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| SLA Phil Moilanen Starting Lobby Day |
Last week, ACS CAN and its volunteers took Lansing by storm
with its annual Lobby Day at the Michigan Captiol. Cancer and tobacco prevention
funding was on the minds of the volunteers and staff who took part in the
annual event. ACS CAN had a total of 86 volunteers and staff from across the
state made the trip to Lansing to speak with their lawmakers.
This year, our main speaker was Dr. Eden Wells from the Michigan
Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Wells laid the foundation for the
meetings with lawmakers that were slated to happen later that day with her
presentation on the epidemiology of cancer throughout Michigan.
Lung cancer still continues to be the number-one killer in
Michigan when it comes to cancer. Smoked tobacco usage rates continue to fall
in Michigan, but with the introduction of e-cigarettes, the trend is shifting
from smoked to "vaping." The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) also
reported that teenagers’ use of e-cigarettes has risen over the past few years.
This is causing young people to become addicted to nicotine and move on to
other tobacco products.
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| Jennifer Varner with Matt Phelan with her Volunteer of the Year Award |
Now it was time to know why we were in Lansing. Sarah Pagano, a
cancer survivor, shared her story with the group, bringing perspective on why our
work was so needed. Sarah's story of strength brought an electricity to the
room, charging up those who were going to be talking to lawmakers that day.
Following Sarah’s remarks, we awarded our Volunteer of the Year
Award to Jennifer Varner, an ACT lead from Freeland. Jennifer has worked
tirelessly to further the mission of ACS CAN and the fight against cancer. It
was only fitting that she would receive the award this year.
Now armed with information, our volunteers were ready for the
House members to join them for lunch. Lawmakers and staff filled the room to
hear volunteers’ personal cancer stories and why the Legislature needed to
prioritize the fight against this disease. . There was support from many House
members for the increase in funding for the cancer and tobacco prevention
programs in Michigan.
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| ACS CAN Volunteer Jay Kalisky with Rep. Michael McCready |
From there, ACS CAN members met with senators and their staff to
talk about the need for cancer and tobacco prevention funding. Afterward, we met
back at the Capitol to rally around why we were in Lansing that day. Joining us
was Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley. He was there on behalf of the governor to
support our efforts in raising the bar for cancer prevention and discuss the
importance being actively engaged in the legislative process.
At the end of the day, we had an opportunity to present the ACS
CAN Distinguished
Advocacy Award to Governor Snyder in his office. Since the governor
was not able to attend the rally, he asked that we stop by for a quick chat in
his office and to take a photo of the group with him receiving the award.
Governor Snyder has been a great champion for ACS CAN by supporting the Healthy
Michigan Plan, restoring cancer prevention funding in his budget this year and
vetoing the tobacco industry's attempt to classify e-cigarettes as something other
than a tobacco product.
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| Group photo with Lt. Governor Calley after the rally. |
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| ACS CAN presents our Distinguished Advocate Award to Governor Rick Snyder |
Wrapping up the day, many approached us and explained how they
truly enjoyed Lobby Day this year and felt it was extremely effective. We have
already seen the positive effects with many lawmakers talking about cancer and tobacco
prevention in Michigan.
Thank you to all of those who made the trip the Lansing to speak
to your lawmakers! Your voice made a difference in the fight against cancer.
Remember that there is still more to do. Contact us or watch for e-mails
talking about coffee hours, or set up meetings in your hometown to meet with
your lawmakers. We need to continue to keep cancer prevention on the forefront lawmakers’
minds.
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