Agenda for Washington April 12

[Clipper]

As for hotels, I would caution everyone needing an accessible room to contact the hotel FIRST before booking with one of these online companies. All too often, my request for an accessible room has not been passed along to the hotel. I therefore try not to use those sites.

Also, I recommend meeting at a location other than the Plaza - particularly if you intend on starting the march from there. It is a long walk - particularly for wheelchair users (15 to 20 blocks). I will put together some hotel and meeting place recommendations.

[Faye]

Originally posted by Clipper:

But I can write some stuff for you guys and make everything professional.

Yah, thanks Clipper!

We need to work on those key messages and a NAME for our event!

One key message is urgency: every month there are more than 1,000 new sci. Many current sci die prematurely due to complications like CR.

~ Scrutiny of an election with many unanswered questions does not damage public confidence in the democracy; absence of scrutiny does. ~

[betheny]

Wow, Clipper. Absolutely Freaking Awesome. [img]/forum/images/smilies/cool.gif[/img]

"You need to march. You need to demand action. You need to stop feeling unempowered and do something...Freedom is your right. Until you claim your self-confidence and know your worth, no one will give it to you. It starts with you."-LetsGo

[poonsuzanne]

Originally posted by Clipper:

Here is what I recommend:

1) Develop key messages. These are the objectives and purpose of the march. They should be short and to the point. No more than five. These "themes" wil be carried out in everything we say and do. Think of it as a teased-out mission statement.

2) Development and distribution of two press releases: one prior to the march and one immediately following. The first should give the basics: who, what, when, where and why. Background on SCI, too, like numbers and cure efforts. The second will say what we said and did and repeat the SCI stuff. Press releases should be distributed to key local and national media and wire services. No more than two pages in length, better if held to one.

3) Development of media kit. This kit contains brief written materials to serve as supplementary backgrounders. Include SCI fact sheet and bios on march participants. Kit distributed with first press release.

4) Interview. Work to secure at least one interview with key news organization. Interview would be with group spokesperson, preferably someone with SCI or a parent/child combo.

5) Tailored press releases. Resources permitting, customize aforementioned press release to each march participant and send to media in each person's hometown. Include short bio. "Joe Smith of Anytown to march on Washington" is an appealing local story.

I won't be able to utilize the resoures of my firm to help, or put my name on anything distributed to the media. But I can write some stuff for you guys and make everything professional.

Clipper,

I look forward excitedly to reading the materials to be compiled by you!! Thank you so much for generously inserting your expertise in this extraordinary event.

Regarding the Washington Plaza, the room rate for April 3rd to 6th is $174. I also called and found that only 3 rooms left on those days.

Faye, should we start a new thread counting the participants on April 5th as you originally proposed holding the event in March?

Suzanne

[Faye]

Originally posted by Suzanne Poon:

Faye, should we start a new thread counting the participants on April 5th as you originally proposed holding the event in March?

Suzanne

Suzanne, I am going to add names of those who will be joining us to a list I am starting in the Activism thread at the top of the CURE forum.

So if the 16 people who identified themselves as "for sure", the 13 likelies, the 11 maybies and possibly some of the 11 "other month" category in the Poll titled Inventory..., please drop me an e-mail at fayeforcure@yahoo.com or PT me through CC, I will add your CC name to our list.

Also please indicate what state you will be traveling from.

Thanks!

For simplicity sake we may be able to assume that the numbers for April 5th would be even better than the poll numbers for a march in March.

~ Scrutiny of an election with many unanswered questions does not damage public confidence in the democracy; absence of scrutiny does. ~

[toots kazoo]

My sister and brother both live in the DC area and have connections. Let me see what I can find out from them in the next 24-48 hours regarding accommodations. I assume we are looking for something close to the mall?

[Clipper]

I recommend that we write a letter to President Bush that we symbolically "deliver" to the White House as part of the march. Instead of trying to get tons of signatures, I recommend getting 50 - one person from each state who "represents" the xxx number of people with SCI in their state. This makes for good press release material and shows that we are organized with a purpose.

[poonsuzanne]

Originally posted by Clipper:

I recommend that we write a letter to President Bush that we symbolically "deliver" to the White House as part of the march. Instead of trying to get tons of signatures, I recommend getting 50 - one person from each state who "represents" the xxx number of people with SCI in their state. This makes for good press release material and shows that we are organized with a purpose.

Clipper, good idea!

Should we copy this post to all the CareCure Chapters created by Dr. Young?

Suzanne

[Clipper]

Here are three hotels very near Capitol Hill:

Holiday Inn - Capitol
202-479-4000
Rates from $109

Holiday Inn - On the Hill
202-638-1616
Rates from $99

Hyatt Regency Washington
202-737-1234
Rates from $139

[cheesecake]

I booked a conference in DC last year, I will be happy to provide the details of accessible hotels as well as hotels that are accessible but no roll-in showers (I know). I will also be willing to provide contact info. I am from the region and can provide some logistical information.

The Hyatt is totally nonaccessible for their restaurants, unless you want to go through the kitchen. The rooms are good, but that is about it.

PT me with a request list and I will put together my info. Give me a fax number since that is how much of the information will need to be sent.

"A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles"....C. Reeve 1998

[betheny]

Everybody but Especially Clipper-

What if our demonstrators carry signs, each with a pic of a different person on it? I have this vision of myself carrying November LOL, a big pic that says at the top "My Friend November" and at the bottom "The face of Spinal cord injury looks like THIS". Suzanne could have one with her son on it that says "My Son Richard" and so on. We have so many young people and the nature of youth makes it rough for them to travel. Face it, when you're young you're broke. Our other friends, too, like Rusty R. This would be an arduous trip for him but we could at least carry his message.

What do you think? Cheesy or cool?

I love the letter to the President idea. How would we go about collecting a signature from all 50 states?

How many people should I say we anticipate on the permit application? First I thought 50, now I think 100 might be closer, especially if we can get the local D.C. wheelers interested.

"You need to march. You need to demand action. You need to stop feeling unempowered and do something...Freedom is your right. Until you claim your self-confidence and know your worth, no one will give it to you. It starts with you."-LetsGo

[betheny]

A map showing where Holiday on the Hill is, also a good one to orient yourself a little.Link to Holiday Inn on the Hill

[Clipper]

I don't think we need signatures, per se. As long as we have names, hometown and maybe injury level, date of injury, relation to injured person, etc. I think we can get at least one person from each state to lend us their name pretty easily. Posting in the chapters section or even going through Quest for a Cure would be a good idea. A quick look suggests we have support/names from:

Florida (Faye)
New Jersey (Bob)
Oregon (Me)
Oklahoma (Betheny)
Rhode Island (Curtis)
Virginia (Scott)
Maryland (Cheesecake)
Texas (hope2findacure)
New York (metronycguy)
California (buckwheat)
Minnesota (Susan M)

As for signage, I dunno. I'm thinking of production costs and logistics. Since participants will enter buildings, it might be better if we had a banner or something that can be carried by two people and easily stowed. Maybe it could say something like, "UNITED, WE WILL STAND."

[Curt Leatherbee]

Personally I feel we should make the focal point of this march around the passage of the Chris Reeve Paralysis Act. I think this way we are bound to get some really good press coverage and that same time really apply some pressure to get this act passed which should have happened years ago.

[poonsuzanne]

Toots & Cheesecake,

Thank you so much for your inputs and look forward to hearing more from you soon!

Suzanne