When she was on her honeymoon in Paris, Melissa English made a pit stop for work, with her new husband's approval, of course.
She had barely officially joined the staff of
Ohio Citizen Action as the Southern Ohio campaign director, though she'd been involved with the advocacy non-profit for more than a decade. The OCA's ongoing Good Neighbor Campaign, an effort to work with business to improve the quality of life of the people in its community, was focused on a manganese refinery in Marietta, Ohio, Eramet. Eramet's international home base just happened to be in Paris.
English, 42, laughs when she remembers the May 2007 day when she delivered documentation to Eramet. It only took about an hour out of the honeymoon, she says, and the resulting picture her husband took of her standing in front of Eramet's HQ serves as a reminder of how much her work and life goals align.
"I have an orientation for service that will never change," says English, who also sings in
Magnolia Mountain, a roots music band working on its third album.
Whether she's crooning original songs at the front of Magnolia Mountain at the CEAs, decrying the practice of mountaintop removal coal mining or presenting to community groups, the tall, dark-haired English brings her quick wit along. "I discovered my ham gene very early," she says.
At OCA, she works with three other full-time staff members and a shifting number of canvasers that cover counties in Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky. They are the well-informed advocates who travel door-to-door, explaining specific campaign issues and asking for support in the form of funds or letters written to business and government leaders. "It's a very collaborative environment," she says. "We get feedback at the door every day."
OCA's campaign in Marietta has led to new relationships between the community and the nearby plant. So far, the company has kept to agreements to make improvements to its facility that improve air quality and limit the release of nauseating fumes. "When you can see that the work you have done is making it easier for people to breathe, it's a real thing," she says.
A stickler for evidence and accuracy, English is hard at work educating canvasers and the community about OCA's new campaign to promote recycling over an expansion of the
Rumpke Landfill.
Do Good:
• Get some music. Order your copy of the compilation CD, Music for the Mountains, featuring work by Magnolia Mountain, The Tillers, Rabbit Hash String Band and many others.
• Join the Action. Contribute to Ohio Citizen Action online.
• Like Ohio Citizen Action. Keep up with the latest OCA news via Facebook.
By Elissa Yancey
Photo courtesy Ohio Citizen Action
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