Global Call March 11

The global conference call this Saturday promises to be great:
March 14 conference call: Winstone Zulu and Asia Russell are our guests! Join us to learn about the powerful impact the Global Fund is having on diseases of poverty like AIDS and TB. Winstone is a globally-renowned TB-HIV activist from Zambia (listen to his story), and Asia is a civil society delegate to the Global Fund Board. Listen and be inspired to take action! Call (800) 474-8920 .

The call starts at 1 p.m. I won't be available this Saturday for RESULTS Conference calls, but the Library at Christ Episcopal Church is reserved, so feel free to gather.

I reported tonight that I can use my brother's TB story as a lead-in for an op-ed on the Global Fund. RESULTS has put together two pages of great information to use for the article, and with a local angle like my brother, we should be in good shape to get published this time. I'm disappointed that the Gazette never published Kathy's op-ed on microcredit. So I've put together three letters to the editor on microcredit. Aisha has already sent hers in. I also sent a letter to Kathy and to Mona. I will check with them Monday night at the meeting what the progress is with their letters.

I am not going to be going to the International Conference this year. This afternoon I got an email from Jos saying that we had an appointment to see Senator Grassley on the 23rd. It hit me -- that's my parents' anniversary. This will be Mom's first anniversary without Dad and I just can't leave her alone at that period in her grieving. The fundraiser is planned for May 31 and should net about $600, with another $100 coming from GEMS. The total cost to attend the conference is about $1700, if you're rooming with one other person.