Making Prostate Cancer History in Virginia!

*** The Winter Newsletter is now online. Click on Newsletters to read it ***

December of 2008 the four consumer reviewers (prostate cancer patients that sit on the CDMRP grant-making board) undertook a project to better understand the prostate cancer community and its response to the stagnant funding of the program. After extensive research the consumer reviewers were convinced of the need for a community-wide approach to solving the prostate cancer research funding crisis. At the start of 2009, Alvin Chin from the Virginia Prostate Cancer Coalition and one of the reviewers mentioned above began a concerted effort to engage the entire prostate cancer community and the effort has grown to involve more than a dozen national and state organizations.

There are a number of ways that you can support the men of Virginia and this initiative:

1. Send an email or a letter to your Senators and federal representative. We give you sample language that you can add a personal message to or that you can send as is. 

2. Review helpful tips for calling or meeting with members of Congress.

3. You can spread the word by sending emails to friends, updating your profile on social networks and more.

Below is the message that Dick Gillespie, Chairman of the Virginia Prostate Cancer Coalition has been sending to his friends that you can use a model.

"My name is Dick Gillespie and we need your help.  

Right now, all members from various prostate cancer advocacy groups are being asked to contact their local legislators.  The Virginia Prostate Cancer Coalition is participating with more than a dozen national and state organizations to engage men and women to get involved as citizens to educate their legislators about the need for additional funding in DoD's FY 2010 CDMRP prostate cancer research program We have some 50 volunteers in our Virginia Prostate Cancer Coalition who are writing their legislators, asking them to sign onto "Dear Colleague" letter that is or will shortly be circulating to increasing funding to $125 million for DOD's FY 2010 Prostate cancer research program. We want to get the maximum number of supporters possible. We need your help.

We also ask that volunteers try and visit each congressman's local office while legislators are home for the presidential long weekend (Feb 16-20) or during the Spring Break recess April 6 - April 17. A visit is the most effective way to get the information into the legislator’s office.  

Pass on this information to your friends, family, and people on your email lists and ask them to get involved. The breast cancer community can get thousands of people to write, call or visit their legislators when there is an important issue. Let’s show our legislators that we care just as much.  

Our VPCC website(www.vapcacoalition.org) and the website of the coalition of prostate cancer group (www.fundresearchnow.org) will help you with information that will help make getting involved easy. An email will only take a few minutes to send".

Other VPCC board members are available to answer any questions you may have, Kathy Meade (Vice Chairman kmeadeorg@aec225.com ), and Fred Gersh (fmgersh@cox.net). 

Below is a sample letter you can use:

Dear _______

Please support $125 million for FY 2010 for the Prostate Cancer Research Program (PCRP) of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program at the Department of Defense. This program is crucial for winning the battle against this devastating disease that is affecting American men and their families. You can join the fight against prostate cancer by signing a Dear Colleague letter to the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee that is circulating now.

In 2008, more than 28,000 American men died from prostate cancer—that’s one death every 18 minutes. In fact, it’s the leading cause of cancer among men: a non-smoking man is more likely to develop prostate cancer than he is to develop colon, bladder, melanoma, lymphoma and kidney cancer combined.

(Add a statement about your personal interest in prostate cancer and why you care here.)

In an economy where poor business decisions have cost taxpayers billions of dollars, a program at the Department of Defense is giving hope to the millions of men suffering with prostate cancer. The Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP) for prostate cancer is on the cutting-edge of research. Congress needs to reward efficiency, effectiveness, innovation and accountability with the full funding needed by this CDMRP program.

I believe that your commitment to increasing prostate cancer research funding will help lead to treatment breakthroughs and, ultimately, a cure.

I appreciate your attention to my request and thank you in advance for your support. I look forward to hearing back from you regarding your efforts to support the battle against cancer.

Sincerely

________

For addition information that may help you understand better the funding needs at the Department of Defense CDMRP program go to the FAQ’s page.