THE
2008 DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION:
ENGAGING
THE COMMUNITY
Since arriving
in Denver in July 2007, Convention organizers have made service and
active participation in the community a staple of Convention
planning. An earlier than ever head start has paid dividends as
the Denver community has welcomed the Convention with incredible energy
and enthusiasm. Local businesses are involved in every aspect of
planning and are poised to reap the benefits of the estimated $160
million economic impact.
Volunteers
More than 26,000 volunteers from the Denver
Metro area and across the country stepped forward to give of their time
and energy to make the 2008 Convention a success. These
volunteers comprise a diverse range of people from all walks of
life. Volunteers will serve in a variety of capacities, from
drivers to greeters to assistants, serving in our departments of
hospitality, administration, finance, production, security, technology,
transportation and communications and greatly contributing to the
behind-the-scenes execution of the Convention.
DNCC Service
Days
Convention
leaders and staff have contributed more than 750 hours to a variety of
local efforts. “DNCC Service Days” focused on three areas of importance
to the Denver-area community: youth, environment and the combined
issues of homelessness and hunger. Among the projects was a
“build brigade” to construct a home for a wounded Iraq war veteran. The
build brigade is a project of Homes for Our Troops, a non-profit
organization committed to building specially-adapted homes across the
United States for severely wounded American troops. The house in
Golden, Colorado will be home to SSG Travis Strong, his wife Misty and
their two children.
Delegate
Service Day
In conjunction with Democrats Work, Metro
Volunteers and Volunteers of America, the DNCC is coordinating a
Delegate Service Day on Wednesday, August 27th. Michelle Obama and
Colorado First Lady Jeannie Ritter will co-chair this effort, which
aims to inspire hundreds of thousands of Americans in a renewed
commitment to service.
Projects will range from canned food sorting,
painting at local schools, serving meals at shelters, reading to
children, removing graffiti, landscaping at local schools, tree
planting and park maintenance. These projects will allow delegates to
both contribute to and celebrate the people and organizations making
positive change and strengthening communities in the city hosting the
Democratic National Convention.
Convention
Conversations
Convention leaders logged more than 3,500
miles across eight cities throughout the Rocky Mountain West to
participate in a series of community forums. The series – “Convention
Conversations: A Traveling Forum Sponsored by the DNCC” – provided a
venue to answer questions and offer information. Thousands of
residents and businesses in Denver, the state of Colorado and states
throughout the West took advantage of the opportunity for direct
communication with top Convention organizers to share ideas and find
out how to get involved.
Write to Lead
Youth Essay Contest
The DNCC worked with several local partners on
the “Write to Lead” essay contest to provide a unique opportunity for
Colorado youth to voice their thoughts on leadership and the future of
our country. We knew young people in Colorado have big ideas about what
makes a good leader and where our country is headed -- and with the
2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, there was no better time
to give voice to those big ideas.
From a field of more than 1,200 applicants, 54
finalists were selected to serve as ambassadors to state and
territorial delegations prior to the Convention via a "Postcards from
Colorado" campaign.
Two Presidential Winners were selected to
attend opening night of the Convention, have their essays published in
local newspapers and each received a laptop computer to aid with future
writing projects.
Community
Open House and Youth Program
In an effort to say “thank you” to the Denver
community for hosting the Convention, the DNCC scheduled a Community
Open House, allowing more than 5,000 area residents to tour the
Convention hall before delegates and other elected officials arrive in
Denver. A special youth program provided an opportunity for area
students to tour the Convention hall, take photos and participate in an
educational program on the historical significance of political
conventions and the role they play in our democratic process.
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