JodyGK
04-19-2005, 10:07 AM
By the luckiest of coincidences, my Congressperson, Anna Eshoo, held a Town Hall Meeting in my town last night. One of my appointments at CHD was with her legislative assistant, and Ms. Eshoo is one of the leaders on the Arthritis Act. So I thought, what a great opportunity to follow up on CHD! I got more materials from NPF to give to her if I got a chance. So Diana came with me for moral support, and here's how it went:
Instead of calling on people, we were to fill out a questions/comments card, which she would then read out loud and respond. She only got to half the questions submitted, so I was fortunate that my card was read out loud. Here's what I wrote in the limited space provided: "The National Psoriasis Foundation would like to thank Ms. Eshoo for her leadership role in the Arthritis Act. Would she support asking for additional funds to the NIAMS for research on psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis?" My hope was she'd open the subject to further comment. She seemed pleased by the first comment, and breezed over the question part, saying she supports additional funding for research.
But after the meeting was adjourned, I immediately hopped up and personally handed to her the packet of information that Joey sent me (I happened to have another NPF folder lying around to put it in). When I handed it to her, she opened it and the letter to the Subcommittee was on top. She said, "oh, I see you've sent a letter..." I said, "no, we're hoping YOU will send this letter!" She looked it over briefly and said she will definitely give it some consideration. She then turned to her staff and handed her the packet and said, "make sure this goes with me to DC," where she was headed this morning. She then turned to me and said, "bless your heart for what your organization is doing," and kissed me on the cheek.
These town hall meetings are a great opportunity to get up close and personal with our Congressional representatives, and no travel or money required! Just a couple of hours out of our evening. You can sign up for newsletters on their websites so you'll be notified when a meeting is scheduled in your area. After my positive experience, I've got to say it's definitely worth a try!
Jody
Instead of calling on people, we were to fill out a questions/comments card, which she would then read out loud and respond. She only got to half the questions submitted, so I was fortunate that my card was read out loud. Here's what I wrote in the limited space provided: "The National Psoriasis Foundation would like to thank Ms. Eshoo for her leadership role in the Arthritis Act. Would she support asking for additional funds to the NIAMS for research on psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis?" My hope was she'd open the subject to further comment. She seemed pleased by the first comment, and breezed over the question part, saying she supports additional funding for research.
But after the meeting was adjourned, I immediately hopped up and personally handed to her the packet of information that Joey sent me (I happened to have another NPF folder lying around to put it in). When I handed it to her, she opened it and the letter to the Subcommittee was on top. She said, "oh, I see you've sent a letter..." I said, "no, we're hoping YOU will send this letter!" She looked it over briefly and said she will definitely give it some consideration. She then turned to her staff and handed her the packet and said, "make sure this goes with me to DC," where she was headed this morning. She then turned to me and said, "bless your heart for what your organization is doing," and kissed me on the cheek.
These town hall meetings are a great opportunity to get up close and personal with our Congressional representatives, and no travel or money required! Just a couple of hours out of our evening. You can sign up for newsletters on their websites so you'll be notified when a meeting is scheduled in your area. After my positive experience, I've got to say it's definitely worth a try!
Jody