In the Park
So to all the Planned Parenthood family — take heart — anything and
everything is possible! And the woman who won the marathon is the
mother of a nine-month-old baby, so go figure!
Capital Champions
Wednesday may have been Halloween for most of the country, but in the
District of Columbia, Wednesday was all about Planned Parenthood as
our great DC affiliate, Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington
DC, (PPMW), held its "Champions of Choice" luncheon.
For the past eight years, PPMW was led by a friend to many of us,
Jatrice Martel Gaiter, who moved on to other adventures back in
August. Since then, PPMW has been benefiting from the leadership of
Interim CEO Nanci Hoffman. For many years Nanci was the director of
Patient Services at Planned Parenthood Association of the Mercer Area,
in Trenton, NJ, and we are so fortunate that she has been able to step
in as the Interim CEO at PPMW. PPMW Board Chair Patty Shields has also
pitched in during this time of transition, and it was great to meet
her husband, Wyatt, and parents, Barbara and Rufus Phillips. It turns
out that Patty's mom and my mom had the chance to work together when
Barbara translated for my mother during a state dinner in San Antonio.
It is a small Planned Parenthood world!
The Wednesday lunch honored pro-choice champions, including the
Community Partnership Award winner, the late Effi Barry, the
district's former first lady who passed away just this year; and the
Leadership Award winner, Vicki Sant, a long-time Planned Parenthood
supporter. The PPMW Ophelia Settle Egypt Award was given to one of the
original champions of choice, fellow Texan Dr. Sarah Weddington. Sarah
travels the country on behalf of Planned Parenthood, and it was great
to have her with us in Washington.
There were plenty of teens from PPMW's fabulous youth education
programs on hand, as well. Under the direction of Irwin Royster, the
Ophelia Egypt education program provides peer-led health and education
services to hundreds of young people every year, and has made a real
difference in the communities they serve. In fact, just last Monday,
the Washington Post reported that teen pregnancy rates in the district
have fallen by more than half in the last 10 years to all-time lows.
Irwin and his teens are an inspiration to all of us. There were also
two tables of peer educators led by Soraya Galeas, who works with
teens in Prince George's County and Montgomery County in Maryland and
throughout Northern Virginia.
There were plenty of friends at the luncheon, including Anne Hale
Johnson, who has been a fierce fighter for choice for decades. We
also had the chance to visit over lunch with Dan and Sunita Leeds, who
are involved in so many great community and political activities in
the DC area. Dan's mother, Lilo Leeds, is a tremendous supporter of
Planned Parenthood both nationally and at the local affiliate level at
Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic. Congratulations to PPMW for a
great luncheon!
Birth Control Star Power
Restoring access to affordable birth control remains our major
legislative priority, and on Thursday morning we got some help from
one of our great House allies, Congressman Joe Crowley (D-NY).
Congressman Crowley has introduced "The Prevention Through Affordable
Access Act" (HR 4054), a bill that would restore eligibility for
providers like Planned Parenthood, as well as college health centers,
to obtain low-cost birth control. This BIPARTISAN legislation has more
than 100 cosponsors on the Hill, proving how many members of Congress
understand the need to get this crisis resolved.
And Congressman Crowley's bill got some star power behind it, too,
when PPFA Board of Advocates member actor Amber Tamblyn spent the day
on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, meeting with members of Congress to talk
to them about this legislation. Amber is not only a talented actor,
but also a prolific writer who crafted a great op-ed calling attention
to the effect of skyrocketing birth control prices on young women. We
got to meet up with Amber while she was on the Hill, and together held
briefings for Senate and House staffers to talk with them about the
importance of this issue. See below for a great picture of Amber at
the briefing, and a big thank you to her, and to Congressman Crowley,
for working so hard to bring affordable contraception back to women
nationwide.
From Pop Art to Population
Last Thursday and Friday the national Planned Parenthood Leadership
Council came to town, to talk about cutting-edge issues across the
federation and what lies ahead.
But before we got going on Friday, folks came together Thursday
evening for a fun event at Leadership Council member Lisa Perry's
apartment. Lisa and her husband, Richard, are huge fans of the '60s,
and their apartment is a living testament to that. From Andy Warhol
soup cans to portraits of Bob Dylan, it is a blast from the past.
This was an awesome evening, and we were joined by several PPFA Board
of Advocates members, including Jane Fonda, Kathleen Turner, Nora
Ephron, and Emme. They each told a great story about their history
with Planned Parenthood, which was another reminder of the number of
Planned Parenthood "alumnae" there are across the country. The
evening was also special because Dr. Allan Rosenfield was in
attendance. Dr. Rosenfield was PPFA chair in the '80s and has been a
relentless fighter for women's health and rights.
The meeting of the Leadership Council on Friday covered everything
from online prescribing to the presidential election. In a segment
sponsored by the Action Fund, Howard Wolfson, communications director
for Senator Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, took a campaign
break to talk about the political landscape and the next 12 months.
Before going to the campaign, Howard worked with Planned Parenthood,
and so has a wealth of experience about our issues. Annette Cumming,
our Leadership Council chair, hosted the entire day, and as always,
made everyone feel welcome and included. I also want to particularly
thank our CEO partners who attended: Vicki Cowart, Linda Williams,
Sarah Stoesz, Nancy Mosher, Steve Trombley, Judy Tabar, Miriam
Inocencio, Joan Malin, Reina Schiffrin, Joann Smith, Dianne Luby,
Dayle Steinberg, and Janet Colm. It was a great next step in
partnering together to build the resources we need to provide health
care to the millions of Americans who look to us each year.
Finishing the 40 Days
Sunday marked the conclusion of the anti-choice "40 Days for Life"
campaign, which targeted our clinics with stepped-up protest activity
over the last few months. Congratulations, everyone, on making it
through this challenge safely and securely.
Many of our sites were faced with daily protest activity, but the
anti-choice hardliners were no match for the united Planned Parenthood
security team. Folks from affiliates all over the country worked hard
to keep our clinics safe, keeping calm in the face of intolerance and
harassment, working with volunteers for pro-choice visibility and
patient escort services, and, most importantly, staying focused on
patients and their needs.
We also had an online campaign dedicated to reporting on the "40 Days
for Life" protests: "I Am Emily X," a blog site with video clips and
reports on what Planned Parenthood staff and volunteers have been
doing to counteract the protests. Folks from affiliates all over have
been posting their thoughts to the blog, and the stories they are
telling are just inspiring. We also asked our supporters to "pledge a
protester," and make a donation of a few dollars or cents for every
protester we encountered. And at the end of the campaign, we had
raised nearly $50,000.
So congratulations again to all our affiliates, especially the clinic
staff and volunteers, on continuing to provide the highest quality
medical care to our patients, despite the efforts of the protesters.
And a very special thanks to the PPFA and affiliate security groups
who do such phenomenal work keeping our staff and patients safe every
day of the year.
And speaking of our great security staff, I want to add an addendum to
last week's Connection column. While in Raleigh, NC, for an event with
Planned Parenthood Health Systems, I got to meet Dan Besse, security
coordinator for PPHS. Last week, when I mentioned my friends Anne and
Walter Dellinger whose son, Hampton, is running for lieutenant
governor of NC, I neglected to mention that Dan is also a candidate
for that office. Congratulations to Dan on this news!
'Til later,
Cecile
Why I Work at Planned Parenthood — Susan Zilber
"When I told a young friend last spring that I was coming to work at
Planned Parenthood, she said, 'Wow! That's such important work.' The
way she said it — with a little awe and a lot of respect — made my
eyes well up a bit and also made me realize the responsibility I now
had 'officially' to fight for a cause that has been a part of me for
as long as I can remember. Then came the U.S. Supreme Court decision
in April, during my fourth week at PPFA. Jumping into action as part
of the Development Division 'rapid response team,' seeing how the
organization came together to get the word out, and how our supporters
rallied in response, brought home to me in a visceral way why we do
what we do.
"I haven't been surprised by the quality, dedication, and
like-mindedness of the people I work with at PPFA. But what I hadn't
anticipated was how much I would be inspired by our planned giving
donors. Whether it's a retired therapist who volunteers as a 'hand
holder' at her local Planned Parenthood clinic, a former nonprofit
director, who is now a full-time sustainability advocate, or a woman
who wants to leave a bequest to help underserved women in what she
described as the 'dirt-poor' part of Appalachia where she grew up,
almost every donor I've encountered has taught me something. They've
also made me look at some aspects of the world differently because of
the choices they have made and the spirit with which they lead their
lives. It's an honor and a privilege to get to know them and learn
from them, while doing my job of strengthening their relationship with
Planned Parenthood.
"I don't believe it's an accident that we have such special donors. A
first-class organization attracts first-class people, so how could
PPFA not have the best people supporting us? I wouldn't want to be
anywhere else!" — Susan Zilber, regional director, Planned Giving,
PPFA Development Division
Why do you work or volunteer at Planned Parenthood? Share your story
with Planned Parenthood staff, volunteers, and supporters across the
country! The Connection is looking for submissions for this weekly
feature. Do you know people who you think should be profiled in this
column? Encourage them; their stories will be an inspiration to
thousands of readers. Unsure about your writing? The Connection will
gladly interview you, or provide editorial assistance. E-mail
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with your stories or suggestions. Please remember
to e-mail a picture of yourself!
Affordable Birth Control
On Wednesday, I was on Capital Hill with Congressman Joe Crowley as he
introduced a bill that would restore eligibility for providers like
Planned Parenthood, as well as college health centers, to obtain
low-cost birth control. On hand to help educate Hill staff on this
legislation were PPFA Board of Advocates member Amber Tamblyn (second
from left) and Natalie Parker, a great intern from Planned Parenthood
of Metropolitan Washington and a member of the George Washington
University Vox(R) chapter.
Amber spent the day in Washington on Wednesday, meeting with members
of Congress and their staff to discuss the birth control pricing
issue. She is a fantastic spokesperson!
Taking Action
Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains and Planned Parenthood Mar
Monte held Live Action Camps on October 13. The camps represent a
one-day, hands-on activist training where participants learn effective
techniques such as phone banking, canvassing, visibility events, and
gathering petitions. After learning the basics, they got the chance to
try out their new skills. The camps also gave Nevadans inside
information on how to participate in the January 19, 2008,
presidential caucuses, which will enable them to get in on the ground
floor of Nevada's historic entry into the presidential selection
process.
Talk Back
Please send your suggestions, feedback, letters to the editor, and
comments to
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The Planned Parenthood Promise
Creating hope for humanity:
The freedom to dream, to make choices, and to live in peace with our planet
