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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Two drivers die in single-vehicle crashes ... Medford swim fans want indoor pool ... Lassoing Legend ... Two drivers die in single-vehicle crashes ... Medford swim fans want indoor pool ... Lassoing Legend ... GUEST OPINION RCC bond campaign volunteers made the difference Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jun. 3, 2016 at 4:20 PM Posted Jun. 3, 2016 at 4:20 PM » Social News With immense gratitude and appreciation, I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved with the Measure 17-69 campaign. And we all know that success happens as a result of sound planning, many hands, tired feet, long hours, engaged leadership and thousands of voters who gave us a thumbs up and voted yes. From the date of the first steering committee meeting held on March 1, the volunteers from both Jackson and Josephine counties helped craft and implement a strategy to win the hearts and minds of the district’s voters. We learned what resonated most about Rogue Community College and the bond measure, and what voters still needed to know to make an informed decision. With our message created and prepped for delivery, in 11 weeks the campaign supported over 50 educational presentations to organizations, clubs and groups about the bond. Students volunteered at Pear Blossom as well as other events, carrying our message with a handshake, pamphlets, T-shirts and balloons. Twelve organizations and individuals offered to publish their support in the county voter pamphlets. We filmed our request for RCC votes with five RCC graduates, two nurses, a millwright, a police officer and firefighter and advertised on four local television stations. We took our message to the radio airwaves delivering our RCC message on four local radio stations. Our volunteers managed to install approximately 1,000 Vote Yes lawn signs, made over 2,000 phone calls, and knocked on over 6,500 doors. Some of you received a mailer delivered directly to your home and yes, some of you even read our RCC message in Spanish. Thank you to all our volunteers who missed dinners, experienced sleepless nights, made impossible deadlines, created fliers, installed lawn signs, continued smiling while dialing and patched their blisters with mole skin. With this victory all three campuses in Josephine and Jackson counties will receive facilities expansion, essential improvements and upgrades. Training and educating our local community members for high-demand jobs that pay a living wage or beyond is a win/win/win for the individual, our businesses and the fiscal health of our communities. Having a locally trained workforce will encourage our employers to maintain their businesses here and hopefully attract new businesses to root their growth right here in Southern Oregon. The stars in this story are the folks who made this effort a priority for two to three months and those who listened when we called and knocked on their door and said to us, “sounds interesting, tell me more.” It is gratifying to turn a "no" or a "maybe" into an enthusiastic "yes" supporter. The real beneficiary of the bond passing is our current student population and next generation who need and desire local and affordable education and certification training. And to those of us who in the future will be calling for an ambulance with a trained EMT, a nurse, a firefighter, a police officer, a trained wilderness guide or lab results, we can thank our good fortune that at some point in time, our community voted yes. On behalf of all of us involved in the campaign, thank you Josephine and Jackson counties, from the deepest recesses of our hearts. Anne Golden was the campaign manager for Measure 17-69. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jun. 3, 2016 at 4:20 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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