During State Action Planning Workshops at NBCC's 2012 Annual Advocate Summit, participants received hands-on training to develop a Breast Cancer Deadline 2020® state blueprint for the coming year. Each blueprint focused on two main goals: getting signatures on our Petition to the President and increasing the number of organizations that endorse our deadline to end breast cancer by the end of the decade. You can still get involved and do your part to reach the deadline, even if you didn't attend the Summit. Please contact our Field Department to find out how.
We will deliver the petition signatures on Inauguration Day. That leaves us less than six months to reach our goal of 290,000 signatures. It makes sense to leverage the focus on breast cancer during breast cancer awareness months, and the summer months are an excellent time to make your plans for a major petition drive during October.
“Achieving our petition goal takes hard work,” said NBCC Field Director Sharon Ford Watkins. “But our advocates—even those who were not at the Summit—are taking a variety of approaches to reach their goals.”
Nancy Ryan, NBCC Advocate and New Hampshire Field Coordinator, recently reported that she has found great success getting signatures on the petition by attending her local area farmers’ market. “It’s a natural crowd,” she said. “Especially during the summer months, people are more relaxed and open to having a conversation about our petition in that environment.”
Christine Carpenter, NBCC Board Member, Advocate and Iowa Field Coordinator, said she finds having a sound bite firmly set in her mind works best. “I go into locations with a ready-made ask,” she said. “Usually I say, ‘Will you please sign a petition to the President asking him to make the end of breast cancer a national priority,’ and people often say yes.”
The advocates in Illinois have taken their State Action Plan social to support another of NBCC’s priorities, the Accelerating the End of Breast Cancer Act. Immediately following the Summit, the Illinois contingent, End Breast Cancer IL, launched a robust social media campaign to urge all of their Representatives to co-sponsor the bill in the House (HR 3067). Similar legislation was introduced in the US Senate in May (S. 3237).
You can read the steps they have taken to initiate their social media campaign strategy on NBCC’s blog so you can start your own state-wide social media campaign and apply it to the petition effort. Or, develop your own ideas get more signatures on our Presidential Petition. Download and print out the petition now. All signed petitions must be received by NBCC no later than December 15.
On June 28, the Supreme Court affirmed the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC), which has made access to quality health care for all a top legislative priority for many years, applauded the Court’s decision, calling it a victory for breast cancer survivors and all those at risk of the disease.
While not perfect, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) offers true protection from many of the shortcomings of the health care system and marks an important step forward toward quality health care for all. Access to quality health care is vital in order to reach the Breast Cancer Deadline 2020® goal of ending breast cancer by January 1, 2020.
In light of the Court’s decision, many breast cancer survivors have asked what the ACA means to them. Here’s what you need to know:
It also means that patients will continue to have a voice in the process. Under the ACA, educated health care consumers will have an opportunity to play a role in a range of decision-making bodies implementing health care reform.
For more information, read the Health Care Law Fact Sheet and the Health Care Law Q&A.
More than 150 organizations have endorsed Breast Cancer Deadline 2020® publicly. Join the movement. Invite other grassroots organizations and networks to show their support.
Endorse Breast Cancer Deadline 2020® Now
Getting your community involved to raise funds for NBCC is a great way to show your support for Breast Cancer Deadline 2020®.
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