It's Time To Finish Packing Up The Winnebago

There are just eight days until Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill. Here are some thoughts that you may want to consider if you are participating.

http://www.alscounts.com/slog.html (May 3 entry) has a sign sampler for downloading that may tweak your creativity.

Anyone who spends a day out and about in Washington usually has a story to tell about the famous person seen walking out of the bank or the familiar face from the news shows in the cafeteria. Will those famous people see just another person in you, or will they see a person who is passionate about the ALS problem? Sometimes it just takes a sign or a sticker or a piece of apparel.

Here is a suggestion that was once given to me by a person who deals professionally in such matters. She said that your Senators and Members of Congress just love pictures. Be sure that if you have your picture taken with any of them to capture the cause in the picture. Have a sign ready that will make it clear that you are the ALS constituents and not just any constituents. Be sure that you're not only capturing pictures with your own cameras. Those young staffers often pull out office cameras and those pictures end up on websites and newsletters.

When calling on legislators, ALScounts tells the staffers that brief recaps of the meetings will be online at http://www.alscounts.com/slog.html . It's amazing how the website is accessed by traffic from the House and Senate for a few weeks after Advocacy Day. I encourage you to try the same idea either by starting a blog or by posting on a Facebook page. Have some slips of paper with the url of your blog or page ready to hand to staffers. Your words in cyberspace will definitely keep them from forgetting any of their followup promises, too.

If you have a youngster in your group, this is a perfect opportunity to do a little journalism 101 project. That's a great way to make the day more interesting and to pass on some good information to other children and adults at home.

If you have a shutterbug in your group, shoot lots of pics and post them online with some commentary for the world to see.

Your calls on Senators and Congresspeople are sales calls. If you have a friend or relative who i s good at sales, tell him or her what you'll be doing and get some tips.

Have safe travels and bring lots of energy, and be assured that there are many people who can't travel who are most grateful for your efforts.

The United States must solve the ALS problem, and it won't happen if we sit back quietly.