Hello, my name is Rachel Glass!

I was raised in Hawaii from the age of two and a half. Though I have lived in Seattle for ten years, I still consider Hawaii the home where I learned and lived the virtues of tolerance, multi-culturalism, and global perspective. Barack and I both went to Punahou School (I graduated in the Class of ’82, he, in the Class of '79), and so our formative years were influenced similarly, through a fabulous education from a school that championed an "ideas into action" philosophy: challenging us to use our creativity, intelligence, and ability to create communities for the purpose of doing "noble work" in the world. We all know how HE has applied this philosophy to his life. For me, helping to elect Barack Obama as the next president of our United States is about the noblest way I can imagine to honor my neighbors, family, friends, fellow Washingtonians, fellow Americans and fellow residents of the world!




Like Barack, I understand, from experience, the benefits and necessity of a quality education for our children so they can have the tools to do their "noble work" in the world, when their time comes! I continue to advocate tirelessly for improving the quality of education for all children, through political action as well as through direct contact with school administrators, parents, the PTA and the students themselves. My work in public and private school systems spans from Washington, California and Hawaii to Wisconsin, Tennessee, and the Virginia/D.C. area. I have had direct impact upon thousands of children and teens as a teacher, director, coach and mentor since 1988. My philosophy of quality education for our youth: The minds we are nurturing today are the rewards we will reap tomorrow!

Barack understands that children aren't the only ones who benefit from a quality education, but anyone motivated to apply what they learn to advance the world through noble work benefits. Look at us! The more we know, the more we can accomplish! The fired-up Americans who learn from eachother and work for change today are creating the rewards we will reap tomorrow! And the more of us who are fired up today, can only further ensure the sweetness of our success tomorrow!








I relish the opportunity to extoll the virtues of Barack Obama to anyone and because THIS Glass is NEVER half-empty, I feel I can respond to and enlighten anyone who attempts to disqualify Barack as not being the best and natural choice for president of the United States! I feel comfortable and confident in discussing any issue relevant to the presidential campaign with anybody-- family, friend, stranger, Democrat, Independent, Republican-- and since my goal is to help people to feel comfortable about voting for Barack, my approach is educational, accessible, honest, relevant and most importantly, persuasive!





Barack has a momentous vision for our country and he has inspired me to dream big and act for progress! In the last year I have worked locally and nationally for the Obama campaign through hundreds of conversations, emails, postcards and phone calls with countless family, friends and strangers. I got “fired up” to be a National Delegate because, like Barack, I want to help effect change beyond the local level! I want to have a hand in helping to make him our next president because I see that he embodies, in word and deed,the will, creativity, grace and vision to effect positive changes in our country and in the world.



This is a partial list, as I am waiting for confirmation of other endorsements:

• Stephanie Miller, Nationally Syndicated Talk Show Host
  
• Steve Krueger, Senior Broadcast Reporter (Ret.); NPR-Seattle
• Cheryl G. Banks, PCO for WA 34-1497
• Ivan Weiss, Chair - 34th District Democrats
  
• Jen Marlowe, Filmmaker, Author (Darfur Diaries); Social/Human Rights Activist
• Dee Dickinson, CLO-New Horizons for Learning; Author; Organizing Committee/Educational Consultant for Seeds of Compassion Event

The way this primary season is shaping up, I believe the possibility is very real that the delegates will be called upon to help in the final process of choosing our democratic candidate in Denver. Washington's Delegate team will need to be organized, creative, well-spoken, able to think on their feet, able to react quickly to unexpected situations, and be able to persuade and influence others! As a team, the WA State Delegation will benefit together by presenting a compelling, innovative case for unifying the Democratic Party in Denver and at home when the convention is over. I am a professional actress and arts educator and have been all my post high-school life. My 20+ years of training, background and grassroots experience have given me the opportunity to contribute with confidence a key component to what our delegation will need to make a lasting impression in Denver as well as to the thousands of Washingtonians we will be reaching out to after August. A compelling, charismatic, creative presentation will enable us to get the unified support we need to secure the nomination for Barack Obama! We need to be Dynamic in Denver! I have the experience and the "chops" as they say in the business to help make that happen!
Thanks again for considering me as part of your Dream Team!

• Attended several phone bank events (West Seattle, Madison Valley, South Seattle)
• Worked on and organized volunteers for the National Women to Women Postcard campaign (outreach to Pennsylvania)
• Continue to attend numerous Obama Meet-ups throughout Seattle
• Attended the Parliamentary Rules & Procedures Session for Delegates
• Participated in the National Obama Campaign's Voter Registration Drive on May 10th
• Serve as a regular contributor, as a Washington State Obama Delegate, to The Stephanie Miller Show, a nationally syndicated radio program

• Am currently working on two projects in collaboration with several National, Congressional District and Legislative District Delegates: The "Change Makes Sense" Campaign (collecting one million cents in spare change for the Obama Campaign to present as a "Big Check" to Barack Obama at the National Convention in Denver); and the establishing of a series of forums/workshops on healing--relevant to providing tools for delegates and their constituencies in how to most effectively communicate with and engage Clinton supporters, as well as Independents and Republicans, with the idea of further unifying our party and expanding Barack's voter base. (Please see descriptions below and feel free to contact me if you would like to become involved).

Since the CD Caucus on May 17th, I have been in touch with some of the National Delegates as well as delegates elected from my Legislative (34th) and the Congressional districts who are still fired up to get Barack elected. I have started a project called "Change Makes Sense" as a fundraiser for the Obama Campaign. Currently, and over the summer, I will collect One Million Cents in spare change, and my vision would be to present (as a delegate with the rest of our team) one of those "Big Checks" to Barack at the National Convention this August in the amount of $10,000 (or One Million Cents). If I can get other WA delegates involved (National and otherwise), I think we can turn an ordinary project into an extraordinary one! Because Change Makes Sense, but a LOT of Change makes a LOT of Cents!!! I am hoping that we can get delegates from all across WA involved in this so that we can present the check to Barack as a whole state rather than just a city. I'd love to know your thoughts and have you involved with me. Let me know.

The other idea I am working on that would ultimately involve the delegate team effort as well, is creating a series of forums, discussions, events, workshops that would focus on the theme of healing. Not only in Denver, but when we return home to WA, we are going to need some sort of comprehensive plan for reaching out to delegates and voters -- Democratic, Independent and Republican -- to find innovative, specific ways of bringing people together and healing some really serious wounds which have been festering unchecked for far too long! I have some concept-based approaches (from my work in education, problem-solving, conflict-resolution, etc.) for how to create these "healing forums" (or whatever we decide to call them). The format would be something that the delegates can work on together and then take to their constituencies, and then those folks in turn, can take it to their networks of voters, and onward and outward. Because the theme of healing is so all-encompassing, the concepts of the "forums" can be relevant in so many other contexts besides those of our presidential candidates (racism, sexism, homophobia, civil rights) and so the work we do would potentially expand out far beyond this election season. Barack has been working for so long to help this country work for change from the ground up and I would like to be one of his ambassadors in seeing that happen! I would love to have your help in seeing these projects blossom!

My political work has always stemmed from grassroots activism! When I was five years old, I stepped up to help hungry children halfway around the world through the "Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF" campaign and haven't looked back! Even then, I was in awe of my power to effect positive change around the world, to help those whom I didn't even know but whom I was sure needed me! Some of the organizations I have worked for nationally and locally as a staff member or as a volunteer include:

• Greenpeace - (volunteered from age 13-17)
• March of Dimes - (volunteered from age 14-17)
• CALPIRG- fundraising; phone/door canvassing; petitioning
• Planned Parenthood of Middle Tennessee - organized outreach, education & mentoring for over 5,000 Tennessee teens in three years
• YMCA - (WA, CA, TN, HI) - 10,000+ volunteer hours (and counting) since 1989; Innovation Award Recipient for Program Development
• United Way - organized fundraising on behalf of at-risk youth & families
• Salvation Army - specialty arts education with developmentally disabled and at-risk children
• WA State Talking Book & Braille Library -current weekly radio show, reading to the blind
• Seattle Audubon Society - spearheaded several partnering projects with the Seattle Public Library to create bird education/bird awareness exhibits for the public (2007-2008)
• P.T.A.
• Go! Project for Safe Routes to School- created, organized and now lead a mile-long walk route to and from Sanislo Elementary School
• Headstart School Programs (TN, WA, VA-D.C.) - teaching & outreach since 1995 (classroom contact with 2,000+ children -- and counting)
• Auctioneer for Seattle-Area School Auctions - instrumental in raising $75,000 through three auctions; volunteering as Auctioneer for the 34th District Democrats' Annual "Garden Party" Auction, August 2008

As a fired-up "Mama for Obama," I brought my husband (a former John Edwards supporter) into the Obama fold after Edwards dropped out of the race. My parents in Hawaii are currently Hillary supporters, but after many civil, passionate and informative conversations I've had with them about Barack Obama, they have assured me they will vote for him if Hillary doesn't get the nomination. My brother voted in California for Hillary, but I have also had several conversations with him -- also passionate, also civil -- and he has decided to vote for Barack in November. And even my six-year-old daughter, who is a Clinton supporter, has told me she will vote for Obama if Hillary doesn't get the nomination (she voted in her first Kids' Mock Presidential Primary this year, has accompanied me to all the Obama caucuses, as a Hillary supporter, as well as to my polling place for every election since her birth, and attended a healthcare rally for SCHIP with me!). Update: Since Clinton's suspension of her presidential campaign on June 3rd, I have secured the excitement of my parents and brother to vote for Barack as well as several neighbors, friends and four Republicans I met at a party!