Opportunities in Your Own Backyard
Many College Republicans throughout Pennsylvania and around the United States spend their time doing activities within their own campus, whether it be fundraising, membership drives, or anything else that their chapter can come up with. However, most CRs don’t realize that there is a wealth of opportunity in a great and often untapped area: the surrounding local community. Most colleges and universities are in an area with an active Republican chapter. And even if there is not a local chapter, there is surely a county Republican chapter that is always looking for young people to get involved. By being an active College Republican in the community surrounding your college or university, you will be able to make a limitless amount of connections that may not have been possible had you not reached out beyond the walls of your school.
Here’s an example: I got an email on a Tuesday afternoon at 3pm last year from our former chapter chairman (who was the Executive Director of the Republican Committee of Allegheny County at the time). He was helping our county host a dinner with Tom Delay and was looking for a few College Republicans to fill the leftover seats. The catch? I had to email all of my members as soon as possible, and our former chairman had to have an RSVP list for the event by 4pm. So, I emailed all of my members, left work early, threw on a suit, and drove to the event. The event was fairly quiet, but I did get to meet one of our local senators, John Pippy. I sent Senator Pippy a thank you email, and he invited myself and all of my members to a Steelers tailgate party that Sunday. I was able to bring two members with me, and at the event, I met the chairman of the Republican committee in Moon Township, which is where Robert Morris University is located. Ever since, Shirlee Nelson (the chairwoman) and the rest of the Moon Township committee members have been so wonderful to me. The always make sure to invite myself and other CRs to their events, and they have been kind enough to have me as their guest for several events. The leadership of the committee has recently been passed along to Cathy Tress, and Cathy has been a wonderful help to me as well. I have even been made a special member of the Moon Township Republican Committee, acting as a liaison between the committee and RMU.
Whoever would have thought that going to one event could help you make so many different connections? Community involvement is such a big part of making sure that your College Republican chapter stays active and involved. Often times, members become bored when there is a lack of available and varied activities. By going into your community and making connections, you and your chapter will be able to build lasting relationships, make valuable associations, and do things that you (and your community) can be proud of.