184,000 Change.org members believe Kelley Williams-Bolar is a loving mother who wants to provide the best future for her children -- not a felon for sending her kids to a safer school district. Ohio Governor John Kasich agrees, and yesterday reduced Kelley’s felony convictions to misdemeanors, a life-changing and rare move that you made happen.
We don't need to tell you that it feels good to win -- to have contributed to a positive change in someone’s life through this campaign (or say, through the campaign 122,000 Change.org members just won to pause a foreclosure on PFC Aaron Collette's "safe zone" -- his father's house -- while he's on leave from Iraq). But what's it like to be at the helm? To be the creator of your own campaign to change your world?
Kelley's campaign was started by Caitlin Lord, a Change.org member and a single mom like Kelley, in Massachusetts. She had never met Kelley but heard her story and wanted to help. She found tips, tools and other support at Change.org to build a mini-movement behind Kelley. A movement of 184,000 Change.org members who also wanted to help, and signed Caitlin’s petition and teamed up with our friends at ColorOfChange.org to flood Gov. Kasich's office with phone calls.
In the end, Gov. Kasich said "the penalty was excessive for the offense" -- exactly your message to him all along. Today, Kelley is again free to pursue her dream of becoming a teacher and to be with her two daughters. Her world has changed.
Thanks for being a change-maker,
Patrick and the Change.org teamPrevious Post:
This case has upset me so much! I can't even begin to explain all the reasons why right now. Except to say... How about the school district and the state to allow Quality education to those who Want it and instead of punising parents who care, how about punish the parents who don't care about their childrens' futures!!
If your children have had a quality education, please remember that not all parents have that option for their children. I had to move to a different state, giving up a house in my own hometown, friends and a job that I loved, in order to get my son an education. Long story... that some of you already know of course.
I will be writing more on this subject very soon! For now, if you haven't already, go to the link and read the full story... including 'some' of the 4332 comments already posted underneath. Unbelievable and senseless courtcase in my opinion!
i saw this on yahoo...crazy stuff...
ReplyDeleteYes I agree with you. It is upsetting!
ReplyDeleteOur minds must travel in the same path. I, like you am still out raged about this!! I really thought we had moved past the 50's. But again it is easy to speak the right thing, another to actually live it.
ReplyDeleteJules @ Trying To Get Over The Rainbow
oh wow! I can't believe the school went to that length and actually took her to court. I can see both sides of the coin but my goodness!
ReplyDeleteEveryone here in Los Angeles knows that the school district here is terrible. I saw a documentary once about the schools in South Los Angeles and they didn't look like schools, they looked like prisons. Windows wired shut, decaying buildings, dirty classrooms with broken desks, leaking ceilings, metal detectors at entry....and the list goes on. I think prisons are in way better shape, actually. I wouldn't want my boys going to a school that looks like a prison.
Why is this happening in America??
Coreen, I didn't know you had to shift base. I need to hear that story.
ReplyDeleteDon't get me started!! Among many other things wrong about this is the fact that I do not believe in jailing people who are not a danger to society!!! It takes so much money to keep a person in jail and they are overcrowded. I think that unless a person is dangerous on the loose, somehing else should be done!! But this poor woman, it is just a shame that things have gotten so bad that she would have to resort to this, she is only a good mom who wants the best for her children!
ReplyDeleteI can kind of see both sides but I'm much more on the mom's side than on the school's side. I agree, sometimes there are extenuating circumstances and they need to take that into consideration before convicting her!
ReplyDeleteIt's very upsetting I agree.
ReplyDeleteYvonne.
I am upset too! It's so sad.
ReplyDeleteI think too much resources are spent on this woman, when these resources could have been used to track time real criminals.
She only wants what's best for her kids. Who doesn't understand that?
How sad. They just wanted to make an example of her, instead of fixing the lousy system she didn't want to inflict on her kids.
ReplyDelete