Reflections on EDC Nat'l Lobby Day

Dear friends and supporters of the Eating Disorders Coalition,

EDC Advocates --working to pass the FREED Act!

In some ways EDC National Lobby Day resembles a wedding celebration. Months and months go into preparing for one day of celebration, details are stressed over, excitement builds, and then the day you’ve been planning for is over and your friends depart and go back to their respective ‘every-day’ lives. And like a wedding, when EDC National Lobby Day is over and advocates depart, they leave with a fire in their hearts, forever changed.

National Lobby Day events began Monday with an evening reception at the Stewart Mott House on Capitol Hill. EDC President Lisa Lilenfeld welcomed EDC Advocates and invited them to enjoy food and drink as they mingled and met new advocates, as well as greeted old friends. Midway into the reception, EDC Policy Director, Jeanine Cogan, introduced the EDC’s newest Policy Team member, Al Guida from Guide Consulting. Al invited each EDC advocate to introduce themselves and also share a few words about what brought them to DC to participate in EDC National Lobby Day. The stories shared around the room were each unique, but all connected in the heartfelt dedication as each advocate described their commitment to being part of the movement that will eliminate eating disorders. We celebrated our commitment to be advocates.

April 26, 2012: EDC National Lobby Day  -- one of best yet. The day began with Basic Training where all first time advocates came together early in the morning to learn more about what it means to be a part of EDC Lobby Day, as well as to help ease ‘nerves’ that tend to come with being on the Hill for the first time.  After Basic Training, the newly trained EDC Advocates merged with veteran EDC Advocates and we melded into one large group of impassioned and powerful voices. The message we shared with Members of Congress and their staff was that: Eating Disorders are serious; There is Hope; Congress CAN make a difference! ~

We headed over to the Capitol for a group photo and then went to the Dirksen Senate Office Building for lunch and the EDC Congressional Briefing, “The Faces of Eating Disorders: Will the Real Person with an Eating Disorder Please Stand Up”. The Congressional Briefing educated Members of Congress and their staff about the fact that eating disorders do not discriminate.  They effect people of all ages, races, ethnicities, genders, classes, sexual orientations and even political parties. Speakers were: Rachel DeYoung, a biracial woman who suffered and recovered from her eating disorder; Sarah Yeung, an immigrant from Hong Kong who developed an eating disorder once she moved to the U.S.; Tracy  Smith, a mom whose daughter Reanna died while waiting for access to treatment; and Dr. Ted Weltzin who specializes in working with men and boys who suffer from eating disorders. The stories were each powerful and left an impact. After the briefing 78 individual advocates from 22 different states, headed out to meet with their Members of Congress and staff, delivering the urgent and heartfelt message that: Eating Disorders are serious; There is Hope; Congress can make a difference by passing the Federal Response to Eliminate Eating Disorders Act (FREED Act).

EDC National Lobby Day concluded with a debrief meeting, hosted by FREED Act champion Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin’s staff. At the debrief, EDC Advocates shared stories from the day’s meetings. This was a notable EDC National Lobby Day as one advocate after another shared the news that their Member of Congress agreed to sign on to the FREED Act ! The FREED Act already has three new co-sponsors (with more to come)! We heard stories of Staff Members who attended the EDC’s Congressional Briefing and were moved to tears because of the stories shared. We heard about a Member of Congress who called an EDC advocate who wasn’t able to come to the Hill for lobby day. And we even had Members of Congress tweeting about their meetings with EDC advocates! TOGETHER WE ARE MAKING AN IMPACT!

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EDC Advocate shares her FREED sign

Eventually we had to conclude our day –feet were tired, bellies were hungry, and advocates were in need of rest and reflection. After many hugs, we departed the Hill, ending another EDC National Lobby Day, forever changed. And though we are no longer in person with one another, we remain a collective voice, as afterall we are the Eating Disorders COALITION. As an individual advocate, you are a member of the Coalition and you are now part of a collective voice and movement on the Hill; you are now a part of the movement that will change policy at the Federal level –a daunting task that is only possible because of you. As a member of the Coalition, you now have a way to use your voice in an organized way that will help you fight back against the many insidious ways an eating disorder might have impacted your life. As a member of the Coalition, you are part of a family of advocates who support you, and who are here to help you make a difference in the way eating disorders are addressed in our country. Each of you is a special part of a circle of hope and action, of a meaningful and powerful coalition – and your advocacy need not end simply because EDC National Lobby Day has concluded. ~ We encourage you to stay involved with us: go to the EDC website and sign-up to receive email Action Alerts; friend us on Facebook; send in your picture with your “I stand for the FREED Act because….” signs to kmacdonald@eatingdisorderscoalition.org; ask your friends, family, your treatment team, etc. to participate in our “Phone in for FREED” campaign (details on our Facebook page)  -- There are many ways for you to continue using your energy, your passion and your voice until the next EDC National Lobby Day and we are happy to help you do so! ~  If any of you have blogged about your experiences, please feel free to share those with us by emailing kmacdonald@eatingdisorderscoalition.org ; feel free to post your reflections and your pictures on our Facebook page, etc. We encourage you to stay in touch!

This EDC National Lobby Day has left an indelible impact on our hearts. We are reinvigorated because of each of you who took time off from work and school, who spent your hard earned money, and who each gave of your heart to help make this EDC National Lobby Day one of our best yet.

PS: huge shout-out to all our volunteers who make EDC National Lobby Day possible, including our Team Leaders: Matt Wetsel, Eileen Binkley, Gail Schoenbach, Lisa Lilenfeld, Johanna Kandel, Jillian Lampert, Deb Mellk, Alan Duffy, Carmen Cool, and Lisa Hail; Our “boots on the ground” volunteers Emily Suttle and Rachel DeYoung who hand-delivered EDC Congressional Briefing invitations to every single office of the Senate! And thank you to EDC photographer Jim Knapp for taking pictures and posting them on the EDC Facebook page. (We encourage advocates to go to our Facebook page and tag yourself in pictures--please tag only yourself) https://www.facebook.com/EatingDisordersCoalition Finally, special thanks to the Stewart R. Mott House for hosting our reception http://www.srmfoundation.org/AboutUs.html