Residents in southwestern Connecticut attended house meetings hosted by their neighbors to discuss President Barack Obama?s stimulus package Saturday.

According to Deena Gilbert, of New Canaan, she couldn?t resist the opportunity to participate in government after she supported President Obama throughout the 2008 campaign. Gilbert is one of the millions of Americans to receive an e-mail from the president asking citizens to host home discussions about the economy and his proposed stimulus.

Gilbert says this is the first time she?s been asked by the government to help come up with solutions for America?s problems. She hopes the grassroots movement that assembled President Obama?s following during the campaign will motivate people to educate themselves about the Obama administration?s policies.

?It's our government,? Gilbert says. ?We need to be responsible for it and we need to be involved.?