Workin' the Phone bank

Phone Bank at Akron Democratic Headquarters

Bert Powers, Phone Bank Coordinator

The phone bank is always waiting for volunteers with time on their hands. Bert is the phone bank coordinator here in the Akron office. I was asking him what attracted him to the Obama campaign. Like many, he mentioned Barack's speech to the 2004 convention that brought down the house. He said that after the primary he was on the bus and as it passed by the campaign office he decided on the spur of the moment to walk in and volunteer. Before he knew it, he was the head coordinator of the phone bank. He trains new volunteers and passes out assignments. When asked what he found most rewarding, he mentioned training new volunteers and meeting new people. He also talked about the very positive environment here in the office. And he said that when he is not here, he feels like he is genuinely missed.

I asked him about his e-mail address that had the words bipolar in it. He is not hesitant to talk about his disability and is a living testament that people with mental illness can have a productive life. He is an incredible advocate for progressive attitudes toward mental illness -- a message reinforced with his contageous joy he brings to each day.