Why Advocacy?

    "Some of us love to be involved with politics, other try to avoid at all costs. What is important to remember is that your voice is important and will not be heard if you do not speak up.

    People are elected to public office to represent people who live in their districts. It is our responsibility to educate them on the issues that are important to us. If you think 'I am only one person and I am too insignificant to make a difference', you are wrong. There is a quote by Margaret Mead “Never Doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” This is very true. As few as 10 phone calls may change the way a legislator votes on an issue.

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Organized grassroots advocacy is the most effective way to make change happen!

 

    You don’t need to be a big business that has a lot of money to lobby elected officials. The power is in numbers and relationships. If you know your elected official, you are more likely to get a call returned or an issue advanced that is important to you.

    Sherwood partners with other advocates and groups to educate our legislators on issues that are important to people with disabilities and their families. We use our 61 years’ experience of providing services to children and adults with disabilities to advocate for positive change. We bring people we support to Advocacy Days in Olympia, meet with legislators while they are in their home districts and send out advocacy alerts on issues that may have positive or negative impacts. We hope that you find this information useful and respond when we send an alert. To learn more about how to become more involved in Legislative advocacy email here to be added to our Rapid Response Network.

 Check out the Advocate With Us page for more information."