Voices from the March (CSEA)

Rally at Donnelly Park
By 260 Miles of Blogging on April 6

We had a good turnout at our rally yesterday at Donnelly Park in Turlock. Rain was predicted all day but it ended up being mostly cloudy. At around 4 PM, when the marchers were getting ready to walk down to the park, it really started clearing up. By 5, the sun was shining brilliantly. The California School Employees Association (CSEA) organized the event and Hal Harvey and Lisa, the Chapter President, spoke.

The common theme throughout the rally was how the affordable California education we used to have has gone by the wayside.

Read More

Maggie Morales, Sunshine Inn
By 260 Miles of Blogging on April 6

We spent our 2 nights in Turlock at the Sunshine Inn in rooms provided by the CSEA. It was a small hotel, staffed by only a few people. When we first arrived, one member of the staff, Maggie Morales, seemed especially moved by our cause. She immediately brought cots, coffee and extra towels for those of us doubling up. She warmly hugged me and David Lyell after only a brief conversation: "I got chills when I heard what you guys were doing."

The next day she did the same thing.

Read More

A Turlock Easter
By 260 Miles of Blogging on April 4

Today was Easter Sunday and a very busy day. We started out with a big Easter Breakfast at Denny's and then started our walk from Livingston to Turlock. UFCW has been amazing to us, agreeing to provide lunches through the end of this week. They've been bringing lunches out to our route for 7 days now already. During the break, one of our core walkers, Irene Gonzalez, asked me to stay out of the back room of the Blogmobile. I noticed a couple of bags that weren't in there before but resisted the temptation to peek. We arrived in Turlock at around 3 PM. Irene then suspiciously took off again.

Read More