WakeUP and our volunteers were YOUR voice in meetings with and public hearings before elected and government officials at the city, county and state levels.

• Spoke to every mayor and city/town councilor in Wake about Wake County Transit Plan
• Advocated with Board of Education about improvements to Wake school assignment plan
• Reviewed and commented on Raleigh’s New Development Code (UDO)
• Attended every school board meeting and work session
• Encouraged stronger county & city water quality protections

Additionally, WakeUP led two community coalitions: The Great Schools in Wake (GSIW) and Capital Area Friends of Transit (CAFT).

• Spurred 1000 emails, calls, and letters to town and county elected officials
• Mobilized citizen remarks about transit, Wake Sustainability Plan, UDO, budgets, and school assignment at Wake Board of Commissioners, city councils, and Board of Education
• Launched student assignment campaign, working w/ hundreds of families and realtors
• Generated 116 press hits (including letters to editor and op-eds) in print, TV, and radio.
• Mobilized social media with daily Facebook and Twitter feeds
• Launched 2 new websites
• Received another leadership award – Independent Citizen Award presented to GSIW
• Founded statewide public education advocacy group –  Public Schools First NC

WakeUP engaged the community by hosting informative public forums on timely issues (along with community partners):

WakeUP raised funds to support WakeUP’s ongoing work, enabling us to better represent you.  WakeUP is VERY grateful for your personal financial support, as well as grant support from the Triangle Community Foundation and Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation

WakeUP and our volunteers were YOUR voice in meetings with and public hearings before elected and government officials at the city, county and state levels — on many issues including: the regional public transit plan, school reassignment, public school funding, accreditation and student achievement, Raleigh’s New Development Code, drinking water quality, efficiency, and pricing, affordable housing, growth impact fees, Chatham-Cary Land Use Plan, Falls and Jordan Lakes, and Wake County Sustainability Task Force.

We engaged the public to express YOUR voice in the public policy process.   WakeUP’s issue teams on Water, Transportation and Land Use and Education worked together and communicated with key local and state decision-makers and elected officials.

Additionally, WakeUP led two community coalitions: The Great Schools in Wake (GSIW) and Capital Area Friends of Transit (CAFT).

Organizational Growth: WakeUP now has 3100 on WakeUP’s email list, 1400 on CAFT’s email list and 6000 on GSIW’s list.

WakeUP launched a speakers bureau, giving presentations almost every week to local civic and professional groups on public transit, growth issues, and schools.

WakeUP and our volunteer leaders gave public comments, wrote letters to the editor and op-eds, and spoke to the media. We had an estimated 90 press hits in print, tv, radio, and online media!

WakeUP and Great Schools in Wake were humbled to receive awards this year from the Triangle Chapter of the Women’s Transportation Seminar, and the recent Citizen Award to GSIW from the Independent Weekly.

WakeUP engaged the community by hosting informative public forums on timely issues (along with community partners):

- Water forum, “Water: Is the Bill Coming Due?”

- 5 Board of Education Candidate forums

- 3 municipal candidate forums in Raleigh, Cary, Holly Springs

- Wakeup After 5 event on Raleigh UDO and Smart Growth

- GSIW Film Series

Cosponsored several other forums with partner organizations

WakeUP raised funds to support WakeUP’s ongoing work, enabling us to better represent you.  WakeUP is VERY grateful for your personal financial support, as well as grant support from the Triangle Community Foundation, Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, the Beehive Collective, AJ Fletcher Foundation, American Public Transit Association, and RedHat. 

WakeUP was YOUR voice in meetings with elected and government officials at the city, county and state levels — on issues ranging from water supply, water quality, new development, public school funding, diversity and accreditation, bus shelters, high speed rail, affordable housing, and regional public transit.

WakeUP and our members participated in public meetings on the regional public transit plan, Falls Lake rules, school reassignment plans, Raleigh’s New Development Plan, at city council, Wake school board and county commission meetings.

WakeUP led two community coalitions: The Great Schools in Wake (GSIW) and Capital Area Friends of Transit (CAFT).

Organizational Growth: WakeUP now has 2800 on WakeUP’s email list, 1200 on CAFT’s email list and 4000 on GSIW’s list.

WakeUP and our members gave public comments, wrote letters to the editor and op-eds, and spoke to the media. (Insert press hits!)

WakeUP and Great Schools in Wake were humbled to receive awards this year from the NC Justice Center, Blueprint NC, the NC Chapter of the American Planning Association, and the Triangle Chapter of the Women’s Transportation Seminar.

WakeUP engaged the community by hosting informative public forums on timely issues (along with many community partners):

- Is Our Drinking Water at Risk: Falls Lake, stormwater

- Won’t You be My Neighbor? To discuss how Wake County developed its school system historically and worked to avoid high –poverty schools

- Cost and Consequences: What’s at stake for Wake – looking at impacts of switching solely to neighborhood schools in Charlotte/Mecklenburg schools, to see how Wake can learn

- Small meeting series on school issues, transit and Raleigh’s New Development Code

- Cosponsoring other community educational events (NC Spin Water Forum, YWCA school forums, League of Women Voters Women’s Equality Day)

WakeUP raised funds to support WakeUP’s ongoing work, enabling us to better represent you. WakeUP is VERY grateful for your personal financial support, as well as support from the Triangle Community Foundation, Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, John Rex Endowment, AJ Fletcher Foundation, RBC Bluewater, and the American Public Transit Association.

Civic Engagement a goal and a tool for WakeUP:

- WakeUP volunteers include activist issue teams, Board of Directors and our Advisory Committee

- Volunteers participated in monitoring government actions, advocacy and lobbying, writing letters to the editor, blogging, making presentations, fundraising and event planning

Advocacy at city, county, and state level:

- Monitoring city and Wake County actions on water supply and water quality issues, including: conservation, stormwater controls, Falls Lake, Jordan Lake, and the Little River

- Raleigh’s Comprehensive Development Plan and the New Development Code process

- Lobbied mayors, county commissioners and state legislators on the regional transit plan and funding

- Spoke up for county funding for public schools

- Fair growth funding

– advocating for increasing water and sewer capacity fees on new development

2009 is the YEAR ON GROWTH! WakeUP participated in series of major growth events:

- Institute for Emerging Issues (Feb.)

– focus on state growth challenges – Triangle Reality Check (Feb.)

– WakeUP Wake County was one of 300 participants in the growth planning exercise hosted by Triangle Tomorrow and Urban Land Institute

- Congressman David Price’s Smart Growth Summit (April) – presenter

- WakeUP was invited to speak before various groups, including the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, a school, town boards, Advocates for Health, Rotary Club, etc.

Partnerships and Coalitions:

- Capital Area Friends of Transit – broad coalition including Chamber of Commerce, RWCA, disability advocates, the Sierra Club, churches and more

- Advocating on local water supply: Jordan and Falls Lake – working with the Neuse Riverkeeper Foundation, NC Conservation Network, Capital Group Sierra Club and others

- Wake County Schools – education forums and now WakeUP Education team is building new alliance to monitor the 2010 Board of Education

Press Hits:

- Over 110 press hits to date

– TV, print news, radio, cable television, online

- Launched Facebook page and Twitter – almost 200 Twitter followers

- Website has added much new information

Events Sponsored and Co-sponsored:

- Sponsored a major Education Forum in May, “Achieving Educational Excellence in Times of Challenge and Change,” w/ Bigger Picture4 Wake, Concerned Citizens for African American Children, Wake League of Women Voters and Wake NCAE

- Sponsored Municipal Candidate Forums for Raleigh and Cary w/ Wake League of Women Voters and the Raleigh Downtowner Magazine

- Cosponsored Growth series for young professionals with Emerging Tar Heel Leaders

- Cosponsored forum on “Equity in Education” with YWCA and ACLU

- Launched WakeUP Growth Issues Happy Hour in October

New major funders:

- Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation – also included a $15,000 matching grant

- American Public Transit Association

- SAS Foundation

- As well as many WakeUP members and supporters