From bomalley at mhanys.org Thu Oct 21 15:51:30 2004 From: bomalley at mhanys.org (Bryan O'Malley) Date: Thu, 21 Oct 2004 15:51:30 -0400 Subject: [Timothy's Team] The fight goes on.... Message-ID: <006f01c4b7a7$5c741770$8901a8c0@MHA> As elections near, it is becoming quite evident that Timothy's Law is a hot topic around the state. Some of you may have seen the issue surface in discussions in your area. For instance, we know it has been included in Senator Breslin's campaign mailers in Albany, and both Senator Libous and his opponent, Eugene Burns have been discussing the topic in the Southern Tier. If Timothy's Law has not been included in local election discussions, it is not to late to make sure they do talk about it. If your local League of Women Voters is hosting a debate, try to attend. Often times they will accept questions from the audience. This is no place to be shy, follow the procedure outlined by the debate hosts and make sure Timothy's Law is discussed. You can also ask candidates themselves at events where they are present. Raise the issue wherever you can. If you would like to see where your candidate stands on Timothy's Law, the issue of parity was included in a recent candidate survey by the Mental Health Voter Empowerment Project, which can be accessed at www.mhanys.org.mhvep. But there is also life after elections, and we face an enormous challenge in making sure that Timothy's Law is once again brought to the fore of public discussion next year. To do this, we are planning to once again force ourselves onto the public agenda. Rally on November 18 - Stand Up For Mental Health On November 18, Timothy's Law Campaign will be holding a rally outside the Capital in Albany. This date was chosen as it is anticipated that the Senate will be back in Albany - and we are holding out hope that we can force them to act on Timothy's Law this year. We will meet at the NYS Museum at 1:00 p.m. and march across the Plaza to the Capital for a 1:30 rally. We would encourage you to try to schedule a meeting with your Senator for before or after the rally (approximately 2:30 ending). A flyer for the rally is attached and we encourage you t odistribute it widely. Additional details on the rally will be posted online at http://www.mhanys.org/timothyslaw/index.htm, as they become available. We are trying to find resources to provide for transportation and will post information on the Timothy's Law message board as it becomes available. We also encourage you to use this resource to coordinate with others that may be coming from your area. Car-pooling, finding a ride, offering a ride, nobody should come alone. Fill your car, fill your van, fill a bus. Get to Albany, and bring as many people as you can with you. The message board is available at www.timothyslaw.org. We need to show that we can not be beaten. We need to show that we will be back, for as long as it takes, until Timothy's Law is passed. We need to show that the people of this state want Timothy's Law, and that we will not rest until we get it. Please take a day and join us in Albany on November 18. Walk a Mile, or 153... While much of the rally is still being planned, one component we are sure of is the arrival of some courageous supporters. These supporters, led by Alexandra Zimmerman, have announced that they will be walking to the rally, FROM MIDDLETOWN!!! After hearing the story of Timothy O'Clair, and being able to relate it to a story of a late friend, these supporters felt compelled to take this amazing step to bring more attention to the issue, and the rally. They will go on a journey that will take them up Route 9W, through small town's and villages throughout the Hudson Valley, all as part of an effort to raise the issue of Timothy's Law. They are encouraging others to join with them for parts of the journey, and will arrive in Albany in time for the rally. They will tell the tale of their trip and you can hear firsthand the story of why these people took on this task. Because even the most hearty of us need to sleep, we are looking for businesses or individuals who live along Route 9W to house these supporters on their voyage. If you know of a business or a hotel that is along this route and would like to sponsor them by providing a room for the evening, contact Bryan O'Malley at (518) 434-0439, ext. 29, or by e-mail at bomalley at mhanys.org. Project Timmy To demonstrate that Timothy's story is resonating with everyone throughout this state, Ryan Deppa, an events planner from Olean, NY, who also happens to be a Peer Advocate with Directions in Independent Living, is putting together an album and events to help raise funds and awareness for Timothy's Law. This project is set to be a collaboration of artists and musicians committed to ensuring passage of Timothy's Law. In a unique expression of artistic vision, Ryan has spent the last few months bringing together artists and musicians from throughout the state. Ryan is currently organizing three events in the Southern Tier, and has heard of possible duplication of his idea in Watertown and Westchester. He is also working on putting together a compilation CD entitled "Sick Beats 4 Sick People". To find out more about this, or to become involved and/or contribute work, contact Ryan Deppa at rdeppa_mhadvocate at yahoo.com. And from the School of "All Politics is Local...." Another strategy TLC is moving forward with is an effort to organize local contingents of Timothy's Law supporters, in communities throughout the state, that would be willing to meet with members of the Senate and Assembly and also with county political leaders. The most effective communications with elected representatives, and those who they rely on for information, are people who live in those communities. If you, or someone you know, would be willing to participate in this way, please contact Michael Seereiter at 518-434-0439 x21 or by e-mail at mseereiter at mhanys.org. Thanks for your continued support of this issue. The O'Clair's and all of us appreciate the hard work that everyone throughout the state has put forward on this issue. Without you, the effort to pass Timothy's Law would not be where it is today. And remember, send this to friends and colleagues by entering their name in the box below. That way, they too can sign up to get future e-mails about Timothy's Law. Also, please do not reply directly to this e-mail. If you have questions, e-mail bomalley at mhanys.org. As always, Thank you, we would not be where we are without you. Refer A Friend Friend's Name: Friend's Email: Your Name: Your Email: -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bomalley at mhanys.org Thu Oct 21 16:23:19 2004 From: bomalley at mhanys.org (Bryan O'Malley) Date: Thu, 21 Oct 2004 16:23:19 -0400 Subject: [Timothy's Team] The fight goes on....w/ attachment Message-ID: <008601c4b7ab$ce316210$8901a8c0@MHA> We apologize for sending this twice, we failed to send the flyer for the rally with the first e-mail. As elections near, it is becoming quite evident that Timothy's Law is a hot topic around the state. Some of you may have seen the issue surface in discussions in your area. For instance, we know it has been included in Senator Breslin's campaign mailers in Albany, and both Senator Libous and his opponent, Eugene Burns have been discussing the topic in the Southern Tier. If Timothy's Law has not been included in local election discussions, it is not to late to make sure they do talk about it. If your local League of Women Voters is hosting a debate, try to attend. Often times they will accept questions from the audience. This is no place to be shy, follow the procedure outlined by the debate hosts and make sure Timothy's Law is discussed. You can also ask candidates themselves at events where they are present. Raise the issue wherever you can. If you would like to see where your candidate stands on Timothy's Law, the issue of parity was included in a recent candidate survey by the Mental Health Voter Empowerment Project, which can be accessed at www.mhanys.org.mhvep. But there is also life after elections, and we face an enormous challenge in making sure that Timothy's Law is once again brought to the fore of public discussion next year. To do this, we are planning to once again force ourselves onto the public agenda. Rally on November 18 - Stand Up For Mental Health On November 18, Timothy's Law Campaign will be holding a rally outside the Capital in Albany. This date was chosen as it is anticipated that the Senate will be back in Albany - and we are holding out hope that we can force them to act on Timothy's Law this year. We will meet at the NYS Museum at 1:00 p.m. and march across the Plaza to the Capital for a 1:30 rally. We would encourage you to try to schedule a meeting with your Senator for before or after the rally (approximately 2:30 ending). A flyer for the rally is attached and we encourage you t odistribute it widely. Additional details on the rally will be posted online at http://www.mhanys.org/timothyslaw/index.htm, as they become available. We are trying to find resources to provide for transportation and will post information on the Timothy's Law message board as it becomes available. We also encourage you to use this resource to coordinate with others that may be coming from your area. Car-pooling, finding a ride, offering a ride, nobody should come alone. Fill your car, fill your van, fill a bus. Get to Albany, and bring as many people as you can with you. The message board is available at www.timothyslaw.org. We need to show that we can not be beaten. We need to show that we will be back, for as long as it takes, until Timothy's Law is passed. We need to show that the people of this state want Timothy's Law, and that we will not rest until we get it. Please take a day and join us in Albany on November 18. Walk a Mile, or 153... While much of the rally is still being planned, one component we are sure of is the arrival of some courageous supporters. These supporters, led by Alexandra Zimmerman, have announced that they will be walking to the rally, FROM MIDDLETOWN!!! After hearing the story of Timothy O'Clair, and being able to relate it to a story of a late friend, these supporters felt compelled to take this amazing step to bring more attention to the issue, and the rally. They will go on a journey that will take them up Route 9W, through small town's and villages throughout the Hudson Valley, all as part of an effort to raise the issue of Timothy's Law. They are encouraging others to join with them for parts of the journey, and will arrive in Albany in time for the rally. They will tell the tale of their trip and you can hear firsthand the story of why these people took on this task. Because even the most hearty of us need to sleep, we are looking for businesses or individuals who live along Route 9W to house these supporters on their voyage. If you know of a business or a hotel that is along this route and would like to sponsor them by providing a room for the evening, contact Bryan O'Malley at (518) 434-0439, ext. 29, or by e-mail at bomalley at mhanys.org. Project Timmy To demonstrate that Timothy's story is resonating with everyone throughout this state, Ryan Deppa, an events planner from Olean, NY, who also happens to be a Peer Advocate with Directions in Independent Living, is putting together an album and events to help raise funds and awareness for Timothy's Law. This project is set to be a collaboration of artists and musicians committed to ensuring passage of Timothy's Law. In a unique expression of artistic vision, Ryan has spent the last few months bringing together artists and musicians from throughout the state. Ryan is currently organizing three events in the Southern Tier, and has heard of possible duplication of his idea in Watertown and Westchester. He is also working on putting together a compilation CD entitled "Sick Beats 4 Sick People". To find out more about this, or to become involved and/or contribute work, contact Ryan Deppa at rdeppa_mhadvocate at yahoo.com. And from the School of "All Politics is Local...." Another strategy TLC is moving forward with is an effort to organize local contingents of Timothy's Law supporters, in communities throughout the state, that would be willing to meet with members of the Senate and Assembly and also with county political leaders. The most effective communications with elected representatives, and those who they rely on for information, are people who live in those communities. If you, or someone you know, would be willing to participate in this way, please contact Michael Seereiter at 518-434-0439 x21 or by e-mail at mseereiter at mhanys.org. Thanks for your continued support of this issue. The O'Clair's and all of us appreciate the hard work that everyone throughout the state has put forward on this issue. Without you, the effort to pass Timothy's Law would not be where it is today. And remember, send this to friends and colleagues by entering their name in the box below. That way, they too can sign up to get future e-mails about Timothy's Law. Also, please do not reply directly to this e-mail. If you have questions, e-mail bomalley at mhanys.org. As always, Thank you, we would not be where we are without you. Refer A Friend Friend's Name: Friend's Email: Your Name: Your Email: -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Rallky Flyer v1.rtf Type: application/msword Size: 3135308 bytes Desc: not available URL: