Join me in supporting one of Oakland’s most committed, inspiring activists

There are many reasons I’m grateful that I got involved in Oakland advocacy, but one of the things I’m most grateful for is all of the amazing people I have met along the way. One of these people is someone I first got to know during our campaign to stop the Oakland Airport Connector, someone who often advocates for seniors, pedestrians and bus riders. If you watch City Council, AC Transit or MTC meetings or if you read comments on Oakland blogs, I’m sure you’ve seen her speak or read her comments and know what a fierce advocate she is. Though she’s an incredibly sweet lady, Karen Smulevitz is also not afraid to speak the truth, even if that means calling a government agency out.

If you haven’t gotten the opportunity to hear her speak, here’s some video of her speaking at a health care rally this summer:

And here’s Karen speaking about the Oakland Airport Connector (thanks to V Smoothe for uploading this!):

Karen often gives back to the community, whether by advocating for seniors or by volunteering for local clean up efforts. This Saturday she’s walking in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s. As part of the walk, she’s aiming to raise $300 for the Alzheimer’s Association and when I checked this morning, she was a third of the way to her goal.

I hope you’ll join me in supporting Karen and help her reach her fundraising goal. With $200 left to raise, we just need 10 people to chip in $20 or 20 people to chip in $10. The blogoaksphere has come together before to raise money for good causes, and this community has amazed me with how quickly we’ve met and blown through fundraising goals.

So please, chip in what you can to support Karen Smulevitz and the Alzheimer’s Association. You’ll be supporting not only a great cause, but also one of Oakland’s most committed and inspiring activists.