Volunteer Appreciation Week

By Catherine Turcer, Common Cause Ohio 
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It’s Volunteer Appreciation Week and I would like to let all of the redistricting reformers know how much I appreciate everything that they have done to make Ohio elections fairer. I am incredibly moved by the hard work in rain, shine and sometimes snow. During Pride Festival and Parade I stayed in my office and volunteers picked up and dropped off petitions. Everyone looked hot but Sara Sampson from Columbus actually looked like she would melt. Kayla Sands from Avon Lake spent her short break from school in December and January collecting signatures in her neighborhood in temperatures that were about 15°F.

A big thank you to those of you who collected signatures!

Special shout out to those super volunteers that went above and beyond the call of duty: Karen Adams, Megan Albaugh, Ronald Baer, Barbara Beardsley, Gayle Butler, Cassandra Casto,Bruce Catalano, Bonnie Cheng, Brenda Clark, Mary Costello, Cynthia Cromwell, Tracy Daugherty, Bill Davis, Jackie Derrow, John Donoghue, Wendy Dyer, Sue Dyke, Kari Eckel, Keith Eggeman, Rebecca Ensworth, Kathleen Estep, Ruth Farthing, Barbara Fleeter, Jamie Friday, John Gatiss, Carol Gay, Joyce Gibbs, Eileen Goldman, William Good, Megan Graff, Jessica Grim, Susan Haas, Leah Hackleman-Good, Janelle Henderson, David Hurwitz, Ann Issacs, Ann Janiak, Carl Janiak, Joan Johnson, Benita Kahn, Jan Kennedy, Jay Ketchaver, Matthew Kuhns, Catherine LaCroix, Valerie Lee, Siobhan Leftwich, Mia Lewis, Carole Lunney, Heather Tuck Macalla, Brooke MacNamara, Peter Maxwell, Aidan McFall, Douglas McGrath, Iris Meltzer, Sarah Mitchell, Adriane Mohlenkamp, Regina Miller, Marjorie Munger, Marcia Oganowski, Peter Ornella, Larry Owen, Charlotte Owens, Jack Petrella, Darcy Predieri, Cathy Presper, Beaker Prince, Christine Przybysz, Daisie Reish, Christine Rom, Sara Sampson, Deb Schelling, Janet Schultz, Joy Schwab, Barbara Sespico, Madeline Shaw, Wenda Jane Sheard, Susan Stromberg, Kathryn Swisher, JanUnderwood, Jennifer Vasarhelyi, Maureen Welch, Jean Wentzel, Cynthia White, Ellen Wurtzel, Andrea Yagoda and Dawn Zarbakhsh.

​Thank you to all of you who have worked in the office and at home validating! A special shout out to Emily Adams, Sandi Allen, Michael Ahern, Faisa Anjum, Kay Barker, Kim Bean, Barbara Beardsley, Amy Birtcher, Jackie Bird, Marci Bird, Hallie Bourne, Allen Boyd, John Brown, Carl Carnevale, Wanda Carter, Brinda Copsey, Debby Cooper, Laurie Crowther, Mary Curry, Bob Dean, Jessica Dickinson, Michael Disbro, Dee Eisner, Phyllis Elmo, Linda Fedak, Chris Farley, LuCinda Flores, Diana Fowler, Sally Francis, Lynn Friedman, John Gatiss, Cathy Gebauer, Chrys
Gee, Blake Getson, Lois Gibbs, Dennis Ginty, Cheryl Grossman, Barbara Grunwell, Susan Haas, Leah Hackleman-Good, Karen Hallberg-Rozdeba, Liz Harmath, Marian Harris, Mindy Hedges, Ann Heffernan, Stacy Jackson, Joan Joanson, John Katko, Adrianna Kenworthy, Rita Kipp, Debbie Krantz, Mardie Largmann, Siobhan Leftwich, Mia Lewis, Blanche Luczyk, Carole Lunney, Bill Lyons, Brittney Madison, Linda MagotoMelanie Majikas, Angela Marvin, Jenny McLaughlin, Jody McRainey, Charles Miles, Katelyn Mowery, Al Navarro, Barb Norris, Charlie O’Keefe, Yorkow
Oppon-Acquah, Lauren Orrico, Cathy Presper, Darrel Price, Beaker Prince, Christine Przybysz, Indu Rajan, Judy Rojas, Keith Rosnell, Laura Rushton, Sara Sampson, Deb Schelling, Amanda Sebrosky, John Seikel, Jr., Madeline Shaw, Bob Shelly, Ian Sherman, Karen Sullivan, Katie Swett, Virginia Terry, Rob Thorne, Jake Toothman, Jan Underwood, Sue Wartell, Wendy Winger, Joann Wissler, Andrea Yagoda, Alex Yockey and Kathy Young.

A special thank you to Michael Baron for helping organize events and keep social media going! And a shout out to all the creative ways that you all have found to reach out to voters.

A big thank you to all the Regional Leaders working hard to organize for Issue 1!

Here are just a few helping to lead the way: Richard Asimus, Sheila Coressel, Kathy Deitsch, Sue Dyke, Sue Fiore, Susan Haas, Liz Harmath, Barbara Kaplan, Lauren Karch, Catherine LaCroix, Melanie Majikas, Kathleen McClure, Julie Mulroy, Heather Tuck-Macalla, Soni Vyas-Weit, and Lorraine Wilburn.

Many people have been working hard so that together we can slay the Mighty Gerrymander. Many redistricting reformers were not highlighted. Please send an email to ohiofairdistricts@gmail.com if you want us to include a special shout out for a redistricting reformer.

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