It is a statewide party and you are invited! Let’s gather and celebrate all the work we all put in as citizen advocates this session. It is no coincidence that legislators were feeling nervous about passing a bad budget this year. This time YOU WERE THERE and that made a difference!
We have almost 9,000 Oklahomans receiving these emails from Together Oklahoma. Our reach is growing daily, and that means we’ll have to get creative to get all these folks in the same Better Budget Bash celebration on June 25th!
In addition to a few large gatherings in Tulsa, Norman, OKC, and Lawton, we are asking members to help us host small house parties with their friends, TOK members in their area, or a mix of both. This way we’ll be able to get together all at once, online or in person, to hear a wrap-up from the session, thank each other for all our efforts, get a look at the future, and raise a toast to coming together to make Oklahoma better!
Anyone in Together Oklahoma with a computer, internet access, and a way to display the webinar to guests can host or co-host a Better Budget Bash on June 25th from 2pm-4pm. Here are the necessary elements:
- Sign up using our online form if you would like to be a host, co-host, or volunteer, or if you just want to attend.
- Let us know if you will be hosting a private event or if you want to publicly invite other TOK members in your area.
- Have an internet connection that will allow you to briefly join the other groups around the state at the beginning, middle, and end of the party.
- This is a non-partisan group, so we cannot have any candidates campaigning during the official event from 2pm-4pm, although everyone is welcome to attend.
- Some sort of snacks and drinks should be provided.
- Take a picture of your group so we can see who is with us all over Oklahoma.
Tuning in for the online portion of our party is necessary, but there are also some optional elements that you can include to connect with your fellow Together Oklahoma members, such as:
- Costume Theme: Invent your own superhero! Oklahoma needs help and we obviously can’t just wait for the legislators to do it. What might a hero look like to you? Examples: Super State Savior, Recurring Revenue Rescue Ranger, Fight for Funding Fabulous, and so forth. Remember, this is optional so don’t let a lack of costume keep you away.
- Activities: Speed Friending is our time-tested favorite way to connect Together Oklahoma members to each other. We’ll be doing this at the big events, and small event groups can join in too.
- Shared Recipes: We are still gathering recipes for the best budget themed drinks and snacks, so send your ideas to events@togetherok.org.
- Slide Show: We’ve got a lot of great photos from our letter writing parties, phone banks, days at the Capitol, and more. If you have some photos you’d like to share, post them in the Together OK Facebook group or email them to communications@togetherok.org.
As you can see, this is going to be a great time and a meaningful way to bond with your fellow Oklahomans who agree that we can do better than what our legislature passed this year. Remember to fill out this form if you would like to be a host, co-host, or volunteer for either a private or public Better Budget Bash. Now is the time to celebrate how much momentum we gained so that next year we’ll be an even greater force to be reckoned with!
As always, I am with you when we must lament our legislative losses and there when it’s time to celebrate our success. Now may feel like a time for both, but like grandma always says, “At least it’s not the Dust Bowl.”
