Get to Know Ro: Public Service Through Volunteerism

Press Release

Today's blog is the seventh in a series of entries to help you get to know Ro -- what makes him tick, why he cares so deeply about public service, policy, and politics, his background and family, and why he will be the most effective and caring Congressman our District has ever seen.

In a profile, the San Francisco Chronicle's Carla Marinucci writes, "Khanna says his views about politics were shaped by his maternal grandfather, Amarnath Vidyalankar, a prominent journalist, scholar, author and social worker with whom he spent summers as a child in India.

"We'd play chess and talk about the Vedas and Upanishads,' the Hindu scriptures, as well as books and life experiences, Khanna said. And the grandfather talked of his years of imprisonment for the cause of Indian independence from the British empire, stories that made a deep impression on the boy."

We've written before how Ro's grandfather influenced his desire and decision to pursue public service. Today, we delve further into how it has spurred his volunteerism, and involvement in the local community.

Ro has lived in Fremont's Warm Springs District for a number of years. Immediately after moving to the area, he met Cheryl Cook-Kallio, a teacher at Irvington High School in Fremont, and began volunteering as a mentor to her students. She advises We the People, a civics competition for high school students that simulates Congressional hearings; Ro has volunteered as a guest judge and coach.

"Ro always challenges students, but he also helps them to see both sides of any given issue," Cheryl says. "That is one of the principles he emphasizes -- good government is what's best for the people based on evidence and a thorough understanding of how complex each issue can be."

In his work as an attorney, Ro has likewise been committed to doing what he can to help people who need it the most. After Hurricane Katrina, Ro traveled to New Orleans with other members of his law firm to staff free legal clinics to address contractor fraud cases. Afterward, Ro received a letter from the Katrina Recovery Office commending him for his service.

"Ms. Prater, 64, experienced heavy damage to her Long Beach Mississippi residence and found herself out over $100,000 for defective work performed by the contractor. Your work has ensured that Ms. Prater will have the best chance of recouping her losses that can be secured from the talent and resources of a premiere national law firm… We also deeply appreciate your sound advice and counsel as the Mississippi Center for Justice challenged Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour's decision to divert $600 million in disaster housing money to the expansion of a state-owned port in Gulfport… For these and many other generous efforts on your part, the Mississippi Center for Justice remains deeply grateful. We wish you the best of luck in your current and future endeavors."

As a candidate in the 17th Congressional District, Ro has also emphasized volunteerism and the difference we can make as citizens in a community. His campaign has a fellowship and volunteer program with several hundred active participants. Sign up to do your part at www.rokhanna.com/volunteer.

Source