Category: After Action Report - PACG - Progressive Action for the Common Good

August & September Green Drinks - After Action Report

10/17/2019

Green Drinks for August and September - After Action Report

Environmental Forum - Green Drinks!

August

Our August Green Drinks included an excellent presentation on Rain Gardens by Andy Parer, and we learned about how to choose native plants that have more extensive root systems to absorb rain and groundwater. Some of these plants are available each spring from local county conservation programs, as well as local gardening shops or online. In the city of Rock Island, you can receive financial support for putting in a rain garden, and then have your sewer fees reduced quarterly because you will have less run off.

September

Our September Green Drinks included a presentation by Dr. Cheryl True about Plant Based Diets. Dr. True discussed general ways to improve your lifestyle, but focused on plant based diets, which not only decrease health problems but help the environment. Even if you don't want to go completely vegetarian, you can go to meatless Mondays or reduce the size of your meat servings and increasing the vegetables and fruits on your plate.
An additional bonus is that each month a few staff from local presidential campaigns come by. They offer up current information about policies their respective candidates endorse.

Check out www.greendrinks.org/IA/QuadCities for more details about our group. We meet at Fresh Deli from 5-7 pm on the last Thursday of each month. We will take November and December off due to the holidays. We hope to see you on October 31st.

Lori McCollum

Global Climate Strike - After Action Report

10/9/2019

Global Climate Strike - After Action Report
Friday, Oct. 4th at 4pm

920 Middle Road, Bettendorf, IA 52722 (map)

PACG Environmental Forum and
Gardening for the Environment - Quad Cities

This September, millions of us walked out of our workplaces and homes to join young climate strikers on the streets and demand an end to the age of fossil fuels. Our house is on fire — let’s act like it! We demand climate justice for everyone!

Over twenty people showed up Friday in Bettendorf to join the global climate strike efforts. Many passersby honked or gave thumbs up in support of our efforts.

Contact the Host at Global Strike for Climate, QC on Facebook.

Tara Witherow

2019 Picnic & Pie Auction - After Action Report

10/2/2019

Picnic/Pie Auction a Great Success! - After Action Report
Sunday, September 15th at 12:00 pm

Longview Park 18th Avenue & 17th Street Rock Island, IL.

PACG Board

Despite some early morning rain, sixty-seven people turned out to enjoy picnic food from Fresh Deli and music by Chris Dunn. Nearby playground equipment provided fun for the kids as well.

There were also several raffle winners, and we were lucky again this year to have Jen Broders, assisted by her husband, Ed, do our famous Pie Auction, which is designed to help fund the many activities of our very active Civil Rights, Environmental, and Health Care Reform Forums. We got to hear short reports from our forum leaders as well as from the Fallow Endowment for Social Justice to keep everybody up-to-date on all the hard work we're doing to forward progressive issues during a time when they are being challenged as never before.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the picnic afforded a chance for everybody to just relax and visit with other progressive minded folks!

Thanks to all who were able to join us this year. It was great to see you again! Enjoy the rest of this beautiful Fall season, and we hope to see you at our Holiday Party in December.

Sincerely,
The PACG Picnic Committee
Allison Ambrose, Ann McCluskey, Susan Meenan, Margie Meija Caraballo, Caryn Unsicker

A Faithful Response to Climate Change - After Action Report

9/4/2019

A Faithful Response to Climate Change - After Action Report
Sunday, August 25th

Schwiebert Park, Rock Island, IL

Environmental Forum

The Faithful Response to Climate Change was hosted by the Faith Leader's Caucus from Quad City Interfaith. This was co-sponsored by the Environmental Forum of PACG. Religious leaders spoke from various faiths about the need to address climate change in order to be consistent with their values. Olivia Dorothy from American Rivers spoke from the scientific point of view, and Mark Russell from Iowa Interfaith and Light spoke about the regional and national response from faith leaders. Lori McCollum spoke from the point of view of a parent. Music was provided by Todtz McGoats, and the Sage Sisters. About 50 people gathered in an intermittent gentle rain to discuss this topic, which was well covered by the press.

Lori McCollum

After Action Report - "Paris to Pittsburgh" Screening

9/4/2019

Paris to Pittsburgh - After Action Report
Wednesday, August 21st

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Quad Cities

Environmental Forum

The movie Paris to Pittsburgh was shown on Thursday evening, August 22nd at the UU church with the Environmental Forum co-sponsoring the event. There were nearly 70 people in attendance to view the film and listen to a panel presentation about climate change by Mark Schwiebert, former mayor of Rock Island, Eric Sorensen, senior meteorologist at WQAD, Ray Wolf, National Weather Service, Olivia Dorothy, Director of the Upper Mississippi Region of American Rivers, and Mike Wilcox, chair of the Eagle View Chapter of the Sierra Club. The information was well received, and a number of excellent questions were posed by the audience.

Lori McCollum

After Action Report - Civil Rights Forum Met with Rita Hart

8/27/2019

After Action Report - Crisis at the Border Visit with Rita Hart -
Monday, August 19th at 6:00 pm

Civil Rights

The PACG Civil Rights Forum organized a visit with Rita Hart, who is running in the Democratic primary for the Congressional seat of retiring Congressman, Dave Loebsack. Immigration activists from the many organizations in the Quad Cities working on immigration issues met with Ms. Hart to deliver our message, beginning with: "Children do not belong in detention." At the PACG Blog you can read our complete "ask" and some proposed legislation.

We are trying to set up similar meetings with Republican candidate, Bobby Shilling, and Democratic candidate, Newman Abuissa. We will also visit with other candidates or elected officials in both Iowa and Illinois. Contact Alta if you want to participate.

Alta Price

Toast the Resistance - After Action Report

3/4/2019

Toast the Resistance - After Action Report

On February 23rd, close to 50 people attended our 2nd Annual Toast the Resistance party. We celebrated the RESISTANCE at The Key restaurant in downtown Davenport. Many of the attendees were new to PACG and had come to learn more about our organization and about how they could get involved in making a difference.

Allison Ambrose delivered a "Toast" to the Resistance and membership awards were given for "Most Active New Resister” - Deb Sperry; "Worker Bee Resister” - Susan Meenan; "Behind the Scenes Resister” - Jeannie Price; and, the "Successful Forum Event" award went to the Environmental Forum for the Renewal Energy Conference they presented in November.

The energy in the room was at a high level while everyone discussed with each other the “goods” and the “bads” of the past year. Forum facilitators informed the crowd of the various things being done to advance progressive causes and the PACG Book Club publicized their activities. Those in attendance were encouraged to sign up for a forum and/or the book club.

At the conclusion of the event, the various sign-up sheets were full of names. Everyone had a great time! Cheers!

Drug Policy Coalition Forum - After Action Report - February, 2019

2/25/2019

Iowa Drug Policy Coalition Forum - After Action Report
St Ambrose University (SAU), Rogalski Center

Thanks to everyone who attended our first Drug Policy Iowa Public Forum. We were excited to welcome these amazing speakers:

Grant Tietjen, PhD SAU Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice
Kim Brown QC Harm Reduction
Aaron Schoeneman, AJP Former President Iowa NORML
Shelly Servadio, RN Iowa Registered Cannabis Nurse
Joe Bolkcom, Iowa State Senator

Topics ranged from research, decriminalization, the human cannabidiol system, the punitive impact Iowa laws have on on medical cannabis users and others, therapeutic dosing levels needed for effective treatment, opioids vs. cannabis for pain management, harm reduction, current legislation and of course advocacy.

Actions taken at the event:

Senator Bolkcom discussed and handed out information about his new cannabis-related bill soon to be introduced to the Iowa legislature.

Attendees completed postcards to their federal legislators regarding Senate and House Bills that advocate to remove cannabis (marijuana) from the Controlled Substances Act,

Attendees completed postcards to Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds to advocate for improved medical cannabis legislation to expand qualifying conditions, raise the 3% THC cap, cannabis decriminalization and overall harm reduction.

Channel 4 was there and filmed most of the event which resulted in a 3 minute report.

Stay tuned for our upcoming Illinois Public Forum at the Moline Library with Rev Alexander Sharp representing Clergy for a New Drug Policy, who will review and explain the new Illinois law which legalizes cannabis. Date/time to be determined.

Caroline Vernon

Holiday Party Was Another Success!

12/17/2018

2018 PACG Holiday Party - After Action Report

Over 70 people sat down to a potluck dinner on December 6th at the Progressive Action for the Common Good (PACG) Holiday Party at Cobblestone Place in Davenport. More than 26 PACG memberships were renewed or started and many more friendships were formed or deepened during our annual dinner.

The PACG Holiday Dinner is also the platform to announce The Dick Fallow Endowment for Social Justices annual grant awards. The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Quad-Cities and the Teamsters Community Action Network (TeamCan) both received awards to support their work in the QC Community.

The Reverend Jay Wolin of the UU Congregation of the QC accepted the award for the Sanctuary Team and said that they will use their award to hold events to educate the public about immigration policy and the Sanctuary Movement.

Jesse Case, President of the TeamCan Network, accepted their award. TeamCan will use their award to broaden their networks to distribute locally grown organic food to people in eastern Iowa who are food insecure.

The Dick Fallow Endowment was established in 2013 to carry on the life work of Richard E. Fallow, local activist and union member. Each year, the Endowment issues grants to organizations that fulfill his mission by working in the areas of labor / economic justice, environment / sustainability and/or democracy/ human rights.

Greg Coleridge, Outreach Director of Move to Amend, also talked about amending our Constitution to establish that money is not speech, and that human beings, not corporations, are persons entitled to constitutional rights. He encouraged all those who attended to sign a petition reject the U.S. Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling.

The PACG Holiday Committee thanks you for coming and for celebrating another busy year:
Allison Ambrose, Margie Mejia Caraballo, Susan Meenan, Janice Williams, Caryn Unsicker, and Ann McCluskey.

If you have not done so already please sign up here for the PACG weekly email update to keep on top of our activities for 2019.

Happy Holidays and may you all have a busy 2019 fighting for social justice.

Ann McCluskey
mccluskeyam@gmail.com

Inhumane Treatment Isn't a Partisan Issue - Dispatch-Argus Column by Aaron Wagner

12/11/2018

Quad Cities Interfaith Organizer Aaron Wagner's Powerful Column in Dispatch-Argus on Asylum Seekers

The Dispatch-Argus published a powerful column by Quad Cities Interfaith organizer Aaron Wagner, who brought PACG and other community organizations and churches together to protest the tear-gassing of asylum seekers on our southern border. Aaron was responding to criticism of the rally. Read the whole column at the Dispatch-Argus.

Here is one of my favorite paragraphs:

All persons of conscience need to conclude that if we have $200 million to spend in deploying troops to the border as a pre-election political ploy (the current White House admitted as much), we certainly have the resources to legally process asylum seekers at the border, to not jail or detain them, and to put resources into providing a path to citizenship for 11 million currently undocumented New Americans.

You can also view television and print coverage of the rally itself at this PACG Blog page.

Alta Price