**Please note the date for Lobby Day has been changed to May 7, 2024**
Join Us in Columbus on Wednesday, May 7th for Lobby Day!
Together, we have the power to affect policies that impact the lives of our community. Each year, Adoption Network Cleveland volunteers and staff travel in teams to lobby our state representatives and senators, both freshman and veterans alike. We set Tuesday, May 7th as our 2024 Lobby Day! Volunteers will advocate for our public policy agenda, deliver materials, and give attention getting gifts of branded candy.
Can you spend April 10th in Columbus with us?
Do you want your voice to be heard on these issues? Do you have an interest in learning how government operates? How about putting political advocate on your resume? If you answered yes to any of these, then we want you to volunteer! Up to 30 volunteers are needed in Columbus for a full day of advocacy and outreach. Our day will go from 9:30 AM to 3 PM, lunch will be provided.
Worried about not knowing what to say? Never fear! Adoption Network Cleveland will provide training on issues and talking points, and you will work in groups of two or three while meeting the legislators. Can’t make it to Columbus? We have a job for you too! We need help with pre-event preparations too.
If you are interested in volunteering in any capacity, please email board member and Public Policy Committee Chair Lindsay Domingo at Lindsay.Domingo@Swagelok.com with a copy to Betsie Norris at betsie.norris@adoptionnetwork.org, by March 15th. After you sign up, we will reach out to you with specifics.
This is a perfect opportunity to get involved, discover and/or learn new skills, and make a difference! Training is provided to all. Consider donating your time and talent to benefit our collective network before or on Lobby Day. Our 2023 Lobby Day was extremely successful. Our volunteer teams met in person with about 50 key House and Senate offices (legislators and their staff). This year, we hope to match or exceed our 2023 reach. To do this, we need YOU! Please sign up by March 15th.
About Lobby Day
Lobby Day is critical as it provides a unique and effective way to discuss issues that impact the communities we serve with the people who have the power to fix them. It’s not just important for us; it’s needed by our government representatives as well. The 135th Ohio State General Assembly is underway, and we continue to make our voice heard.
It is our civic responsibility to speak up. It is our representative government’s responsibility to listen. All parties want to see better outcomes, and our state elected officials rely on the communities’ voices for information, feedback, and support on what works and what does not. In fact, it was our 2012 Lobby Day meeting with State Senator Bill Beagle’s staff that got him interested in sponsoring Ohio Senate Bill 23, which passed in 2013 and created access to their birth records for 400,000 Ohio adoptees with previously closed records. We always have our ear to the ground to discover who in our state legislature has a personal connection with and/or passion for our mission.
Our Public Policy Agenda
On this year’s Lobby Day, we will focus on key elements of our Public Policy Agenda during our visits. These will include:
- Promoting specific ethical and equitable practices in adoption and child welfare
- Promoting truth and transparency in donor conception and adoption
- Fostering sibling connections
