Thank You Laurie

So much for my moratorium on political postings. When I was up at Dean HQ for the first time ever in early December, at the invitation of Britt Blaser and at the urging of several bloggers I know who were so keen on Dean and I met a lovely woman named Laurie who told me why she was a Dean supporter. Her story was so powerful and raw, later that night I told Britt about it and about many of the other stories I had heard there that were so strong that I finally was beginning to understand how this one person, Howard Dean, had become so important to so many people. They were not internet smarties or radical nuts, they were very ordinary, nice people.

I told Britt as much as I wished I could write about Laurie's story, I wouldn't blog it because it was so personal. It made me know back in December that Dean supporters were not CASUAL about their support of Dean. They would do anything for this guy. They would go the distance. They would hang on and on and on.

Tonight Britt just let me know that Laurie decided to go public with iher story and it's on the BlogForAmerican site. I'm so glad she did. Here it is:

Guest Blogger: Laurie Hammond

In Vermont, Dean showed his commitment to women, families, and small businesses by pushing through legislation and programs that delivered real results. Here, Laurie from Colchester Vermont shares her story.

I should probably start by just saying who I am.

My name is Laurie Hammond. I own a small business in Colchester, VT. It’s a retail store selling figure skating and dance wear.

Last Thursday I traveled to New Hampshire to attend Howard Dean rallies in Lebanon and Claremont. I was especially moved when he spoke about the woman with bone cancer he met eight years ago in Brandon, VT. He helped enable the surgery she needed to survive her disease.

I, too, met Howard Dean eight years ago in Brandon. We were at the Fourth of July parade. What he didn’t know was I was a victim of domestic abuse. In 1996, when I finally found the courage to change the lives of myself and my three daughters, I did not expect what happened next.

At a time when my self-esteem was at an all-time low, and I was numb to emotion, I was enveloped by Vermont agencies that joined to form a step-ladder I could climb.

The first step on the ladder was the Vermont state police. Under the Dean administration, the Vermont state police had been carefully trained in the area of domestic abuse.

The state police had been trained to take you seriously, to educate you. They give you information on what the possibilities are to get away from the situation.

Then, after I followed through and pressed charges, I got a letter in the mail that I totally didn’t expect. The Vermont Center for Crime Victim Services -- an agency I had no idea even existed -- not only apologized to me because I had been abused in the state of Vermont, but gave my three daughters and me a ten thousand dollar grant for counseling.

It not only what we needed most -- counseling on how to climb ourselves out of an abusive situation -- and we’re still using that grant today.

A few months later, I turned to the Vermont Department of Social Welfare for assistance. They put me into the Reach Up Program, a career-oriented agency. I said I wanted to start my own business.

My Reach Up counselor suggested the micro business entrepreneurial training program, which I believe is federally and state funded. (George Bush is trying to cut funds to this program.) It cost six or seven hundred dollars that I didn't have, but the Vermont Department of Employment and Training gave me a full grant to take the course. You’re forced to research your market, your demographic, everything you need to know to really form a stable business plan with financial projections, everything you need to start and maintain a successful business. And that’s what I ended up doing.

I had to start over with nothing -- I had this aging Buick Park Avenue, and that’s all I had for collateral. I was turned to Vermont Job Start, which became a program in 1993 as mandated in Governor Howard Dean's Economic Progress Act.

Where I am today: I’m running a successful retail and manufacturing business. I have two full-time employees beside myself who are making a livable wage. I also have two part-time people working for me. I am contributing to supporting my family -- I have a husband who has a job as well. I’m on the Vermont Job Start board. I am an active Victim’s Advocate. I’ve lobbied in Washington, DC for trying to help funding for all these programs that I benefited from. I also volunteer in the Burlington office for the Dean for America campaign, and I'll do anything I can to see him elected!

-- Laurie Hammond