An organization that recently went door-to-door in Johnson County wants to a host a community forum to talk about issues concerning local residents, including concerns raised about possible contamination.
Recently, members of Hoosier Action, a Bloomington-based nonprofit, canvassed the Franklin area to discuss concerns from local residents, including healthcare and environmental issues.
Now, the group is working on putting together a community forum to discuss the environmental issues in the area, including inviting congressional candidates, community organizer Chi Coppinger said. A date has not yet been determined, Coppinger said.
Hoosier Action started in 2017 with a goal of gathering local communities together to voice their concerns on local and state issues. Their primary focus is elections, healthcare and environmental issues. The organization is based in Bloomington, but provides services for most of southern Indiana, including Johnson County.
“We are focused on working on issues important to Hoosiers,” said Jeff Greene, Hoosier Action media outreach coordinator.
The organization doesn’t go door-to-door for a specific political party or candidate, but they want to knock on doors to ask questions about the issues that directly affect residents and find ways to make their voices heard.
“We’re not stopping for candidates and saying, ‘Here’s a brochure and here’s what you need to do,’” Greene said. “It’s about asking, ‘How do you feel about this?’”
In light of the environmental concerns in Franklin, the organization had been canvassing the city to hear from residents. Volunteers wanted to hear the stories from Franklin residents and start a conversation about how to take action in the community, Greene said.
“We try to be a megaphone for people who have an issue,” Greene said.
The organization guides communities to take the steps and get the proper resources to fix the issues they are concerned about, Coppinger said.
“We give people the framework to take action,” Coppinger said.
“We don’t need to be experts on world issues. We just need to be experts in our own lives to take action.”
Hoosier Action also heads other projects, such as Project Midterm, a campaign to encourage more people to vote in the upcoming midterm election.
“I’ve never heard so much talk about a midterm election,” Greene said. “It’s a great way to rally people.”
Their goal, however, is to become a permanent, growing voice for Indiana and not disappear after the election is over, Greene said.
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To volunteer for or get involved with Hoosier Action, contact:
Chi Coppinger: [email protected]
Jesse Myerson: [email protected]
For more information, visit: hoosieraction.org
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