Greetings,

This newsletter comes to you at the pinnacle of one of the most important campaigns to (hopefully) influence legislation that could change our society. We know this will be a welcomed change and we have been working hard here and across the nation to accomplish the same goal: inclusive, meaningful Health Care Reform (HCR)! It has been a roller coaster already and my gut tells me we are nowhere near done. So, stay buckled in, take a deep breath and keep your eye on the bigger picture: health insurance coverage that doesn't discriminate or mislead.

Everything we do has to count, so I have added a bonus action to this newsletter. Take a moment now or when you are done reading to click to the right and send a message to your elected officials (Kentucky, you are represented too!). 

I know you are pulled in a million directions right now: classes, reading, essays, projects, work, and various other activities not to mention the ever elusive "down time." So, with that in mind, I will keep this short and to the point. This issue of Vox E-News is aimed at keeping your spirits up and excited about HCR by sharing the numbers of activist actions from your peers from across the nation and what is still left to do. There are meetings to hold, letters to write, phone calls to make and petitions to sign. All of that, plus other days and National Awareness months to celebrate!

You certainly have your work cut out for you for the remainder of this semester, but that's what you signed up for, no? You are a campus leader, you do this because your passion to help others comes from inside you. You feel the need to make the world a better place for everybody and Planned Parenthood offers you a way to accomplish that goal (start right now by taking action below!). So, with that in mind, scour the issue for some new opportunities to intern at PPMET.

Together, we will make a better campus, county, state, region, country and world! :)

Rock on,
Jessica Dauphin

Updates on Health Care Reform Actions

• PP affiliates, combined, have made 19,287 phone and mail contacts with Congressional targets on Health Care Reform!
• Online supporters - 810 calls through the "Click to Congress" feature reaching 92 Senators to date!
• Over 140 people, including 57 clergy, from  21 affiliates in 14 states participated in the Interfaith Weekend of Action.
• Clergy members provided sermons & passed out over 900 "Faithful Community for Women's Health" pins to be worn at worship, submitted 14 LTEs and Op-eds (2 LTEs published), and gathered over 550 signatures on the Endorsement of Women's Health petition.
• Over the summer:
• 1,269 PP supporters (including 136 youth!) showed support at 127 town hall meetings with 88 members of Congress, Secretary Sebelius, VP Biden, and President Obama
• PP affiliates and supporters, including 45 youth and 14 clergy members, submitted 729 LTEs and 90 Op-Eds; 128 LTEs and 33 Op-Eds were published nationwide
• 140 PP supporters met with 30 members of Congress in 31 in-district meetings

That is some stunning, unprecedented, incredibly cooperative organizing we're doing across the country. You rock, Planned Parenthood!  Clearly, the end of recess did not mean the end of the campaign.  As Congress considers, reconsiders, discusses and argues over the issue, we need to share with them our point of view, so keep up the good work! 

Vox Summit! Late February or Early March Nashville, TN Meet an elected official & tour the state Capital. Begin your recruiting efforts now! Registration is FREE, hotel is FREE, and food is FREE! You are responsible for transportation.

Health Care Day of Action 10/20

PPFA has asked us to participate in a National Day of Action to support health care reform on Tuesday, October 20.  The goal is to show a broad range of support for health care reform at a time when the bills are likely to be debated on the House and Senate floors. Our overall theme for the Day of Action will be “Time to Deliver:  Real Reform Includes Women’s Health.”  PP objectives: 

• Participate in at least 20 Day of Action activities nationwide
  
• Engage at least 200 participants and make 600 calls to Congress
  
• Have at least 10 earned media hits
  
• Tell our story in words, pictures, and video -OPPORTUNITY KNOCKING!
  
• Have fun, reenergize our volunteers, and rally toward real reform!

Video Contest! First Campus to upload 250 names & 5 videos to VoxoftheSouth Youtube channel wins a fabulous new BANNER for their tables on campus and beyond!

 Helpful Dates for Planning

Ok, you've had enough of HCR and you want to bring focus to other issues, tnext three months are perfect opportunities to do just that! See below for a fairly detailed listing of National Awareness Months & Days as well as other chances to work with PPMET. If you have any questions, contact Jessica at 615-345-0952 or jessicad@ppmet.org.

• Breast Cancer Awareness - Susan G. Komen Foundation 

• LGTBQ History - GLBT Historical Society 

• Domestic Violence Awareness - National Coalition Against Domestic Violence

December

1 - World AIDS Day
5 - International Volunteer Day
10 - International Human Rights Day

Internship opportunities:

• Web 2.0 - Communications or Computer Science major? Are you a social networking guru? Do you Digg spending time online supporting causes? If you think you've got what it takes to bring PPMET to the next level, drop Jessica a line at 615-345-0952 to get started.
• Event Planning Workgroup - Forget the major, do you enjoy watching people have a great time at a party you planned? Do you work best in group settings? Can you meet deadlines? If this is the kind of real world experience you are in the mood for, call Jessica at 615-345-0952 to get more information.

Subject: Your Vote on Health Care Reform Matters

Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],

First, I want to thank you for your hard work on Health Care Reform. I also want to let you know how I feel about this hotly contested issue.

As a college student, I have to face the fact that I won?t be on my parent?s insurance plan for much longer. As my graduation date nears, I see a country slowly rebuilding its economy and I fear that I may not land the perfect career position with complete health care coverage. So, a public option may be the only alternative for me and thousands of my peers across the country.

In addition, I am a young woman. My health care already costs more than my male counterpart?s. Please, don't penalize me because I was born female. Make sure this legislation covers all of me.

Lastly, I heard about the newest amendment to provide more funding for abstinence-only sex education programs. While abstinence is a worthy goal, we need to recognize the reality that many youth choose to "go all the way" and they deserve medically-accurate prevention information to protect them.

Thanks for your time.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]