Appeal for
Media Campaign Donations

Please mail your check today to this address, or scroll down to pay by credit card:

CSLN
Attention: Joe Donofrio, CSLN Treasurer
135 E. Live Oak, Suite 104
Arcadia, Ca 91006

Friends,
As many of you may know, the CSLN Board of Directors has joined efforts with California Disabilities Service Association for the purpose of providing public relations and communications service. This cooperative work will be in the interest of issues affecting services to the developmentally disabled and the impact of the State Budget. Other organizations representing those that wish to support the philosophies and values of supporting people with disabilities in the community are contributing equally to this project and jointly the services of R&K Grayling Communications in Sacramento have been retained. On behalf of the CSLN membership the Board or Directors has contributed financially to this important effort but due to limited funds the contribution is minimal in comparison to the cost. There is a serious need for contributions that will allow this important work to continue. Yes, we are asking you to send money to help fund this important collaboration!

It is important that CSLN members recognize the crises we are facing which poses a serious threat to Supported Living Services as well as all services that support people living and working in their communities. It is our hope that members will join us individually and collectively in contributing to this effort.

Following is an outline of the public relations program designed to promote themes that resonate in strategic regions. The goal is to help shape opinion in specific legislative districts, represented by lawmakers with direct DDS budget oversight.

1. Put a “face” to budget statistics. Work to penetrate the media with powerful personal stories of consumers who benefit from state funded disability services and the life-altering results achieved through relatively low-cost support services.
2. Demonstrate how disability services save taxpayers money long-term, by helping developmentally disabled consumers remain in community based living arrangements rather than expensive state-run institutions.
3. Generate editorials, opinion-editorials or letters to the editors.
4. Collect and distribute news items featuring disability services, enabling each individual organization to include the stories in their own web sites and community outreach materials.
5. Coordinate efforts with the lobbying team to develop a consistent plan of action that is mutually supportive. Share this plan with CDSA and other participating organizations, defining specific products and planned placements.
6. Provide a report to CDSA and other participating organizations between the first and fifth day of July, August, September, and October, defining accomplishments and planned next steps.

We have already received some donations and are encouraged by this support but as you know a public relations/media campaign is a necessary but costly investment. As CSLN’s Media Campaign representative I will make every effort to keep everyone informed as this work progresses. Please contact me either through the listserve or personally if I can answer questions or provide additional information.