I'm posting this on every CFS blog I read, including my own. It is a declaration and a call for action!
Most of us probably know that both the WPI Institute and the CFIDS association are in the running to win hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant money from Chase Community Giving. We know this, and we're voting, right? Because we're an incredibly strong, vital internet community? But...only about 5,000 people have voted. We are getting beaten by a fucking drum corps! Am I really supposed to believe that more people out there care about a drum corps than about doing research that could potentially save our lives? I can't believe it! We have to do something.
Because this issue is so important, I swallowed my pride (I usually think mass Cause Emails are annoying) and emailed all my friends asking them to vote for WPI, and although they love me, only like 3 voted. So here's my idea and suggestion: I'm going to email or facebook message each of my friends individually, and not care how annoying I am, and ask them again to vote. I could probably get over 100 votes that way, depending on how many of my friends are flakes. I'm not talking about just my good friends, I mean even just random Facebook acquaintances, too. It's annoying, but my friends will forgive me, and who cares what my acquaintances think?
Anyway, like the nature of voting itself, one person doing it alone doesn't make much of a dent, but if a lot of us do it, even if just a few of us harass everyone we electronically know, we could get hundreds, maybe thousands of votes. Let's do it, and encourage all our sick Internet-addicted friends to do it, and even our healthy friends. Lets get organized, people! I'm going to post this on my blog and every blog I read, and them I'm going to spend the rest of the day harassing people, and its going to be awesome. Please join me!
STEP-BY-STEP Instructions:
1. From your Facebook page, go to Chase Community Giving:
http://www.facebook.com/ChaseCommunityGiving.
2. "Like" Chase Community Giving by clicking on the "Like" button.
3. Now search for Whittemore Peterson Institute for Neuro-Immune Disease, and the CFIDS Association.
4. Cast your vote by clicking the "Vote Now!" button.
Love,
Lee
...and done.
ReplyDelete<3 claire
I voted last week! This is a really good idea, Lee. I keep my Facebook just for family and close, real-life friends, so I don't like to focus too much on my illness (other than a couple of posts for Awareness Day each year), but maybe no one would mind if I asked them to vote, too.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea!!
Sue
There's currently a vote ending in less than 2 days time (11:59am EST Nov 22).
ReplyDeleteSome details below from latest leaderboard (2 days 6 hours before end)
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As nobody was doing this (that I know of), for recent leaderboards I have been following the votes being got by the leading 9 ME/CFS groups along with how much 100th position has gone up by (101st would be slightly more interesting but one can't see that).
For the last 7 12-hour periods, 100th position has gone up by
(chronologically): +39, +44, +53, +40, +61, +75, +50. At the last leaderboard 100th was at 882 votes. That's with 2 days, 6 hours to go.
Looking at the last two jumps (i.e. +75 and +50) (it would be extra work for me to calculate too many periods) apart from the IACFS/ME, the groups have been losing ground.
It is going to be touch-and-go for lots of groups whether they get the $25,000 or not.
#30 INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME/ME Chicago, IL http://bit.ly/s48mcK (+74) 1,228 (+53) 1,281
#34 CFSKNOWLEDGECENTER INC Wellington, FL http://bit.ly/lkvWpU (+50)
1,194 (+37) 1,231
#56 MASSACHUSETTS CFIDS/ME & FM ASSOCIATION Quincy, MA
http://bit.ly/sJXeQ9 (+52) 1,016 (+50) 1,066
#72 ROCKY MOUNTAIN CFS/ME AND FM ASSOCIATION Denver, CO http://bit.ly/s5fAJh (+38) 931 (+36) 967
#76 WI MYALGIC ENCEPHALOMYELITIS/CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME, ASSN, INC.
Sun Prairie, WI http://bit.ly/mlmr0c (+42) 906 (+39) 945
#90 ENTEROVIRUS FOUNDATION INC San Francisco, CA http://bit.ly/lzhRfi
(+47) 862 (+36) 896
#93 NJCFSA Florham Park, NJ http://bit.ly/tXpa46 (+54) 850 (+43) 893
#158 CFOG, INC Kennesaw, GA http://bit.ly/kdavB3 (+47) 481 (+31) 512
#180 CONNECTICUT-CHRONIC FATIGUE AND IMMUNE DYSFNCTN SYNDROME ASSOC INC Milford, CT http://bit.ly/uqIqF7 (+20) 368 (+23) 391
In previous CCG contests, there has been a charge towards the end of the contest from other groups. As is clear, the ME/CFS are generally just hanging in there - not keeping up with how much 100th is jumping up by but perhaps able to hold on if things go right. 4 groups are within 85 votes of 100th position.
A few votes could make all the difference ...