On Saturday, October 25, some lucky Lakewood residents were greeted by a special canvassing crew. Jennifer Beals (Flashdance, the L-Word) and L-word creator and executive producer Ilene Chaiken stopped by a local Lakewood neighborhood canvassing session for Sen. Barack Obama's campaign. After a brief meet and greet at the home of Chuck & Betsy Shaughnessy with the Lakewood-based volunteers, Jennifer and Ilene were quickly trained on canvassing protocol for the Obama team's Campaign for Change, and joined by Lakewood's own Karolyn Isenhart, they stepped out onto our streets to knock on some Lakewood doors and talk to voters.

This year's presidential election has seen an unprecedented level of interest and involvement throughout the United States, with the Obama campaign growing into the largest citizen-powered political organization that the country has ever seen. Everyone from schoolteachers to nurses to plumbers -- and yes, even a few celebrities -- have participated in the presidential contest on a grassroots level, with the hopes of delivering the country some much-needed change.

Written by Dawn Pyne & Brad Kenney