Retired Montgomery County couple leading voter registration effort in local communities
"We're nonpartisan so we don't care about parties, but what we do care about is confusion around the voting process."
The presidential election is less than two months away and in this week's Art of Aging, Tamala Edwards meets a recently retired Montgomery County couple leading an effort to get out the vote.
Thaddeus Sneed Taylor Sr. and his wife, Monique, say their faith and desire to serve is what bonded them as a couple. And now since retiring earlier this year, they've devoted more time to a nonprofit Taylor created in 2016 to bond communities.
It's called Celebration Christian Services of PA.
Taylor describes his nonprofit as, "a Christian, faith-based organization."
He also acknowledges it's a service group since it works with other organizations to support all kinds of community outreach programs.
One such effort Celebration Christian Services of PA supports are the free meals offered every Saturday at the Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in Norristown.
"Our goal is to make up the disparities in the low to moderate-income communities where a lot of services are underdeveloped," says Taylor.
For the upcoming election, the nonprofit is teaming up with HeadCount.org on a new campaign to offer information to the public on voting.
"We're nonpartisan so we don't care about parties, but what we do care about is confusion around the voting process," explains Taylor.
Williams-Taylor adds, "So there's a need to get the understanding about what's going on now and how to vote, where to vote."
They update people on polling location changes and provide voter registration forms in English and Spanish.
"We can check to see if your address is correct," says Taylor. "If you're even registered and that includes Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware."
The nonprofit provides stamps and envelopes as well so all potential voters need to do is fill out a form.
"If we all vote - whoever wins, wins, and that's a Democracy," says Taylor. "I want to say that at least I voted."
"It was our duty to get out there and help others," explains Williams-Taylor.
"There's so much work to be done," says Taylor. "I'm only hoping that it makes a difference."
Celebration Christian Services of PA is offering in-person voter registration assistance on Saturday, September 12 at the Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in Norristown, PA from 12:30-3 p.m.
There will also be in-person voter registration assistance available at the Columbia North YMCA every Thursday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. until October 15.
