Congenital Heart Defects Awareness - February 28 Email Campaign (long post)

[luvtoscrap58]

This is an email I received today from the Adult Congenital Heart Association.  If you or a loved one has been affected by a congenital heart defect please take a moment to send a note to your Congressman/Senator with the message below.   

 Action Alert: Celebrate and Motivate!

 This week, advocates from across the country are presenting a united message to Congress. Add your voice to make it stronger!

We join together to celebrate our tremendous success in bringing awareness to our legislators. Now we need to motivate them to do more.

 Many exciting things are happening this week:

 February 28: Email campaign (That’s you! See below.)

 February 29: Congenital Heart Briefing: An opportunity to educate lawmakers about CHD and what they need to do to get involved. A panel of experts will be talking about what CHD is, why we need more research and better data, and what legislators can do to get involved.

March 1: Congenital Heart Lobby Day! More than 80 advocates will meet with their legislators and staff to tell their story and share why research and data collection are so important (one of these advocates is Ken Woodhouse, who blogged about the event for the ACHA Blog; click here for his post).

 We need your help!

 Every voice counts. Please take just a moment and send an email or make a phone call to your member of Congress.

 3 Easy Steps:

 1) Find your legislator’s contact information. You can find an online form at www.house.gov or www.senate.gov.

 2) Copy and paste the letter below, adding your own personal touch.

 3) Send it!

 4) OK, I said three—but don’t forget to let us know if you send an email by dropping a note to [e-mail].

Sample Letter

 Dear Senator/Congressman [Fill in name here],

 I am writing to urge you to request to continue to provide $2 million to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for congenital heart disease surveillance and National Institutes of Health funding for much needed research.

 [Include a few sentences about your story and why it is important to you here]

Congenital heart disease continues to be a leading cause of premature death, particularly in infants. However, the population of survivors is growing. Estimates suggest there are nearly 2.5 million people alive today dealing with the long term consequences of congenital heart disease, including multiple complex medical complications. Congenital heart disease is a serious public health problem.

 I would like to remind you of a wonderful opportunity to learn more by attending Born with a Broken Heart: A Congenital Heart Disease Briefing on Wednesday, February 29 at 2:30 in Room 122 CHOB (Yes, there will be snacks).

 If you would like any additional information or sample report language, please contact Amy Basken at [e-mail].

 Thank you,

[Your Name, Your city/state] 

[mommy2harper]

:o)