Illinois Team Member Spotlight

This month we would like to honor dedicated volunteer Margaret Toniny!

Margaret signed the COS petition in the summer of 2021. Her first event volunteering with COS was the Morton Pumpkin Festival Parade in 2021.

When asked about tasks she's most proud of working on, Margaret said, "I felt like my time was well spent whatever I did. The parade was great. Helping at introductory meetings, a ham radio fest, a gun show, El Paso Corn Festival, were all special. I always got energized talking to citizens who believed in the United States and our Constitution."

Margaret aims to continue to support COS however she can. When asked about her goals for the organization and her work within COS, she stated, "I will continue to learn about our Constitution and the Founding Fathers. The more I learn, the more impressed and grateful I am. Task-wise, I am working to increase my skills to help in SIA (System Information Analyst) things like cleaning up duplicates in the petition signers, updating our state legislator's contact information, and taking a four-part class on the Citizen Builder tool. I am not techy, so this is a real stretch for me."

"Very recently, I was approached about developing a periodic newsletter for our Illinois grassroots members. I'm excited and looking forward to the possibilities and scope of news and information I can gather together and send out."

Margaret's advice for new members is as follows: "Connect with fellow Convention of States supporters and volunteers. Say "yes" to a request for
volunteers. Just never know what you will learn, and what you can help others learn while volunteering. Educate yourself! The more you know, the more you will understand that we have the most amazing Constitution ever written. And the more you know about Article V, the more determined you will be about supporting the COS goals. Giving your time and talents does make a difference! Our Founding Fathers were ordinary people who did extraordinary things. We can do the same."

Thank you Margaret Toniny for all your hard work, and the difference you make in the Convention of States movement!