Lots of exciting things happened last month. We’ve been so busy there’s barely been time to catch you up — and that doesn’t include another surprise that will launch within the next week (stay tuned!). But first — here’s a message of appreciation from The Cure Map filmmakers (Kelsey Peterson & Maddy Brown).
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Hey everybody!
Well, The Cure Map continues full steam ahead. Our fundraiser, Framing the Silver Lining, reached its goal of $20,000!
An unforgettable evening that not only brings us one step closer to our post-production budget, but builds invaluable momentum as well.
We were very lucky to have had a team of all-star players who made this all possible, people whose hearts and minds leave a mark on our Map. Dr. David Darrow briefly shared his efforts with the E-Stand trial here in Minneapolis, but graciously took more time to speak to the influence that both The Cure Map — and we as the SCI community — have on him as a researcher. It takes a village!
U2FP’s very own Matthew Rodreick emceed the event, leading our guests through The Cure Map’s mission and vision, and illuminating our exciting advocacy efforts with U2FP. Thank you, Matthew, for wearing your heart on your sleeve, asking the hard questions and challenging the status quo. We can’t say it enough, we wouldn’t be here without the support of so many people in our lives. This is truly a grassroots production and we’re darn proud of it. You ground us, inspire us, and fuel us. We just hope we can do for you what you have done for us. We plan on it. Stay tuned…
Best,
Kelsey & Maddy
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @thecuremap
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And speaking of grassroots efforts and challenging the status quo, I joined an energized group of advocates in Pennsylvania to make a push in support of our Bill to fund SCI research.
I know I’ve said it before, but I’m going to keep saying it: The SCI community needs to be at the table where decisions are being made about research that is working to provide curative interventions.
That’s what our Bill (Senate Bill #31) is about. It’s not simply to raise money, but rather to be more directive in setting priorities and holding the research enterprise accountable to our priorities, towards collaborative efforts and towards research that seeks to change the nature and course of chronic SCI.
Please consider making a few calls this week to ask the following Pennsylvania State Senators to include our Bill — the Spinal Cord Injury Research Bill (SB#31) — in the budget and tell them why. It matters, and we need to make our voices heard.
These are the priority committee members we NEED to contact:
Sen. Browne: (Chair) (717) 787–1349
Sen. Hughes: (Minority Chair) (717) 787–7112
Sen. Corman: (Ex-Officio) (717) 787–1377
Sen. Scavello: (717) 787–6123
Sen. Schwank: (Minority Vice Chair) (717) 787–8925
Sen. Leach: (717) 787–5544
Sen. Tartaglione: (717) 787–1141
Then, if you’re feeling like a superhero (which would be the correct frame of mind!) after that first round of calls, and want to take it the extra mile — give the other key members of the Appropriations Committee a call:
Sen. Costa: (Ex-Officio) (717) 787–7683
Sen. Haywood: (717) 787–1427
Sen. Scarnati: (Ex-Officio) (717) 787–7084
Sen. Baker: (717) 787–7428
Sen. Martin: (717) 787–6535
If you’re on Facebook please like U2FP’s page so you can follow our progress and like the PA Cure Advocacy Network page, so you can follow the progress there as well.
And lastly, consider joining our other monthly donors to Fuel The Journey. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover, and we can’t do it without you!
Join us,
Matthew Rodreick
Executive Director, U2FP
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