At the national level, congressional representatives receive thousands of letters, emails, and phone calls weekly from their constituents. The lawmakers want and really need to receive commentaries and ideas from people like you and me. To manage their high workload, national legislators assign dedicated staff that collect, classify and respond to constituent messages.

State legislators have fewer assistants to handle constituent correspondence and calls. They often put more personal effort or use resources from their own businesses to support their legislative work.

At all levels, messages sent to elected officials are meant and will impact the legislators' votes. Federal, state and local officials typically use received input and opinions to weigh the importance of pending legislative decisions and budget allocation to their constituents needs and values.

Enter your ZIP code and write to your Federal or State Elected Officials with one click, or just go to the individual pages.

Send an Advocacy Xpress Message and have your letters printed and hand-delivered to the Capitol Hill office of your Representative and/or Senators.

It is vital for women with LAM that your letters be most effective. Below are some useful guidelines in writing the letters:

Use proper forms of address when writing to any government official and make sure their complete name is spelled correctly.

Use personalized letterhead if the letter comes from your organization or group.

Identify yourself as a constituent at the beginning of the letter and specify the state, district, and city or county in which you are a voter.

Present yourself from within the community. Inform your elected official if you are affiliated in any way with a local support group, a non-profit organization, chapter or other constituents support forums. it is important for your lawmaker to understand that your message comes from a community leader and influential organizer.

State your purpose for writing in the first paragraph. Clearly state that your issue is more medical research to find a cure for LAM, and the position or action you urge the legislator to take.

Be brief. Focus on one subject or propose only one initiative per letter. Try to keep the letter to one page if typewritten and two pages if it is handwritten.

Impress with your letter. Avoid the look and feel of an official letter. Use your personal style and explain how LAM affects you, your family, or friends in your community. Personalized letters have a higher impact on decision makers. Real stories about people you know - especially constituents - make a strong impression on legislators.

Mention prior meeting with the legislator. If you have previously met with the representative, mention it in your letter.

Always ask for a response. Seek a commitment from your legislators on your issue. Urge them to champion, co-sponsor, support, oppose, refuse, or take some other action with respect to your request, and ask that they explain their position to you.

Be reasonable and courteous. A lawmaker will not always support your views. If this happens, agree to disagree - that legislator might support you later on a different initiative that benefits medical research and women with LAM.

Be appreciative. Thank lawmakers for their attention to your issue and for their consideration of your views. When an elected official helps you on some matter, be sure to follow up with a thank you note.

We value inclusiveness.
Hope is vital for women with LAM.

Join IN and Take ACTION!