As members of Congress headed home for the August congressional recess, we hit the road delivering a simple, yet powerful message: invest in kids. Our volunteers across the country came together through various events to voice how we can make progress in our fight to protect kids across the world. They asked members of Congress to support the Reach Every Mother and Child Act, which will save the lives of millions of moms and kids.
There were dozens of events that took place, but let’s take a look at some of the highlights from our month-long journey…
First stop: Illinois
Our folks at IGNITE Peoria got a little creative in spreading the word about how we can help kids. In the midst of hundreds of local musicians, artists and innovators, we stationed ourselves at a booth to share with festival goers exactly how they can advocate for kids. At the end of the event, we collected 165 petitions in support of the Reach Act!
Next stop: Iowa
Out of the many activities that took place in Iowa, one of our favorite stories comes from our long-time volunteer, Matt, who traveled two hours with his son to attend a town hall in Washington, Iowa held by Senator Joni Ernst. Before Senator Ernst took the stage, Matt met with the senator and made the case for why she should cosponsor the Reach Act. She was impressed!
Moving on to: New Hampshire
In New Hampshire, we soaked up the sun while advocating for kids at the We Are One festival in Manchester. Thousands of folks attended the festival and in just a few hours, we got a little more than 100 thank you cards signed to deliver to Senator Jeanne Shaheen for her leadership in co-sponsoring the Reach Act.
Making our way to: South Carolina
All hands were on deck at the Soda City Market in Columbia, S.C. The Soda City Market fell on the same weekend as the solar eclipse, meaning there were lots of folks in town! Our volunteers asked visitors to sign Reach Act petitions while also teaching them about the other work that we do. We handed out SCAN collectables and got many petitions signed.
Taking a detour to: Tennessee
In case you didn’t recognize her, that’s Rep. Diane Black (front, center) standing alongside our Tennessee mobilization manager Ashley Warrington! Ashley was joined by a handful of other advocates from various organizations, including Global Citizen and UNICEF, to meet with Rep. Black about international aid funding and the Reach Act.
Washington State brings it home
Our SCAN family in Washington put the cherry on top this August recess with their visit to Rep. Dave Reichert’s office. Several of our advocates met with the Congressman to thank him for sponsoring the Reach Act and to discuss how we can work together toward making investments in global health, nutrition and foreign assistance. Congressman Reichert expressed his strong interest in collaborating with us as we move ahead in our fight to save moms and kids worldwide. We’re looking forward to him reintroducing the Reach Act soon!