Campaign weekly updates; Oct. 4-11, 2021
Our campaign had an amazing week!
After the Women's March in DC, I flew back home to Florida and got busy making plans for the next several months!
Saturday my team and I spent the day in Niceville, Florida, where northwest Florida's PFLAG chapter hosted a silent auction, pride walk, moving screening, prom and more! PFLAG is the first and largest organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people, their parents and families, and allies.
Our campaign gave $1,500 to the Niceville PFLAG chapter to support their program, which serves all of northwest Florida's LGBTQ communities, families and allies. You can support Niceville's PFLAG chapter here. We met hundreds of supporters, collected ballot petitions, and hear from voters who are ready to be represented by honest people for a change.
Sunday we spoke to a few hundred more folks out at Viva Ciclovia in downtown Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Democrats, Republicans and independents alike expressed their frustration with the status quo, looking to elect people who care, and a need to keep dark money out of politics. They're sick and tired of millionaires of like Matt Gaetz using their power to do nothing but advance their own interests, abandoning the people they are elected to represent.
We donated $500 to sponsor the event, which gives the proceeds to One Hopeful Place. One Hopeful Place (OHP) is the primary shelter in Okaloosa County serving unaccompanied individuals and veterans experiencing homelessness. OHP operates a 50-bed shelter for men and a 10-bed shelter for women who have the desire to make changes in their current life circumstances. During inclement winter weather, defined as 40 degrees or below, OHP provides temporary shelter for all those experiencing homelessness.
We also met Jamie Wells who works with Defenders of Freedom, a non-profit organization that helps post-9/11 veterans get testing and treatment for PTSD. After meeting and talking with Jamie about the work they're doing to help local vets get much-needed treatment for traumatic brain injuries (TBI), we decided to support their work and wrote them a check for $250. We're looking forward to continuing our support of this program going forward, and encourage anyone who is interested to visit their website to learn more.
I also launched a data explorer this week with information specific to Florida's 1st District! While our beta version focuses on social statistics, we're adding data for environmental hazards and risk, civics and representation, and more in the coming months! Click the graphic below or click here to explore the data!
Notes: We're triple-checking our first FEC filing before submitting this week, and will send out the final report when it's submitted. We know the people we're trying to get rid of are corrupt and will try to do everything they can to keep their power, so we're making sure everything is done right every time.