Raleigh Grassroots Groups Team Up to Fund and Advocate for Improved Transit in the Triangle
January 10, 2012
Raleigh and Wake County may be closer to improved public transit thanks to the Beehive Collective, a local giving circle, and citizen advocacy group, WakeUP Wake County. The Beehive selected WakeUP Wake County as the recipient of its 2011 grant for their proposal to expand and improve bus and rail transit systems by leading a public education campaign to support a ½ cent sales tax referendum to fund multi-modal public transit. The referendum, hoped to be included on the November 2012 ballot, will fund a doubling of bus service and commuter rail between Wake and Durham Counties, and will promote transit oriented development, affordable housing, and environmental sustainability. The Beehive funds are raised by its membership, mostly young women, who dedicate half of 1% of their annual incomes to a pool to support causes that make Raleigh a better place. Additional funds are raised through events and donations from individuals and companies.
For 2011, the Beehive’s giving theme was triple bottom line sustainability, meaning they were looking for projects that focused on benefiting people, the planet, and increasing prosperity in Raleigh. “There were so many worthy proposals submitted to us this year,” said Jennifer Woody, Co-chair of the Beehive Board of Directors, “but with a chance to have such a significant positive impact on the entire community, WakeUP’s work to improve transit systems in Raleigh is really exciting. This project really fit our theme because it could mean less need for car travel, which is good for the environment as well as people’s health, safety, and pocketbook.”
For WakeUP Wake County, a grassroots organization, the $20,000 grant is significant. Executive Director Karen Rindge is excited to have more capacity to do important work. “The Beehive funds are truly going to make a difference. Moving forward with expanding public transit and improving local land use to support guiding growth along transit corridors is very important for the growth of Raleigh. We are in a unique metro region, given our projected growth, and we must act to ensure we are sustaining the people, prosperity, and the planet.” In the coming year, WakeUP will work to educate key constituencies and decision makers about the transit plan and the referendum. Rindge stated, “2012 will be critical, and we’ll need the Wake County Commissioners to act to move forward on the transit funding referendum.” WakeUP sees partnerships as critical to the success of this campaign and already leads the Capital Area Friends of Transit, a coalition of over 40 organizations. Between the two groups, there is a broad network of advocates working on this issue.
Forty additional advocates, the membership of the Beehive, will be rooting for the referendum. “The Beehive wants each of its grantees to be successful, and our members have voted with their dollars to fund transit in our community,” said Elizabeth Alley, a Beehive board member. She went on to say, “It’s so exciting for our small individual contributions to add up to an amount that could possibly make such a big difference for Raleigh!”
To find out more about the Beehive Collective or WakeUP Wake County, please visit their websites: www.thebeehivecollective.org and www.wakeupwakecounty.org.