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01 November 2004
Volume 1, Issue 2

In This Issue...

Welcome to Grassroots News !

Grassroots.org is a web-based service that is designed to
spread the word about various issues to the general public.
One way that this is done is through sites dedicated to the
specific issues such as Crime.org (white collar crime),
KnowledgeIsPower.org (education), Homeless.org (homelessness
and poverty), and VoterRegistration.org (registering for
public elections).

We also help charities and other nonprofits to get their
word out by providing free services (including web hosting
and Internet services and legal consulting) to their
organizations. We hope that by saving this expense these
organizations are able to spend their funds in other ways to
help their constituents.

If you don't want to receive future newsletters, see the
instructions on how to unsubscribe in the Administration
section at the bottom of this newsletter.

If others you know would like to view this newsletter,
please forward this copy and have them subscribe to the
newsletter.  (Subscription instructions are available in the
Administration section at the bottom of this newsletter.)

Sites

Today, Grassroots.org is home to 27 sites dealing with
specific societal issues:

New Sites This Month:
RenewableEnergy.org - http://www.renewableenergy.org
RenewableResources.org - http://www.renewableresources.org
WorkingPoor.org - http://www.workingpoor.org

Each of our sites includes an overview of the topic with
links to related sites, articles and other resources. Each
site also includes a discussion forum for people to ask and
answer questions and to present their views.

In the coming months we will be adding more new sites on
various topics and we will be revising some of the existing
sites. New site announcements will be made in future
newsletters and all sites are available from the
Grassroots.org home page: http://www.grassroots.org .

Featured Site: SpeakOut.org

One of our newest sites, SpeakOut.org
(http://www.speakout.org) provides the reader with
information on ways to take action.  You'll learn about
several charitable causes and actions that you can take to
make change.  You'll also learn how to keep informed about
government actions and how to contact government officials
to let them know what you think.

Citizen Action Letter

Citizen action letters are another  tremendous way to "speak
out" and let your voice be heard.  In the coming newsletters
we will be including different citizen action letters which
you can personalize and send to your government
representatives. If you forward this newsletter to your
friends and colleagues and have them submit the action
letter to their congressmen, the effect will be even
greater!

To locate your representatives, go to the section titled
"Write Elected Officials" at http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/ .

The action letter below addresses the need to action to
reduce and prevent school bullying.

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Our schools need to be safe and drug free

Dear (Elected Representative)

I am writing as your constituent to inform you that the
issue of safety in schools is important to me. Thank you for
supporting Rep. Shimkus’ (R-IL) amendment to the No Child
Left Behind Law - The Safe and Drug Free Schools Act
(HR4776).

According to the National Institute of Child Health and
Human Development, in 2001, more than 16% of US school
children reported themselves as being victims of bullying in
their schools.  Bullying affects our children by giving them
low self esteem and depression. The bullies themselves are
likely to engage in criminal behavior and often violence,
later in life. As much as 29% of the students surveyed
reported that they were involved in bullying instances:
either as a bully or a victim of bullying.  Often, the cries
of parents of bullied children are often left unnoticed and
unheard.  As well, victims and parents alike are often
blamed for the plight of being bullied.

Today, there is no federal legislation that comprehensively
addresses the issue of bullying and harassment. There is no
federal legislation that also specifically targets bullying.
More particularly, federal laws prohibit harassment based
only on race, color, national origin, sex and disability.
Since bullying can be triggered by many other circumstances
other than these definitions, this makes it even more
difficult to outlaw bullying within our legal system.

We want to raise the awareness and support for bullying in
our schools by writing to you, our valued elected
representatives. Let us help prevent and protect our
children before they fall victims to bullying and it becomes
too late. Your valued support is much needed by your valued
constituents.

Sincerely,
(Your name)

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Discussion Forums

Exercise your freedom of speech !!!

If you want to share your ideas with others in the
Grassroots community, visit our discussion forums which are
available at each of our web sites.

You can access all of the Grassroots.org discussion forums
at http://www.grassroots.org/jive3

We encourage you to visit the forums, register, and
participate. Let your voice be heard !

Free Web Hosting for Nonprofit Organizations

If you work at a nonprofit organization or know someone else
who does, that organization may qualify for free web hosting
and Internet services through Grassroots.org

To qualify for free hosting, organizations must be non-
religious, must not be politically affiliated,
and must supply proof of their 501c3 status (US) or their
Charitable Registration Number (Canada).

To apply for free web hosting for your organization, go to
http://www.grassroots.org/do/Tools .

Future Issues

The next issues of the Grassroots.org newsletter will cover
new site features, overviews of our sites, profiles of our
web hosting clients, and information about resources that
you can use to become more informed and to get involved with
causes, charities and other nonprofit organizations at the
local, national and international levels.

Drop us a line and tell us what you think about Grassroots
News. Let us know what you want to see in future issues. E-
Mail your comments to newsletter@grassroots.org .

Administration

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Grassroots News
Copyright, 2004
Grassroots.org - A Heart at the Center of the Internet
http://www.grassroots.org

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