No hobnobing and celebrity basking, John wants you to roll up your sleaves, pick up a hammer (FYI he has the endorsement of the Carpenters Union), and get to work.
From an email from Campaign Manager (and Michigander) David Bonior I just got a few minutes ago:
John is going to help rebuild New Orleans—and he wants you to join him.
Soon, John will be taking a break from the campaign trail to work in an area of New Orleans devastated by Hurricane Katrina. He'll need some help—so we're going to send five supporters like you with him.
We are going to select five supporters to join John in New Orleans. And if you make a contribution by the end of the third quarter on Sunday, September 30, one of them could be you!
johnedwards.com/build
This campaign is about real change—about rolling up our sleeves and working together to build One America. And there is no better way to work towards that goal than by dedicating some time and energy to rebuilding areas of New Orleans still struggling to recover from Katrina.
Help John rebuild New Orleans with a contribution today. By giving between now and the end of the quarter on Sunday, September 30, you—and four other supporters—could have the opportunity to work alongside John.
johnedwards.com/build
Working hard to create real change—those are our values, not Washington values. The system in Washington is rigged to serve special interests and big corporations—and ignore hard-working people struggling to get by.
Nowhere is that more apparent than in the Bush administration's disastrous handling of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath—and in the fact that two years later, they continue to ignore the needs of the hard-working people there still struggling to rebuild.
Rebuilding New Orleans is one of the most critical challenges we face today—and it's a challenge John cares deeply about. John led over 700 college students on an alternative spring break to help rebuild a New Orleans neighborhood in 2006. He announced his candidacy there in January. He's returned numerous times since then to meet with people who are struggling to rebuild their lives, and to raise awareness of the sad state of recovery efforts and the continued incompetence of the Bush administration.
This campaign is about creating big, bold change on the issues that matter—so we're not offering you gimmicks. We're not offering you a fancy dinner. And we're not offering you the chance to hobnob with celebrities and former presidents.
We are offering you the chance to roll up your sleeves and make a difference—to help move us a little closer to creating One America for all of us.
We'll pay to get you there. All you need is your two hands and a desire to make the world around you a better place. If you make a contribution by Sunday, September 30, you could be joining John in making that happen.
johnedwards.com/build
And together, we can create the change we need to see in this country.
Sincerely,
--David Bonior
Campaign Manager, John Edwards for President
September 10, 2007
Brilliant idea.
I'm in, are you?
More Information
Edwards Statement on the Second Anniversary of Hurrican Katrina
Edwards in New Orleans with some of those 700 college students he took down there for work during spring break 2006. Here's a letter from a University of Michigan student who was on the work trip.
Edwards announcing his candidacy to be President of the United States, New Orleans, December 2006
Edwards was back in New Orleans in May with Danny Glover working on Habitat for Humanity homes
Edwards was back in New Orleans in July as part of his One America Poverty Tour.
Edwards was back in New Orleans in August for Senator Mary Landrieu's Hope & Recovery Summit, a gathering of local and national leaders dedicated to rebuilding and revitalizing the city. (Click hereto read an AP article about the Summit.)
The Edwards Plan for New Orleans and the Gulf Coast Hit by Hurrican Katrina