Hey ... this is for all ya teens/ young people out there...
Im sure you've heard/read a lot of the hype about Capitol Hill Day '05... but i am here to make a PERSONAL calling to you...
Capitol Hill Day is an opportunity for people with psoriasis to meet with Congressional people, from what i gather... You get a chance to tell personal stories, and share facts about psoriasis with people who might otherwise never truly understand it... You get a chance to IN PERSON ask for increased funding for psoriasis research. You showing up at this event could possibly lead to a brighter future for ALL of us suffering from psoriasis...
Last year, 7 year old Keira attended Capitol Hill Day with her parents. Keira has had a struggle with her school officials because she has been told that for liability reasons she's not allowed to wear earrings to gym... For Keira, if she takes her earrings out they might very well cover over with plaques, and re-piercing them would probably just cause EVEN more plaques to come back. .. and so if she took them out, she'd probably never be able to wear earrings again. ...
Keira went to Capitol Hill Day and made her voice heard... she bravely spoke to a whole whack of officials, and told HER story, and they listened to her... Who wouldnt listen to a cute little 7 year old tell a heartbreaking story?!
So now its your chance... make YOUR voice heard just like Keira did... No more of this "oh but they wont listen" or "oh but what do i say?"... no more of that... take this chance... Its your chance to make a difference in the lives of tonnes of psoriasis sufferers... So take a stand... tell your story, possibly change your life...
Capitol Hill Day is taking place April 10-11 this year in Washington, DC... If you need more information, please contact Joey Shearer, the Advocacy Coordinator at advocacy@here or phone 800.723.9166 ext 407
Please really consider going if you are able!!
~Kim~

Honestly guys... im begging you... dont pass up this opportunity...

I'M GOING! soo i'm gonna back kj on this one :D

oh & that was my 300th post! haha

You are exactly right, Kim. Kids can make a huge difference on Capitol Hill Day.
Furthermore, kids who have psoriasis will likely see the benefit of increased research funding in the long lives they have ahead of them. Increasing research funding now will help bring about a greater understanding of psoriasis, leading to better treatments, and hopefully a cure.
The US Congress controls how the US government spends all those taxes that people pay. Last year, the government spent $28 billion on medical research. Only $5 million went to research on psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis. With your help, we have the ability to increase the amount the government spends on psoriasis research. Just imagine the benefit to everyone with psoriasis if the government doubled or tripled the amount they spent researching the disease.
Please join us for Capitol Hill Day 2005. If 7-year-old Keira could make a difference, YOU CAN TOO!
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Thanks,
Joey Shearer
Advocacy Coordinator
National Psoriasis Foundation
advocacy@here

A heads up for everyone interested in Capitol Hill Day--we're having a Web chat about Capitol Hill Day on Tuesday, Feb 22nd at 4:00pm Pacific Time.
Our Web folks will be posting more info about this on the boards and the Web site, but I just found out the date and time, and wanted to let you guys know.
I'll be on the chat, and hope you will too.
Thanks,
Joey

Nice work, KJ.
Fight the P! :)

For anyone who missed this evening's chat about Capitol Hill Day, you can read the transcript here:

Thank you to all who participated!
Karen

The registration deadline for Capitol Hill Day has been extended one week to March 18, 2005. I know several people are still making arrangements to see if they can make it to Washington, D.C. Hopefully, this extra week will help. Let me know if any of you have any questions. Unfortunately, the last day the Washington Terrace Hotel will guarantee reduced rates is still Friday, March 11. So make your reservations ASAP!
I will also be accepting applications for up until March 18. However, get your scholarship applications in as soon as possible because scholarship money may run out before March 18.
The deadline for the is still Friday, March 11. Get your recruitment forms in by tomorrow. In the event that two people have recruited the same number of new Capitol Hill Day volunteers, the winner will be decided by whoever submitted their recruitment form first.
Thanks,
Joey