how to help 

Join or Volunteer for the Committee to Keep Ashland Strong

The old saying "action speaks louder than words" is especially true with any kind of grassroots volunteer organization. There is an enormous amount of community work to do and having a long list of members will give our group strength and credibility.  Maybe you're a great public relations person, or perhaps you could help organize a group of neighbors to put up lawn signs, or even write a simple letter or email in support on the override. We need lots of people for the following committees:

• Neighborhood Door-to-Door campaign (distribute flyers and educate potential voters)
• Flyers (create and distribute)
• Yard Signs (distribute, track, cleanup)
• Public Forums (outreach and organize, not lead the forum!)
• Awareness/Fundraising (disseminate flyers at outreach events) 
• PR/Letter Writing/Newspaper Outreach (write letters to the editor, call into the Metrowest "Speak-Out" line)
• Blog Response (watch and respond with facts to Comments section after online news articles)
• Poll watchers and callers on election day

To help on a committee simply send us an email at info@keepashlandstrong.org, or

Keep Ashland Strong
P.O. Box 393
Ashland, MA 01721

Educate Yourself

To get information about the town budget or the override, visit the Town of Ashland site at www.Ashlandmass.com. If you want additional information about statewide issues, www.Mass.gov is the website for the government of Massachusetts. For specific information about funding and issues relating to education, check out the Department of Education website at www.DOE.mass.edu.

Write Letters and Emails

Let your thoughts and concerns be heard! Send a letter or an email to your local and/or state representatives and let them know what is important to you and your community. Some of the topics currently affecting Ashland is the push to have the town Selectmen vote to put an override on the town warrant in May, the State's outdated Chapter 70 formula which discriminates against Ashland, and the effect of Charter School reimbursements which negatively impact our public school's funding. Click here for a list of addresses, emails, and phone numbers for local and state representatives.

Call the Metrowest "Speak-Out" line (508-626-3818) and leave a message about why you support an override, or why strong schools are important to Ashland.

Writing a letters to the Editor of the Metrowest Daily News is another great way to spread the word about the override. Letters should be under 250 words and send to mdnletters@cnc.com.  Check out these tips and suggested topics for getting published!

Attend Rallies and Special Events