Can I get a little (more) love here?

I mean, just a little more? Iowa CCI -- because our actions echo in eternity.

Hey all!

I'm sharing this with you all (again) because Iowa CCI Action is an organization near and dear to my heart, and I'm hoping you'll help me help them. This is not what I normally write about in this Substack space, and you won’t see more like this from me (at least not until next December). But I give a monthly sustaining gift to CCI because I strive to be courageous in my life, to work for justice and to say and do the things that need saying and doing. And so does CCI.

We made it! CCI Action has raised over $66,000 this week for the coming year, and 2025 is going to be a big one! But we have more time, and more matching funds, to build even further.

I’m a part of a team of members working to raise $65,000 in just 5 days to ensure we go into 2025 with as many members as possible and with the financial resources we need to build people-centered political power to win lasting change for people and the planet here in Iowa.

I've set a goal to raise $900 personally. It's an ambitious goal, but with your help, we can make it happen.

You can read my personal story with CCI Action and help me reach my goal here: https://cciaction.org/JohnCrabtree .

Thanks you for considering this and for all your support.

john

Sadly, I have not met my goal yet — I’m still about $400 short. But I don’t feel bad about it, first time as a peer-to-peer participant and all that. Plus, I’ve done other things this week outside my peer-to-peer efforts — made phone calls and did individual 1-on-1s, which resulted in raising about $500. And I’m proud of that too!

https://cciaction.org/JohnCrabtree - read my CCI story and support CCI here

Last fall, my daughter Abby asked me if I would like to join her in participating in CCI's book club, which was reading Chris Jones's Swine Republic. We did that. And then I renewed my membership, moved to Oelwein, Iowa and have endeavored to engage in every way that CCI members and staff have asked me to since that time.

And now I ask you, humbly, but also proudly and unapologetically, to join me so we can add to this CCI story because together we can make it the best story ever.

https://cciaction.org/JohnCrabtree - read my CCI story and support CCI here

Dear John,

The word that keeps popping into my head these days is courage. The kind of courage I’m thinking about, though, isn’t the kind we see in action movies. It’s the courage we get to see every day from you and your communities.

This is a big week for us at CCI. It’s our annual team year-end fundraising campaign. This year our goal is to raise $65,000 by the end of this week!

You might be wondering what our annual fundraising drive has to do with courage. Well, we’re fundraising so CCI can support courageous people like you as you work in your communities to make things better.

For the fun of it, I looked up the word courage and found this: the word courage comes from the Latin word cor, which means heart. In its earliest forms, courage meant to speak one's mind by listening to one's heart. I love that—it really describes what we do together!

We know it’s not easy to step out of our comfort zones and get involved in community issues. It takes commitment, and it takes time that’s often hard to carve out of our daily lives. And, it’s also so energizing and inspiring to connect with others in our community and work together for something we care about.

We’re asking you to support CCI Action today so we can support each other around the state as we work for clean water, safe and affordable housing, no racial profiling by police, strong public schools, and no pipelines.

Please be generous: there’s a lot at stake.

I can’t thank you enough!

Lisa Whelan,

Executive Director, long-time CCI Action member and staff member

P.S. Please give now, today, and your gift of $100, $75, $50, $25, or whatever amount works for you will be doubled! All size gifts make an impact!