Arizona End of Life Options is a all-volunteer, non-profit coalition dedicated to the legalization of medical aid in dying in Arizona.
AZELO Newsletter

 

Newsletter

March 1, 2023

 

This Issue's Contents

  • Legislative Update
  • 2023 Action Campaign Update
  • Legislative District Action Team "Meet & Greet"
  • Upcoming Events
  • Classified - Help Wanted
  • Donate for Dignity
 

Legislative Update

By Leesa Stevens, Legislative Advocacy Leader

We now know our window for advancing our 2023 Medical Aid in Dying bill has closed. Especially for legislative sessions starting after an election, the window is quite short; only a few weeks. While we are disappointed that our bill, once again, was not put on an agenda for discussion in the Senate and House Health Committees, we are encouraged by our conversations with the Senate and House Health chairs, Senator Shope and Representative Montenegro for next year. We will continue working to educate our legislators on this important issue and finally bring our bills forward for a full legislative vote. Consider joining our Action Teams to help with these efforts... they would much rather hear from you, their constituents, than from us!

We are grateful for Senator Burch (LD9) and Representative Mathis (LD18) for being our prime bill sponsors and for Senators Fernandez (LD23), Gabaldon (LD21), Gonzales (LD20), Marsh (LD4), Mendez (LD8), Teran (26), Travers (LD12), and Representatives Bravo (26), Gutierrez (LD 18), and Terech (LD4) for co-sponsoring our bills. 

Thank you to all of those who wrote your senators and representatives, expressing your support Medical Aid in Dying.

 

Legislative District Action Team "Meet & Greet"

By Janet Hamlin, AZELO Volunteer, Tempe AZ

On Monday, February 20th, Action Team members from LD12 met on a local restaurant patio for an informal Meet & Greet. Diane Bennett, Abhik Chowdhury, Denny Flaherty, and Janet Hamlin were joined by LD12 Representative Stacey Travers, one of the co-sponsors of the 2023 MAID House Bill.

Representative Travers shared that she appreciated the emails and phone calls she received from residents of her district and she also shared a bit about her follow-up phone calls to some of our LD12 AZELO volunteers. Our one hour gathering was full of conversation about why we were each involved and our use of the action steps in the AZELO newsletters. We also shared our experiences with the recordings on the website, the live zoom sessions, and the podcast series. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet each other. We agreed to meet a few times a year to touch base and are hopeful that a few LD12 volunteers that were unable to join us this time will be available for our next gathering!

We encourage each of you to reach out in order to arrange such a Meet & Greet in your own legislative districts. If you need help, email Leesa Stevens, AZELO Legislative Advocacy Lead. l.stevens@azendoflifeoptions.org

 

 

Upcoming Events

 

Tucson Festival of Books

Join us for Tucson Festival of Books Saturday and Sunday March 4th and 5th from 9:30 to 5:30

AZELO is pleased to announce we are sharing a booth with Secular AZ at this annual event held on the University of Arizona campus.  This is a great way to reach 100,000 visitors that come to hear famous authors (including Bernie Sanders and Linda Ronstadt this year), peruse dozens of booths celebrating the written word, independent booksellers, and a wide variety of non-profit exhibitors throughout Arizona.

Look for the AZELO banner at BOOTH NO. 261 (located on the north side of the UA Mall midway between the UA Tent and the Beardown sign).  You can pick up some flyers to help us publicize the April 16th event at The Loft!    

For more details check out:  tucsonfestivalofbooks.org

 

Six Choices at the End of Life:

Real Patients, Real Stories

Presented by AZELO Chair, Dr Dwight Moore, this zoom presentation describes the six choices people have about how they will exit this life and makes a case for considering Medical Aid in Dying as one of the choices. Audience participation is encouraged!

Register by clicking this link

Your zoom link will be emailed to you, so check your spam folder if you don't see it!

 

 

How to Advocate for

Medical Aid in Dying in Arizona

This webinar can be described as MAID 101. We will take a detailed look at what the medical aid in dying (MAID) law is all about: the qualifications and the safeguards. We'll debunk the misconceptions and confirm the facts surrounding this topic which is often misunderstood by voters and lawmakers alike. 

 

Sunday, April 16th is

National Healthcare Decisions Day

Grab some Loft Popcorn and enjoy insightful presentations by non-profits and businesses about end-of-life decisions.

Enjoy speakers, videos, door prizes and a goodie bag of resources.

Guest speaker: Tucson's one and only David Fitzsimmons

Where: Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway, Tucson

When: Sunday, April 16th from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm

Free and open to the public with a $5 suggested donation. Bring a friend or two!

Email BeforeIDieTucson@gmail.com to find out how to help AZELO publicize this event.

Sponsored, in part, by our national partners:

 

Classifieds - Help Wanted

Fundraising Coordinator

AZELO is seeking an experienced fundraiser to be in charge of strategy for the annual fundraising efforts and to execute the fundraising plan. This key individual will coordinate with AZELO Treasurer to effectively manage the funds.

Next month, after our Stategic Planning meeting, Arizona End of Life Options is going to begin our 2023 fundraising campaign. As you many know, as a non-profit, we have no paid staff members and operate from donations only.

We need someone with experience in running a fundraising campaign to guide our efforts in raising funds for 2023.

Please contact Dwight Moore, Chair, Arizona End of Life Options at (360) 223-4958 or d.moore@azendoflifeoptions.org

 

Click on this blue box to be taken to our donation form. If you have used this online form in the past, you may need to clear your cache/browser history if you get an error message. Then try again.

However, if you'd rather mail in a check, please send it to:

Death with Dignity Political Fund
Attn: AZ C4

PO Box 2009

Portland, OR 97208

Please note on the check memo line "AZ C4" to ensure that it is properly accounted for.

 

Thank you, Dear Donors! 
Your generous gifts are being put to good use!  
 

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Arizona End of Life Options
https://www.azendoflifeoptions.org