Community Voices

What is it worth to you to finally have a voice in Congress who listens, respects your values, and fights for the future our state deserves? Joan Vondras is that leader — someone who shows up, stands up, and speaks up for all the people of Missouri.

I think Joan VonDras will represent Missouri’s second congressional district responsively and responsibly, attributes Ann Wagner is missing. Joan seems to me to be a thoughtful, articulate and intelligent decision maker.

I urge you to vote for her.

Joan VonDras is not a politician. I met her when our kids were students at Glenridge Elementary, where she was an outstanding teacher for many years. She is bright, extremely well informed, and passionate about changing the narrative from Missouri in Washington. This election is crucial to everyone in our region, and we all need to work toward effective representation. I hope you will join me in supporting Joan VonDras for Congress, District 2. I believe Joan can make a difference!

I’m proud to endorse Joan VonDras for Congress.

Over the course of this race, I’ve gotten to know Joan and have a deep respect for her decades of service as an educator and her commitment to this community. But what stands out most is her lived experience. As a two-time cancer survivor, Joan understands in a very real way what too many families go through when it comes to navigating illness and the financial burden that comes with it.

Throughout this campaign, I’ve worked to highlight the burden of medical debt and the need for serious, evidence-based healthcare reform. Joan has stepped into that conversation in a meaningful way, hosting town halls focused on healthcare policy and continuing to engage with organizations like Physicians for a National Health Program.

She is also the only candidate in this race who has clearly and consistently supported universal, comprehensive healthcare. At a time when families are being crushed by the cost of care, that clarity matters.

This is not an abstract issue. It’s about whether people can get the care they need without facing financial ruin. We need leaders who understand that both personally and from a policy perspective.

I believe Joan brings that perspective, along with the integrity and compassion this district deserves, and I’m proud to support her candidacy.

There isn’t anything I couldn’t say with regards to Joan VonDras, my sister, my friend, my supportive confidant an extraordinary human.  One may wonder why I said human instead of woman, that would like there’s a barrier in her path she is not limited to a certain gender; she’s exceptional period. I met Joan through my granddaughter who was attending Glenridge Elementary School as a fifth grader. Tragedy imposed itself on my granddaughter's family, their residence was destroyed by a fire that totally destroyed everything.  Joan was instrumental with the blessing of then principal Ms. Scott in implementing a fundraiser for the family. This is her heart everyday' in what can I do to make someone else’s life better is the motto she lives by. We developed a closer relationship when she reached out and suggested and offered to mentor my granddaughter and what a blessing it has been opening up her home and the family to us. That granddaughter has a lot of Joan’s characteristics!! She didn’t stop there. She also mentored my youngest granddaughter as well. I have witness Joan, pour of the well of. compassions that’s her heart from her love for her fellow man to the human rights around the globe to   animal rights, clean energy healthcare, and of course, education. If you are fortunate enough to have an opportunity to cast your vote for Joan it would be the wise choice you could’ve make. You will not find a more caring and devoted representative.

Growing up, I didn’t have many examples of what life could look like outside of my environment. Coming from a low-income neighborhood and a difficult family dynamic, my world was pretty limited until 5th grade, when I met Mrs. VonDras.

From that point on, she took me under her wing, and honestly, she never let go. She saw something in me that I didn’t even see in myself at the time, and she poured into me not just as a student, but as a person. She mentored me from 5th grade through graduating high school, and even to this day, she’s still someone I can count on.

She showed me a different way of life through her kindness and compassion. She opened her world to me; whether it was teaching me hobbies like knitting and cooking, or just spending time together at coffee shops, she gave me experiences I never would have had otherwise. She welcomed me into her family, and in so many ways, she became like a second mom to me.

What stands out just as much is her heart for animals, human and women’s rights, and for education. She doesn’t just believe in these things; she lives them every single day. She leads with empathy, stands up for what’s right, and genuinely cares about people and the world around her.

She didn’t just teach lessons in a classroom; she helped shape me into the woman I am today. Because of who she is at her core, I truly believe she would be one of the best things to happen to our community and our country. Choosing her is choosing compassion, strength, and real change. I can say with full confidence that voting for her would be one of the best decisions you could make. Vote Joan!

As a former student of Joan VonDras, I am excited about her campaign because of my confidence in her ability to find common ground among differing voices. As a teacher, she always sought to understand each student's unique perspective, our motivations and fears, and encouraged our intellectual independence. She taught me to think critically and cultivated in me a healthy degree of intellectual skepticism. She introduced me to philosophy by reading and discussing Jostein Gaarder's "Sophie's World". She made me feel, even at ten years old, that I could substantively engage with the work of peerless minds such as Aristotle and Plato. She taught me to reason and to trust myself. More importantly, she taught me to engage with the thoughts of others productively through dialogue. She also taught me the importance of silence and independent thought. She used to play a song by The Chicks called "Easy Silence" and then give us long stretches of quiet time for us to reflect, to create, and to meditate. All of this worked because she made each student feel valued and respected. I am confident in her ability to transfer these same principles to Washington where her unique leadership -- a leadership based upon service and respect for those she leads -- will enable her to best represent her district and make critical inroads among those who think differently. Joan's integrity and service is infectious and much needed in an incredibly divisive Congress. Our American experiment is threatened today most of all by our division rather than any one specific political movement. Joan is the right bridge-maker to span these festering divides and help us grow stronger. One other point, Joan was the educator who first led me to consider my own civic duties. My journal entries from my time in her class reflect a yearning to serve. Joan understood -- and taught us -- that the continuing American experiment rests on the shoulders of everyday citizens. When de Tocqueville visited the United States, he expressed serious doubts about American democracy. How was a mere common person to be expected to avoid the undue influence of the wealthy and powerful, to think clearly amidst the fray of ideologues and special interests? This is the peculiar burden of the American citizen and upon it depends on our liberty and the dreams of those who hope to make their home here. Joan's exemplar inspired my own career of service, and I am forever grateful to her. Finally, for those who may feel trepidation about the capacity of a classroom teacher to hold her own in Washington: First, I think these doubts are unfounded. Second, Joan VonDras would hold her own amongst and win the hearts of the most battle-hardened military leaders with whom I have served. I have full-faith in her ability to represent Missouri's 2nd District.

The true measure of a leader is found in the foundation they lay for our future. You might ask why the endorsement of a former fifth-grade student matters in a race for the United States House of Representatives, but the highest evidence of character is what one invests in the minds of the young.

During the historic 2008 election of Barack Obama, I was a student in Joan VonDras’s classroom. Even then, she was a fierce champion of equality who poured her personal resources into our learning. She brought civics to life through mock presidential debates, guided earnest discussions on current events, and taught profound lessons on social justice and Indigenous rights. By meeting me exactly where I was, she ignited a spark that inspired a public-school kid to pursue a career in public service.

Today, she brings that same boundless dedication to her congressional campaign. At a moment when our public schools are too often treated as an afterthought, Joan champions the full funding of our education system—because she knows democracy depends on what we invest in our children. She empowers parents and teachers, so every child receives a world-class public education. She understands, as President Lincoln declared, that the leading object of our government is “to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all.”

I proudly endorse my former teacher, Joan VonDras, and urge voters in Missouri’s 2nd Congressional District to send her to Congress—because our democracy depends on leaders who invest in our students.

I first met Joan VonDras at the Winter Concert, held at Glenridge Elementary School, before she became my son, Kevin’s, fifth grade teacher. I was enamored by the woman who taught herself the guitar, and played Feliz Navidad for the holiday sing-a-long, which brought an added element of festive spirit to the students and parents in attendance at the school gymnasium, almost two decades ago. I can recall sensing that Joan was special, even before I came to know just how special she is. I made it my mission to request Joan as Kevin’s fifth grade teacher, since the way she thought about education was aligned with my beliefs and studies in education. Furthermore, Joan is informed in an array of topics from brain research, to accessing multiple intelligences, to fostering creativity and growth mindset, to inspiring students to become independent and critical thinkers, and to contributing to their class community as productive citizens in thoughtful and collaborative ways. As it turns out, the fifth grade classroom was the microcosm for the macro classroom of life. Now more than ever, we need a leader like Joan to teach us how to come together and restore our democracy.

As is the case with many Creatives, organization is not a strong suit for my son, Kevin, dating back to elementary school. As I sat down for Kevin’s parent-teacher conference, Joan explained to me that the students would be running their own conferences, since they gain more from the experience of a student-led conference, while evaluating and articulating themselves as learners in multiple capacities. Once again, Joan demonstrated the power of student voices through their learning process. I see this now as an example of Joan’s visionary leadership, related to the power of citizens learning to take ownership of their government.

I apologized for the array of papers and supplies that Kevin had strewn throughout his desk area, and I asked Joan how she handled Kevin’s messes in the classroom? Joan was unphased by my question, and she didn’t miss a beat in our exchange. She simply replied, “Ahh Kevin. A creative mind… I just give him an extra cubby.” :) I learned in that moment that sometimes, all we need is an extra cubby– and a fearless leader who thrives with adaptability, and thinking outside the box (literally).

I came to learn that not much stumps Joan, since she always has a well measured, whip smart, direct and compassionate response to just about any inquiry. Joan is full of solutions for even the most confounding problems we face as humans.I admire so many qualities about Joan as a mother, teacher, daughter, friend, wife, citizen, and now as a grandmother to her two precious granddaughters. Joan is committed to being part of a positive solution for the future of her granddaughters, and for the children who will inherit the earth, along with our systems that require reform.

Joan’s students will tell you stories of taking walking field trips to her home or to the nearby coffee shop for special events. They will also tell you about her beloved dog, Sophie, who joined them in their fifth grade classroom. They will tell you about learning the Constitution, yoga, philosophy, and persuasive debates they delivered that helped to shape who they are today. But mostly, they will tell you that Joan believed in them, and that she empowered them to care about their country.

I am inspired that in her retirement, Joan wants to lend her talents to our classroom at large in many critical areas. Joan doesn’t back down from challenges; she remains calm and consistent in her approach to educate herself, so that she can continue to educate others.

Joan is now in a position to lead us in our greatest classroom– the classroom of our citizenship. If you have any question about Joan’s abilities, I invite you to join her for a town hall meeting, and to give yourself the gift of being Joan’s student in one of her workshops. Notice the ways in which Joan listens attentively to you. She’ll deliver solutions with poise and confidence that will make you feel proud to be on Joan’s team. Great leaders are visionaries, and Joan sees what needs to be accomplished. Vote Joan, and please consider donating to her worthy campaign!

Looking forward to adding "The Honorable Joan VonDras" to that list of titles later this year! One of the strange and beautiful things about watching your campaign take shape this year, is seeing the person I’ve known my whole life, someone defined by conviction and compassion, inspire so many others through that same message. Strange, but not unexpected.

It’s how you taught, how you raised us, and the kind of grandmother you’ve been to Ellie. Grateful to have been raised by someone who still believes that things can get better, who still chooses empathy over cynicism, who has the nerve to get out there and try to make a difference for her granddaughters.

Love,

Clay