champion of the public’s health | communications enthusiast | framework developer | mission maximizer | solution seeker | partnership builder | human library author and trainer
If you are a social justice warrior - likely one working in a nonprofit or association - digging deep to find the energy to foster an environment that values "long-game" efforts, this post is for you. Between 2014-2020, I was employed with the Alzheimer's Association®. My title and responsibilities changed three times, but the organization's overall mission never changed. One group of constituents we served was family caregivers. We provided quality education and support in the form of free educational courses, support groups, social engagement activities, online blogs and dashboards, and more. We elevated community awareness of what caregivers face by arranging media interviews, setting up awareness days with local businesses and city/state governments, and executing fundraising events. Finally, we committed, alongside a tireless group of volunteers, to advancing state and federal legislation to better support our caregiving population. We organized groups to push through new legislation and educated elected officials on dementia care needs. That last paragraph - you know, the advocacy one - was tough work. You likely know that it can take years to get one resolution signed into law. But I was dedicated - my whole team was dedicated - to the steady, consistent work it takes to raise an issue up high enough in the air so that more people can see it, and then to nurture and educate those people to move change forward. Financial challenges among caregivers are real, and reducing financial despair matters. So we fought, spending countless hours trying to convince our elected officials that they could make a difference and proposing solutions. Unfortunately, for many years, we made very little progress getting bills signed. It was gutwrenching to keep watching all of our efforts - our calls, letters, social media posts, community organizing events, one-to-one meetings, media coverage, etc - be met with "maybe next year." In 2020, I relocated and wasn't able to keep my job. I bid farewell to those efforts, but missed the work and the people. I kept tabs - sent money to my favorite fundraisers and stayed in touch with many constituents - including a number of family caregivers. This week, I read a news article that a bill passed to give family caregivers tax credits in Nebraska. Nebraska is now only the second state in the U.S. offering this. That very bill was something our organization - the team I worked with - started planning with AARP in 2016. That's at least eight years, though likely much more, of pounding pavement and doing what is right. Eight years of "no." One signature later - finally - "yes." I'll close with a favorite quote from Claudia Kennedy: "Everything a person does or does not do has an effect on our society. People have to ask themselves which side they want to be on - the side of change or the side of inaction." People are counting on you. Keep going. Your efforts matter. (Me at Nebraska State Capitol, 2019)
#ENDALZ 💜
Love this!!!! Thank you so much for your efforts, and for taking the time to share this story 💜
champion of the public’s health | communications enthusiast | framework developer | mission maximizer | solution seeker | partnership builder | human library author and trainer
4moTerry S., Clayton Freeman, Sharon Stephens, Erinn Drouin, Melanie Roberts, Mark Feit, Jen Beck, Angel Horton Frank, + many, many others = delayed celebration! :) We did it. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/04/24/nebraska-caregiver-tax-credit/73072678007/