God put me on path to see needs

Never in a thousand years would I have imagined the emotional toll the "Mi Familia Vota" campaign has taken on me and all that I hold dear.
 
Since I undertook the insurmountable task to run one of the most important voting campaigns in Yuma County's history I have come to see and experience first-hand the anguish and desperation of our residents.
 
When I decided to undertake the task to mobilize and motivate the Hispanic vote this year I did not realize that I was on a path where I would be experiencing a tremendous bond with the people with whom I came into contact.
 
You see, in order to run a successful campaign it is necessary to actually go out and walk the streets and hear, feel and see those voters in order to understand what would make them get out and vote.

RIDICULED
 
Aside from the few dedicated campaign workers, I have encountered negative and just plain ungrateful people who don't realize the dedication and heart my canvassers have put into this cause. They have been insulted and ridiculed but they pressed on. That in itself is worthy of admiration.
 
Nonetheless, even though they are our unsung heroes, they hit the street with no compensation in mind, just the hope that they could make a difference.
 
I believe God has a sense of humor and sometimes I feel I am his favorite pastime. Why else would he put me on this path if not to see the tremendous necessities in our community? I have spoken with so many people from all walks of life and every single one has touched me in a special way.
 
For example, one evening while doing my regular canvassing I came across a 76-year-old man who was just returning home from collecting aluminum cans. After a brief conversation, I realized he was collecting cans because this was the only way he could afford his medication. His retirement check was barely enough to pay the subsistence bills.

FINDING PURPOSE
 
Instead of enjoying his retirement years, he has to work to make ends meet. It's so sad when you see someone who could easily be your parent or grandparent and can barely move and is struggling economically offer you what little he has just for a few minutes of your company. He was so willing to engage in a conversation - only God knows when he last had a visitor.

I strongly believe that we all have a purpose in life and finding that purpose is the key. Some of us find it early in life and some later, but a great majority never do. They are the self-centered individuals who only care about themselves and no one else. They go on complaining, not realizing that there are people less fortunate than them. Yet our less fortunate could greet you with the humility that only God could give.
 
Yuma County is full of warm-hearted individuals, ordinary people who are struggling economically and personally. Our nation's current situation has enabled their situation to worsen beyond belief - like the mother who has to work two jobs just to make ends.

CHILDREN CRY
 
Her husband waits in anguish in Mexico while immigration reform has no resolution, just so he can have what we enjoy and sometimes take for granted - the freedom to raise a family. He waits for a day he can be reunited with his children. These children cry every night after his call ends, and they realize the uncertainty of seeing him again.
 
I engaged in a conversation with a couple on why it was important to get out and vote. When I asked what was the single most important issue they had, they replied that since the birth of their child, now 5, they have been in and out of the hospital for a condition he suffers.
 
They have been consumed with medical bills to the point of running out of credit. "Too expensive," they say, about care for a child who suffers and is in desperate need of medical attention. Private insurers would not provide coverage. How many of us don't even have health insurance or know of people neglecting their health simply because they can't afford it?
 
There are so many issues that surround us that affect us at all levels of society, young and old, low and middle class, male and female. But the most compelling one is how our youths are being victimized through our nation's economic crunch.
 
How many young adults have to leave school to work in order to make a suitable contribution to the families' income? They cannot afford a higher education while the family is about to lose their mortgage.
 
I ran across a young adult who expects to return to school one day to finish his studies, but for now he waits "until the situation gets better," he says. Our dropout rate is horrendous and getting worse every year.
 
America is the first to send aid to countries in need and at home we have families that are living in Third World conditions. There is no comprehensive health care reform and insurance companies pick and choose who they will cover.  The federal government is bailing out major corporations when our community is barely making ends meet.

REFLECT AMERICA
 
I could go on and on but the point I am trying to make is that Hispanics' needs don't just revolve around immigration. They care about a wide variety of issues, including our country's economic state, the war, education and health care - issues that reflect the sentiment of America as a whole.
 
There is no doubt this path has humbled me to the core and I thank God for reminding me that I am human and that in one way or another we share a special bond. I can truly say with the guidance of the all mighty I have witnessed first-hand the heartbeat of our people.
 
So the next time you run into people less fortunate, give them their dignity and remember God is watching.


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Juan Guerrero is a local community volunteer and activist who organized the Mi Familia Vota campaign to get out the Hispanic vote in this election.