Wesleyan University
Open main menu
Menu
Close menu Close left shield right shield
  • About
  • Admission & Aid
  • Academics
  • Life @ Wesleyan
  • Visit
  • News & Events
  • Athletics
  • Giving
  • Alumni
  • Parents
  • Directory
  • Tools
    • WesPortal
    • Library
    • OneStop
    • Calendar
    • WesMaps
  • Search

ENGAGE – Wesleyan University

Main menu

Skip to content
  • ENGAGE Home
  • News & Features
  • Events
  • Job & Volunteer Positions
  • Funding
  • Academics
  • Faculty & Staff

Sub menu

Political Engagement Fund Report: Rachel Williams ’19 and Angie Fike ’21

October 29, 2018

In September 2018, the JCCP launched the Student Political Engagement Fund to support students to do political campaign work over Fall Break. Grantees were given up to $500 to do work locally, in their home communities, or beyond. Read other reflections here, and visit the JCCP website to learn more about our other programs.


 

Rachel Williams ’19
Major(s): College of Letters and Feminist, Gender & Sexuality Studies
Hometown: Johns Creek, GA
Location of Political Action: Hartford, CT
Organization: NARAL Pro-Choice Connecticut

 

Angie Fike ’21
Hometown: Berkeley, CA
Location of Political Action: Hartford, CT
Organization: NARAL Pro-Choice Connecticut

 

Over this Fall Break, we volunteered with NARAL Pro-Choice Connecticut in Hartford. Both of us are involved with Wesleyan’s Clinic Escorts group, which is how we initially connected with the NARAL office.

Currently, NARAL is focused on the upcoming midterm elections, and we did a lot of work around the candidates NARAL has sponsored in Connecticut. We made “I ♥️ Pro-Choice Voters” buttons and attended a phone banking event on behalf of NARAL, making calls in support of Democratic Candidates Jillian Gilchrest and Beth Bye. It was energizing to be in an environment with a bunch of other volunteers trying to get people to the polls and to support pro-choice candidates.

We also helped with donor efforts by writing thank you notes to community members who have given to NARAL. We called members of Connecticut’s NARAL branch and informed them of upcoming events and the importance of showing up during election season. This action showed us the importance of individual outreach and personal connection in larger political movements.

During our time at NARAL, we learned about the inner workings of a small non-profit, and we were able to participate in important efforts around the upcoming elections. It was a great experience to do this important work and learn from the great people we met there.

Rhea Drozdenko

Rhea Drozdenko '18 is the Coordinator of Community Participation. View all posts by Rhea Drozdenko →

Tags:civic engagement grants reflection

Post navigation

← Volunteer for Stewards of the Earth – sustainability education
Political Engagement Fund Report: Eli Roche ’21 →

Welcome to Wesleyan ENGAGE, home of civic engagement activity at Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT.
Have a civically engaged event or opportunity that you would like us to share? Fill out this form.

SEARCH

Categories

Allbritton Center for the Study of Public Life

Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship

Office of Community Service

Service-Learning

Center for Prison Education

Jewett Center for Community Partnerships

Connect With Us!

Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on Twitter

Subscribe!

Stay up-to-date on events, news, and job & volunteer opportunities related to civic engagement and social impact: Subscribe to our newsletter

Magazine Premium created by c.bavota.