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Advocacy Day Registration Opens February 9, 2009 The ALS Association is pleased to announce that online registration for the 2009 National ALS Advocacy Day and Public Policy Conference will open at 9am (EST) on Monday February 9, and will be available on The Association's website at www.alsa.org/policy/alsday.cfm.

An electronic copy of the 2009 Conference Registration Brochure also will be available on the site or by selecting this link. The brochure includes a detailed schedule of events for this year's conference, which takes place in Washington, DC May 10-12. Hotel information and details on registration fees, including early bird registration deadlines and how to reserve an ADA accessible hotel room, also can be found in the brochure.

Conference Schedule Once again, this year's conference begins on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 10, and we will have a family barbeque Sunday evening to honor mothers who play such a crucial role in every family that has been touched by ALS. The conference also will feature the annual Candlelight Vigil, which will be held on the steps of the historic Carnegie Museum, across the street from the headquarters hotel. Prior to the start of the conference, The Association will lead veterans with ALS in a wreath laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery to pay tribute to our military heroes who have fought this disease (additional details are available in the registration brochure).

Breakout sessions
On Monday, May 11 attendees can participate in breakout sessions on important topics ranging from advocacy training to veterans' benefits. The day's sessions also will feature an update on the latest ALS research made possible by our advocacy, including the ALS registry at the CDC and translational research underway at the Department of Defense's ALS Research Program. Dr. Story Landis, Director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) also will join us to share about groundbreaking research at the NIH. In addition, the day will include a session devoted exclusively to stem cell research where a world-renowned panel of experts will provide the most recent news from this exciting field.

Advocacy Day on the Hill The most important part of the conference - Advocacy Day on the Hill - takes place on Tuesday, May 12. Through these meetings with Members of Congress from across the country, we are telling the ALS story and developing the roadmap that will lead us to a treatment and cure.

For example, since last year's Advocacy Conference, we have helped to:

Enact the ALS Registry Act (Public Law 110-373). The registry may become the single largest ALS research program ever created!

Implement historic new regulations at the Veterans Administration that make ALS a service connected disease and provide more than $500 million in health and disability benefits to veterans and their survivors.

Secure $5 million to continue the ALS Research Program at the Department of Defense, the only ALS-specific program at DOD, which is designed to find new treatments for the disease.

In fact, our advocacy in 2008 alone may result in the Federal government spending more than $1 billion on ALS over the next ten years! However, much more must be done on the road to a treatment and cure, so please join us in Washington, DC this May. Together, we can continue to make a difference.

If you have any questions about this year's National ALS Advocacy Day and Public Policy Conference, please contact the Advocacy Department toll-free at 1-877-444-ALSA or advocacy@alsa-national.org. We look forward to seeing you in May!