GRASSROOTS UPDATE

Happy Holidays, John --

'Tis the season to put Country over Party! Following November's mid-term elections, the Country First movement has a lot about which to be optimistic. The momentum continues to build and we now have the opportunity in the months ahead to collectively strategize, organize, and amplify our mission to bring Country First to new heights.

In this issue:

• NEW Holiday merch!
• Next Generation Data Project (for ALL generations!)
• Mending Divisions Volunteer Committee
• Community Voices Initiative
• Member Spotlight
• You+2
• New Volunteer Training
• Book Club

NEW! HOLIDAY MERCH

NEXT GENERATION DATA PROJECT

Throughout the country, there are millions of civically engaged college students. To ensure college students get an invitation to engage with Country First, we're creating a database of college professors, administrators, and campus leaders across the country. We are inviting all volunteers to participate in this project by doing the following:

• Click the button below to access the digital file of all 50 states.
• Find your state's spreadsheet, click it, and request editor access.
• Upon receiving access, select a school in your state and begin reviewing public information from the university website.

With over 7,000 volunteers across all 50 states, if each volunteer selected one school in their state, the database will be completed in no time. With a new academic semester quickly approaching, now is the time to prepare, collaborate, and work together to invite the Next Generation to join us in putting Country before Party. Researchers, sign up below:

MENDING DIVISIONS VOLUNTEER COMMITTEE

Want to do more to share the Country First mission and have a passion for building common ground? The Mending Divisions National Volunteer Committee will be expanding its efforts and programming in 2023 and would like to invite all volunteers to join. Joining the committee will allow you to participate in additional mending divisions training programs, plan initiatives, and collaborate with members from across the United States. Change Agents, sign up below:

NEW! MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

​In our second installment, volunteer Lori Escalera shines the spotlight on leaders within our movement to give us greater insight into the ​names and faces that will grow more familiar to those engaged with Country First. Feel free to reply to this email with suggestions of people you'd like to see interviewed (even if it is you!).

This month, Lori "sat down with" ​Andrew Regalado, ​the National Grassroots Director of Country First.

YOU+TWO

The Country First movement continues to rapidly expand across the nation. Each month, we have seen larger audiences at state chapter meetings, national training sessions, virtual campfires, and in our online communities. Introducing someone from your network or community to this empowering movement is one of the biggest differences you can make. It is critical for all of us to work together to share the Country First message far and wide and invite others to adopt our mission.

From now on, we encourage you to bring at least two others to any program you attend and to forward our emails to at least two others. You can start by sharing this email, or log on to the Action Center to see what's happening throughout the movement and utilize your unique recruiter link.

Your unique recruiter link to share: 

https://www.country1st.com/opportunity?recruiter_id=29853

NEW VOLUNTEER TRAINING

Each month, we come together to welcome new members and volunteers by hosting a training to go over all things Country First. This training provides a comprehensive overview of our Grassroots Program and provides an opportunity to engage in dialogue with other members from across the country. The next training will be held on Tuesday, December 20, 2022 at 5:00pm PST / 6:00pm MST / 7:00pm CST / 8:00pm EST. New members, sign up below:

BOOK CLUB

The Country First Book Club gathers each month to read a book and discuss the very problems that Country First aims to address. This month’s book is The Big Truth: Upholding Democracy in the Age of the Big Lie by Major Garrett and David Becker. The next book club meeting will be held on Thursday, December 29 at 4:00pm PST / 5:00pm MST / 6:00pm CST / 7:00pm EST. Book Lovers, RSVP below:

Want to stay connected and join the conversation? We strongly encourage you to engage with our empowering network in our Private Troll-Free Facebook Community and Private Slack Community. Additionally, feel free to respond to this email or reach out to our volunteer team directly at [email protected] to let them know how you would like to enhance your volunteer experience. 

Cheers!

All things Country First,

Riley Berg