Enewsletter
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Enewsletter • January 19, 2011 | |||||||||||||
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Notes from Vegan Outreach2010 Rocked – Here’s to an Even Better 2011!
In the fall semester, Adopt a College activists handed booklets directly to 656,289 students at a record 842 different schools! The total number of students reached in 2010 was 1.2 million – up nearly 200,000 over 2009! Despite the crazy weather, activists are out there, every day, providing the animals a voice. Thanks to everyone whose contributions and hard work make this possible!
Twila!
Continuing our series of activist profiles, we turn today to our New Orleans activist, Twila Hoyle (here with Angus Young). Since we started keeping track, Twila has reached well over 34,000 individuals with VO booklets! Here’s an excerpt: Why do you leaflet? I am a Vegan Outreach volunteer because I believe that leafleting is the most efficient and effective way of getting this information out there. I leaflet because I wish someone had leafleted me years ago. What would you say to individuals hesitant about leafleting? I understand being hesitant about leafleting. What I have learned to do is ask myself, “What is the worst thing that could possibly happen? What am I worrying about here?” Someone might make a rude comment, someone might rip up a leaflet. It’s OK – anger is better than apathy and I promise you, you will live through it. And know that you are making a difference; most of the time the person who reacts with the most negativity is the person you needed to reach that day. Read the full interview.
Product of the Week
Twila: “Angus Young wants to recommend Nature’s Recipe Vegetarian Dog Food and Mr. Barky’s Vegetarian Dog Biscuits.” Please submit your product of the week via this page; previous entries here.
Notes from All OverLightning Round
Notes from Our Members
Was
berated by an angry student at
Tennessee Technological University. Another
young lady who had been watching this exchange
approached me and commented on how well I’d
maintained my composure. I told her that to
help end the animals’ suffering, I can endure
a little myself. She happily took a brochure.
Yvonne,
Shannon, Kevin, and I reached
3,450 students at UCLA. It was an amazing day;
even at moments when reception went down, everyone
kept their poise and smile, winning hearts and
minds! Fantastic
leafleting at the Obama Rally,
where I was able to offer booklets to thousands
of mostly young people lined up. Met so many
vegetarians I ran out of Guides.
It was great to be joined by Vic and Brian,
too! Compared
to last time, Brian and I had
much better reception at uber-liberal Oberlin
University. Lots of talks, and ran out of Guides.
The last person we offered a leaflet said she
went vegan after getting a Vegan Outreach booklet
when she was 14. We win! Loads
of interest at Texas State, San
Marcos, where I reached over 1,800 students.
One student told me she was going to make the
switch; later, two friends told me the same
thing. Should have brought more Guides! Marissa
and I had a wintery day at the
Pratt Institute. One of the first students stopped
and immediately asked, “Are you vegan?”
After I said yes, he then told me he saw Food,
Inc. the day before. He stood near us for about
15 minutes, reading through nearly every page
of the Why Vegan? and Guide,
and then left thanking us and saying he’d really
try going vegan now.
Aleta and
I met a number of vegans and vegetarians
at Southern Connecticut State. Two different
guys passed me multiple times before they agreed
(separately) to take a booklet; each promised
to read it. Met a few students who received
pamphlets from us in the past few months and
greatly reduced their animal consumption as
a result. One student came out to see me because
she is vegan and wanted to know who was handing
out all the literature. She said everyone was
talking about it. The attitude
at Ohlone College has changed
so much over the last two years. In my two hours,
people mentioned Food, Inc., being veg,
class projects, vegan friends, and meatless
Thanksgivings. I used to come here and meet
almost no interested people. Gotta love the
momentum.
Reached
over 1,300 students at Louisiana
State University, despite the rain. I saw many,
many individuals reading the booklet and I had
good conversations. One guy said that he respectfully
disagreed with the booklet. I asked him what
he disagreed with. He said that he thought meat
was good. I jokingly let him know that nowhere
in the booklet did we say that he didn’t think
that meat was good. In fact, I used to think
that meat was good as well, but came to realize
that I didn’t want to contribute to the unnecessary
suffering that it entailed. Really
nice outreach at Spokane Community
College, Spokane Falls Community College (where
I was joined by Brigette), and Gonzaga University.
At SCC, a girl walked up to me, holding back
tears. She said, “Thank you,” as she
gave me a hug. You could hear the sadness in
her voice.
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