New to advocacy

I'm new to contacting legislators and advocating for causes I believe in. So far, the experience has been a mixed bag. I find talking to friends, family, co-workers and the such very easy. However, communicating, or lack there of, with my representatives has been disappointing to say the least.

My first "formal" experience with advocacy came when I discovered an organization called Friends of Iowa Midwives (FOIM). I you aren't familiar with FOIM, please access the link below:

http://www.friendsofiowamidwives.org/

At the first of the year, FOIM had a campaign to send a calendar celebrating home birth in Iowa to our Senators. I bought two calendars, one for myself and one to send to an Iowa Senator. I sent a calendar and a letter to Senator Pat Ward 01/07 and never received a response.

Next, FOIM asked me to email my local Senator asking him/her to support bill SF 484, which aims to legalize Certified Professional Midwives (CPM) in Iowa. So, on 3/11 I sent an email to Senator Matthew McCoy asking for his support of bill SF 484 and why I thought CPM's should be legal in Iowa. No response.

Hum...

Maybe Senators don't generally respond to constituents. Maybe it takes awhile to hear back from them. Maybe I should have called or texted instead of emailed.

I suppose it's not really important to hear back. I just hope they received my message and will support the bill. For more information about bill SF 484, please access the link below

http://coolice.legis.state.ia.us/Cool-ICE/default.asp?Category=billinfo&Service=Billbook&menu=false&ga=84&hbill=SF484

On a positive note. I did some fundraising work with ICAN of Iowa 2/26. We sold coupon books at Younkers Vally West and received money for our group with every book sold. This event was fun and gave me the opportunity to visit with some of the ladies in the group. So far, I really enjoy the time I spend at ICAN. The women I've met there are truly inspirational.

If you aren't familiar with ICAN, please access the link below:

http://www.icaniowa.com/