Brandeis community members of all ages have been making a difference in the upcoming election. Brandeis Osher Lifelong Learning Institute is a community for individuals over the age of 50 who would like to continue their learning and community involvement surrounded by like-minded people. This program offers many different types of educational opportunities such as a “lunch-and-learn” speaker series during the fall and spring semesters. The summer and winter semesters consist of lectures and seminars offered by members of the Brandeis faculty. 

In addition to the main programming, any member of BOLLI can create a special interest group that centers around a shared interest with the community and is open to all members. The Make a Difference Special Interest Group “transforms political knowledge and passion into meaningful action.” Make a Difference works to improve the treatment of immigrant families, both in Massachusetts and at the Mexican border, and influence local, state and national policies.” The group currently has over 100 members, with a consistent core that attend most meetings. Much of their organized programming consists of action items such as phone banking and postcard writing. 

Rosalie Fink was a founding member of the Make a Difference group in 2017, a response to the election of former president Donald Trump. In an interview with The Justice on Oct. 25, she shared that the group was founded approximately a week following the 2017 Women’s March that took place in Washington D.C. 

Since May of 2024, this group has been working in anticipation of the Nov. 5 presidential election, doing all that they can to set the world up for what they believe to be the best future possible. Their main project has been writing postcards and letters to individuals in swing states who are sporadic voters, not voting in every election. Their letters do not share information about any political candidate, party or policy, but encourage all who are able to go to the polls on election day, vote early or vote by mail. According to Fink, “[their] decision to focus on [sporadic voters] is based on research that receiving a handwritten postcard or letter increases voter turnout 3.9%.” “In these large elections,” she added, “that makes the difference between who wins and who loses.”

Members are very involved with the Make a Difference efforts, glad to have resumed in-person meetings this May following years of Zoom programming due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Even if they are unable to make specific meeting times, members connect with Fink and will ask her to send blank postcards to them or come to her home and pick some up. In addition to writing during meetings, members are welcome to write at home and often include other members of their personal communities. These efforts have allowed the Make a Difference organization to expand beyond just BOLLI members, as friends and family have started getting involved.

Their monthly in-person meetings consist of a mix of working on projects such as election postcards and listening to one another speak, inspiring and connecting with each other. Fink explained that these meetings typically involve answering various questions and sharing homemade snacks while working. 

She told The Justice, “One of our members is a very good baker. She always bakes things like delicious strudel and homemade brownies … we’re dealing with very serious issues, and basically we try to encourage each other.” The group provides a community for those looking to be involved in activism. “We motivate each other. At least, I find that the group motivates me,” Fink said.

In addition to this current election, Make a Difference has played a role in a large number of action projects. Fink told The Justice, “We supported Joe Biden’s election in 2020, and we are also very proud that we supported the election of the very first Jewish American Senator … and the very first African American senator from Georgia.” The group has also worked with climate change action, and has supported immigrant families in Massachusetts as they worked against the family separation policy, otherwise known as “zero tolerance,” during the Trump administration.

Voter registration has been a priority for Make a Difference. Fink and group co-leader Steve Ostrow hosted a fundraiser with the Civic Center, raising $85,000 to support the registration of four million high school students who live in swing states across the United States.

Fink was inspired to speak out for what she believes in by her mother, who was an activist for the Labor Movement in the 1930s and 1940s. She grew up involved in all types of activism, joining her mother on marches against the Vietnam War. Fink also explained that this love for activism is something that she passed down to her daughters, sharing, “I remember this Women’s March for peace at the Pentagon, with my mother and my little girl, and my baby in my arms.” 

 Fink shared some different formats that Make a Difference members have been using when writing letters and postcards for the upcoming election. Fink explained that she often writes about her family in these letters, reading an example stating, “I vote because I want a better life for my two kids and four grandkids, and every vote matters. Please vote early or vote on Tuesday, November 5th. Sincerely, Rosalie.”

In addition to helping the greater world through these efforts, Fink shared that the program is also helpful to its members. Fink elaborated on the ageism felt and internalized by many older people. She stated, “They feel that their life is over. Their worth is over if they’ve retired.” Fink believes that all members of Make a Difference have retired. She explained that “we’re not valued by society in the same way we were when we were professionals.” Fink elaborated, sharing that since “kids and grandkids have grown up, [this work] gives us a sense of self worth.”

In an Oct. 25 interview with The Justice, Ostrow agreed with Fink, explaining that the group both enhances self worth and allows members to look at themselves in the mirror regardless of the outcome of the election: “I’ve never given so much time, even with even feeble handwriting skills left to me, I’ve never given so much time and effort and found as much mutual encouragement as I found in this very group.” 

Ostrow explained that the last time he was active to this level was the Vietnam War. He expressed his love for the meetings, stating “Between the baked goods, seeing our fingers actually active over the letters or postcards, and the words we share with each other and the facial expressions make us feel good about ourselves.” Ostrow emphasized the importance of self-esteem, “especially for people of a certain age and life experience.” 

Both of the group leaders expressed that the group has been an overwhelmingly positive experience for all members involved. Ostrow stated, “The knowledge, the hope and the belief that we are truly making a difference, in our case in a progressive direction, makes the group extraordinary, and for me personally, a memorable ongoing life experience.” Fink agreed with this statement, following up with The Justice on Oct. 26 to emphasize that “leading Make A Difference offers the opportunity for [her] as a retired person to continue to contribute to society.”

When discussing the overall impact of their programming, Fink shared that the group’s “postcards will have added over 130,000 votes by November 5th, which is three times the number of votes that decided the 2020 election in favor of Joe Biden.” She estimated the group to have written well over 3,000 letters and postcards for the upcoming election.

The members of Make a Difference are sitting on the edge of their seats as Election Day approaches, hoping that all of their hard work over the past seven months will pay off. Following the election, the group will continue to work on activism projects every month, returning to subjects such as climate change action. This program not only supports the projects that the members are working on, but encourages members of the BOLLI community to become engaged beyond classroom learning and gives them a community of like-minded individuals to connect with.

—  The Justice Associate Editor Madison Sirois ’25 is a marketing specialist for the Rabb School of Continuing Studies and did not contribute to or edit this article.