Influencing Public Policy: Be... Video Transcript

Participants

Sue Kelly , Gail Simons

Summary

Traveling to Washington to ask Congress to support legislation can be a powerful experience. Learn how hundreds of people went to the nation's capital to help gain support for a bill to increase funding for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) research.

Webcast Transcript

GAIL SIMONS: It's a wonderful feeling to be in a room and to know that we're all here for the same cause, to really try to get something passed that will have a tremendous impact on all of the people that we know personally who suffer with these diseases.

ANNOUNCER: Gail Simons is the president of a local CCFA chapter, covering parts of southern New York and Western Connecticut.

GAIL SIMONS: The enthusiasm level here is very high. I think people are really pumped up.

I think that people are genuinely excited about being here and about feeling that they can make a difference. And trying to do whatever we can to have an impact on our government to try to get a bill like this passed.

ANNOUNCER: Gail was just one of about 300 CCFA members and friends who came to Washington, DC, from all across the country to help gain support from their Senators and Representatives for the IBD Act.

ADVOCATE: We're going to see Congressman Steve Israel and the staff of Senator Hilary Clinton and Charles Schumer.

ADVOCATE: Steve Coppollo at 11; 11:30, Senator Specter's people; and then at 1:30, our representative Mike Doyle.

ADVOCATE: Well, we already convinced Senator Dodd and Lieberman and we have to convince Congressman Chase.

CHRISTOPHER KUSH: Good morning, everybody. Who didn't get their coffee? For God's sake, it's eight in the morning. We're sending you up to Capitol Hill and it's raining. Get yourself some coffee, please.

ANNOUNCER: Christopher Kush, president of Soapbox Consulting, leads a morning training session, to hone the skills of CCFA advocates.

CHRISTOPHER KUSH: Today will be probably the one and only day all year that your representatives in Congress will talk about IBD. This is your one chance all year.

We're going to get you warmed up, get you through some of the things you might say and make you feel more comfortable about going on the Hill. Gail.

GAIL SIMONS: My daughter was diagnosed with Crohn's when she was eight years old. And from eight until 21, we didn't have one day of remission.

We went through every day as though it was a day in hell. She had multiple transfusions. She had multiple treatments. Her hair fell out at one point from some of the drugs. She couldn't make it to school many days. She was hospitalized in and out; I can't begin to tell you how many times. And we need more research. We need more money for research and we need to find a cure so that hopefully some day if I'm blessed enough to have grandchildren, they won't have to face what I faced with my daughter.

CHRISTOPHER KUSH: You got your win. You'll win. You'll win. You guys are great. I mean you're so good.

GAIL SIMONS: Good. I'm not leaving until I win.

JESSICA SIMONS: I hope we can bring awareness to Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Not that many people know about it and it's a disease where so many people suffer that it just seems that we need to get the word out. People need to know; the more people who are aware of it the more people who are going to want to help to do something about it.

ANNOUNCER: Then it's off to Capitol Hill. In delegations representing each of 31 states, plus the District of Columbia.

ADVOCATE: I'm going to make a difference. I'm going to get out there and I'm going to have our legislators support the IBD Act and there is no question in my mind that we're going to get a lot of support.

ADVOCATE: And we're going over to the Hill to ask Senators and Representatives to support the IBD Act and to hopefully appropriate some money for us for research.