Nebraskans of all backgrounds have turned out to volunteer over the past few months, and Mick is no exception. A returned Peace Corps volunteer and an Omaha architect, he brings a unique perspective to the race and to his support for Barack Obama and Joe Biden; he was invited to blog as a guest about his experience volunteering for the campaign.
When I heard Senator Obama speak a couple of years ago concerning the Iraq war, I agreed with him when I heard him declare that he was not the “change that we were looking for," but that it was us! I decided to volunteer for his campaign. I am married with two daughters and the owner of a small business. My wife teaches high school; we served as Peace Corps Volunteers in the Dominican Republic (1988-1990). I'd like to tell a story about an experience that my wife and I had while we were assisting a community construct a school in the Dominican Republic. We were determined never to be the only ones working on the project; it was important that the community took ownership of the school if it was ever to be maintained long after we were gone.Our community was located in a remote mountain area where there was no electricity or running water. All of the concrete had to be mixed by hand and water was brought up from the river by young men on donkeys. To say the least, it was very physically demanding work, and the volunteerism was dwindling. Once a month a priest would come up to hold mass in the community, and one day we pulled him aside and asked him if he could say something motivating to the people to encourage them to volunteer. He agreed. For his sermon, he told the families that he was going to perform a “miracle”. Eyes opened wide, ours included as he claimed to everyone that he was going to lift a table up and over his head while using only his index finger. People got very excited and we all gathered around to see a miracle take place. Father held up his finger and prepared to lift the table over his head, but then he paused and asked us all to do the same and with each of us doing our small part we helped to make father’s “miracle” come true. I am happy to report that our family visited the school this past summer and that after eighteen years, and one small “miracle," classes are still being held.The time is now for all of us to work together and to take ownership of our future. Please lift a finger, by volunteering for Barack Obama’s Campaign at one of the three Campaign for Change offices here in Omaha.- Mick McGuire, Omaha
When I heard Senator Obama speak a couple of years ago concerning the Iraq war, I agreed with him when I heard him declare that he was not the “change that we were looking for," but that it was us! I decided to volunteer for his campaign.
I am married with two daughters and the owner of a small business. My wife teaches high school; we served as Peace Corps Volunteers in the Dominican Republic (1988-1990). I'd like to tell a story about an experience that my wife and I had while we were assisting a community construct a school in the Dominican Republic. We were determined never to be the only ones working on the project; it was important that the community took ownership of the school if it was ever to be maintained long after we were gone.
Our community was located in a remote mountain area where there was no electricity or running water. All of the concrete had to be mixed by hand and water was brought up from the river by young men on donkeys. To say the least, it was very physically demanding work, and the volunteerism was dwindling. Once a month a priest would come up to hold mass in the community, and one day we pulled him aside and asked him if he could say something motivating to the people to encourage them to volunteer. He agreed.
For his sermon, he told the families that he was going to perform a “miracle”. Eyes opened wide, ours included as he claimed to everyone that he was going to lift a table up and over his head while using only his index finger. People got very excited and we all gathered around to see a miracle take place. Father held up his finger and prepared to lift the table over his head, but then he paused and asked us all to do the same and with each of us doing our small part we helped to make father’s “miracle” come true. I am happy to report that our family visited the school this past summer and that after eighteen years, and one small “miracle," classes are still being held.
The time is now for all of us to work together and to take ownership of our future. Please lift a finger, by volunteering for Barack Obama’s Campaign at one of the three Campaign for Change offices here in Omaha.
- Mick McGuire, Omaha
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