Thank you for being a Parkinson's Policy Ambassador. Your dedication and time could help us find a cure for Parkinson's.
As you know, public policy is a crucial element in finding better treatments and a cure for Parkinson's disease (PD). Grassroots citizen advocates are critical to The Michael J. Fox Foundation's (MJFF) policy program, and as an Ambassador, you play the most important role.
As an Ambassador, you commit to building strong relationships with your members of Congress and to advocate on behalf of Parkinson's community policy priorities. (For a refresher on our policy priorities, visit this page.) You will work to ensure that Congress is aware of the policy needs of the Parkinson's disease community, and responds to those needs. You will also assist in making the PD community aware of how policy impacts our efforts to speed a cure.
This page will serve as your primary resource as an Ambassador. Below you will find training and resources.
Trainings
Ambassador training webinars are scheduled to take place on Mondays at 3 p.m. ET. We’ll send out meeting invites with links to join each training a few weeks in advance.
Find the trainings here after so you can watch again or on demand if you missed it.
Ambassador Training Session: Reintroducing Advocacy
January 31, 2022
Parkinson's Policy Network Webinar: A Peek Behind the Curtain: How Public Policy Can Help Speed a Cure
February 24, 2022
Ambassador Training Session: Appropriations 101
March 28, 2022
Ambassador Training Session: Before, During and After a Meeting
April 25, 2022
Ambassador Training Session: How to Build Relationships Back Home
May 23, 2022
Resources
- Advocacy Toolkit
- Congress 101 (Video from the Congressional Management Foundation)
- Life in Congress: The Member Perspective (Report from the Congressional Management Foundation)
- Citizen-Centric Advocacy (Report from the Congressional Management Foundation)
- What Really Motivates Members of Congress? (Column from the Congressional Management Foundation)
Please note more resources, including policy one-pagers and state-specific fact sheets, are undergoing revisions and will be available here shortly.
-
Share Your Meeting
Two-way communication between Ambassadors and MJFF's policy team is an important part of our work. We need you to share with us any conversations that you have with members of Congress and their staff. This can help inform our plans and future communications. This form allows you to share with us directly.
-
Ambassador Role Description
As a reminder, when you agreed to be an Ambassador, you signed onto certain expectations in addition to access to additional trainings and resources.
-
Tell Us About Yourself
Want to share your story with us? Please email us at shareyourstory@michaeljfox.org.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Sarah Weissmann, MJFF Associate Director, Grassroots Engagement, at sweissmann@michaeljfox.org.