Change is NOW - Lend us your POWER and join ADP as a Community Builder. At ADP we recognize the value in forming long lasting relationships with likeminded members from our communities. Community Builders are individuals who are not affiliated with a member institution, yet share our values and commitment to participatory democracy. Community Builders understand that the American Dream won't come true for any of us until it comes true for all of us. Join us today! Make a contribution, volunteer, and sign the ADP Community Values pledge.
In alliance with the Center for Community Change’s national Campaign for Community Values, we at ADP are working at the local, grassroots level in order to reclaim our communities under the vision of community values. This vision is defined by our belief that we are all connected, linked by our shared responsibility, shared sacrifice and shared prosperity. In our pursuit of the common good, we must work together in order to find solutions that work for us all.
For too long, our elected officials have ignored the needs of our communities. Instead of advocating policies of inclusion that balance self–reliance with collective responsibility, we have seen the expansion of divisive, go it alone policies that continue to widen the gap between rich and poor, incite intolerance and discrimination and support the wellbeing of special interests over our own communities.
It is time for the actions of our elected officials to represent our community values. We will support policies that embody our vision of a society that treats all of its members with the dignity and respect they deserve. By joining together we will call on our representatives to promote our beliefs and our goal to create a society in which everyone has the power to direct the decisions that affect their lives.
In order to accomplish this task we must expand our power by gaining the support of like minded people in Massachusetts who share our conviction that as we look toward the future we must come together as communities and find solutions that work for us all. Anyone who believes that our interdependence and linked fate demands that we strive for the common good can support ADP and our campaign by becoming an ADP Community Builder. In signing our pledge, ADP Community Builders lend us their voice and their power, amplifying our message so that our representatives unequivocally understand that the American Dream won’t really come true for any of us until it comes true for all of us.
In addition to signing our pledge, ADP Community Builders are invited to the ADP Annual Convention. On October 28th, 500 ADP members, leaders, allies and Community Builders like you will be convening at 7pm in Springfield. Join with grassroots leaders as we speak truth to power and voice our demands for a future that leaves no one behind. Stand as witness when local and state officials and elected representatives sign our pledge and join ADP as fellow Community Builders. Upon concluding the Convention, we will be recognizing all Community Builders in order to show our representatives and our community the power that is ADP.
In amplifying our voice, we will enhance ADP’s influence in Massachusetts. Since its inception in 1993, ADP has accomplished its goals through the production and preservation of economic and political power. ADP is nationally known for its model of cooperative economic development, having transformed 1,450 units of deteriorated housing to tenant owned permanently affordable coops, created worker–controlled businesses and food cooperatives which distribute 180,000 pounds of food annually. Immigrant and low wage members of the ADP Worker Center / Casa Obrera have secured over $300,000 in restitution from employers. ADP has developed hundreds of area leaders and created business and capital holdings collectively worth $45 million. These community–owned assets contribute $20 million a year in cash flow to the local economy.
The Campaign for Community Values will enhance the ADP’s political and economic power by amplifying our People Power. With greater People Power – in the form of Community Builders – we will increase our ability to influence our elected officials, enhancing our ability to produce change at the local, state and national level.
In order to increase our People Power, this campaign is aimed at creating a network of likeminded individuals interested in seeing progressive change in Massachusetts. This network will build upon the interconnected web of institutions that already comprise the ADP community by connecting our current members with individuals who share our core beliefs and values. These individuals, known as ADP Community Builders, will amplify our power simply by identifying as a Community Builder and carrying those values to the polls on election day.
The Campaign for Community Values does not conclude with the passing of the upcoming presidential election. On the contrary, as we increase our power through the addition of Community Builders, we will be able to affect change at the state and national level for years to come. People Power translates to Voting Power – and increasing our ability to reach current and potential elected officials and let them know what issues matter to us. With this collective voice, a tool for change that our democratic society promises, we will have greater control in shaping the future of our communities and our nation.
The Promise is Realized!
On December 4th, nearly 100 ADP members traveled to Washington, D.C. to take part in Realizing the Promise. Joining 2,500 community members from 32 states and 2 foreign countries, we witnessed an historical event that gave testimony to the power and role community organizations have begun to play in shaping policy in 2009 and beyond. The presence of Obama senior adviser Valerie Jarrett and incoming director of the Domestic Policy Council at the White House Melody Barnes emphasized the significance of this moment. It was the first public event that any of the recently named White House staff or cabinet have attended. Watch the webcast of the Forum or read various reactions on the Realizing the Promise official site.
Be sure to check out these news articles and videos on the event, too:
