Weekly Email Update 5.21.18
"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened…"
Anatole France
Today is National Rescue Dog Day, WeCANners, and we'd like to give a shout-out to all those who give care, love, and time to pets in need. According to the ASPCA, approximately 3.3 million dogs enter shelters every year and rescue dogs (indeed, all rescue pets) often overcome extreme obstacles and yet provide comfort, security, and friendship as family pets. Rescue dogs, in particular, are capable of much more. With training, they contribute to the independence of people with disabilities as service animals and give comfort to the elderly. In these circumstances, they become our eyes, ears, or legs as well as our best friend. Rescue dogs provide a variety of therapeutic benefits. Children, teens, and adults with autism may benefit from services provided by trained rescue dogs. As emotional support companions, rescue dogs help to relieve anxiety, depression, and PTSD among the military or those who suffer from mental illness.
Interested in getting involved with rescue pets? There are a variety of ways to share the puppy love.
- Volunteer at your local shelter. Taking dogs for walks, grooming and giving them plenty of affection improves their socialization.
- Shelters always need donations. Financial donations are always welcome. Most shelters have a list of constant needs, such as blankets, bleach, toys, treats, and leashes.
- If there is room in your life for a rescue dog, cat, or pet, consider adoption and giving one a forever home.
- Consider fostering. Many dogs abandoned to shelters require some medical care or rehabilitation in a home setting before an adoption can take place.
- Remember to spay and neuter your pets. Overpopulation is the number one reason shelters exist.
Is there a rescue pet in your life? Share your story with us at [email protected] for a chance to be featured in an upcoming email!
HAPPENING THIS WEEK MONDAY, MAY 21st, 2018-SUNDAY, MAY 27th, 2018
Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival: Week 2: Linking Systemic Racism and Poverty: Voting Rights, Immigration, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, and the Mistreatment of Indigenous Communities
Monday, May 21st, 2018 at The Vermont Statehouse (115 State St, Montpelier, VT 05633). Rally begins at 2pm.
Starting on Monday, May 14th, 2018, the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival will launch a season of nonviolent moral direct action. By engaging in highly publicized, nonviolent moral direct action, the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival aims to bring about a serious national examination of the intertwined problems of systemic racism, systemic poverty, ecological devastation, the war economy and our distorted moral narrative.
Each Monday, there will be a rally at the State House. People who have committed to taking direct action and been trained will engage in nonviolent direct action. If you are interested, but have not been trained, there will be a training each Sunday evening at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Barre, with solidarity housing provided. To sign up for the training contact [email protected] and for solidarity housing contact Avery Book: [email protected].
Each Monday's actions will also include a rally that includes people who are not participating in the direct action. The rallies will be at the State House and begin at 2:00pm.
Each week has a theme, but this is a fusion campaign, meaning that we understand these problems to be joined at the root and to come from the same underlying causes. The aim is to highlight ways that systemic poverty, racism, militarism and environmental degradation impact our communities, but not to separate them into silos.
The themes are:
Week 1 (May 13-19) – Somebody’s Hurting Our People: Child poverty, Women, and People with Disabilities
Week Two (May 20-26) – Linking Systemic Racism and Poverty: Voting Rights and Immigration
Week Three (May 27-June 2) - The War Economy: militarism and the proliferation of gun violence
Week Four (June 3-9) - Ecological Devastation and the Right Health
Week Five (June 10-16) – Everybody’s Got the Right to Live: Education, Jobs, Income and Housing
Week Six (June 17-22) – A New and Unsettling Force
June 23rd – Mass rally in Washington, D.C. and Global Day of Solidarity
To connect with others going up from Windham County contact Ellen: [email protected] or (802) 257-4436.
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Mother Up! Monthly Meet-Up
Monday May 21st, 2018 at KidsPLAYce (20 Elliot St., Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 5:30pm-7:30pm. A vegetarian meal and childcare for ages 8 and under will be provided. RSVP helpful, but not required. Contact Abby Mnookin for more info at [email protected].
Mother Up!: Families Rise Up for Climate Action is a project of 350Vermont that brings together families to talk about the tough realities of climate change and to participate in the transition to a healthier and safer world. Caitlin and Jesse from Wild Carrot Farm will be joining us with their kids to talk about being a Vermont farming family in the time of climate change. Learn more about their farm at www.wildcarrotfarm.net and visit them at 511 Upper Dummerston Road in Brattleboro.
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Informational Session About the Upcoming Medicaid March
sponsored by the Vermont Workers’ Center
Tuesday, May 22nd, 2018 at the Root Social Justice Center (The Whetstone Studio for the Arts, 28 Williams Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301), on the First Floor. 6pm-7pm. For more information: [email protected] or call (802) 257-4436.
● Do you or a family member count on Medicaid or Dr. Dynasaur?
● Are you a person with a disability who relies on Medicaid to live independently?
● Are you unable to access dental or other care you need?
● Are you unfairly excluded from Medicaid because of immigration status or other reasons?
● Are you worried about changes proposed to Medicaid?
The Medicaid March will take place on June 16 in St. Johnsbury, VT with caravans from around the state heading up to participate.
Why St. Johnsbury? The Northeast Kingdom is the area in VT with the largest percentage of people on Medicaid, so we are showing up in the hardest hit region.
Across the state, over 1 in 3 of us rely on some form of Medicaid. Politicians and power-holders are looking for ways to cut spending on Medicaid. If you or a loved one counts on Medicaid or if you think that all of us should have access to healthcare, join the Medicaid March! The May 22nd meeting will have information about Medicaid and the march and sign-ups for folks who want to join the caravan in June. As healthcare costs rise, politicians at the federal and state levels are looking for ways to cut spending on Medicaid, which provides healthcare for about 218,000 Vermont residents. We cannot let this happen!
Please spread the word, especially to people you know who count on Medicaid for health insurance or other services.
SAVE THE DATE: June 16, Rally & March for Medicaid on June 16 in St. Johnsbury, with caravans heading up from around the state. Sign up for updates & RSVP here. Info about the Rally & March will be available at the May 22 meeting.
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Climate Change Café
sponsored by Post Oil Solutions presents
Healing Our Divisions and Biases and Unifying Our Movements
Tuesday, May 22nd, 2018 at Brooks Memorial Library (224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301) in the Main Room. 7pm.
As always, the Café is free, and light refreshments will be provided. Please note the 7 PM start time, and the downstairs location in the library for thIs talk.
The Climate Café and Brooks Memorial Library are honored to co-host Sherri Mitchell Weh’na Ha’mu Kwasset, an indigenous activist, spiritual teacher, and transformational change maker who has spoken and taught around the world on issues of indigenous rights, environmental justice, and spiritual change for more than 25 years.
Her new book, Sacred Instructions: Indigenous Wisdom for Living Spirit-Based Change, has just been released, and will be available for purchase.
Sherri will talk about the divisions and biases, including hidden biases, that have been built into our societies and ideologies. She will look at the divisions created by our shared history, the biases informed by that history, and the ways that they prevent us from joining our movements, with special emphasis on how colonization has impacted our thinking and the ways that we engage one another and the world around us, as well as the work required to decolonize our hearts and minds. Participants will learn how to find interest convergence points that enable us to work with one another across these divisions, and how to manage the intersectionality of the emerging movement of movements.
Born and raised on the Penobscot Indian reservation (Penawahpskek), Sherri received her Juris Doctorate and a certificate in Indigenous People’s Law and Policy from the University of Arizona’s James E. Rogers College of Law. She is the Founding Director of the Land Peace Foundation, an organization dedicated to the global protection of Indigenous land and water rights and the preservation of the Indigenous way of life. Sherri has also served as a law clerk to the Solicitor of the United States Department of Interior; as an Associate with Fredericks, Peebles and Morgan Law Firm; as a civil rights educator for the Maine Attorney General’s Office, and; as the Staff Attorney for the Native American Unit of Pine Tree Legal. Recipient of numerous awards, Sherri is also the cohost of the syndicated radio program Love (and revolution) Radio, which focuses on real-life stories of heart-based activism and revolutionary spiritual change.
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350Brattleboro Meeting
Wednesday, May 23rd, 2018 at the The Root Social Justice Center (28 Williams Street, Brattleboro) on the First Floor. 6pm-8pm. Snacks provided. Fragrance Free Space, Handicapped Accessible.
We'll be sharing updates on the Town Meeting Day Re)Solution campaigns, planning for June's "Celebration of Climate Successes," and starting to talk about a local action to correspond with September's Global Climate Action Summit that will be happening in San Francisco from September 12 - 14. Join us!
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Protest Vigil at TD Ban
sponsored by Post Oil Solutions
Friday, May 25th, 2018 (and every Friday) in front of TD Bank Brattleboro (215 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 12pm-1pm. Signs will be provided
TD is a major investor in Tar Sands. TD helps to fund the Dakota Access Pipeline. The State of Vermont Keeps Most of Our Cash in TD. What You Can You Do (besides attending the vigils): If you’re a TD depositor, change banks!
Founded in 2005, Post Oil Solutions is a 501c3 community organizing project in Southeastern Vermont whose mission is to help empower the people of the Central Connecticut River Valley bioregion in this era of global warming and climate change to develop sustainable, resilient , collaborative, and socially just communities leading to a self- and community-sufficient post petroleum society.
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The Bi-Weekly Solidarity Vigil
sponsored by Post Oil Solutions
Friday, May 25th, 2018 at the Windham Hotel Corner (across from the Flat Iron Cafe, Bellows Falls, VT). 1pm-2pm.
A vigil of community, solidarity and diversity. We are one cause of peace, freedom & social justice for all living beings. Bring signs expressing your passion and concerns.
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Join the ‘Civil Rights for All Banner’ in the Strolling of the Heifers Parade
hosted by We Celebrate Democracy/ Civil Rights for All
Saturday, June 2nd, 2018 on Flat Street in Downtown, Brattleboro, VT on Flat Street. 9:30am.
We need marchers to march, hands to help, signs to hold, costumes to wear, voices to sing. Contact [email protected] or call 802-464-3154 for more information.
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The Community Asylum Seekers Project Potluck and Info Session
hosted by The Putney Huddle and Putney Friends Meeting
Saturday, June 9th, 2018 at the Putney Friends Meeting House (17 Bellows Falls Road, Putney, VT, 05346). 6pm-8:30pm. For more info about CASP please visit- http://caspvt.org/. For more information about the event please contact Mike Mrowicki at 802-387-8787 / [email protected] or Francie Marbury at [email protected].
The Community Asylum Seekers Project’s mission is to provide basic needs and a supportive community for those in the process of seeking asylum in the U.S.
Steve Crofter of CASP has now visited both Putney Friends Meeting house and The Putney Huddle to spread the word on the good work CASP is doing and ask the Putney Community to get involved. Many of us in both forums agreed that we would like to help. If you are interested in supporting this project please join The Putney Friends Meeting House on June 9-
Agenda:
6:00pm Potluck
7:00pm Mtg for Gathering for Information in building a Support Network and possible host families for asylum seekers/ refugees.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Brattleboro CBD/Hemp Farmers Market
presented by Heady Vermont and sponsored by Vermont Hempicurean
Sunday, June 17th, 2018 at the Robert H. Gibson River Garden (157 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 10am-2pm. Attendance is free to the public. Interested vendors can sign up here: https://goo.gl/forms/ba83snLnCpLeAH873.
Following the success of multiple CBD Hemp Farmers Markets this winter and the Grand Opening of Vermont Hempicurean (8 Flat Street) on Saturday, June 16th, 2018 Heady Vermont is proud to bring Vermont cannabis, CBD (cannabidiol), and hemp products and producers to the heart of Brattleboro.
Taking place the gorgeous River Garden on Main Street in Downtown Brattleboro on Sunday, June 17 from 10am to 2pm, the CBD Hemp Farmers Market will feature a diverse group of local CBD and hemp producers and cannabis advocates - all continuing their efforts to bring CBD education to the canna-curious public and foster positive dialogue between the burgeoning hemp industry and the citizens of Vermont.
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Southern Vermont Sister District Summer Soup Subscriptions Are Now Available and Summer Update!
The words Summer and soup may not sound like a good match, but our chef team (including WeCAN's own Joanna Wilson Phillips) is coming up with a selection of delicious warm-weather delights for the June - September subscribers. Sign-up to enjoy tasty homemade soups or “gift” your soup subscription to our local food shelf. ALL proceeds go to supporting progressive Democrats in strategic swing races. Sign up now as these subscriptions go quickly!
You can link directly to the order form here: Soup Subscription Form.
Raising money and providing support to progressive Democratic candidates in strategic races.
By subscribing to our SisterDistrict Soup Project you will receive delicious homemade soup selections from June through September, one per month. You also have the option to gift your subscription to the Putney Food Shelf (a popular choice for out-of-town supporters). Soup chefs volunteer their time and donate ingredients which means that ALL $$ goes to help move our political structures in the direction of sanity, compassion and justice. Currently our two "sister" race is a state level race in Pennsylvania that is critical to make blue inroads in the state.
More information about our PA sister candidate Melissa Shusterman can be found here: https://www.melissashusterman.com/about/
More information about SisterDistrict strategies can be found here: https://www.sisterdistrict.com/. Please sign up for SisterDistrict's email list while you're there so that the Southern Vermont SisterDistrict team can keep you informed about our work and ways that you can plug in.
About our soups: In addition to raising $$ to help get our nation onto a better trajectory, we are also committed to providing you the most delicious and locally-sourced soup that we can. All soups are vegetarian, gluten- and dairy-free, and delicious!. There is no reason that you can't eat well and resist at the same time!
In other news: Save Our Nation Vacation (another Southern Vermont Sister District Project) is having an orientation for folks who want to share a meal (provided by the SONV team) with like-minded people who are committed to taking a(nother) small personal step that can have a LARGE, collective impact on flipping strategic races BLUE. Come learn about the project and get all the resources and support you need to find just ONE property for our fall catalog. The “Summer Sampler Catalog”, that lists available vacation properties, can be found at SaveOurNationVacation.org. Orientation will be at Putney Friends Meeting, June 3rd, 4:00pm-5:30pm, followed by shared meal. Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SVTSisterDistrict/.
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Southern Vermont Dance Festival Announces Early Registration and Performance Tickets Available:
Early Registration for the Southern Vermont Dance Festival is now open! Early Registration allows everyone to get the classes that they want before they sell out. Advance tickets for all the performances are now on sale including the Midsummer Night's Picnic and Promenade which will take place at the Retreat Farm nature trail. Southern Vermont Dance Festival was designed as a long term economic driver for the community as a response to Tropical Storm Irene. The festival returns for a 6th season with an exciting round of dance classes, community events and performances hosted in the one and only Brattleboro, VT. Festival attendees are invited to attend dance performances each evening as well as a choice of many different classes each day. For people who want to experience the beautiful town of Brattleboro, there are community events with live music and dance performance throughout the 4 days. For the third year in a row, SVDF will offer a Mid Summer Night's Picnic and Promenade, using Vermont's natural beauty as a stage for top notch performance. There are early registration discounts, advanced ticket prices and group discounts as well as opportunities to volunteer and sponsor the festival. Volunteers will be able to take classes and see performances. In addition there are internships available for people of all ages. see more at http://www.southernvermontdancefestival.com
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RESOURCE FOR WeCAN: Rapid Response Text Alert System.
When WeCAN began, Song & Solidarity set up a Rapid Response Text Alert System for WeCAN Groups. Directions for signing up are on WeCAN's website, here: https://www.wecantogether.net/rapid_response We were reminded of the Rapid Response text alerts system as President Trump moves towards firing Mueller. In the event Mueller is fired, MoveOn is planning a nation-wide simultaneous protest. The trick will be to get the word out fast if/when the time comes. We are grateful to Song and Solidarity for providing this service.
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Job Listings
The Vermont Wilderness School is Seeking a New Bookkeeper
We are a non-profit organization founded in 1999. We work with people of all ages, especially children, to build deep personal connection with nature. In our programs we use a long-term mentoring approach based on routines of nature awareness, intergenerational mentoring, and gratitude.
Vermont Wilderness School (http://www.vermontwildernessschool.org) is in a period of growth and change. We are moving toward our vision of being an organization that is accessible, inclusive, and diverse. We welcome applications from dedicated individuals interested in learning, growing, and contributing along with us!
This is a part-time, year-round position. The Bookkeeper works in our Brattleboro, VT office along with four other part-time staff members. Strong candidates will have experience with nonprofit or small business accounting principles. However, we may be willing to train a candidate who is new to nonprofit bookkeeping and has a strong desire to learn.
If, after reviewing the complete job description (http://www.vermontwildernessschool.org/employment/bookkeeper/), you are interested please reply to [email protected] with a resume, two references, and a concise letter describing your relevant experience and qualifications and your reasons for applying for this position.
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Let’s Grow Kids Seeks Southern Vermont Canvassing Team
Let's Grow Kids is looking for fun, energetic people to join our southern Vermont canvassing team for the Summer season. If you are passionate about early childhood and like to be outdoors then this is the job for you! Our Canvassers will join a team of like-minded individuals, walk around beautiful Vermont towns, and talk with residents about the campaign. This is a great Summer job for college students, recent graduates, teachers, and anyone looking to make a difference. Canvassers work up to 25 hours per week: Wed-Fri evenings and Saturday & Sunday during the day. $15/ hour. Check out the full job description at letsgrowkids.org and feel free to get in touch if you have questions. [email protected].
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STANDING REGULAR MEETINGS
Lost River Racial Justice, Black Lives Matter-South, and People Of Color Caucus Regular Meeting
Reoccurring racial justice organizing meetings every 2nd Monday at The Root Social Justice Center (The Whetstone Studio of the Arts, 28 Williams Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301) on the First Floor. 6pm-8pm. Childcare provided. Fragrance & nut free space.
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Youth4Change Regular Meeting
The Root Social Justice Center (The Whetstone Studio for the Arts, 28 Williams Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). First Floor.
Youth4Change (Y4C), a program of The Root Social Justice Center, builds the leadership skills of youth ages 12-21, especially those from/in historically disenfranchised communities who want to use education, art, and action to address issues of racial, class, gender, queer, immigrant and indigenous justice.
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Alternatives to Suicide meets every Wednesday 6pm-7:30PM at the Hive Space (24 Flat St, Suite 202, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). Second Floor, up one flight of stairs.
Alternatives to Suicide is a mutual support group open to anyone who has experienced thoughts of suicide. The group is guided by a charter of values provided by the Western Mass Recovery Learning Community. The group is non-clinical and does not link suicide with illness. Participants are free to talk about and find meaning in their experiences in/on their own terms.
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VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Inclusion Center is Looking for Assistance with Our Annual Reporting Requirements
NEW: As Inclusion Center grows we find we are in need of assistance with our annual reporting requirements. We all have different skills and if this is your skill, please do consider donating your time in this way to our wonderful program! Volunteering with Inclusion Center by helping us for (literally) one or two hours a year in this area would help IC very much!
Inclusion Center is an amazing program that works with all people who have disabilities or medical issues, and everyone else who has an interest in being with us.
The possibilities for what Inclusion Center could be in the future are endless: A drop in center within another program! Have our own space with our doors always open. Offer classes. Offer services as well as being a drop in center! And those are just a few of our ideas!
However, in order for us to grow, we need a few more people who can either come to our board meetings (the second friday of each month at 2:00pm), or come to a work group each month (generally Friday mornings).
At Inclusion Center we all matter. Everyone helps make decisions. It doesn't matter if you want to join the board or just drop in as often as you can. Either way, your ideas and input matter just as much as everyone else's.
Please contact us ([email protected] or 802-387-5285) to discuss how we could work together.
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INTERNSHIP AVAILABLE
Internship with 350Vermont Available
If you are interested, apply online at 350vermont.org/internships and feel free to get in touch with Katherine ([email protected]) with any questions.
This summer 350Vermont is looking for two dynamic people to join our team starting June 4, 2018 for a ten week internship, ending August 10, 2018. These two people will work together to advance our Re)Generate New Solutions campaign and engage communities around the state in climate solutions. They will be integral to planning and implementing different outreach and engagement opportunities with 350VT staff, board, and volunteers. Most often, these internships are based in Burlington, but based in Brattleboro might be an option.
In each position, we are looking for someone with a commitment to and passion for the 350Vermont mission of building a local movement to stop the climate crisis. We seek self-starters with the passion, creativity, and drive to make things happen while working independently and in close coordination with a team.
Each position will be paid, 30 hours a week, with some work taking place during the evenings and weekends. This internship includes free housing accommodation (if wanted!) and 20 hours of training by our staff and facilitation team.
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ONGOING EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING
Indigo Radio
Sundays at 12pm on Brattleboro Community Radio 107.7FM
To stream live: Visit www.wvew.org
Indigo Radio, deepening understanding and making connections! IndigoRadio is a group of area educators seeking to learn through engaging with others in our community and throughout the world. We will be talking about educational and social issues both globally and locally and connecting them to our lives and Brattleboro community. Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/indigoradiowvew/. For archive recordings of past shows: https://soundcloud.com/user-654648353
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Democracy, Eventually
WVEW 107.7FM, Brattleboro Community Radio Station
You can listen to recorded and archived episodes here: https://soundcloud.com/democracy-eventually and you can find us on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/democracyeventually/ and on Twitter here @Democrazeee.
We are Democracy, Eventually a radio show covering local, state, and underreported national news stories from a progressive analysis. We air live on WVEW 107.7FM LP Brattleboro Community Radio Station.
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We look forward to seeing you at an event this week, friends. Until next time...
Your {{ broadcaster.name }},
Ann, Joanna, and Leslie
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