WHY COMMUNITY WORKS

Heather Vaughn grew up in a culturally and politically conservative family in Appalachian Tennessee. “We didn’t talk much about controversial issues. It was just kind of assumed that we all agreed with each other. I didn’t want to rock the boat, so I stayed away from politics altogether. By the time I was in my forties, I had only voted in two or three Presidential elections.”

A preacher’s spouse, it wasn’t until she had adult children of her own that things began to fall apart. Even though she disagreed with her church’s stand on gay rights, she stayed quiet, not believing her voice would make a difference. She was wrong. “My silence was taken as agreement. I should have spoken out. It cost me one of the most important relationships in my life.”

Then along came Community Works.

“The community service aspect is what drew me in. I was definitely not open to any sort of political talk or connection.”

But once she got involved, Heather met Democratic CWorks volunteers and discovered they shared many views similar to her own. She was invited to attend local committee meetings and found that people actually listened to and respected what she had to say. For the first time in her life, she was able to express her beliefs in public, without fear of being ostracized. “If not for Community Works, I would still be inside my self-imposed walls. Community Works gave me the confidence to talk respectfully and honestly with people I might not agree with, because now I had a community to fall back on, a soft place to land.”

When Heather started with CWorks, she didn’t even know local political committees existed. Now she’s an active member and votes in every local election. As she says, “We don’t know how many people are out there who are afraid to speak up. Your silence hurts not only you, but your whole community.”

—Community Works National Director, Meredith Dean

To read more about the work of RUBI’s CWorks chapters, subscribe to the monthly CWorks newsletter here