New Year's Resolution: volunteer with the ACLU of Wisconsin

Volunteering and making a positive difference is as popular a New Year's resolution as other ways to improve a person's life and health. There is a lot of volunteerism to be done, particularly during an economic crunch.

In 2009 Americans will have a lot of work to do. Hopefully, we will be paid for our work. Sometimes when we work to make things better for people, we don’t get paid in cash.

Freedom is just as good as cash. Freedom makes our society stronger. It makes one person just as important as another. Freedom allows families to teach children good values. It means that we can look to the future without being tied to old ways.

Government officials, powerful special interests, and reactionary institutions all try to limit our freedom. They try to deny us our rights. We can use these rights to protect ourselves from government abuse. Civil liberties are rights. Civil liberties include the right to free speech, religious liberty, equal protection under the law, and the right to vote.

You can protect our rights by joining with others. As a group we increase our power.

We need people to share their time, talent and enthusiasm. Artists, musicians, event planners, fund raisers, media specialists, computer/web geeks, and legislation/issue trackers all have a place with the ACLU no matter where you live in Wisconsin.

The American Civil Liberties Union is a group that protects everyone’s rights. You can work to help the ACLU protect rights for free. Your reward will be priceless.

- Chris Ahmuty, ACLU of Wisconsin Executive Director