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| Myranda, an Alternative Winter Breaks participant, is hard at work making buttons that say "ONE LOVE, ONE DREAM: EQUALITY, ONE COLORADO" |
While yesterday was a day of education and discussion, this
morning was a time of work around the One Colorado office. There were several jobs
that we were asked to do, as the One Colorado staff had not had the time to complete
them themselves. One of us made calendars for the One Colorado staff to use throughout
the remainder of January, and until the month of May. One Colorado is passionate
about connecting constituents with their representatives. To accomplish this, One
Colorado collects postcards with the names and addresses of Colorado citizens. These
postcards are then sent to legislators, to inform them of the fact that their constituents
are interested in supporting LGBT equality. This morning, two of us entered the
data featured on these postcards, before they could be sent out to legislators.
Also throughout the course of this morning, two others of us made buttons that
advocate for One Colorado’s message of civil rights and equality for LGBT individuals.
Additionally, in effort to connect constituents with legislators, One Colorado has
developed legislator playing cards. These cards, which are meant to be similar
to baseball playing cards, depict the picture and name of each Senator and
Representative throughout the state of Colorado. Along with names and photographs,
these cards also contain the legislator’s political party, faith, family
background, and biographical information. These cards also explain the
legislator’s stance on various hot button issues such as LGBT equality,
immigration, and abortion. These cards are quite popular, and many other nonprofit
organizations throughout the state have asked for copies or sets of these playing
cards. Therefore, throughout the morning, two more of us made sets of playing
cards, containing one card for each representative and senator. One of One
Colorado’s primary goals is the unification of various minority groups,
particularly the LGBT community and the racial minority community. To further this
unification, and to encourage dialogue between these two minority groups, One Colorado
seeks to highlight the parallels and similarities between the two groups. These
parallels are discussed by presenting a time line that discusses the parallel
history between both minority communities. To assist in this project, one
member of our group photocopied images and information for the timeline, which
will eventually be laminated for easy presentation. After lunch at an LGBT
friendly restaurant, which was home to a renowned drag show, we headed back to
the office for an incredibly inspiring discussion with Jeremy Shaver, the Executive
Director of Interfaith Alliance of Colorado. Jeremy explained that the largest
voices against LGBT equality are conservative people of faith. To counteract
this, Jeremy and his organization works to provide a religious voice that is supportive
of LGBT equality. The Interfaith Alliance of Colorado also works to provide a
supportive religious voice and opinion in regards to immigration and women’s reproductive
rights. We ended our day in the company of Preston Dickey, the Associate
Development Director of One Colorado. Preston spent time explaining fundraising
for progressive causes, such as LGBT equality. Preston discussed the organization
of One Colorado, with its tri-fold organization and inclusion of a 501c3, a
501c4, and a PAC. Preston also discussed the nature of fundraising in general,
and explained that there are three broad categories of donors: institutional funders,
individual donors, and corporate donors. After Preston’s discussion, we went to
work putting together materials to send out to registered supporters of One
Colorado. These materials advertised a night at the opera, for a viewing of The
Marriage of Figaro. The proceeds of this event are meant to ultimately support
One Colorado. In order to create the mail material, we organically formed an assembly
line, where some posted address labels, others added stamps, and the remainder
of our group took the time to write personalized notes on each mailing. Once
the mailings were completed, we packed up for the day, and headed out to enjoy
the unseasonably warm Denver, Colorado weather.
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