It’s the month of March, but looking at our schedule this month, it’s more like time to MARCH!

It’s not often I say this, but I’m exhausted. Some of my problem is that I’m seeing the tiresome trips coming up as well as those we’ve just finished. We now have a class of trips that Diane and Terrie refer to as “whirlwinds”. These are the overnighters… from Rochester to Washington, DC, overnight, and back again. 36-40 hours on the road and in the nation’s Capitol.

We had one of these whirlwinds two weeks ago. Rochester ADAPT took 45 people to Washington, DC, for the Senate Aging Committee’s hearing on long term care. I drove our accessible van on the way down, overnight. It was a fruitful trip, most noticeably securing NY’s new Senator, Kirsten Gillibrand, as a cosponsor for the Community Choice Act.

I spoke at a budget rally of about 500 people the evening that we returned (at 5:00 AM) from the DC trip. The next week, Governor Paterson was in Rochester. We mobilized a couple dozen people to attend the town hall held by the Governor and our advocates did a great job of getting time with all the politicos at the town hall. Most notably, Anita Cameron, Dean DeRusso and Brenda Parmigiano each got a couple moments with the Governor (and pictures to prove it).

Yesterday, we had one of our “normal” trips. We met at the office at 5:30 AM and loaded the bus. Our team is phenomenally experienced and hard working, so all the people, wheelchair, posters, snacks, etc, were on the bus and we left about 15 minutes ahead of schedule. We picked up three advocates in Auburn who work for Options for Independence and we arrived in Albany to meet up with advocates from Independent Living Centers around the state.

After a protest in the Governor’s lobby, aptly called the “war room”, our crew met with Joe Baker, the Governor’s Secretary for Health. We met with Senator Tom Duane, who chairs the Health Committee, then we played catch as catch can at the Assembly and Senate chambers and in the hallways. We snagged a few minutes with Senator Joe Robach, Assemblyman Joe Morelle, Assemblyman Joe Errigo and Assembly Health Chair Richard Gottfried.

6:00 PM rolled around and it was time to get back in the bus… arriving in Rochester at about 10:00 PM – again, ahead of schedule. During the ride back, Bruce got a phone call from Gottfried’s staff, notifying us that they wrote our recommended language about consumer directed programs into the state budget bill.

These trips are awesome. The power of people in doing direct action of all sorts is amazing. While we don’t have the big money, we have committed people who will do anything to selflessly change the world in which we all live. Some of us are lucky enough to collect paychecks for the work we do, but many are volunteers.

Next week, it’s back to the whirlwind. We’ll be meeting in the late evening of March 23rd to board a chartered bus to DC. It’s another 36-40 on the road, trapped in a bus with 40 of our closest friends, trying to change the world so that seniors and people with disabilities can live in their own homes… free from institutions and facilities. On March 24th, we’ll be attending en masse the introduction of the Community Choice Act (CCA) to this Congress. Senator Harkin and Representative Danny Davis are committed to making this the year we pass the CCA. And with a President and Vice-President who were cosponsors in the Senate of CCA – we’re in a good position to make it happen.

It’s great to have elected officials who appear to get it, but we, the advocates, will make this happen. So, Rochester ADAPT will have several dozens advocates at the CCA introduction to make clear to Congress that this is a big deal. Other ADAPTers will be there as well, as they were for the Senate Aging Committee hearing. ADAPTers and ILCs across the country will be listening in on a phone broadcast of the event. People will be meeting with their Representatives and educating their friends, families and strangers on the street about why we need CCA.

Following the introduction of CCA, Bruce Darling and I will be in DC for a couple days as part of the Coalition for Community Integration. We’ll be hustling the halls of Congress trying to drum up more support for CCA. We want CCA to get off to a fast and strong start this Congress

It’s March and it’s time to MARCH!