July 2007
Dear Advocacy Volunteers,
Summer brings easy times of more relaxed schedules, outdoor fun and BBQs. It's a great time to kick back and enjoy the weather. It is also the perfect time to get some unique "face time" with your members of Congress!
During August, most members of Congress are at home visiting with constituents and reconnecting with the people they represent. As part of this effort, many of them hold town hall meetings in their home districts or states. Town hall meetings are open venues where citizens can raise issues and ask questions and request actions of their elected officials. It's also a great way for constituents to learn what Congress is addressing in Washington, D.C.
We hear over and over again how effective these meetings can be, so we are encouraging all of our volunteers to take advantage of this opportunity to interact with their elected officials. In a way, town hall meetings are a means for legislators to get their "marching orders" from their constituents! We in the psoriasis community are all constituents, and we have a message to deliver about psoriasis: members of Congress need to support PPARCCA, the Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Research, Cure, and Care Act (H.R. 1188/S. 1459)! On my last visit to Capitol Hill, several senators and representatives mentioned that they have become active on a variety of issues solely because their constituents spoke out and asked them to take action. This is called grassroots advocacy—and it works.
You may think that attending a town hall meeting takes a lot of nerve or experience, but it is actually quite easy! The Psoriasis Foundation gives you all the information you need to be effective in this important setting. To learn more, visit www.psoriasis.org/advocacy/action/town_hall.php.
The first step is to contact your senators' and representative's local district offices to find out if and when they plan on holding town hall meetings. Here's what you need to do:
- You can find the contact information for your members of Congress's local office by entering your ZIP code here. Click on the "info" links below the pictures. District office information is included under the section "Contact Information."
- Call your member of Congress's district office close to your home and ask for information on upcoming town hall meetings.
- Ask to receive your member of Congress's newsletter so that you will know about future town hall meetings and events. You may also be able to sign up for their newsletters via their Web sites.
If you are one of the lucky psoriasis advocates who have this opportunity, we will provide you with tips, talking points and other supporting materials so it is easy for you to ask your elected official to co-sponsor PPARCCA.
Attending a town hall meeting is also a great way to build relationships with your members of Congress. After attending her second town hall meeting, Sandy Hawbecker of New York was recognized and remembered by her congressman, Rep. Randy Kuhl, R-N.Y.-29th, and his staff. A few weeks later, Sandy received a call from Rep. Kuhl's office indicating that he had decided to support our initiatives. Thanks to Sandy's ongoing outreach to his office, Rep. Kuhl continues to be a strong supporter of the psoriasis community and has co-sponsored H.R. 1188.
Sandy Hawbecker (front, center), shown here with other Foundation advocates and a congressional staffer, first joined the Foundation's advocacy efforts by attending Capitol Hill Day in 2005. She's been a tireless advocate ever since.
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I'm going to be doing my own form of speaking out over the summer and won't be in touch until September. My family and I are traveling to Tibet to work in community and medical service. I will be thinking of you all, spread out across the country speaking individually but as a united community advocating for psoriasis! Please send me and Alyssa reports of your experiences at town hall meetings so we can help you follow up and share in the pride of our community's accomplishments!
All the best and have a great summer.
Sheila Rittenberg
Director of Advocacy
P.S. As always, Alyssa Brown is available to work with you and respond to your questions. Just contact her at abrown@psoriasis.org.
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