ProgressOhio Education Inc.

ProgressOhio's First Annual Progressive Hero Awards

2011-11-21T09:52:00.000-05:00

Senator Sherrod Brown accepts the Progressohio first annual Progressive Hero Award

Last night, ProgressOhio hosted our first annual Progressive Hero Award event. U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown was the award recipient and special guest at a reception and private dinner in Columbus, Ohio.

An award was also given in the name of Barbara Klass Sokol, a dedicated progressive activist from Columbus who passed away in September 2011. Rick Incorvati of Springfield, Ohio was the winner of the first annua Barbara Klass Sokol Progressive Activist award.

Rick Incorvati of Springfield, Ohio accepts
the first annual Barbara Klass Sokol Progressive Activist award.

You're Invited To A Special Evening With ProgressOhio

2011-11-02T18:28:00.003-04:00

On Saturday, November 19, 2011 ProgressOhio Education will be hosting its first Progressive Hero Award event. U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown will be the award recipient and special guest at a reception and private dinner in Columbus, Ohio. An award will also be given in the name of Barbara Klass Sokol, a dedicated progressive activist who passed away in September 2011.

http:progressohio.pnstate.org/progressivehero

Since 2006 ProgressOhio has worked to facilitate communication and education projects on progressive issues that affect all Ohioans. Because of this work, powered by you, we have built the reputation as a Progressive Leader and voice in Ohio. Whether the issue is guns in bars, antibiotics in our food system or voter rights, our efforts have greater impact because of the actions taken by our members. Please take action today and buy your tickets for our Progressive Hero Event on Saturday, November, 19, 2011.

We're also seeking your nominations for the Barbara Klass Sokol Activist Award. Barbara will be remembered for her high level of energy, humanitarianism and love of the arts and concern for the environment. She also cared deeply about good government and spent a great deal of time and effort working to get good people elected at the state and local level. She invested many hours, days, weeks and months raising money for the people and issues she believed in. She was a champion for a fair and just society for all - no matter their race, religion or sexual orientation. If you know someone who has a similar drive and devotion to a progressive cause, please nominate them for ProgressOhio's first Barbara Klass Sokol Activist Award.
Thank you for all your support over the years - we are truly humbled by it. Your participation in our Progressive Hero Event will help support our work in the coming months.

Sincerely,

Brian Rothenberg

Please feel free to contact Joyce at 614-445-9145 or joyce@progressohio.org, if you have any questions or to discuss being a sponsor.

PS - If you are not able to attend but would live to make a contribution to support the work of ProgressOhio Education please do so here.

ProgressOhio Education Voted #1 in National Non-Profit Contest

2010-12-02T10:34:00.000-05:00

Up for $50,000 Grant, Joins Other Ohio Groups in Winning Pepsi Contest

Columbus, OH - ProgressOhio Education finished as the top vote recipient in its category during the November round of the Pepsi Refresh Project grant contest. Pending final review, the organization will receive a $50,000 grant to encourage the responsible usage of antibiotics in farm animals. Over 70% of all antibiotics sold in the United States are given to farm animals, most of which aren't sick to begin with. This overuse of antibiotics encourages the growth of dangerous, drug-resistant strains of bacterias like e coli, salmonella and MRSA.

"Even though it potentially impacts the health of everyone in the nation, rampant overuse of antibiotics is a critically overlooked issue. We're proud of our members and others who were inspired to vote each day to support ProgressOhio and our project," said Brian Rothenberg, the group's executive director.
Each month, approximately 1,100 individuals and non-profits across the country compete to win $1,300,000 in grants. Voting is open to the general public, who can cast daily ballots in support of their favorite projects. The top finishers in each category are then further screened to ensure they're eligibility.

ProgressOhio Education and three other Ohio entrants (Elementz Youth Center, Fulton County Humane Society and Buss Fitness) are up for a combined $105,000 in grants. The official announcement will take place on December 23^rd.

Ohio is currently tied for third as the state that has received the most grants so far in the contest. Previous winners from Ohio include Policy Matters Ohio and the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio. The Ohio Historical Society is competing for $50,000 in this month's competition.

2010-11-01T11:55:00.000-04:00

November Partners

Today is the first day of the November round of the Pepsi Refresh Everything contest!

In September, you helped 14 organizations win more than $550,000 in the Pepsi Refresh Everything contest! It was an incredible moment and thanks to your daily votes, that money is already having a huge impact on the organizations that won.

That's why we're doing it again.

We've put together a brand new slate of ten fantastic groups competing for over $500,000 in November and they need your help. Get started today! Remember, there are several ways you can cast your votes each day:

Cast your online votes!
Double your votes by voting again on Facebook...follow the link and then copy & paste the two searches:
- "center for progressive leadership" yp4 twhp tatiana "campus progress"
- elementz ssgf young.solutionaries "$50,000 to stop healthy" haile

The organizations involved this month are competing for money that will go towards projects like developing women leaders, fighting human trafficking, building a green economy, training young journalists, and improving access to healthy food. Read more about all the groups competing this month.

The first few days of the contest are critical.

The leaderboard won't be officially announced until the end of the week and we're hoping to make a big push to show up as one of the early front runners. So, take a few minutes and cast your votes.

Oho's Future

2010-09-24T12:23:00.001-04:00

Ohio’s Election Day is less than two months away. The issues that you care about and that will impact your family and community will be shaped by the outcome November 2nd. So it’s important to make sure that your views are represented by the people you elect to office on that day.

We’ve just launched a new, easy to navigate website for 2010 Ohio voter registration, information, and deadlines.

You can also find out more about some of the issues that we’re following in this year’s election. Make sure that you get informed, get registered, and most importantly vote in this year’s election.

Listed below are important dates to know as Election Day gets closer.

On our new site, use the calendar tool (ical) to mark your calendar and invite friends to mark their online calendars and make sure that you vote in this year’s election.

Absentee Voting Begins
Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Absentee voting allows individuals to conveniently vote from the privacy of their own home. Registered voters can mail their absentee ballots to their local Board of Elections office no later than Monday, November 1. The deadline to return absentee ballots in person is Election Day Tuesday, November 2. But don’t delay, get your ballot and mail it in now!

Deadline to Register to Vote:
Monday, October 4, 2010

This is the final day to register to vote, update your voting information or request an absentee ballot. Request this information before October 4 in order to be eligible to vote in this year’s Election.

Election Day:
Tuesday, November 2, 2010

This is your opportunity to make your voice heard and to help shape the direction of your community and our state.

Kent State University's Columbus Program in Intergovernmental Issues Visits ProgressOhio

2010-09-20T12:39:00.001-04:00

Kent State University's Columbus Program in Intergovernmental Issues (CPII) visited with ProgressOhio today.

CPII helps tomorrow's leaders understand public policy development at the state level. A selected group of student leaders, from a variety of academic disciplines, are given the opportunity to serve as interns in Columbus, Ohio.

Interns study practical aspects of public policy-making firsthand, have the opportunity to establish career-long professional contacts and gain valuable pre-career knowledge and skills - and to enjoy the cultural amenities of Ohio's capitol city.

CPII is a collaborative program between Kent State's Department of Political Science and the Kent State Alumni Association, and is modeled after Kent State's highly successful Washington Program in National Issues.

Activists demand background checks for all Ohio gun show sales

2010-08-21T22:26:00.000-04:00

Brian Rothenberg, executive director of Progress Ohio, speaks outside of a gun show at the Berea Fairgrounds Saturday. He advocates that gun shows perform background checks before gun purchases Lonnie Timmons III, The Plain Dealer

BEREA, Ohio -- Gun enthusiasts at the Ohio Gun, Knife & Military Show browsed Saturday afternoon through a bazaar of assorted weapons and collectible firearms, many toting their newly purchased artillery as casually as if they were fresh veggies from the market. But if the Columbus-based advocacy group ProgressOhio has its druthers, those easy transactions will soon require a dive into the buyer's background -- a critical safeguarding measure that the activists say would help prevent firearms from falling into the wrong hands.

The group held a news conference outside the gun show on the fringe of the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds, calling attention to a legal loophole that allows private vendors to sell guns without conducting background checks.

"We're not trying to take away the Second Amendment or say people shouldn't own guns," said Brian Rothenberg, the group's executive director. "We just want vendors voluntarily to do a background check when someone buys a gun. It takes a couple minutes. But what's a couple minutes if it saves a life?"

Federally licensed gun dealers are required to run criminal background checks on buyers. However, private unlicensed sellers, who operate at gun shows or flea markets with no established place of business, can sell firearms without the checks.

According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, 30 percent of guns involved in federal illegal gun trafficking investigations are connected to gun shows.

A 2007 U.S. Department of Justice report revealed that about 5,000 guns used in crimes in 2006 were traced to gun sales in Ohio. And the state ranks among the top 10 sources of guns recovered from crimes.

About 150 gun shows are held every year in the state, Rothenberg said.

Read the Full Story at The Cleveland Plan Dealer

Report Social Security Works for Ohio Released

2010-08-17T07:35:00.000-04:00

Cincinnati, OH- Social Security Works and Strengthen Social Security released an Ohio report highlighting the importance of Social Security to families, communities and state and local economies.
Included in the report's findings:

Social Security provides benefits to 2,021,900 people, 1 out of 6 residents (17.6 percent).
Social Security provides benefits to 1,253,300 retired workers, 1 out of 10 residents (10.9 percent) residents and more than 6 out of 10 (62 percent) of all beneficiaries.
Women make up 57.7 percent of beneficiaries aged 65 and older in Ohio.

"This shows that there are many retired workers, seniors, and widows that depend on social security benefits to supplement their incomes. We need to strengthen Social Security, not cut it, or do other things that compromise it such as rising the retirement age or privatizing it. Ohioans who work hard all their lives need to know the promise of Social Security will continue to be there. Social Security is the one promise we cannot allow Washington to break," said Brian Rothenberg, Executive Director of ProgressOhio.

ProgressOhio also participated in an event with Congressman Steve Driehaus, the Ohio Alliance for Retired Americans, and seniors in Cincinnati Monday morning to mark the 75th anniversary of Social Security. Congressman Driehaus discussed the importance of Social Security for seniors and efforts to ensure the program has a secure future. The event at took place at the Heartland of Mt. Airy Nursing Home and included a cake cutting and seniors celebrating the occasion by singing happy birthday.

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The mission of Social Security Works is to protect and improve the economic status of disadvantaged and at-risk populations, and, in so doing, to promote social justice for current and future generations of children as well as young, middle-aged and older adults. Social Security Works is a project of the Tides Advocacy Fund with generous support from The Atlantic Philanthropies. www.socialsecurity-works.org

The Strengthen Social Security Campaign is made up of more than 60 national organizations and many state organizations, representing more than 30 million Americans. The Campaign is united around core principles, which include that Social Security benefits should not be cut and, instead, should be increased for those who are most disadvantaged. www.strengthensocialsecurity.org

Help Keep Teachers in the Classroom

2010-07-19T11:42:00.004-04:00

The national debt matters and the best way to address it is to get our economy moving again.

That means we need to preserve jobs, especially while our economy is still very fragile. Our already cash strapped school districts are facing layoffs of the teachers and other school staff needed to prepare Ohio students for higher education and careers.

The Education Jobs Fund would help prevent layoffs by providing additional funding that Ohio needs to save jobs in K-12 education. This fund is projected to bring in over 300 million dollars to Ohio and would save or create nearly 5,000 teaching positions.

Tell Senator Voinovich to invest in our children and to support our teachers by voting for the Education Jobs Fund.

Tell him this fund will help give a boost to the economy and is important for our children's future and for Ohio's.

Call 202-224-3353 (Washington, DC office) today!