Volunteer Voices: Rita Orazem
Rita traveled with Team North Carolina on their primary trip in March 2024. Kylie, CP’s Community Engagement & Comms Senior Associate, sat down with Rita to learn more about her experience.
On a rainy Thursday afternoon, I had the absolute pleasure of catching up with Rita, a newer member of the Common Power (CP) community. I first met Rita in North Carolina (NC) during our primary trip. We instantly connected over our similar backgrounds. After learning about her initial encounter with CP, I knew I had to learn more about her decision to do on-the-ground Fieldwork with us.
Rita made it a point to stay tuned in to what was going on around her throughout her life. Like me, she pursued Political Science during her undergraduate career in hopes of understanding how the world really works. With her flexible job as a flight attendant, she had tried many forms of service, but was still seeking the “right fit”. Lately, she felt disillusioned by the direction of our country and the state of democracy. Like many of us, she knew wanted to do something but wasn’t sure how.
As luck would have it, Rita visited a Goodwill location during our annual voter registration campaign (shoutout to Jessica Lui who spearheaded this project in 2023) and asked the volunteers at the table what organization they were part of. While the voter registration campaign was coming to a close, our stellar volunteers recommended checking out our website. Rita signed up for our email newsletter (shameless plug) and stayed up-to-date with opportunities to volunteer.
Rita first made contact with CP Staff at one of our Volunteer 101 Sessions hosted by the Fieldwork Department. She was “impressed” by the presentation. Despite the “dire times” we are in, the messaging was “positive and hopeful”. To be clear there wasn’t sugarcoating, but the energy was nice and accepting. CP felt like an organization she could join.
Some find Fieldwork travel intimidating, but not Rita. She liked the idea of traveling to places where things are “getting real”. She saw the need for volunteers and thought to herself “I can go so I will go”. To her, getting on the ground was the biggest contribution she could make.
Ahead of travel, Rita was most excited about the opportunity to engage with the local partner organization, North Carolina Black Alliance. We both agree that exposure to locals is one of the most enriching parts of travel. She was also eager to see how we organized. While not everything was planned to a tee, she felt confident in her Team Leads. She knew they were in control and all would soon be revealed.
Travel and new experiences still always come with some sense of apprehension. Rita wondered to herself if this would be the right fit, how she could contribute, and if she had the stamina to canvas all day. I was happy to hear that all of her fears went away once we gathered as a Team in NC.
On the ground, Rita made observations that challenged her expectations. For example, while we were working in the city of Raleigh, we mostly spent time in newly gentrification neighborhoods. One thing we both admired was the unique flair that houses displayed, reflecting their personalities.
Anyone who’s ever gone door-knocking can attest to the hope of encountering more people willing to answer the door. Rita reflected positively on her experiences with those who did. Often folks would start with some trepidation, barely opening the door. Once they realized Rita didn’t want anything from them they were grateful for the information she was there to share and began to open up. This shift displays the importance of the work we are there to do.
If you’ve been around CP for a while, you’ll be familiar with one of our sayings “come for the work, stay for the people”. Rita found that being a driver helped build connections with fellow volunteers from the get-go. On arrival day, she helped get folks from the airport to our hotel and on each day of canvassing, she had a new community of passengers to learn from and share with. We both appreciate that CP creates a unique environment for us to interact with people different from us. Our Teams are intentionally inter-generational and inter-racial and we are all committed to the work and getting to know each other.
When I asked Rita what she would tell someone considering Fieldwork travel she said the following three pieces of advice:
Stay open
Trust the process
Know that you’ll have a rewarding experience
