If you ever doubt that We the People have the power to make change at the state level, remember this story.
The North Carolina Convention of States Team knew that the town hall on November 18th was going to be special. After all, it is always amazing and inspiring when Mark Meckler comes to town. However, they didn’t know how special that day would turn out to be.
Joy Ruhmann, a Regional Captain, and the team worked tirelessly to coordinate and promote the event and other meetings, and their efforts paid off big. Over 100 people showed up to listen to Mark and to find out how they could contribute. Additionally, two state representatives attended, one was our primary sponsor Rep. Dennis Riddell and the second was Rep. John Faircloth. Rep. Faircloth had held meetings with team members multiple times; however, he would never commit to support.
At the conclusion of the meeting, it was obvious that people were revved up. Many signed the petition and signed up to perform various volunteer duties, such as write letters, be a member of the call team, be a member of the Capitol roving team, etc.
As people were leaving, Rep. Faircloth made it a point to approach Mark afterwards and to tell him that he was now a supporter. Surprised, Mark asked what had changed the legislator's mind.
Rep. Faircloth reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of hand-written letters. These letters had been gathered and hand-delivered a couple weeks previously by Convention of States volunteers, and the legislator had been carrying them around in his briefcase.
Party officials in North Carolina had told Mark that he would never get Rep. Faircloth to commit to supporting the Convention of States Project. After the town hall, our sponsor called the legislator's change of heart a "miracle," and Rep. Faircloth said he's now "all in."
How did this miracle happen?
A couple weeks prior to the town hall, District Captains Joseph Holyoak, Ayrn Schloemer, and Dick Toomey had a meet and greet with fellow Convention of States supporters. Approximately, 20 people showed up at the meeting. It was here that Joseph Holyoak encouraged the supporters to write a letter to Rep. Faircloth to express their support of Convention of States and to invite him to the town hall. He brought invitation cards and the group sat together to write their messages to Rep. Faircloth. Each person wrote their own personal message. As luck would have it, one of the participants was a neighbor of the representative. After the 15 to 20 letters were sealed and collected, the neighbor hand-delivered them to Rep. Faircloth.
So, if you want to make an impact grab a group of patriots and write some letters from the heart! Here are a few tips:
- Explain why YOU joined the Convention of States Project. What inspires you about the Article V movement?
- Remind the state legislator that the Founders gave them in Article V the ultimate check on federal authority.
- Urge them to support the Convention of States movement in their state and to reach out to the Convention of States Project to learn more.
- And, of course, always be respectful and courteous.
Want to write your own letter? Click here to contact your legislators!
