Wilmington, Del. — Over the past week, Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester continued her “Delivering for Delaware” statewide tour, spotlighting the issues shaping Delaware’s future. Engagements at Delaware State University’s Fall Orientation and the Easterseals 14th Annual Caregiver Conference, underscored her commitment to youth engagement, voting rights, addressing the future of work in the First State, and advocating for caregivers.
On Tuesday, she addressed students, faculty, and university staff at Delaware State University’s Fall Orientation. She asked the incoming students of Delaware’s sole historically Black university two questions:
“Ask yourself two things. One, what is important to you is college affordability important to you? Is clean air and clean drinking water important to you? Is criminal justice reform important to you? Is a safe planet important to you? Is gun violence prevention important to you? Is bills like my bill Clean Slate important to you? What is important to you: use that as your strength and your momentum to get to the polls,” said Congresswoman Blunt Rochester. “The second question is, why are you here? Why are you on this planet? For me, I started as an intern in our current senator’s office when he was in Congress, back in 1988[…]. I got that internship just going to a town hall meeting. I had my two year old son on my hip. I was pregnant at the time. I was a grad student, and I went to the congressman and said, How can I help? What can I do?”
[Congresswoman Blunt Rochester addresses DSU’s Fall Orientation]
On Wednesday morning, Easterseals President and CEO Ken Sklenar welcomed Congresswoman Blunt Rochester to deliver opening remarks at the 14th Annual Caregiver Conference. This year’s theme was “You’re a Caregiver — Give Yourself a Hand.”
“When we say, ‘give yourself a hand’ we also mean: give yourself some heart. I’m grateful to do this work. I’m grateful to fight [for you in Congress]. I’m grateful for the people around the room who help serve us and allow us to live. And [allow] our family members, whether it is with a disability or whether it is because they are aging, to live. To live with grace and dignity,” said Blunt Rochester. “We got this. We got this because we got each other. So right now, as I leave this stage, I might have tears in my eyes, but I’ve got hope in my heart.”
[Congresswoman Blunt Rochester speaks to attendees at the Easterseals 14th Annual Caregiver Conference]
The Congresswoman served as the Deputy Secretary of Delaware’s Department of Health and Human Services and told her family’s deeply personal story of caring for her father at the end of his life.
Both events come as the Congresswoman continues to travel the First State on her “Delivering for Delaware” tour. The tour has logged stops in each of Delaware’s counties will continue through Election Day. It will focus on connecting with Delawareans about the issues that matter to them, showcasing her accomplishments in Congress, and outlining what she hopes to achieve for Delawareans as their Senator.