Making an Impact Through RISE

 

Lexie and Abby were shaken by what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. in 2012 and wanted to do what they could to prevent future tragedies. With the help of RISE Program Director Kate Wade and Assistant Director of Advancement Heather Jack, the idea to write letters to state legislators was born.

 

“We knew we were passionate about this cause, but really didn’t have an idea of how to help,” Lexie said. “So we met with Ms. Jack and she suggested we meet with Representative David Linsky. From there it really took off.”

 

Rep. Linsky represents the Fifth Middlesex District, which consists of Natick, Sherborn, and Millis, in the House of Representatives, and had been working with the House to pass a bill that would make sweeping changes to gun regulation laws in Massachusetts. The pair of then-sophomores went with Jack and Wade to the State House in Boston to meet with Linsky and figure out what they could do to help.

 

“I told them that the House would shortly be debating a bill that would give Massachusetts some of the most effective gun violence prevention laws in the country and that House members needed to hear from their constituents that they supported this bill,” Rep. Linsky said. “Abby and Lexie organized a letter drive at Rivers so that people could let their Representative know that they supported the passage of the gun bill.”

 

For one week last spring, Lexie and Abby set up a table in front of the campus center media wall at lunch and encouraged students, faculty, and staff to sign these letters. In the end, 80 letters with hundreds of signatures were sent to members of the House of Representatives and, on July 9, the bill passed by a 112-38 majority.

 

The bill is the first of its kind in the United States and the sweeping changes it will make intend to serve as a model to other states. Due to the divisive nature of the gun control issue, Lexie and Abby worked to understand the bill and its goals in order to explain to other members of the community why they should sign the letters.

 

“We had to do some recruiting to get people to come over to the tables and sign, but once we explained what the letters were for and what the bill would do they were usually willing to sign,” Abby said. “Once the bill passed, it was cool to know that we made a difference.”

 

Encouraging students to make a difference is exactly what the RISE programs aims to do. By taking the sort of positive action that Lexie and Abby did with this bill, Rivers students have the opportunity to make an impact on their communities that will be felt for years to come.