With a Full Heart...

Friends ~

My opportunities to post here on the blog have been sporadic over the past several months, as I have been serving as the Colorado Grassroots Director for our campaign, a position which kept me incredibly busy...and a position and opportunity which was an incredible honor, and for which I am profoundly grateful. I am now leaving this position to focus on other campaign-related projects. Below is my statement on my departure as Grassroots Director...

~ Michelle

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For many years I have known and believed that Bill Richardson was the one person - the one candidate - who could truly restore hope and the American dream to our great nation. Having the honor and joy of being a part of this great and glorious campaign is an extraordinary blessing, journey, and adventure. And I am committed 100% to electing Bill Richardson the next President of the United States.

Last October, I had the great honor and privilege of founding and launching the Richardson for President movement here in Colorado. From day one, I have been inspired by the commitment, enthusiasm, and dedication of our wonderful supporters and volunteers. Your spirit and support have helped to launch one of the great and inspiring grassroots campaign movements in this country.

Founding Colorado for Richardson, and launching, organizing, shaping, and building this wonderful and inspiring grassroots movement has been one of the supreme and incredible honors of my life. And so it is with a heavy yet ever-hopeful heart that I now step down as the Colorado Grassroots Director. The outstanding event with Governor Richardson in Denver this past Monday was my last event as the director of our grassroots movement here in Colorado.

There are a number of reasons that led to my decision, but none of which I bore you all with. I have complete faith and confidence, though, that this is the right the decision. This is the right thing. And this is the right time.

This was a very difficult and very emotional decision for me. There come times and moments in your life when you have to walk the plank of change - and you know that you must - and that the time is right. Reaching the end of the plank, you have to jump. It's uncertain, but it's your future, and you know that it's the right thing and that it's what you must do. And you have to summon your courage and your strength to take that plunge into the future...and hopefully, always, with hope, optimism, and grace. I hope, with a full heart, that this is what I am now doing.

I'm extraordinarily proud and honored to have been involved in this campaign from the very beginning - since last summer. And I am certainly, by no means, leaving the campaign - but rather my role with the campaign is shifting and changing. My gift in life is writing and I look forward to hopefully being able to further use that gift to help Governor Richardson and our national campaign. As the Founder of Colorado for Richardson, I will certainly remain a strong and active member of the Colorado for Richardson organization and as a Colorado liaison for our grassroots campaign. I will also continue to run the Colorado for Richardson blog. It looks like I may also be doing some surrogate speaking for the campaign, so perhaps I will see some of you on the trail! I'm also looking forward to launching two national grassroots campaign efforts that I have long wanted to get out there to the public: a Young Americans for Richardson organization...as well as a humanitarian outreach effort which I hope will have a very positive and impactful effect - The Difference Makers - you can check out the preliminary parking page on www.TheDifferenceMakers.com

I'd like to take a brief moment now to thank some of the extraordinary and wonderful people - and friends - who have entered my life through this campaign, and whose work on this campaign is effecting tremendous and positive change and success:

My best friend, Cara Valente Compton of New Mexico - an immensely talented woman with an extraordinary spirit. An amazing blogger and online warrior and one of our campaign's crown jewels. Thank you for your friendship.

The remarkable Amanda Cooper, Governor Richardson's tireless Deputy Campaign Manager, who first introduced me to the Governor last year in Albuquerque.

Our awesome National Grassroots Director Jeff Gulko, whom I first met online last fall. What a huge responsibility you have, but an awesome job you're doing. And to Mara, Jeff's terrific right-hand goddess. You guys are great!

Also at Campaign HQ - Ben Chao, Dan Sena, Pahl Shipley, Charles Compton, and Joaquin Guerra. Joaquin - I still can't believe that you, Amanda, and I spent an hour and half jammed on that crowded elevator on election night...definitely something I don't think we'll ever forget. If that's not campaign bonding, I don't know what is! :)
Also to the terrific Josh McNeil our campaign's Nevada communications director - a great guy doing a great job. We're going to win Nevada!

Fellow State Grassroots Leaders - Ken Camp, Ken Bulko, Kristin Neville, Bentley Davis, and Marsha Kelly - we've been in this together from the beginning. You guys are outstanding and working with you has been an honor.

My incredible grassroots regional coordinators and leaders here in Colorado - Tim Kubik, Bridget Cassidy, Jonathan Marks, Karen McKinnon, and Hannah Angst - Working with you as we built this grassroots team and effort here in Colorado has been a supreme honor and privilege and I know I'm leaving this organization in brilliant and capable hands.

To my good friends with whom I had the honor and joy of working with as we founded the awesome site Richardson Brings Hope (www.RichardsonBringsHope.com) - Cara Valente Compton, Charles Compton, Jeff Gulko, Ken Bulko, and Marsha Kelly. Bill Richardson does bring hope to this campaign and to our country. I believe that our special site made an impactful difference and I thank you for including me. -- And Jeff & Ken, I still think we sound like a law firm: Gulko, Bulko, and Lindsey. :)

And finally - and most of all - to Governor Richardson. Thank you for your support, approval, and encouragement of my efforts here in Colorado. It is with your spirit of hope, inclusion, and optimism that I tried to build and shape our grassroots movement here. I've heard it said that "a campaign is its supporters" - and while in many ways that's very true, a campaign is also and most importantly its candidate - and you are the only candidate who can truly restore hope, optimism, and the American dream to our country. I'm here. I will continue to work on your behalf and on behalf of our campaign. I support Bill Richardson for President. And I Believe.

Thank you all. Working as the Colorado Grassroots Director has been an extraordinary honor and experience. With a full heart, I turn over the reigns of our Colorado grassroots organization to our awesome Denver Co-Coordinator Tim Kubik, who I know will be an outstanding Grassroots State Coordinator. I will still be here and will be supporting your efforts every step of the way, Tim.

I look forward to stepping now into the next phase of my journey with our campaign. I look forward to keeping in touch with all of you and to continuing working with you until the day we see Bill Richardson inaugurated as the next President of the United States.

We're going to win this thing - and we're going to change this country!

Richardson for America ~ I Believe!


-- Michelle Lindsey


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Michelle Lindsey
Colorado Grassroots Director
Bill Richardson for President

Michelle@RichardsonBringsHope.com