PresidentDamien Gilbert(Lawrence) National Committeepersons
1st Vice President Justin Kim(Lawrence) Bridget Smith(Lawrence)
2nd Vice President Nathan Bales(Winfield) Abby Staley-Herman(Hays)
TreasurerNoah Kucza(Lawrence) State Committeepersons
Secretary Andrew Walker(Manhattan) Ben Cohen (Topeka)
Grace Lancaster (Topeka)
Empowering Youth ●FightingHard ●Forging Progress
Spring 2017 YDA National Meeting Bid
Materials Section
PART 1
Namesandcontactinformationforallmembersofthehostcommittee (individualsand/orthe
responsibleofficerforcosponsoringorganizations).
Damien Gilbert (President – Kansas Young Democrats)
Phone: 316-347-3886
Email:
Address: 2511 W. 31st St, #731, Lawrence, KS 66047
Kerry Gooch (Executive Director – Kansas Democratic Party)
Phone: 785-234-0425
Address: 501 SE Jefferson St, Suite 30, Topeka, KS 66607
PART 2
ScreenshotsfromareputabletravelwebsiteshowingairfarefromanyFriday through Sunday
inAugustand/orDecember2016betweentheproposedvenuecityand the following major
metropolitan areas: Atlanta,Boston,Chicago,Dallas,Denver, Detroit, LosAngeles, Miami, Minneapolis,NewYork,Phoenix,Seattle,St.Louis,San Francisco, and Washington,D.C.
The following screenshots are taken from skyscanner.com, a website that aggregates round-trip deals from all the major airlines and presents them from least expensive to most expensive. The dates are set from Friday, December 2 to Sunday, December 4. The screenshot prices represent the cheapest deals available. The screenshots are of each city listed in the same alphabetical order in the Part 2 description.Apologies for the formatting of this section, but it is frustratingly difficult to arrange these images in a readable, easily digestible fashion in a Word document.
PART 3
EntertainmentavailableDescriptionofavailablelocalactivities,tourist attractions, shopping, dining,nightlife,etc.
For a complete listing of Lawrence’s enterainment options, I will be attaching a .pdf form of Lawrence’s official tourism guide to my email. As a short summary of all Lawrence has to offer, the following is an excerpt from the website of Lawrence’s tourism department, unmistakeablylawrence.com:
“Today Lawrence hosts a vibrant art scene and is known for its live music venues. Our pedestrian-friendly main street, Massachusetts Street, is named for the home state of the founders, but known to the locals as Mass Street. It’s been called ‘the best destination in Kansas.’ There you will find unique shops and art galleries, locally owned restaurants, breweries, coffee houses and, of course, music. There are also plenty of outdoor activities in this bicycle-friendly town. We have more than 50 public parks and trails, with South Park’s gazebo as the summer setting for free public concerts. The universities offer additional sites of interest for academics, sports fans, historians and visitors.
Key attractions include:
University of Kansas
Spencer Art Museum, Natural History Museum, Dole Institute of Politics, Booth Family Hall of Athletics and KU sporting events
Historic Downtown Lawrence
Massachusetts Street is the focal point of uniquely-Lawrence dining, shopping, entertainment and a fiery pre-Civil War history
Arts, Culture, History
Lawrence Arts Center, Lied Center for Performing Arts, Final Fridays Gallery Walks, Lawrence Downtown and Warehouse Arts Districts, Theatre Lawrence, Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area, Watkins Museum of History
Haskell University
Cultural Center, Commencement and Powwow
Outdoor Recreation
Sports Pavilion Lawrence, Clinton Lake, Prairie Park Nature Center, Burroughs Creek Trail, more than 50 public parks with hiking and biking trails”
PART 4
Lettersofsupportfromtwo(2)local/stateelectedofficials,DNCmembers, candidates,
party officials,laborleaders,etc.
I will be attaching in my email two letters of support from Kerry Gooch, the Executive Director of the Kansas Democratic Party, and Marci Francisco, a Democratic State Senator whose district includes KU’s campus and downtown Lawrence.
PART 5
Financialsaproposedfundraising plan including a commitment of how much the local/state chapter is willing to raise for the meeting and an idea of possible funding sources, such as local and state electeds, the state party, labor, etc.
While Democratic organizations in Kansas (including KYD and the KDP) are not as well-funded as those in more populous or bluer states, we are willing to commit a more significant proportion of our limited resources to this project to demonstrate to YDA how important it is to us. Furthermore, we are highly likely to receive support from the City of Lawrence itself in an effort to persuade YDA to bring its Spring 2017 meeting (and therefore its members’ tax dollars) here. Given all of these resources, it is not unreasonable to expect a budget of $18,000.
- Committed Donations
- Kansas Democratic Party
- At least $1,500
- Logistical support
- Speakers
- Kansas Young Democrats
- Unspecified amount
- Our remaining budget for this election cycle will be depleted by November 8 in our effort to elect Kansas Democrats. We will absolutely commit to raising as much as we can for this national meeting, though there is no way to tell how much we will be able to raise immediately following a long election cycle. We will reach out to every possible donor listed in Section III of this fundraising plan, many of whom are more likely than our usual source of average donors to give money following an election.
- Likely Donations
- City of Lawrence
- Up to $15,000
- KYD is currently in the process of applying for a $15,000 grant under the City of Lawrence’s Transient Guest Tax Grant Program. The aim of the program is to provide an initial investment in order to persuade organizations to host events that will fill rooms in Lawrence hotels, preferably during non-peak seasons. This YDA meeting is literally the ideal event sought after by this program, as it is guaranteed to bring in many overnight guests for multiple nights during a non-peak travel season.We may well receive the full $15,000 grant we requested, and we will find out for sure on December 2.
- Douglas County Democratic Party
- Unspecified amount
- The county party will be able to use this event as a valuable organizing opportunity and is likely to provide some financial assistance.
- Possible Donations
- Elected officials
- State Senators
- Currently 8, likely to be several more after November 8 election
- State Representatives
- Currently 28, likely to be several more after November 8 election
- Mayors
- Mayors of of Kansas City, Topeka, and Lawrence are Democrats
- Former elected officials
- Former governors
- Kathleen Sebelius and John Carlin are possible donors and/or speakers
- Former Congresspeople
- Dennis Moore, Nancy Boyda, Jim Slattery, and Dan Glickman are all possible donors and/or speakers
- Labor organizations
- Labor organizations are some of the most loyal and important supporters of Democratic politics in Kansas and may be able to help financially
- Average donors
- These are most of the people we reach out to in our usual required call time. They are people who have given to a local or statewide candidate at some point in time and are likely to support our organization and its mission
Paid for by the Kansas Young Democrats. Printed in-house with volunteer labor.