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2017 Holiday Party - After Action Report

12/25/2017

Front Street Brewery, Freight House, Davenport IA

Over seventy members and friends of PACG attended the Annual Holiday Party on December 7th. The Holiday Party is a time for good discussion and fellowship, and this year's event was no exception.

A $500 Dick Fallow Memorial grant was presented to the Guardians of the Prairie and Forest. The Guardians will use this grant to fund the bioblitz at Nahunt Marsh they are planning in 2018.

For those who missed the holiday party, this YouTube video of the grant award ceremony provides an explanation of the bioblitz and other planned Guardians activities:

https://youtu.be/FCRh4rz-ETY

Cliff Day, Photographer

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December Board Update

12/25/2017

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Greetings from the PACG Board of Directors.

At our December meeting, we elected officers for 2018: President – Alta Price, Vice President – Margie Mejia-Caraballo, Treasurer – Ann McCluskey, and Secretary – Tracy Leone. Board members Allison Ambrose, Cliff Day, and Alta Price were elected to new three-year terms. Please thank these people, as well as our other Board members (Bob Babcock, Dan DeShane, and Caryn Unsicker) for their efforts on behalf of PACG. You can also see who is on the Board at our website.

The PACG Board wishes all of you a joyous, blessed, and safe Holiday Season. We recognize the importance of connecting with friends and family throughout the year. The assault on our values and destruction of our cherished public programs can be overwhelming at times. When you feel discouraged, step back from the fray and be thankful for all the people in your life who bring you comfort and joy. Spending time with them will refresh you and build resilience for the struggles ahead.

A suggestion for a New Year’s Resolution: Recruit one friend to join PACG, or commit to becoming more active yourself. A fun way to fulfill this resolution is to come to our
Toast the Resistance new member recruitment party. Space is limited, so register soon. Download the flyer and send it or hand it to your friend. We need your help to recruit more people to grow the resistance!

Alta Price
Board President

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What You Can Do Now - Donate to PACG!

12/23/2017

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This has been a busy year for progressives and everyone else resisting the drastic shift away from our traditional American values of equality, fairness, concern for our environment and taking care of the most vulnerable in our society. Throughout it all Progressive Action for the Common Good (PACG) continues to be a unique and respected force leading the resistance and promoting progressive principles.

Many of you attended our Taking Action 101 training in March. We have three very active Issue Forums: Civil Rights, Environmental, and Health Care Reform. Check our website pacgqc.org for information on our many activities and events and to contact the leaders (facilitators) of any of our Issue Forums. Contact me if you want to start a new Issue Forum.

A great way to keep up is to sign up for our Weekly Email Update. You must do it yourself through our website by clicking the Contact tab and then following the directions. You will need to respond to a confirmation email.

Another way to help is to become a paying member. An individual membership is $10 and family membership is $20. Those who can afford to give more are encouraged to do so. We especially appreciate those who give monthly. You can donate through our pacgqc.org website or send a check to PACG, 1212 W 3rd St, Suite 3D, Davenport, IA 52802. PACG is a 501(c) 3 organization, and donations are tax-deductible as charitable contributions to the extent allowed by law.

Resistance is hard work and must be on-going. The only way to succeed is by uniting with other progressive individuals and organizations. We couldn’t do it without you!

Sincerely,

Alta Price
Board President
altaprice@gmail.com

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Concerned Iowans Ask Senator Grassley to Protect the Dreamers

12/3/2017

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On Monday, November 27th a group of Iowans visited Senator Grassley’s Davenport office to ask Senator Grassley to protect Iowa’s 3,000 DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipients (also known as Dreamers). The visit was organized by the Civil Rights Forum of PACG.

Nancy R., who is a DACA recipient, shared her personal story. Without action in Congress Nancy, and thousands of others like her in Iowa, will lose her work permit, lose her driver’s license, lose her ability to earn a living and care for her U.S. citizen child, and will be at risk for deportation to a country that is not her home.

Candice H. is a U.S. citizen married to a Dreamer, someone she has known for 10 years, even before DACA was available. She spoke movingly of her husband’s struggles before DACA, how he has thrived in his jobs since he became a DACA recipient, and her fears for herself and their two-year-old son if her husband is deported. She shared pictures of her family, including the extended family here that would be negatively impacted if she and her husband are forced to move to Mexico.

Others in the group spoke passionately of our concern for the Dreamers. Reverend Rich Hendricks spoke of the moral issue of assuring Dreamers they would be protected from deportation if they shared their personal information, only to turn around years later and betray their trust by using that information to deport them. Pat Welch addressed the fact that our country has always provided different paths to citizenship, including through military service. In fact, immigrants are an important part of the military, especially the Navy. Of the seven sailors lost in June when the destroyer Fitzgerald collided with a container ship, three were immigrants. Alta Price pointed out that Iowa needs the Dreamers – young, hard-working, law-abiding community members educated here who have jobs and businesses that contribute to Iowa’s economic growth. Although as non-citizens they receive no government benefits, they still pay taxes, including Social Security and Medicare taxes that benefit Iowa senior citizens.

We asked Senator Grassley to support the 2017 Dream Act, which protects current DACA recipients, allows more recent childhood arrivals to be protected, and provides a path (a very long path) to citizenship for them. As a nation of immigrants, we should continue to welcome all deserving immigrants, including the Dreamers, who only want to be part of this great country, the only home they have known.

The photo shows some of the members of our group in the lobby after the visit (Jane Duax had to leave for another meeting). From left to right: Pat Welch, Rev. Rich Hendricks, Alta Price, (Jacqueline) Candice H., Nancy R. (one photo) or Elizabeth (Bizzie) Braun (the other photo).

Click here to learn more about DACA.

Click here to call your member of Congress and ask them to support the 2017 Dream Act.

Come to our next Civil Rights meeting on Thursday, December 14, 5:15 pm, at The Center in Davenport (1411 Brady St) to plan more actions to help DACA recipients.

Email Alta Price if you live in Iowa and would like to make a visit to Representative Loebsack’s office about DACA.

Email Margie Mejia-Caraballo if you live in Illinois and want to visit Senator Durbin, Senator Duckworth, or Representative Bustos.

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2017 Holiday Party - After Action Report

December Board Update

What You Can Do Now - Donate to PACG!

Concerned Iowans Ask Senator Grassley to Protect the Dreamers

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