Fight Colorectal Cancer Advocates at the 2010 OVAC Training (not pictured - Regan Weaver)

Each year, the members of OVAC bring advocates to DC to participate in a lobby day focused on appropriations for federally-funded cancer programs.

Last year, several Fight Colorectal Cancer advocates came to DC to participate in the 2010 OVAC lobby day. Read about what they accomplished.

Please consider participating in the 2011 OVAC lobby day. In the current fiscal environment, every voice in support of federal funding for cancer programs makes a difference!

The 2011 OVAC lobby day is May 23-24.  The registration web site is now open at https://www.seeuthere.com/ACS/OVACLobbyDay2011.  The registration deadline is April 22, 2011.

If you have any questions about registration, please contact Rebekah Kuschmider at info@ovaconline.org.

C3′s Grassroots Action Committee Chair Pam Seijo, Grassroots Action Committee Members Florence Kurttila, Arlene Murphy, and Ed Murphy, along with C3 advocates Patti Hollenback, Cindy Robinson, and Regan Weaver are all participating in the annual One Voice Against Cancer (OVAC) Lobby Day.

Follow us on Twitter @FightCRCAdvocacy for the latest updates from the hill.

During their meetings today, C3 advocates will be asking Congress to support the following funding requests for fiscal year 2011:

• $35.2 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
• $5.79 billion for National Cancer Institute (NCI)
• $240 million for the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD)
• $601 million for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cancer programs
• $50 million for CDC’s National Comprehensive Cancer Control Program
• $50 million for CDC’s Colorectal Cancer Screening, Education & Outreach Initiative
• $65 million for CDC’s National Program of Cancer Registries
• $2.857 billion for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

This year we have a unique opportunity to demonstrate the tremendous advances made in the fight against cancer thanks to recent increases in federal funding and urging Congress to build on this progress.  Want to help us?  Register today as a C3 advocate and we will keep you posted on future opportunities to make your voice heard in the fight against colorectal cancer.

C3′s Grassroots Action Committee Chair Pam Seijo, Grassroots Action Committee Members Florence Kurttila, Arlene Murphy, and Ed Murphy, along with C3 advocates Patti Hollenback, Cindy Robinson, and Regan Weaver will be heading to Capitol Hill tomorrow to talk to Congress about the importance of increasing federal funding for cancer research and cancer control programs.

Today, the advocates will be getting advice from former Representative Bud Cramer and from a number of Congressional health staff, including:

• Anne Morris, Professional Staff, House Committee on Energy and Commerce
• Jeremy Sharp, Legislative Director, Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT)
• Adrienne Hallett, Professional Staff, Senate Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services

The training the advocates receive today will get them ready to take on Congress tomorrow during meetings with their Senators and Representatives.  C3 is participating in the OVAC Lobby Day along with numerous other cancer advocacy groups.  Interested in learning more about the OVAC coalition?  Check out their website.

Important Dates:

• May 12, 2010 – Last day to submit scholarship application
• May 24, 2010 – Last day to register for OVAC Lobby Day
• May 24, 2010 – Last day to reserve a hotel room at the special OVAC rate
• June 16, 2010 – Lobby Day begins at 12:00 PM
• June 17, 2010 – Lobby Day ends at 5:00 PM

Location: The Liaison Capitol Hill Hotel (415 New Jersey Avenue NW, Washington, DC  20001)

OVAC has negotiated a discounted room rate of $269 a night at the The Liaison Capitol Hill hotel, and all training sessions will be held at this hotel.

Register today for the OVAC Lobby Day.

During the Lobby Day, you will be going to the hill to ask Members of Congress to support increased funding for cancer research.  Specifically, you will be asking Members to support the following funding requests:

• National Institutes of Health (NIH) – $35.2 billion ($4.2 billion (13.5%) over FY 2010)
• National Cancer Institute (NCI) – $5.79 billion ($691 million (13.5%) over FY 2010)
• National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD) – $240 million ($29 million (13.5%) over FY 2010)
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Cancer Prevention and Control (CDC) – $601 million ($126 million (26%) over FY 2010)
• CDC’s National Comprehensive Cancer Control Program – $50 million ($29 million over FY 2010)
• CDC’s National Program of Cancer Registries – $65 million ($14 million over FY 2010)
• CDC’s Colorectal Cancer Screening, Education & Outreach Initiative – $50 million ($5 million over FY 2010)
• Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – $2.857 billion ($500 million (21%) over FY 2010)

This year we have a unique opportunity to demonstrate the tremendous advances made in the fight against cancer thanks to recent increases in federal funding and urging Congress to build on this progress.  Register today to let your voice be heard regarding the importance of increased funding for cancer research.

Register today for the OVAC Lobby Day.

The registration deadline is May 24, 2010.  When you register, you will be asked to select a participant type.  You should select “OVAC Partners” and be sure to identify yourself as a C3 advocate.  If you have any problems with the registration form, or would like additional information about the OVAC Lobby Day please contact Catherine Knowles at Catherine.Knowles@FightCRC.org.

“Since FY 2003, NIH and NCI have received flat funding or been cut. Research progress has been significantly hindered, and NIH and NCI have been forced to make painful cuts to ongoing research projects, including the delay and scaling back of clinical trials and research for currently under-researched and deadly cancers such as cancers of the colon and rectum, pancreas, lung, ovarian, and brain. The additional $400 million would be an infusion of support for institutions across the country, supporting as many as 700 new research grants.”

On Wednesday, June 4, One Voice Against Cancer (OVAC) sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi requesting that the House retain the $400 million for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that was included in the Senate’s version of the supplemental appropriations bill (HR 2642).

As a member of OVAC, C3 is urging everyone to contact their Member of Congress and ask them to support HR 2642. Click here to find your elected official’s contact information.