Campaign Connections: Learn the Signs. Act Early.
A CDC Campaign to Raise Awareness of Childhood Development
November 2005
In this Issue:
Campaign Update:
Where
are we so far?
Spotlight on CARE Alliance
Materials Update
Kudos to You!
On the Horizon:
Eva
La Rue and PSA Week
What People are Saying
Welcome to campaign connections!
Welcome to the inaugural edition of Campaign Connections! This e-newsletter will be distributed to “Learn the Signs. Act Early.” campaign partners and champions across the country, and will highlight initiatives at the national and grassroots levels. The newsletter will focus on upcoming projects, recent successes, kudos from the field as well as what people are saying about the campaign. We hope you find these updates helpful and inspiring - thank you for your dedication to this important cause of helping every child reach his or her full potential!
The beginning of 2005 was exciting with the official launch of “Learn the Signs. Act Early.” campaign. Thanks to the help of dedicated partners and champions like yourselves, we’ve had great success in just a few months. Below you will find some notable accomplishments in our outreach to consumers, health care professionals, and partners.
Campaign Update: Where are we so far?
Ready, Set,
Go! Consumer Launch Takes Off
A satellite media tour (SMT) with Drs. Gerberding and Cordero reached more than
4 million viewers in over 15 markets, including NBC’s “Today Show” and ABC’s
“Good Morning America.” Our targeted media outreach resulted in 102 print
and online placements, 187 broadcast placements, and three national radios
spots. In addition, the campaign public service announcement (PSA) resulted in
195 television placements including the NBC Panasonic Astrovision screen in New York City’s Times Square.
Calling All
Moms: Celebrity Mother’s Day Event
Thanks to the help
of celebrity mom Eva La Rue (formerly of ABC’s “All My Children”), the U.S.
Surgeon General’s office, and the New York Families of Autistic Children
(NYFAC), we held a Mother’s Day event at the New York Hall of Science with
attendance by parents, children and campaign supporters. Ms. La Rue, Deputy
Surgeon General Dr. Kenneth P. Moritsugu and CDC’s Dr. José Cordero spoke to
attendees about the importance of learning the signs and patterns of child
development and taking action if parents notice any discrepancies. Special
thank you to NYFAC President Andrew Baumann for helping secure the venue,
spreading the word among New Yorkers, and ensuring this event was a success!
Kit
Distribution Week a Success
April 18 – 22, 2005 was designated as "Health Care
Professional Kit Distribution Week." Partners and champions across the
country distributed educational materials to local health care professionals,
informing them of free campaign resources for parents on developmental
milestones. With 1,982 kits and 9,800 flyers distributed covering 40 states and
Puerto Rico, the week was a great success.
Thanks to all who participated!
Health Care
Professional E-card and Newsletter Article
A campaign e-card and newsletter article were developed and distributed
encouraging health professionals to visit the campaign website or call the
toll-free number to learn more about the campaign. The e-card was sent to more
than 40 health organizations representing 1.5 million members, and the
newsletter article was sent to 140 health care professional publications.
Combined with the nearly 17,000 health care professionals reached at
conferences throughout the spring and summer, there have been close to 10,000
health care professional kits distributed and 19,000 health care professional
materials downloaded from the campaign website.
ASA Supports Campaign at Annual Meeting
Holding its annual meeting in Nashville from July 13 – 16, 2005, national partner, the Autism Society of America (ASA), continued its support of the “Learn the Signs. Act Early.” campaign by inviting both National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD) Center Director Dr. José Cordero and NCBDDD Communications Director Katherine Lyon Daniel to speak at the meeting. Dr. Cordero gave a keynote speech and Daniel spoke to ASA chapter presidents on the background and implementation of the campaign itself. Many thanks to the dedicated ASA staff nationwide for their involvement in campaign efforts!
Spotlight On:
Margaret
Jordan, CARE Alliance
It Only Takes One…
As a business woman,
Margaret Jordan tackled challenges with a solid approach and a team of
dedicated people. So, when her 2½-year-old son was diagnosed with autism
she immediately swung into action to give him the best therapy and intervention
possible.
“We knew that something was wrong. Garrett wasn’t speaking or interacting like other children his age,” says Jordan. “When we got the diagnosis, my husband and I were scared. We decided to do everything we possibly could to help Garrett overcome this disability and live a normal life.”
When the Jordans began educating themselves on
autism, a lot of the information they found was outdated and did not apply to
the needs of today’s children.
“We felt like we were on our own,” says Jordan. “There was no place to find updated and accurate information on early intervention programs.”
Read Margaret’s complete story to find out how she and her family got involved in the “Learn the Signs. Act Early.” campaign and are making a difference in their community.
For more inspiring stories from partners and champions, please visit the Partner Spotlight section.
Do You
Have an Inspiring Story?
If you or someone
you know has an inspiring story to tell as a result of being involved in the “Learn
the Signs. Act Early.” campaign, please send them to actearly@cdc.gov. We’re always looking for
partner success stories to share with people throughout the country. We want to
hear from you!
Materials Update
Based on the great interest from partners around the country, we have created an outreach kit that includes 50 campaign flyers. This kit can be used for mass distribution at events and other opportunities.
Need campaign materials? To order kits or download materials, visit www.cdc.gov/actearly.
Kudos to You
Kudos to all our campaign partners and champions across the country for all your hard work and dedication in helping to raise awareness for childhood development. Each of you plays a vital role in educating parents, health care professionals, and child care providers to ensure that today’s children have the opportunity to reach their full potential.
On the Horizon: What’s Next?
Eva La Rue Continues Campaign Involvement
In the coming months, you will get to see Eva’s continued commitment to the campaign. We are currently working to solidify a host of activities reaching out to mothers and consumers across the country in which Ms. La Rue will participate. Some of those activities may include:
·
Distributing an
e-card featuring her promotion of the importance of the campaign;
· Delivery of campaign messages on network television talk show appearances.
Be sure to watch for Eva in her new role on the CBS hit show “CSI Miami.”
PSA Distribution Week Wraps Up
Reaching out to grassroots campaign champions similar to our Kit Distribution Week initiative, we asked for your help again with “PSA Distribution Week” from September 26 – 30, 2005. Champions across the country were encouraged to reach out to local television and radio stations pitching the campaign PSAs in an effort to secure airtime. Champions were trained and received PSA Distribution Kits with tips to help them in their efforts. Watch for more information on the results of this project in the coming weeks. Thank you for your continued involvement!
What People are Saying
“There is no greater reward than the realization that I have helped another family. As parents, we must take the initiative in our child’s overall development. There is a crucial need to help people, and one person really can make a difference – I did.”
– Kim Hoffner, campaign champion and mother of a son with autism
“Having a child with a developmental disability like autism doesn’t have to be a weight around your neck, and this campaign educates parents and teaches them to look for early warning signs.”
– Andrew Baumann, New York Families for Autistic Children and father of a son with autism
Want to get Involved?
If you are looking for ways to get more involved with the campaign, be sure to visit the Partner section of the website (www.cdc.gov/actearly) and check out our “How to Get Involved” page for ideas. You’ll find ideas and tools to help you reach out to your communities, friends, and family to help them learn the signs and act early.
Web Address: www.cdc.gov/actearly