Hazel Dell church lobbies for children
The First Congregational United Church of Christ bussed it up to Olympia last week to rally for children who could be hurt by state budget cuts.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
HAZEL DELL — The First Congregational United Church of Christ teamed up with the Children’s Alliance, a statewide advocacy group, to participate in a rally Feb. 22 in Olympia.
Thirty-seven local residents took a chartered bus to a rally on the steps of the Capitol, and then broke into groups to lobby state Rep. Craig Pridemore, D-Vancouver, and Rep. Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama.
Their message: Children should not suffer during hard economic times — and legislators should not cut the State Food Assistance and Apple Health for Kids programs.
“In a time when budget cuts are the order of the day, we want to be a voice that says budgets are about more than numbers. They are about values,” said Brooks Berndt, pastor at the church, which is located on Northeast 68th Street in Hazel Dell.
