Freedom Loving Friends,
Thank you for your support, encouragement, and engagement for freedom this year. As the final hours of 2023 run down, let me remind you of some things we’ve accomplished this past year and give you an idea of what I hope to do more of in 2024. With the California State Legislature coming back to write and pass bills on Wednesday, we must get ready now.
In 2023, we visited every legislator’s office in the Capitol building multiple times. That’s a good thing. We were able to be highly effective both in providing general information on homeschooling to every legislator (both at Capitol Day and throughout the year) as well as specific information on legislation ahead of crucial votes.
In 2024, my goal is first to do the same thing as in 2023 but second to also to reach every legislator’s district office with information about homeschooling and about the local homeschooling community in each legislator’s respective districts. The first of these goals will be an easier task than the second. Let me explain…
Getting information to legislators at their district offices can be as simple as a person dropping or even mailing a packet on homeschooling to their State Senator or State Assemblymember at their local district office.
This district office project is going to take some manpower and it is going to take some funds and it is going take some volunteer time commitment from local families throughout the state. Here’s what that looks like:
1. Manpower is needed to prepare information packets, to organize and coordinate/facilitate these meetings with legislators at local district offices, and to find and recruit local homeschool families to make the visits
2. Funds for printing and shipping homeschool information packets
3. Time Commitments from local homeschool families who can do the visits
In 2023, we worked on several bills that would have negatively impacted homeschool families and developed relationships with several new staffers. We wrote position papers, letters, and amendments. Each of these things had an impact. Sometimes the thing in the way of really getting our voice heard is enough resources to get these letters hand delivered.
Often, the only way to get our message heard clearly and to show we are serious about our values and beliefs is to get these letters personally hand delivered. As nutty as things get in the Capitol Building, there is no substitute for the personal touch of a hand delivered letter.
In 2023, we delivered over 375 letters to legislative offices. With your help, we can double this number in 2024.
We are already using interns to expand our ability to be better prepared to get letters delivered digitally and by hand.
This takes time and gas. Sometimes volunteers can do these deliveries for us. Sometimes, due to the fast-paced nature of the legislative process, we must get a letter written, printed, and delivered in a matter of hours. We need to be prepared for this by having our printers in good shape, stocked and ready with paper and full of toner cartridges for these times. If you’re able to sign up to be on call for an urgent letter delivery at the Capitol building, please email us on our website. If not, you can still help by sending funds for our staff, printing, parking, and gas costs.
Two things to do more for freedom in 2024:
1. Visit every district office of every California legislator
2. Double the number of letters we write and deliver
Things you can do in 2024:
Volunteer to visit your legislator’s district office, to come to Capitol Day, or to help deliver letters at the Capitol building.
Give to help us do more and get 750 pro-family letters delivered in 2024.
Pray that the funds we receive will be multiplied beyond understanding like the widow’s oil to provide for exactly the tasks that God has for us this year. Pray for effectiveness in our work and that we would be encouraged and not discouraged. And pray that we would not miss anything in the many thousands of pages of legislation that need to be reviewed in the next few months.
Thank you for your engagement, support, and encouragement in 2023 and for your consideration as to how you can join with us in doing more for freedom in 2024.
Nathan Pierce
Executive Director
Family Protection Ministries
