Next week HIV advocates from around the country will come to D.C. for AIDSWatch 2012 to tell Congress to make health care, treatment, housing, prevention, and support service programs a priority. However, you don't have to be in D.C. to make your voice heard about the lives and health of people living with and affected by HIV in the United States! Members of Congress will be in their home districts May 1-4, so you can organize these same kinds of conversations in your hometown through setting up district visits. Just follow these simple steps:

• Learn who represents you in Congress and how to reach their local office at Congress.org.
• Check out AIDS United's How to Meet with Your Member of Congress Guide for help on how to do everything from recruit fellow advocates to contact your lawmaker's office and organize an effective meeting.
• Prepare yourself with the AIDS Watch 2012 materials. Our friends at the National Association of People with AIDS and the Treatment Access Expansion Project -- the convening AIDSWatch organizations -- created comprehensive factsheets on each of the AIDSWatch priorities -- Appropriations, Health Reform, and Science over Politics -- to help prepare you and your fellow advocates to meet with your Congressional members.
• Contact AIDS United's Organizing Team to brainstorm about ideas, to connect with other advocates in your area, and to let us know how your visits went! Email Regional Organizers Caressa Cameron at ccameron@aidsunited.org and Charles Stephens at cstephens@aidsunited.org.

If you will be in D.C. next week, please be sure to say hello to AIDS United staff (Ronald Johnson, Donna Crews, and Caressa Cameron) that will be at the AIDSWatch training! We would love to connect with you to learn more about the work you are doing in your state and how we can help. We are also working with advocates across the country who are interested in connecting with AIDSWatch participants when they return home from D.C. Please email Charles and Caressa if you are interested in joining or leading district meetings when you return to your state.