Do-gooders: Local Howard Dean supporters launch community service effort

By Mike Zigler

Names like Ardis Coffman, Nancy Haworth Scott, Terry Pennisi and Cherie Welch may not ring a bell with many pundits. But ordinary folks like these may well be the reason Howard Dean wins Nevada's Democratic caucus, and ultimately the White House.

There's little question Dean has differentiated himself from the other eight Democratic hopefuls. He's empowered ordinary Americans through unordinary means.

Locally, the Dean machine is gaining momentum. Monthly meet-ups are now expanding. More than 600 Southern Nevada letters have been hand-written and sent to undecided Iowa Democrats, personalizing the Dean campaign for the January caucus. And another branch of the Dean campaign is blossoming locally: Dean Corps.

Welch, a passionate supporter and contributor, attended a Dean grassroots summit dubbed "From Shoe Leather to Mousepads" in Los Angeles late last month. She listened to a speech by Joe Trippi, Dean's campaign manager, who explained that last January the former Vermont governor had seven paid staff members, $157,000 in the bank and 432 supporters nationwide. Today, Dean has more than 530,000 Americans active in his campaign.

Trippi's story inspired Welch -- as did Southern California's Regional Council, which launched a Dean Corps program. Dean Corps is another signature campaign effort. The program provides assistance to volunteer organizations in local communities, spreading Dean's message through positive action.

In Los Angeles, Dean Corps volunteers put on the tool belts, revved up the power saws and began constructing the "House that Dean Built" Dec. 13.

"I got so excited about what they were doing in Southern California that I thought we could do this here as well," Welch explained.

A Dean meet-up leader, Welch said she became attracted to the movement because of Dean's stand against the Iraq war and compassion for U.S. soldiers. She always wanted to organize an effort to help soldiers in Ward 57 at the Walter Reed Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C. Through Dean Corps, she intends to make that happen.

"I think it is incredibly important for people to become contributors to their community because you get paid in the highest currency of all -- and that is the currency of fulfillment," Welch said.

Welch solicited Coffman to head the local program. While still in its infancy, plans are developing for Dean Corps.

At this month's meet-up, Dean Corps collected donations for the Eastside Family Resource Center, a group that helps needy families.

"We collected a station wagon trunk full of groceries for the resource center," Coffman said. "There are a lot of things that need attention in this country, so while we're out working for Dean, we should accomplish a few of those things."

Community service gives the Dean campaign visibility, Coffman said. But the program symbolizes something more than spreading Dean's message: It demonstrates the kind of change he wants to bring to America.

The Southern Nevada program isn't the state's first Dean Corps. Northern Nevada Dean Corps are well-established, sponsoring food drives, bridge painting and trail building.

Coffman intends to collect used books from local supporters at January meet-ups. And Coffman and Welch certainly would like to see a "House that Dean Built" in Southern Nevada as well.

Scott Tyra, resource development coordinator at Habitat for Humanity, is slowly developing a relationship with the local program. Tyra explained that political volunteer work isn't that uncommon, as groups from opposing sides of an issue occasionally work together through community service events.

"Typically, the first volunteer work we would receive from any kind of organization would be a volunteer work day," Tyra said. "Then if they want to get more involved, they would progress to a set of work days or some fundraising all the way up to sponsoring a house. But that's a multi-month, $60,000 undertaking that so few groups are able to handle."

For now, Coffman and Welch are looking ahead to 2004.

"Dean Corps is something I feel very passionate about by volunteering to help in the community," Welch concluded, before noting a favorite line. "Life is not a having and a getting; rather it is a being and a becoming."

Anyone interested in Dean Corps can contact Welch at 702-325-8385.

Mike Zigler is a CityLife staff writer. He can be reached at 702-871-6780 ext. 306 or zigler@lvpress.com.