ICO Newsletter - 12/11/24

Written By Indivisible OH12

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Planning for 2025
As we head towards the end of the year, Indivisible Central Ohio is already planning for 2025. We are developing ideas and strategies for the coming year, and thinking about a variety of ways we can have an impact. Part of that involves thinking through ways we can work together to maximize our power. It also involves encouraging people to start up their own projects and push forward with their own ideas. AND we plan, as always, to collaborate with local, state, and national groups. Expect updates on all of this in the new year. 

We’re planning a big meeting, most likely in late January or early February, to welcome and orient our many new members, but also to re-engage the members of this large and diverse group! Please be on the look-out for a ‘Save-the-date’ notice.

Now through January: Help us reach our donation goals
Every week through January we’ll be sharing donation links to our FOUR holiday giving organizations! Thank you so much for your generosity – we want our efforts to be felt in the community in tangible ways as well as political ones. Please use the following links when you donate so we can track our impact: 


Welcome Team Update: Our Family is Arriving 12/19! 
A small group of Indivisibles have signed up through Community Refugee and Immigration Services (CRIS) to be a “Welcome Team” for a refugee family. 

Exciting news: Our family is arriving next week (12/19)! It’s a family of 8+ from the Democratic Republic of Congo (the + is because we will mostly be helping the parents and their 6 minor children, but there are also an additional 2 adult sons arriving this week.) 

We’re asking for your help in two ways:

  • Donate GROCERY GIFT CARDS so we can stock the family’s pantry! Drop off cards to Mia (437 Piedmont Rd) or Amber (423 Olenwood Ave, Worthington)

  • Contribute towards our required $1500 donation to CRIS at THIS LINK or via the QR code below. This is a tax deductible donation. You will receive an acknowledgement letter from CRIS directly. 

Thank you! 

Just TWO Slots left for the St Stephen's Event 
Sign up to join other ICO volunteers on Sunday, December 22, 2-4:30pm as we work with St. Stephen’s Community House and the Central Ohio Labor Council to distribute food baskets to Central Ohio families. More info and sign up HERE. 

ICO Behind the Scenes: Meet Mary Klain
If you’ve been involved with Indivisible Central Ohio for any length of time, you probably already know how indispensable Mary Klain is! She’s behind the scenes helping out with almost everything we do. But did you know she is our official Treasurer? She handles financial reports for Indivisible national and keeps track of our expenses and income. Honestly, that’s just the tip of the iceberg for what Mary does. We appreciate it all! 

Let’s hear from Mary: "I joined Indivisible Central Ohio (when we were still OH12) to learn how to do voter registration. What I’ve found here is a community of people who are interested in collaborating in ways that support our democracy. And interestingly enough, ICO has been a home where my skills fit perfectly with needs. I’ve been ICO’s Treasurer for a little over a year and I’ve had my hands involved in most of our other activities even if you haven’t seen my face there. I’m most comfortable in the background, playing an organizing, planning, support role. I'm so appreciative to have met so many amazing people through ICO!  

One of the roles I’ve had is to update ICO’s google calendar each week with upcoming activities & events and we’re looking for a volunteer to take over this responsibility. It’s a quick and easy job -- I’ll happily provide training!"

Take Action to Support Rank Choice Voting 
Ranked Choice Voting is a system of voting that is growing in popularity across the country. But the Legislature is trying to ban Rank Choice Voting in Ohio for federal, state, and local elections. HB 684 is suddenly moving forward. 

ACTIONS TO TAKE: 

1.) Tell Committee Chair Bob Peterson NOT TO PASS HB 684 through committee:

2.) Share your concerns about HB 684 with these committee members:

Here are some talking points:
Ranked choice voting (RCV) is promising and deserves a chance to succeed. 

  • RCV allows people to mark preferences for multiple candidates, rather than just choosing one, which allows for a fuller expression of voter preferences.

  • RCV forces candidates to appeal to a broader swath of voters rather than a narrow base, which in turn can increase voter turnout.

  • RCV also promotes bipartisanship - something that is much desired by all Ohioans in a time of unprecedented political divide.  

Click here to learn more about RCV.

Upcoming Events (Calendar view) 

Thursday, 12/12/2024: "What's next for Ohio" OPAL meeting with David Pepper, Rachel Coyle, & TmCartwright, 7pm. “Join the Ohio Progressive Action Leaders (OPAL) and special guests for a conversation about what might be in store for Ohio during a second Trump Administration, and what we can do now and in the days ahead to push back!” Register HERE. 

Monday, 12/16/2024: CRIS: “Who do we welcome?”, 6-7:30pm, hybrid meeting (choose to attend in person or online). Staff from the Community Refugee and Immigration Service (CRIS) are holding an info session about their programming for any interested community members. “Curious about refugees, asylum-seekers, and immigrants in our community? Interested in learning more about what CRIS does? Join our upcoming info session "Who do we welcome?" to find out more! This info session is geared towards those who are not already involved with CRIS but are interested in learning more about our work and mission.” Learn more about this session and RSVP at crisohio.org/welcome-rsvp. (Heads up: this info session is separate from our welcome team partnership.) 

Thursday, 12/19/2024: Let's Talk About It. Election Debrief & What's Next with Progressive Turnout Project and Postcards to Swing States, 8pm, via Zoom. “While our efforts to prevent Trump's election fell short by an estimated 229,766 votes in three states, the collective actions of millions of people made the difference in many important races across the country. From the US Senate, to the US House, to control of state legislatures, the 40.3 million postcards we mailed, 5 million doors we knocked, and 1.1 million relational contacts we made led to many important victories.” Register HERE. 

Sunday, 12/22/2024: St Stephen's Christmas Cares, Unions Share Distribution, 2-4:30pm, 1500 E 17th Ave, Columbus. Sign up to join other Indivisible Central Ohio volunteers as we work with St. Stephen’s Community House and the Central Ohio Labor Council to distribute food baskets to families. More info and sign HERE. 


Mia for the OHCentral Team

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Find us at our website indivisiblecentralohio.org. Follow us here and on our public and closed Facebook pages to stay current with all our activities. Add our Indivisible Central Ohio Google Calendar so you can follow all our events. You can also follow us on Threads, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube. 

Indivisible OH12
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