken hand.
Tags: children, Health Care, membership
Cicily King spoke with the mother of an autistic son who can’t afford his medical expenses, which total approximately $1,200 a month.
Tags: children, Health Care, membership, video
Matt Hall relates an experience signing up a new member who shared with him how important our work is to her. She had also recently lost her health care coverage, her children have no health care and the school her children attend cut programs that her children needed.
Tags: children, Education, Health Care, video
by Rachael Townsend—Oregon
Yesterday I knocked on the door of a young woman. She invited me in. She’d just mopped the floor so I took off my shoes and joined her in her empty living room. All that was in the room was a rug and a mattress. She was sitting on the floor surrounded by her five young daughters. I asked her if she and her family had health insurance. She said no. Her husband was the only one working and his job does not provide benefits.
I looked at the children and was amazed at how happy and beautiful they were. Five little girls between the ages of 0-6. I said a prayer to myself, hoping that they continue to be healthy and happy because God forbid they ever need it—our safety net isn’t there.
Tags: children, Health Care
by Libby Klancher—Ohio
Yesterday evening I had the opportunity to knock on the door of a single disabled grandmother with five grandchildren. All five of her grandchildren are directly affected by Bush’s veto of
SCHIP. She joined as a member, and I asked her if she would be willing to make a dues donation. Although her pocket book contained nothing but five dollar bills, she was so enamored with our cause that she gave it all.
Not only did she also write a letter to Voinovich, but she gave me the most sincere thank you I have ever received!
Tags: children, Health Care, membership, SCHIP, seniors
