Project Summary

In rural Mississippi, neighbors develop the means to foster conversations about, and take action on, issues of importance to them. Through an efficient alternative to web-based communication, all citizens can participate in discussions about issues that affect their lives and their families.

About me

As a stay-at-home mom, I became involved as a volunteer in my children's schools. This involvement led to volunteerism on a statewide level on behalf of public education. Through The Coalition for Children and Public Education, I worked with school officials, PTOs and PTAs to develop a statewide email network of parents and citizens and kept them abreast of legislation that affected their children's schools. During that time I helped conceive and organize a statewide petition drive which netted over 150,000 signatures in support of adequate education funding. The petitions were delivered to the state capitol via a relay of parents pulling petitions in red wagons and culminated in a rally attended by over 1,200 people. That work inspired several education supporters to approach me about incorporating as a nonprofit to continue this work. We incorporated in April of 2006 as The Parents' Campaign, an email-based network of citizens seeking to improve public education by communicating with legislators about policy that affects our schools. While I will use the same skills to organize and empower individuals in this proposed venture, the targeted communities will be quite different. The Parents' Campaign network is made up largely of suburban, well-educated, and internet-savvy parents and educators. My Voice Matters will target those who do not utilize web-based communication: typically the elderly, less-educated, and inhabitants of rural communities.