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From the ALSA Advocacy Department --


Urge Congress to Join Our Fight for a Treatment

Take Action!
Continue Funding for the Peer Reviewed ALS Research Program at the Department of Defense

We need your help today to continue critical ALS research taking place at the Department of Defense. Please ask your Senators and U.S. Representatives to request that the Appropriations Committee provide $5 million in funding for the ALS Research Program at the Department of Defense (DOD).
BackgroundThanks to the efforts of The ALS Association and advocates across the country, last year, the Department of Defense provided $5 million to establish the peer reviewed ALS Research Program (ALSRP). The program is the only ALS specific research program supported by the DOD. And unlike many other federal research efforts, which focus on basic science, the ALSRP is promoting translational research with the specific goal of finding new treatments for the disease. In fact, the ALSRP is modeled after The ALS Association's TREAT ALS initiative (Translational Research Advancing Therapy for ALS).
Since this year's budget process began in February, The ALS Association has continued to reach out and meet with Members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committee to request support for the ALSRP in FY 2009. However, your grassroots outreach is now needed as the Appropriations process moves forward.
Contact Congress TODAY!Please contact Congress TODAY! It is essential that your Senators and U.S. Representative know how important this program is to our military men and women and to the entire ALS community in your state. A letter you can send is available in the Advocacy Action Center of our website. The letter also includes a sample letter your Members of Congress can send to the Appropriations Committee in support of the ALSRP. The deadline for sending this letter is Friday, March 15. So please contact Congress today.
Make ALS a PriorityIt is absolutely critical that you contact Congress TODAY. Over the coming weeks, Congress will make key decisions on which programs to fund next year and they will be bombarded with many funding requests which are competing for limited dollars. In fact, several other organizations have followed our lead and, this year, are requesting funding to start their own programs at the DOD. Therefore, we need to make sure our message is heard loud and clear. We need to make sure that funding for ALS research is a priority!
Please contact Congress TODAY!
Thank you for your continued advocacy. Together, we are making a difference!
If you have any questions or would like additional information, please contact The ALS Association Advocacy Department at advocacy@alsa-national.org or toll free at 1-877-444-ALSA.