Over 13 million e-mail addresses are part of a listserve that could change America - or at least, that's what President Barack Obama hopes.
Obama announced on Jan. 17 that his grassroots campaign network will be transformed into Organizing for America, offering volunteers the opportunity to improve their communities and support policy in Washington.
Since then, little further information has been released about what exactly the organization will do, although community involvement and campaigns for policy support were mentioned.
The lack of specifics has not deterred Penn's own grassroots campaign group, the Penn Democrats, from initiating the transition from political campaigning to community outreach.
Penn Dems President and College sophomore Jordan Levine, a former Daily Pennsylvanian advertising representative, said Organizing for America is a way for Obama to show that it is not only the government that can change communities.
He said he believes Organizing for America embodies the "essence of Obama."
In the announcement, Obama acknowledged the importance of grassroots organization in getting him elected, asking those who "fought for change during the campaign to fight for change in your communities."
He added that "ordinary citizens will continue to drive our organization," a hint that Organizing for America will have political influence in Washington as well as improving communities locally.
Penn Dems has been thinking about doing something similar since before the inauguration, but Obama's message galvanized them into action, Levine said.
The group has appointed a community outreach officer, College sophomore Nate Miller.
Miller said he hopes the focus of the group's effort will emerge over the next week and that they want a presence on campus while exercising "a passion for helping the West Philly community."
He added that Penn students have the responsibility and talent to work for people "who need a voice."
Levine said Obama is re-energizing programs that have been running for some time, like with the enthusiasm of volunteers from his campaign network.
He mentioned that there have always been community outreach groups at Penn and that Penn Dems hope to add to them.
He added that the benefit of Organizing for America is the impression that what people do for their local community will be good for everyone in America.
"The whole is greater than the sum of parts," he said.
But what should be done for each community in America depends on the problems that particular community faces.
"West Philly is different from rural Montana," Levine explained, "but all communities could be improved by civic engagement."
He said education about civic engagement and leadership is one of his priorities for the group's programs.
People need leaders to motivate them to improve schools and reduce crime, he said.
Levine added that Organizing for America will help Obama develop and promote his policies. He sees the role of groups like Penn Dems as promoting Obama's policies and making sure they have support in their communities.
"We elected him, but this is only the beginning," he said, adding that "no one in the Dems thinks that the job is done."
Levine went on to talk about the special responsibility that Penn students have as the fortunate recipients of a world-class education.
"Penn has great facilities and yet a few blocks from here students are studying with much less," he said.
With local library branches being threatened with closure in light of the Philadelphia budget cuts, civic engagement focusing on education is all the more pressing, he said.
"But it is not just the facilities at Penn, it's the education," he added. "So many people can walk down Locust Walk and look in the windows but never open the door to a Penn education."
More information about Organizing for America will be released in the next few days, according to Obama's Web site.
