Dear Good Shepherd Advocates:

Congress is in recess this week, with many of the legislators home for Presidents Day.  But if you thought that meant you wouldn’t hear from us at National Advocacy, think again!  The Congressional staff members are still hard at work, and your calls can make a difference.

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

As people associated with the Good Shepherd spirituality, we are all passionate about the promotion of women and girls The National Network to End Domestic Violence has given us a quick and easy way to make our voices heard by sponsoring a toll free line to contact your member of Congress and let your Representatives know that the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), and the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) are all extremely important pieces of legislation that are effectively addressing the heinous prevalence of violence against women.

We have been trying to keep you informed about the budget process, and this is an excellent example of why. If programs aren’t funded, it doesn’t matter that they are passed into law.  The President’s Budget cuts these programs drastically, making them practically nonexistent.  Congress needs to know that these programs work and are necessary.

ACTION ALERT

Call 1-888-256-7413 as soon as possible and ask for your Member of Congress.  Tell the receptionist (often an intern) that you would like to leave a message for your Member of Congress: 

      *   "Hello, my name is ____and I am a constituent, from (include your state and town or zip____)."

      *   "In the Fiscal Year '09 Congressional Budget, I urge you to:

           --   Fully fund the Violence Against Women Act and the Family Violence
Prevention and Services Act;

           --   Raise the Victims of Crime Act Fund Cap to $717 million; and

           --   Protect the Victims of Crime Act from elimination." 

     *   "Thank you."

This whole call should take less than 5 minutes, so please don’t put it off!   Congress needs to hear from you as soon as possible, and this toll free line won’t be available for long.  Thank you to the NNEDV for sponsoring the line!

ADVOCACY “101”

If you can’t remember the names of your Members of Congress, don’t fret, but don’t use it as an excuse.  At the bottom of the “Take Action Now” page of our website,  there is a nifty little feature where you just type in your zip code and it tells you more than you ever needed to know. 

Also, have you checked out all of the sample letters on various topics of interest  to Good Shepherd legislative priorities?

DON’T FORGET – REFLECTIONS for LENT are available on the website.