YOU, YOURS, and Rick Hansen

Before I tell you what YOU accomplished, let me tell YOU that when people say that sending emails to big organizations to influence them to is a waste, YOU can tell them that they're wrong!

YOU made a big difference in one of the biggest spinal-cord-injury organizations in the world.
Because of YOUR emails the Rick Hansen Foundation looks like it has taken a change of course.

The first big news:
The Interdependence global conference sponsored by the Rick Hansen Foundation announced some very shocking news. In their own words, "Based on industry feedback and due to the current economic climate, the Interdependence 2012 program will now focus solely on Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Research and Development."

They had planned a conference about accessibility, and healthy inclusive worlds, but YOUR email telling RHF to focus on cure made them rethink what's important to those living with paralysis. They call it "industry feedback", but I call it YOUR email.

The second big news:
This was also announced in regards to the Interdependence conference.

"The Rick Hansen Institute is providing emerging companies, seeking financing for an innovation related to accelerating progress to a cure for paralysis after spinal cord injury or innovations that will improve the lives of those living with SCI, the opportunity to pitch their company and innovation to the delegation at Interdependence 2012."

The Rick Hansen group is turning towards cure and YOU were a part of that because YOU sent an email, because YOU told YOUR friends on Facebook to send an email, and because YOU asked YOUR mother to send one, too.

We're not out of the woods yet.

These announcements do not mean that RHF...
...is now spending more on cure.
...will dedicate a larger portion of their funds on cure 

And it definitely does not mean that YOU and I can now rest.

I'm sure that YOUR voice wasn't the only thing that made them change, but two big coincidences in a row would be strange.

It does mean that they are open to hear YOUR voice if YOU say it in unison with others. So now YOU have to make sure that this is not an image campaign, that they will spend real money on cure.

Stay tuned for the next campaign when YOU demand more money for cure because in the end cure is the ultimate care and it beats the hell out of any wheelchair ramp.