What we did in 2018 - Engaged Buddhist Election Retreats

Here’s a brief summary of our 2018 Buddhist Election Retreats:

30 people participated in Carson City, and 29 in Hanford. In Carson City we had 190 campaign days and in Hanford 175 total days, which comes to 365 days, one full campaign year! During the final weekend 21 people participated in Carson City, a record for us.
Between the two sites (Carson City and Hanford) we knocked on over 7,500 doors and talked to over 3,000 people whom we persuaded (or encouraged) to go to the polls.
We would like to especially honor the Hanford crew for their dedication and hard work (Jake and Stan each drove 900 miles through this huge congressional district). Jake and Ko and others also returned to the district during November to help validate some of the provisional and absentee ballots that had been mistakenly disqualified. Believe it or not, I think we can say that our efforts may have actually decided the election, the Democratic candidate won by only 862 votes. “If we hadn’t a-done it, he wouldn’t a-won it!”
We raised $8,600 from our very generous donors that we spent on food, materials, expenses, mileage reimbursement, lodging subsidies, and gifts, honoraria for our hosts, cooks and teachers. Plus we may have a small amount left over to act as seed money for the next campaign in 2020.
All our participants brought a wonderful spirit of cooperation, hopefulness, and selfless effort. We lived together in harmony and joyous enthusiastic purposefulness, for weeks on end — virtually without conflict! And most of us hope to participate again the next time.
We especially want to thank to our tolerant and enthusiastic hosts, Wendy and Richard Thornley and Jacky Lowe without whom we could not have gathered, set up our pop-up zendos, and smoothly meditated, cooked and slept (even in a wonderful walnut orchard) for the 15 days of the retreats.
Finally, we want to thank and acknowledge our dear friend Barbara Selfridge, who passed away suddenly and unexpectedly of a heart attack a few weeks after the election. She was with us virtually the entire time in Carson City and lifted us all with her spirit and humor.

Here’s a brief summary of our 2018 Buddhist Election Retreats:

30 people participated in Carson City, and 29 in Hanford. In Carson City we had 190 campaign days and in Hanford 175 total days, which comes to 365 days, one full campaign year! During the final weekend 21 people participated in Carson City, a record for us.

Between the two sites (Carson City and Hanford) we knocked on over 7,500 doors and talked to over 3,000 people whom we persuaded (or encouraged) to go to the polls.

We raised $8,600 from our very generous donors that we spent on food, materials, expenses, mileage reimbursement, lodging subsidies, and gifts, honoraria for our hosts, cooks and teachers. Plus we may have a small amount left over to act as seed money for the next campaign in 2020.

All our participants brought a wonderful spirit of cooperation, hopefulness, and selfless effort. We lived together in harmony and joyous enthusiastic purposefulness, for weeks on end — virtually without conflict! And most of us hope to participate again the next time.

We especially want to thank to our tolerant and enthusiastic hosts, Wendy and Richard Thornley and Jacky Lowe without whom we could not have gathered, set up our pop-up zendos, and smoothly meditated, cooked and slept (even in a wonderful walnut orchard) for the 15 days of the retreats.

Finally, we want to thank and acknowledge our dear friend Barbara Selfridge, who passed away suddenly and unexpectedly of a heart attack a few weeks after the election. She was with us virtually the entire time in Carson City and lifted us all with her spirit and humor.