Building Relationships

We just returned home from an amazing event in Tomahawk, WI. ABATE of WI has been trying to grow the region up there for a while now. Greg and company decided to do a Chili Cook-off to gain more public awareness of ABATE. The support from throughout our state was amazing! There were members from all over the state, some driving as far as 4 hours to get there. Steve Panten, John Reblin and I talked about the current legislative events and how to Ride Your Own Ride and ride safely. Every single person in the bar was paying attention and listening closely. Between 50/50, raffles, and product sales during the event we raised over $700. Not bad for a 2-hour event! After the event, a group of us hit the town to continue to spread the word and support the local businesses who have been hurting from a weak snowmobiling season. Throughout the day, we signed up at least 5 ABATE members and 1 MRF member, and definitely educated quite a few more people. I was truly inspired by our members.

At one point, I could hear 4 different conversations going on at the same time. All were our members talking to people we didn’t know. They were explaining to the general public what ABATE was all about and how the current issues, like not having fuel with an ethanol content of E-10 or less available, affect their livelihoods in so many ways. The bartender was listening to us, and he knew how much business was brought in by the ATVs, SXSs, snowmobiles, and motorcycles and he joined us because he realized that without all that tourist income, he’d probably be out of a job.

How does this relate to the MRF? It’s all about building relationships. I’m convinced that we were successful in establishing some relationships that will prove to grow in the future and we certainly educated a number of people about the challenges we face and how it relates to them. We made it personal, and we made a connection. That is something that every member has the capacity to do.

We build relationships with the everyday public and gain their support. And we build relationships with our legislators, at all levels, in order to be successful in stopping bills that will affect us negatively and promoting bills that will help us ride free. More importantly, we educate everyone. And hopefully that education will lead to us not needing more bills written as our legislators will understand our wants and needs and will make decisions accordingly.

We continue to grow those relationships by being accessible and regularly communicating with everyone. On the government level, we do that by meeting in-person with our legislators as often as possible. And on the federal level, MRF members will be heading to Washington D.C. May 20-21st to educate our legislators and ask for their support on our legislative agenda. Everyone is welcome to join us.

There’s nothing more effective than speaking to our legislators in person. If you can’t be there in person, you can still support those that will be, by joining the MRF or renewing your membership. Every bit helps.

Stay tuned for reports from those that went to D.C.!

As always, stay vigilant, my friends,

Jen

ABATE of WI

Board of Directors

MRF State Rep