Issue Campaigns

Reclaim Lorain County was founded by a group of clergy and community leaders who began meeting in May of 2006. What motivated this founding group to begin building Reclaim Lorain County was a common desire to tear down the divisions in Lorain that existed between neighborhoods. These founders were motivated to build a new organization which could help build relationships across the neighborhoods and provide a new vehicle for different constituencies to act together on common interests in ways which would be powerful and effective. In October of 2006, Reclaim Lorain County held its first accountability action attended by over 500 people from across Lorain County. This event was planned around Ohio’s gubernatorial election and was the largest and most diverse mass meeting held in Lorain. After getting specific commitments from candidates running for statewide office some 200 people volunteered to engage in non-partisan politics and see to it that voter turnout increased in their neighborhoods. Reclaim Lorain County built on that work in 2008 and over the course of 6 months deployed 424 volunteers in the neighborhoods of Lorain, Elyria, and Oberlin and spoke to 6,317 people on their porches. Volunteers learned about the challenges facing families, registered people to vote, and on Election Day we protected their right to vote. Lorain and its surrounding communities are at a tipping point where the last remaining solid families may choose to leave. The founding of Reclaim Lorain County has to provide immediate hope to those solid working families. Right now, Reclaim Lorain County is that glimmer of hope.