Please join the Minnesota Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (MOFAS) for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Day at the Capitol on Tuesday, March 7, 2017. Advocates from across the state will gather at the Christ Lutheran Church on Capitol Hill, 105 University Ave W, St Paul, MN 55155 to learn about the importance of speaking up for FASD issues. Speakers will provide information on how to effectively advocate and tell your story. You will have the opportunity to dig deeper into the proposed legislation that will affect the FASD community.
Details
When: Tuesday, March 7, 2017
Time: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Where: Christ Lutheran Church on Capitol Hill, 105 University Ave W, St Paul, MN 55155
Cost: Free
Agenda
A number of key legislators have been invited to speak. Following the training and rally at the church, we will be scheduling individual appointments with your legislators. The church is within walking distance to the State Office Building and Minnesota Senate Building where the appointments will be held.
Transportation and Parking
We encourage you to consider taking the METRO Green Line light rail to the Capitol area. The train stop for the Capitol drops you off right in front of the church. If you are driving, please use either on-street parking where it is allowed, or the Bethesda Hospital parking ramp on Park Street, one block north of University Avenue. Click here for more parking information.
Schedule
9 a.m. Registration at Christ Lutheran Church on Capitol Hill
Arrive at the Christ Lutheran Church on Capitol Hill, 105 University Ave W, St Paul, MN 55155. Once you get to the meeting room in the church, we will register you for the day. You will receive a free FASD Day at the Capitol t-shirt. You will also receive a packet with factsheets on the legislation we are supporting, and information about your individual appointments with legislators. There will be time to review your packet. MOFAS staff will be on hand to answer any questions. This will also be a great opportunity to network, make new friends and reconnect with old friends! Coffee and light snacks will also be available.
9:30 – 11:30 a.m. Advocacy Training & Rally
The rally and training will take place during this time. You will hear from key legislators, inspiring advocates who will tell us why our involvement matters, and organizers who will teach us how to be effective when meeting with our legislators. There will be time to practice telling our stories and advocating for legislation.
11:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. Individual Appointments with Legislators
We are scheduling appointments for you with your elected officials. Since the Capitol building is closed due to renovation, all the meetings with your legislators will be in the State Office Building (SOB) and the Minnesota Senate Building (MSB). MOFAS staff will be on hand to get you to your appointments if you need help navigating. We will provide all the materials you will need and please “leave behind” copies to share with your Senator and Representative during your scheduled appointments.
noon – 3:30 p.m. Lunch & De-brief
When you are done with your appointments we ask you to come back to the church and let us know how your appointments went! To build this movement we need your input and ideas on who is ready and willing to work with us. We will have notecards for you to write thank you notes that we will deliver to your legislators, and we will be serving pizza! So please plan on returning to the church to de-brief.
Social
Follow MOFAS on Twitter to get the latest updates. Tag MOFAS and tweet us your photos using #FASDadvocate and @MOFAS_049. Show your support to the FASD community.
Food
If you want something besides pizza for lunch there is a great cafeteria in the Transportation building and a McDonald’s a couple blocks down from the church.
Preparing for Your Meetings
Meeting with elected officials can be intimidating but it shouldn’t be! Your elected officials represent YOU. They are your voice in the legislature and they need to hear from you and the FASD community on why this issue is so important. Many legislators don’t know much about the topic, and so you can be a valuable resource to them.
We will have factsheets to share with your Representative or Senator. During the training we will encourage you to select one piece of legislation to focus on during your meeting.
During your meeting, you will briefly introduce yourself and share why you are there. (Example: My name is Anna Advocate and I live in Avery, MN. I am here today for FASD Day at the Capitol. FASD matters to me because I have two children with FASD.) Ask the legislator if they are familiar with FASD and if they are not, share a couple of powerful facts from your factsheet. Then ask them if they will specifically support the legislation form one of the factsheets. Leave behind all of the sheets. Thank them for their time.
Thank you! We are very grateful that you have stepped up to become part of the FASD advocacy movement. You are making a difference.
Questions
For questions, please contact Sara Messelt or 651-917-2370.