ARTICLES

Almost There!

Need 300,000 More Signatures

By the issue date of this month's San Francisco Faith, 585,000 signatures will have been gathered to put the Parents' Right to Know and Child Protection initiative on the November, 2006 ballot.

Beginning in mid-February, volunteers collected record numbers of signatures on sidewalks, in vestibules, and parish halls of Catholic parishes from El Centro to Eureka.

A strong alliance of Protestant churches, including Calvary Chapels, Southern Baptists, Assemblies of God, and Foursquare churches began in mid-April to gather signatures and build individual church support for the initiative.

A mailing of 300,000 petitions to selected California voters starting March 23 set off a return mailing of filled-out petitions, which started at 200 signatures a day and grew to 5,000 signatures a day in early April.

(On April 4, the parish whose volunteers were opening envelopes and counting -- Sacred Heart in Coronado -- sent out a call for help to other parishes to help open envelopes.)

Anyone with filled-out petitions -- even if partially filled out -- is urged to send them in as soon as possible. The deadline for turning in signatures by Parents' Right to Know staff is mid-May, but last-minute receipt of signatures will make it difficult to count all of them.

For more information, call toll-free (866) 828-8355 or email Janet@Parentsright2Know.org or visit the websites www.ParentsRight2Know.org or www.YESon73.net

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