Tag Archives: arthritis advocacy summit

Connecting | More than Ever Before! Celebrating the Record Breaking 70 Platinum Ambassadors

A record number of individuals achieved the Arthritis Foundation’s highest advocacy honor in 2018 and became Platinum Ambassadors. At the 2019 Advocacy Summit, March 11-12, in Washington, DC, participants will be able to connect with the 2018 cohort of 70 Platinum Ambassadors who will be recognized for their outstanding advocacy achievements on behalf of the arthritis community. Registration for the Advocacy Summit closes on February 4 – register today! Continue reading Connecting | More than Ever Before! Celebrating the Record Breaking 70 Platinum Ambassadors

2019 Advocacy Summit

Find Your Voice & Share Your Story at the Live Yes! Advocacy Summit

Mark your calendars! This year’s Live Yes! Advocacy Summit will take place on March 11-12, 2019 in Washington, D.C. and it won’t be a success without your voices from across the country.  Join us in the nation’s capitol and share your story with policymakers to break down barriers to care for people with arthritis.

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2016 Arthritis Foundation Platinum Ambassadors

Record Number of Advocates Earn Platinum Ambassador Status

A record number of individuals have achieved the Arthritis Foundation’s highest advocacy honor in 2016 and became Platinum Ambassadors. At the 2017 Advocacy Summit, March 6-7, in Washington, DC, 41 new Platinum Ambassadors will be recognized for their outstanding advocacy accomplishments on behalf of the arthritis community.

Platinum Ambassadors are an elite group of Advocates who go above and beyond the call of duty by accomplishing a challenging list of advocacy assignments along with four bonus activities, all while raising funds to support the Foundation’s mission to conquer and cure arthritis.

“Platinum Ambassadors are the special forces of our Advocate army,” said Sandie Preiss, national vice president, Advocacy & Access. “They use their voice and arthritis stories, at an elevated level of frequency and sophistication, to help knock down barriers to health care.”
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2017 Kids and Teen Advocacy Summit

More than 100 Kids and Teens to Meet with Members of Congress at Advocacy Summit

Arthritis is not just your grandparent’s disease, and at this year’s Advocacy Summit, our young participants will tell Members of Congress that kids get arthritis, too!

On March 6 and 7, more than 400 people affected by arthritis from all across the country will convene in Washington, DC, as part of the Arthritis Foundation’s 2017 Advocacy Summit.

Attendees will include an estimated 100 kids and teens who will participate in a special Kids and High School Summit track. Uniquely designed for kids/teens who are affected by juvenile arthritis and childhood rheumatic diseases, this track includes interactive activities that will empower them with the skills and confidence they need to raise awareness for the arthritis community, young and old, and help change perceptions of this disease. Then they will meet with Members of Congress, educating them about barriers to health care and motivating them to consider all people who live with arthritis when they design health care legislation.
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Arthritis 101 Congressional Briefing

Arthritis 101 and Prescription for Access – Making Sure Your Voice is Heard!

Arthritis knows no political affiliation. It affects more than 50 million adults and an estimated 300,000 kids in the U.S., regardless of where they live or for whom they voted. We want to assure you that your voice is being heard by both Republicans and Democrats, especially as lawmakers consider changes to our healthcare system.
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Arthritis Foundation Advocate Awards

Staci Penner and Graci Diggs Selected for Advocacy & Access High Honors

Staci Penner and Graci Diggs have devoted their voices, stories and wholehearted advocacy efforts to helping the arthritis community live better lives. Today, we celebrate their advocacy efforts by announcing their selection for the Arthritis Foundation’s Edward M. Kennedy Advocacy Leadership Award and Emerging Leader Award, respectively.
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Advocacy Summit Banner

Empowered Advocates of All Ages Share Their Stories at the Advocacy Summit

Anna and Graci Diggs are on their way home. And they feel pretty good.

Anna and Graci are from Tipton, Missouri, and, along with 388 other people from all parts of the country, they traveled to Washington, D.C., March 14-15, for the Arthritis Foundation’s Advocacy Summit.

“We came to Advocacy Summit because we are dealing with some issues with my daughter’s arthritis that can be changed here at the Capital,” said Anna. “So we feel it’s important that our voices be heard. Hopefully we can make a difference.”

Graci is 10-years-old and has juvenile polyarticular arthritis.

The two-day event started on Monday with welcome remarks by Ann Palmer, president and CEO of the Arthritis Foundation, who was followed by Sandie Preiss, vice president of Advocacy & Access, who introduced attendees to the advocacy program and key issues that would be discussed. Christopher Kush, CEO of the political consulting group, Soapbox, walked guests through a lively do’s and don’ts of communicating with legislators.
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Yes Flags Advocacy Summit

Finding Their Voices: Advocates Prepare for Meetings on the Hill

sophie-norah-advocate-arthritisDay 1 of the 2016 Advocacy Summit has wrapped and featured learning and training sessions ranging from mock meetings on the Hill, to ways to use social media to advocate, to sessions for advocates to learn how to begin their Capital Hill journeys. Like most attendees, April McCaslin and her daughter, Nora, and Meredith Meyer and her daughter, Sophie, are both excited and nervous for their meetings with Congress members tomorrow.

April and Nora are from East Syracuse, New York, and Meredith and Sophie are from Hilton, New York. Both kids have juvenile polyarticular arthritis and, while this is their first Arthritis Foundation Advocacy Summit, they are no strangers to Foundation activities.
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