What canvassing meant to a 17 year old

The following email was received by our ICAN office.

Subject: Former canvasser
From: "Missy Showalter"
Date: Tue, 3 Sep 2002 17:39:04 -1000
To: ican@iowacan.org

HI ICAN!

I was surfing the web on a slow day at work and thought of looking up your web sight. I am glad to have found you. Really has brought back some memories!

I was a canvasser/field manager about 16 years ago, back in the day when there was an office in Cedar Rapids. I worked with ICAN for about 3 years before I moved on.

I have thought of my experiences so many times thru out the years. I truly feel that ICAN helped to shape the person I am today. I was only 17 when I answered an ad in the CedarRapids Gazette. I had quit school and needed to find a job quick as I was supporting myself. I came to ICAN armed with nothing but pure enthusiasm and a willingness to learn. I was given a chance to go out with a trainer (Ronda Morrison, the pic on your sight sure looks like Ronda) I had no idea at that time that I would then spend the next three years of my life learning so much about life and people, social, economic, and environmental issues. Also the workings of government, lobbying and campaign, communication skills and seeing other parts of the country. Even navigating skills. Ha! Ha! I could not even read a map when I started. I did 5 cross trains in that time and became very independent and learned that I was a strong and independent young women.

The entire experience gave me incredible courage and confidence in myself. After my experience with ICAN I truly believed that women were just as capable and worthy as men. I believed that all things were possible as long as enough people worked together for the outcome. I walked away with a feeling that most people were genuinely good and are just waiting for the chance to be asked to help and I knew for a fact that I could handle myself in any situation.

I could go on and on about all of the things that I learned and the amazing experiences that I had not to mention the greatest and most dedicated people that I met!

I just wanted to let you know that the canvas has stayed in me and that I feel I am a better person for having experienced it.

Peace,
Missy Ritter Showalter