RiseNWI is a nonprofit organization that is centered in Merrillville, Indiana. The organization's goal is to encourage people to vote and to educate voters. The organization is nonpartisan and serves mainly Lake County but welcomes people from outside Lake County to be involved as well. RiseNWI was founded in 2017 by Sarah Ferraro and Ryan Strode.
“RiseNWI began in early 2017 as a series of workshops called Civic Engagement Boot Camp,” Ferraro said. “We wanted to be able to provide answers to people’s questions about how to get involved in the civic process. This series ended up training over 150 people from Northwest Indiana on all things civic engagement, such as how government roles and elected offices work, ballot information, and precinct information. Civic Engagement Boot Camp also provided training on how to register voters and run for local office. Sensing a need for such a program in Northwest Indiana, the Knight Foundation and the Legacy Foundation awarded us a significant grant to continue our work, and we officially became RiseNWI later that year.”
“After our first successful series of workshops, we developed a program called MyNWI, which focuses on promoting civic engagement in communities that have historically had low voter turnout,” she continued. “In 2018, we partnered with the League of Women Voters of the Calumet Area to start Vote411, which is a website dedicated to informing voters about the candidates running for office in Lake County by having them fill out detailed surveys about themselves and their plans once elected. That year, we directly engaged with over 8,000 people through Vote411 and are so proud to have provided that many people with information about their local candidates. Since then, we have been working on COVID-19 vaccine outreach and education in Lake County. We study and report vaccination rates by zip code and focus our efforts on the communities with the lowest rates.”
“Since the pandemic, RiseNWI has been busy using data to identify under-vaccinated communities and work to bring those numbers up to where they should be,” Ferraro said. “As we begin to slowly reopen, we are looking for ways to engage with people directly. In fact, a group of committed volunteers and I recently went door to door in East Chicago in order to spread awareness about the vaccine. It was a great experience and we look forward to continuing to do so in other communities, as well.”
Ferraro has done more than just founding RiseNWI: she has been working on campaigns as well.
“I have been fortunate to work on a number of campaigns over the years. I started off as a public school teacher in Crown Point, where I worked for over 10 years,” she said. “As I learned more about education policies here in Indiana, I decided to become more involved in the legislative process. That led me to volunteer for the campaign of then-State Representative Shelli VanDenburgh in 2010. In that campaign, I learned the basics of canvassing and voter outreach. Four years later, I held the position of campaign manager for Rep. VanDenburgh’s re-election campaign. The following year, in 2015, I managed my second campaign, this time in the City of Portage for Brendan Clancy’s mayoral race.”
“In 2016, I had the opportunity to work on a statewide race, serving as statewide field director for the coordinated campaign of Glenda Ritz for State Superintendent of Education and John Gregg for Governor of Indiana,” Ferraro continued. “There, I developed many important connections to constituency groups across the state. In 2017, I worked on a handful of local races in Racine, Wisconsin, my hometown and was successful in electing two women to the Racine City Council. The following year, I returned to Indiana to work on my second statewide campaign, serving as political director for Jim Harper’s 2018 race for Secretary of State. In that role, I traveled around the state doing political outreach and discussing the need for election integrity. The year 2019 brought me back to Portage, where I served as campaign manager for Sue Lynch’s successful mayoral race, making her only the second woman ever elected Portage mayor and the only female mayor currently in office in Northwest Indiana. During the 2020 election cycle, in the middle of a global pandemic, I served as campaign coordinator for Matt Soliday for Porter Superior Court Judge.”
“Each campaign I have worked on has taught me more and more about the election process and improves my skills for the next race. It has been an honor to work with the variety of candidates that I have worked with over the years,” Ferraro said.
“I believe that I have been a resource for information on elections, running for office and voter and citizen engagement in Lake County and around the Region. Bringing my knowledge and experience to people and helping them to become more engaged and stronger in their own civic strength has become a passion and way I’ve helped the community as whole,” she said. “I am always looking for new opportunities to bring more voices to the table on a variety of issues and areas. Giving of my time and energy to building civic strength through my work in various civic-minded organizations has made me a go-to person in these areas. It is important to me that this work continues to grow; our Region needs an infusion of civic energy in order to continue to thrive!”
“RiseNWI is excited about getting back out in the community this summer,” Ferraro said. “RiseNWI will be at parades handing out information and engaging with people, tabling at festivals, hosting events, and much more. We will be at the Fourth of July parades in Lake County to talk to people about getting their COVID-19 vaccine. RiseNWI is also doing canvassing door to door in East Chicago to get the word out about vaccines, voting and being a voice in your community. RiseNWI is also seeking people to share our posts on social media, which is a great way to spread the word and take action from home.”
“RiseNWI has enjoyed accomplishments within communities in Lake County and with people across our Region. One of the biggest accomplishments has been the people we have engaged, our social media reach, and the unique opportunities for volunteers RiseNWI offers that are customizable to community and volunteer needs,” Ferraro said. “RiseNWI has been an instrumental partner in the work to bring Vote411.org to Lake County, with the League of Women Voters of the Calumet Area, reaching thousands across multiple platforms and engaging candidates from U.S. Congress to school board in meaningful responses and debates, providing a tool for citizens to make thoughtful decisions at the ballot box. Being able to involve college and high school interns in the work has also been an accomplishment, then seeing these young leaders expand upon their skills sparked with RiseNWI encouragement!”
“In the work you do, there are always things that could have gone better. It is hard to predict how people will react to new ways to engage and new opportunities to learn about their government in action,” Ferraro said. “RiseNWI sets big goals which makes achieving them tough, for example in 2018 we had a big goal to improve Lake County’s ranking in voter turnout. That is tough to do being a new, at the time, and a very small staff, volunteer-run program. But RiseNWI is optimistic in looking to support from partner organizations on critical work that supports civic engagement in the Region.”
If you’d like to join RiseNWI, volunteer, share an idea, or donate, check out their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages: @RiseNWI or reach out by emailing contact@RiseNWI.org.