by Editor
March 12, 2007
Pressure from a strong lobby is needed. In conjunction with annual CFS Awareness Day (May 12), the CFIDS Association of America http://www.cfids.org/ invites all ME/CFS/CFIDS patients and advocates to get behind a determined communications assault on the 110th Congress in Washington, DC – scheduled for Tuesday, May 15.
Why? “Newly elected members of Congress, members of funding committees, and representatives from your state need to understand the impact CFIDS has on their constituents and the communities they represent,” the CFIDS Association organizers state. We need to make sure that our Congressional representatives hear the message about this disease – “that it is real, it is serious, and it warrants increased attention and funding.”
How? One way to participate in this year’s event is to sign up and be there or encourage an advocate to do so. On Lobby Day, Tuesday, May 15, volunteers will go to Capitol Hill. There, they “will work in state delegations to carry the ME/CFS/CFIDS message to the halls of Congress and into the offices of key legislative decision-makers - the people who determine how much money federal health agencies will receive, and what agency officials will be told Congress expects from them.”
This will involve a 2-day commitment, beginning on Monday afternoon, May 14 with a mandatory training session. The training is designed to prepare each participating ME/CFS/CFIDS patient – and friends, family members, or other advocates – to share their personal experience with Congressional leaders.
Details and Key Dates
To review and print full Lobby Day 2007 details, including registration and hotel reservation dates, times, and locations, click here.
Registration Form: Complete & Return by Monday, April 16
As indicated on this form, the CFIDS Association organizers will be scheduling delegations’ meetings with their members of Congress and representatives. To download or print the form, which asks for information on special needs, including meeting and schedule preferences, click here.
The form should then be returned by mail or fax to Kim Almond at:
Fax number: 704-365-9755
Address: CFIDS Association of America, Inc., 6827 Fairview Road Suite A, Charlotte, NC 28210
For More Information:
Phone: 704-365-2343
E-mail: LobbyDay@cfids.org
Other Ways To Participate
For those who are not able to travel to Washington for Lobby Day, the CFIDS Association highlights other ways to participate. You can download or print a 28-page
Awareness Day Information Packet. This outlines various public awareness-building activities such as writing letters to the media and government officials, and supplies sample letters complete with message points and pertinent facts and figures. If you can't download or print the Information Packet, you can write to the address listed above and ask that the free packet be mailed to you.
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Note: The CFIDS Association of America is "the largest and most active charitable organization dedicated to conquering Chronic Fatigue Syndrome." Part of its mission is “securing a meaningful response to CFS from the federal government.”
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