My Passion for Advocating to Fight Poverty with RESULTS

There never has been a more important time than now to speak up about issues you care about and make a difference in your community, state, country, and the world!

Some may know that I am a grassroots advocate with RESULTS – a movement of passionate, committed everyday people. Together, we use our voices to influence political decisions that will bring an end to poverty.

I have…

• been an advocate to fight inequality and poverty for 3.5 years now.
• committed myself to U.S. and Global Poverty, particularly education and health issues.
• felt that being an advocate means speaking up for those who do not have a voice, empowering others, and spreading hope. 
• participated in or led 30 advocacy meetings with Congressional Offices, meeting face-to-face with Members, and building relationships with staff. 
• succeeded in getting Representatives across the aisle to cosponsor the same maternal and child health bill! 
• traveled to Zambia to meet with government, nonprofit, and grassroots partners. My time there included visiting the Embassy, training grassroots, meeting with researchers, and visiting rural villages, where I was deeply humbled by people’s gratitude and hard work.
  
  

  Lindsay with Zambian kids at Bwafano,
  February 17, 2017

• written an op-ed, Seeing the Fruits of U.S. Aid, Fearing the Toll of Cuts, published in the News & Observer two months ago
• participated in a civic engagement panel at NC State University, where I found a State Senator seated on stage next to me
• spoken to the NAACP about the power of poverty programs and my personal experience with them
• written a Letter to the Editor, Now It’s Up to the Senate to Protect Health Care Coverage, published in the News & Observer less than a week ago!

The Next Step in Advocacy…Fundraising

Right now, I am participating in Speak Up, a fundraising campaign to support RESULTS and the work that I do as an advocate with RESULTS Raleigh, a local chapter which I started nearly 2 years ago. My goal is to raise $250 by May 26.

Lindsay with Rep. Walter Jones, Capitol Hill, July 21, 2015

Why the Speak Up Campaign Matters

This campaign is important to me because…

• I believe no one in America should live in poverty and that health care should be available to everyone. In the first months of 2017, we raised our voices and pushed back against health care and tax cuts. Together we generated media in more than 40 states and held more than 40 face-to-face meetings with members of Congress about why protecting health care is a smart and effective anti-poverty measure.

• I believe all children should be able to reach their full potential. Malnutrition is the single biggest killer of children globally and millions more children experience irreversible stunting due to malnourishment. I’m working with RESULTS to end preventable child deaths and stunting through increased support for maternal and child health and global nutrition. In 2016, we published 340 pieces of media in all 50 states and worked for a $10 million increase in funding for these programs.

From May 15 – May 26, I am fundraising for RESULTS to help provide needed funds for the training, resources, and expert support I receive as a volunteer. And to help expand these resources to communities in all 50 states.

Lobby Day NC Group Photo 2016

It feels like there has never been a more critical time to use the advocacy skills I have learned volunteering with RESULTS. We work to mobilize resources and to improve policies that protect critical programs such as Medicaid that help reduce poverty in America and end preventable maternal and child deaths globally. In the first 100 days of the new administration, our RESULTS chapter has been working harder than ever in our efforts to help end poverty. We have been meeting with our members of Congress & moving them to take action.

Meeting my Congressman, Representative David E. Price for the First Time in RALEIGH 8-19-16

Giving to my Speak Up Campaign supports my work, and the work of volunteer advocates across the country, to influence political decisions through meeting with members of Congress, writing op-eds, and mobilizing our communities. Will you please contribute and support my advocacy work with RESULTS and advocates like me across the country?

If you’re not able to make a donation at this time, I totally understand that, but if you could please share my fundraising page via Facebook or Twitter and mention one of my victories, that would be incredibly helpful towards this effort at fundraising for an organization and the work I care deeply about to make a difference for generations to come!

With Much Gratitude,

Lindsay K. Saunders