“I think being an advocate gives me a way of coping, gives me inner strength."
Toni, Minneapolis, Minnesota
"Our volunteers have the remarkable ability to take often very difficult life experiences and turn them into the motivation to make a difference.”
-Alan Balch, CEO
Thirty-five scholarship recipients from across the country learned from each other, engaged on policy and developed their own plans for community programs. This year’s event also featured the Story Slam, one of our most popular events, in which patients share their stories with an open audience at the US Capitol.
This year, we asked each Patient Congress participant to come up with an idea for a program or initiative that she or he can bring back to their communities. The advocates worked in groups, sharing ideas and experiences. We will be reporting on the progress of these action plans during the year.