Whew! An incredibly busy, yet fruitful and productive day was had by the Staed family! This afternoon we had a fun session of door-knocking quite close to home, meeting neighbors and getting energized by their enthusiasm for Art to win this election!
Today we met Jeff, who welcomed us into his home to discuss concerns important to him. Before we left, Jeff gave us a tour of his “tree house”- which is tucked away into a woodsy hill. He told us his house has eight huge sliding-glass doors and more windows than I would EVER want to wash. I loved the room furnished with a baby grand piano and little else- I could imagine listening to someone (not me) playing Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons”, as I looked out into the wilderness. Anyway, Art had a great conversation with Jeff, and left with not only a “yes” vote, but a contribution as well!
As a stark contrast, we also were door-knocking in some older apartment buildings today. The hallways, though fairly clean, smelled like urine, and we had little success with getting a response at the doors. But… we did meet Jessica, who also welcomed us inside as she filled out an ABR. The walls of her apartment are literally wallpapered with pictures of her family. Jessica, proud mama, pointed out pics of her kids. She was a gracious host and I truly enjoyed the chance to meet her. We also met Carl, a young African American. He was extremely thankful that he has a decent job as a construction supervisor, but he shared with us his former frustrations with job-hunting in the area. He cited discrimination against his race and his lack of a college degree as big hindrances to landing a good-paying job. Art believes that diversity enriches the lives of our communities and that education is the key to our future! Every Iowan should have the opportunity to pursue affordable, higher education…if they so choose.
We got home just in time to clean up and scoot out the door for our next shindig- a fundraiser for Art at Ginsberg’s Jewelry! Steven L Ginsberg and his father, Herman, provided such an elegant setting that represented one of the flood-recovery success stories that deserves our support! Guest speaker, Former Lt. Gov, Patty Judge , gave a rallying speech on the importance of electing Art to the Iowa House- for education, for health care, and for job growth. Looking around the beautiful jewelry store, I was amazed at the number of volunteers in attendance. We have a strong team and we are soooooo very thankful for all the support!
