I made a promise I have to keep

Posted by: Barbara Collura at April 4, 2012
Category: Federal and State legislation

Barbara Collura

As Executive Director of RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, I have the honor to represent the organization and the entire infertility community at many high profile places. I’ve been to the White House, been on the TODAY Show, and even had dinner with Sherri Shepherd.

But I have a secret. My favorite place to represent the infertility community is on Capitol Hill, the nerve center of democracy.

Travel Tips:

Last week I was sharing with the staff of seven different Congressional offices all the wonderful benefits of the Family Act, a bill that would create a tax credit for the out-of-pocket expenses associated with IVF. In the middle of my presentation one of the staff members stopped me and said :

“With all due respect Barb, I know RESOLVE wants this bill passed. But my boss (a U.S. Senator) cannot sponsor something his constituents don’t support.”

I told him the infertility community wants the Family Act to pass. I told him that the infertility community wants a financial break from having to pay out of pocket for their medical expenses .

And I promised him that every member of the House and Senate would hear from their constituents.

Please don’t let me break my promise. Register today for RESOLVE’s Advocacy Day, Wednesday, April 25 in Washington, D.C.

Things you should know:

RESOLVE will make all of your Congressional appointments on your behalf.
RESOLVE will offer training before the event and the morning of Advocacy Day. We will also provide you with all the materials you need for your meetings.
You will NOT go to your meetings alone. Even if you don’t come with someone else, we will pair you with others from your state, another advocate, or a RESOLVE staff member.
RESOLVE will send you information on the logistics, travel tips, and other information to make your trip stress-free.
You WILL make a difference. Members of Congress are asked to support many bills each year. They want to know what issues are important to the residents in their home state and district. If they don’t hear from you they won’t know how important the Family Act is.
Even if you won’t directly benefit from the Family Act, you are part of this community and you can “pay it forward” by helping the next person diagnosed with infertility.

I really hope I don’t have to break my promise to this Senator and so many other members of Congress who want to support this bill, but aren’t sure if their constituents care.

You may register to come to Advocacy Day by yourself, but I promise YOU, you will not be alone.

Barbara Collura is the Executive Director for RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association. She can be reached at bcollura@resolve.org or 703.556.7172.