Do you think about getting involved in your community but have concerns that it may take too much time?
Do you have a few hours in the next couple of months to volunteer and give back?
Do you have type 1 diabetes or does your child, grand child, spouse, partner, parent, sibling, friend, neighbor or even your co-worker live with type 1 diabetes?
Do you live in the East Bay in Oakland, Berkeley, Albany, Castro Valley, Alameda, San Leandro, Hayward, Fremont, Newark, Union City, El Cerrito, Concord, Walnut Creek, Fairfield, Livermore, Antioch, Richmond, Pittsburg, Vallejo, Vacaville and Martinez? What about in the northern counties of Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa or Sonoma? Do you live in South San Francisco, Pacifica, San Mateo, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Cupertino, Santa Clara, Campbell and San Jose or in the counties of San Benito, Monterey and Santa Cruz?
Can you imagine what you’d say to a legislator if given the opportunity? Or do you already rant and rave, roll your eye, smile or feel pleased at your federal legislators actions while watching the evening news or reading the paper?
If you answered yes to these questions, you are URGENTLY needed as volunteer JDRF advocate.
As a JDRF Advocate you may infrequently be asked to send an email or maybe to write a letter (remember that?) to a federal legislator in support of diabetes research funding. Occasionally one may be asked to encourage others to volunteer in advocacy. If you are fortunate you may be asked to make a personal visit to a legislator in his/her district office. To have the opportunity to visit a federal legislator in his/her Washington office is an experience not soon forgotten. There is something about the Hill, the Capital and our government in action that is impressive regardless of political affiliation.
Every other year JDRF makes a coordinated effort to schedule and complete meetings between our representatives and senators and their constituents in their local districts. JDRF calls constituents JDRF Advocates and JDRF calls this coordinated effort the Promise Campaign. JDRF Advocates tell their story about diabetes and ask the legislator to “promise to remember you” when making decisions about diabetes. The objective in the Promise Campaign is to meet with each Congressional leader within our chapter territory. The momentum continues the following year with Children’s Congress building on messaging established in legislative visits the preceding year. Two campaigns that work together to influence lawmakers to vote yes when next issues important to diabetes arise.
We ask advocates to arrange meetings with legislators. This can be done from your home or office during normal business hours. Do you have time to arrange a meeting?
Then we assemble a small group of advocates including advocate families for the actual meeting. We can also provide one-on-one training sessions, if needed, that will fit around your schedule. In preparation, advocates are asked to review key message points. The meetings take less than an hour but lawmakers
JDRF Advocates meeting with Representative George Miller
hear first hand about living with type 1 diabetes. Finally, you are asked to take a photo or send a note to the legislator and thank him/her for the meeting. How much time does it take to prepare, attend and follow up from a meeting? Maybe two or three hours?
JDRF notes the impact of these meetings; when legislators are making public statements in Washington on issues of interest to people with type 1 diabetes, they often mention meetings advocates during the Promise Campaign. There is a lot that impresses me about JDRF but JDRF Government Relations impresses me more than everything else. They use progressive approaches in communicating with advocates and they make it easy for people to volunteer small amounts of time. Additionally, they work really hard to ensure the special congressional funding of diabetes research that exceeds even the $100,000,000 funding of diabetes research funding JDRF funds through your generosity.
I am a JDRF Advocate but only Nancy Pelosi is interested in hearing from me. I live in San Francisco and legislators representing other areas want to hear from people they represent or within their voting district. Think you are ready to sign up to be a JDRF Advocate?
JDRF Bay Area is about half way through the 2009-2010 Promise Campaign and advocates have already completed many legislator visits. We need people willing to volunteer as advocates to help organize meetings with representatives that live in the districts listed below. Nine meeting is all we need to complete by May. Once completed you decide if you have had enough or if you wish to continue as a JDRF advocate. My guess is that most people who try it will want to continue.
- District 1 – Rep Michael Thompson (Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, and Mendocino counties and parts of Napa and Sonoma counties)
- District 7 – Rep. George Miller (Richmond, Pittsburg, Vallejo, Vacaville, Martinez)
- District 9 – Rep. Barbara Lee (Oakland, Berkeley, Albany, Castro Valley)
- District 10 – Rep. Garamendi (El Cerrito, Concord, Walnut Creek, Fairfield, Livermore, Antioch)
- District 12 – Rep. Jackie Speier (San Mateo, South SF, Pacifica)
- District 13 – Rep. Fortney Stark (Alameda, San Leandro, Hayward, Fremont, Newark, Union Cty)
- District 15 – Rep. Mike Honda (Los Gatos, Milpitas, Cupertino, Santa Clara, Campbell)
- District 16 – Rep. Zoe Lofgren (San Jose)
- District 17 – Rep. Sam Farr (all of San Benito and Monterey County, part of Santa Cruz County)
Nine meetings is all we need to complete in the next five months. It sounds easy but we need volunteers willing to help for a few hours. Once completed you decide if you have had enough of volunteering or instead you wish to continue as a JDRF Advocate. If you can help or need more information, please contact Carolyn Eisen (415) 597-6317 or me by commenting on this blog.
On behalf of the 75,000 people living with type 1 diabetes in the Bay Area, thank you.
See photos from JDRF Advocates around the country meeting with their representatives.