Rally for Lois: A Lifelong Activist in Need

The sponsors of this GoFundMe effort are a coalition of friends, family members, colleagues, and former employees who have been directly or indirectly enriched by Lois Marbach's social activism and her personal generosity. Lois is a lifelong advocate and organizer for local and national progressive causes and a political strategist for candidates who support those causes.

For over fifty years, Lois has been fighting for equality, justice, and the rights of people who have been underrepresented, discriminated against, or otherwise marginalized. Recently, Lois has been fighting a more personal battle: combating the lingering effects of COVID-19. Lois' Long Covid has led to mounting bills, difficulty in maintaining a regular work schedule, and financial insecurity. As she focuses on her recovery, we are rallying together to offer our assistance during this challenging time, and we hope you will join us by making a generous contribution that will go directly towards helping Lois cover essential, everyday living expenses and allow her to remain in her home.

Many of you know Lois through the context of a single issue, a personal experience, or some other interaction, but Lois has worked tirelessly in our communities for decades, contributing her expertise and passion to a broad array of causes and campaigns that you may not be aware of. Here is a summary of her expansive journey.

Certified in peer counseling, suicide Intervention, and domestic violence support, Lois co-founded All the Queens Women in 1976, a not-for-profit women's center that spearheaded consciousness-raising workshops and advocacy. Working to expand the voice of women, Lois has served as the Legislative Director of the Queens National Organization for Women, President of the Queens Women's Political Caucus, Commissioner on the NYC Commission on the Status of Women, and on the Board of Directors of New York NARAL (National Abortion Rights Action League) now known as Reproductive Freedom for All.

Seeking legislative change, Lois ran as a progressive Democrat for the NYS Senate in 1982. In the wake of one of the biggest corruption scandals in NYC history involving nearly $4 million in bribes offered to city officials and Democratic party officials, she ran for Queens Borough President in 1986, with just a fraction of the budget available to her party-backed opponent.

After campaigning for Borough President, Lois saw a need to help other candidates navigate their challenges to the regular county Democrats and founded Promotional Strategies. Many of the reform candidates she supported were new citizens seeking to represent underrepresented immigrant communities, women and members of the LGBTQ community, enabling them to achieve a spot on the ballot..

In the nearly forty years Lois has owned and operated Promotional Strategies, she has formed a solid foundation of trust with her clients and the dozens of full and part-time employees she has hired over the decades. In addition to employing a regular staff of office managers, graphic artists, and IT personnel, Lois also welcomed high school students, senior citizens, and college students with paid internships. She treated all her employees like family, providing lunch and financial support, such as paying for dental work, car repairs and even veterinary bills, when needed.

Over the span of her career, Lois' integrity and commitment to people and their causes has been validated by diverse groups that have honored Lois with awards and other recognition. Here are just a few of those organizations:

Aaron Weiss Humanitarian Award

Flushing NAACP

Women's Political Caucus

Korean American Small Business Service Center

Dominican Action Committee

Queens Coalition for Political Alternatives

Queens LGBTQ Pride Committee

Democrats for New Politics

NAVA New American Voters Association

Generous to a fault, the gesture was not always returned. A few unscrupulous clients refused to pay her agreed-upon fee and never covered the substantial expense of printing and mailing services and personnel they benefited from. In an effort to recoup the debt through the court system, legal expenses were added to Lois' financial burden. Always sure to honor the debts incurred by Promotional Strategies, Lois had to secure a home equity loan to ensure that her vendors, attorneys, and employees were paid what they were owed, leaving Lois with a loss she has yet to resolve.

Let's show Lois our solidarity and support by coming together as a community to help her through this challenging journey. Your kindness and generosity will not go unnoticed and will make a difference in Lois' life.

The following are some of her past affiliations:

Queens NDC President and former Vice President of NYS NDC as well as the Chairperson of the Queens Coalition for Political Alternatives. She served as President of both the Eastern Queens Democratic Club and the Queens County Progressive Democratic Club. Lois is a former Member of Community Board 11, and served for 10 years on the Board of Trustees of the Queens Borough Public Library. Lois is a former Commissioner on the Workers Rights Board and the NYC Commission on the Status of Women.

Lois Marbach is the Founder and President of her local Civic Association the Oakland Gardens/Terrace Community Council and is the Founder of Progressive Voices

United/Democratic Coalition, a political organization started in 2017. Lois is also a

Founding Board Member of Hearts of Change.

Lois is a Democratic Political Consultant for socially conscious candidates and elected officials, who continue to reach out to her for advice and guidance.