Posted on December 15, 2019
This year, as we celebrated ADAO’s 15th anniversary, we made landmark strides in our fight to ban asbestos. There are no words to describe how grateful we are to our supporters, volunteers, Congress members, board, and everyone else who helps strengthen and support ADAO’s efforts. To keep our momentum going in 2020 and beyond, we need your support. That is why this holiday season, we are asking you to donate to ADAO on behalf of yourself or a loved one.
Our momentum is growing exponentially and we can’t slow down. Right now, the Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act of 2019 (ARBAN) and will be moving on to a full House vote soon and then — on to the Senate.
But that’s not all we’ve done this year. While we’ve been fighting to pass ARBAN, we also took the EPA to court and have had two legal victories in our fight to better protect public health through the executive branch. In 2020, we will continue to push for our Right to Know Petition to be granted, which demands EPA improve transparency of the amount of asbestos imports into the United States.
When it comes to art, advocacy, and academia, ADAO remains a leader in education and prevention. Serving as a frequent resource to the media, we keep telling the irrefutable facts and sharing our collective stories. PBS NewHour featured ADAO in their March 2019 “The stunning truth about asbestos use in the U.S.” piece.
Meanwhile our advocacy and education efforts continue: We published a comprehensive report, “EPA’s Failure to Ban Asbestos: The Impact from 1989 – 2019 on Public Health, Environment, and the Economy,” of historical facts, new data, the latest policy efforts that all Americans should know. We spoke at conferences and events around the world, from Johannesburg, South Africa to Toronto, Canada. And we never lost sight of who we are fighting for. We consistently updated our “Share Your Story” section of the website, where we highlight courageous asbestos and mesothelioma stories.
Thanks to our sponsors Motley Rice LLC, Simmons Hanly Conroy, LLC, the Delaware Insulation Asbestos Disease Trust, Early, Lucarelli, Sweeney & Meisenkothen, and individual donors, there is so much to share about our successful 2019, that we’ve published the 2019 Year-End-Review page.
And now, we are looking towards the future. Here is the truth: ADAO is a very small organization, and we can’t spend much time fundraising because it takes time away from the important advocacy work we must do. Without fundraising, however, we can’t do our work. That’s why we ask for your support this holiday season.
In 2020, we plan to keep working with other environmental and public health organizations, members of Congress, state governments, and world health leaders to prevent exposure to eliminate all asbestos-caused diseases.
As an independent nonprofit, ADAO relies entirely on generous donations like yours to do the work we do. ADAO is proud to direct 92% of our funds directly toward our programming. We spend only 8% of our budget on operating expenses. When you give to ADAO, your donation is immediately put to hard work.
I hope you’ll join us in our fight again this year by donating on behalf of yourself or a loved one. ADAO has recently launched unique ways in which you can further personalize your donations. When you make a donation in someone’s name, you honor their legacy and give an invaluable gift to asbestos victims across the globe whom ADAO diligently fights to protect and support.
Together, change is possible.
Linda
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