Hey Bus fam! It’s Mehar, the Bus’s newly hired Development Organizer. I had the lovely opportunity to have a conversation with Tim Lennon, our c3 Board President. Tim has been a dynamic organizer in the Bus community since the organization’s beginning in 2008. He will sadly be stepping down from his role in the coming weeks, so I wanted to highlight his experiences at the Bus as well as give a HUGE thank you for all of his work. We are so grateful for the time, energy, and passion that Tim has put into this organization; his efforts to build youth power have been instrumental to our success over the years. Scroll down to read more about Tim’s time here at the Bus!
Mehar Singh: What originally brought you to the Bus? And how have you evolved alongside us?
Tim Lennon: I first worked with the Bus in 2008 when I worked for a partnering grassroots organizing org putting together lobby days to advocate for change in Olympia. I fell in love with the energy and smarts of the youth then, and I’ve been continuously bowled over by the power of youth advocacy and engagement to make change ever since. I’ve been a volunteer, a donor, led organizational partnerships, and for the last 5 ½ years I’ve been a member of the c3 Board.
Mehar Singh: In your personal opinion, why is it important to contribute to organizations like the Washington Bus?
Tim Lennon: The Bus puts youth in the driver’s seat. Whether it’s through leadership development programs like the Fellowship or internships, through high school and college organizing and voter education efforts, or other programs, the Bus asks youth what changes they want to see and gives them the tools to effectively advocate to make that happen. Donating time or treasure to the Bus is investing in the next generation of local leadership. And the return is almost instant: a better educated youth electorate that votes at higher rates than their peers elsewhere and, critically, knows that the vote is just the beginning of making lasting progressive change. Some of the youth we serve go on to lead their own successful organizing efforts, work for electeds, and even run for office themselves! All of the youth who get on the Bus become more active and engaged members of our community and power progressive change in their hometowns, counties, the state house and beyond.
Mehar Singh: Tell me about one of your favorite memories with the Bus!
Tim Lennon: There are too many great times to recount!! I loved working with the Fellows to encourage voter registration at music festivals and other events. Working on Candidate Survivor events over the years was wild, too. More behind-the-scenes I’m really proud of the work we’ve done on the Board to support the unionization of the staff, and to shift our leadership structure to a Co-ED model that has added stability, diversity, and some amazing talent to the org and really strengthened us in all kinds of ways.
Thank you, Tim, for all of your incredible work! We wish you the best in your future endeavors.
