Sample  Letter to your representative in Congress

Dear Representative _______________________:

My name is _______________________________ and I am the (  MOTHER  /  FATHER  ) of ______________________ who happens to have autism. (  HE  /  SHE  ) is _______ years old. I am writing to ask you to join the Autism Caucus for Research and Education.

 Are you aware of how many constituents you have in your district that are directly impacted by autism? Autism is currently being diagnosed at a rate of one in 166 children. Only 10 short years ago, autism was still considered a rare disorder affecting one in 10,000 children.

 We need your help and participation on the caucus so that we can reach Members of Congress more efficiently and effectively as parents and professionals when legislation that could directly impact our family arises.

 My (SON/DAUGHTER) was diagnosed at the age of (AGE). (Include a personal story of your journey here...no more than about 3 or 4 paragraphs. Describe your daily life, your challenges, etc.)

 The following Members of Congress from (YOUR STATE) have already joined the caucus: (LIST MEMBERS HERE). Won't you help us out by joining today. If you have any questions regarding the caucus, please feel free to contact me or Congressman Chris Smith or Congressman Mike Doyle's office in Washington, DC for more information.

 I look forward to hearing from you and will call in one week to follow up with you.

With kindest regards,
 

NAME
ADDRESS
CITY, STATE, ZIP

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updated 6/23/04