Article: Dollars For Research: the BIG Chase Contest Begins

Cort
Dolphin said:
From the Whittemore Peterson Institute Facebook page:

Links for the two organizations are:

(i) the CFIDS Association of America: http://t.co/VZEd5Pk

(ii) the Whittemore Peterson Institute http://t.co/Ev8j2dP

---
ETA: I set up a specific thread to discuss it: http://forums.phoenixrising.me/show...temore-encouraging-people-to-vote-for-the-CAA rather than have a discussion spread over lots of threads.
Click to expand...

Good for Annette and honestly I'm not surprised at all. I was at a CFSAC meeting where the Annette walked into the room and went right over the Kim McCleary and gave her a big hug. From what little I've seen of her she's always seemed very balanced and evenhanded and the CAA, of course, has been promoting the WPI in this contest from their site....

Annette, of course, has a very sick daughter and she wants all good research to continue so it makes sense that she would make this plea....

Its not like if one does well that takes money from the other; if both do well that means more money for research for CFS...its a win..win situation.
 
Cort
markmc20001 said:
Obviously Annette's opinion carries alot more weight than mine.

Some explanation of how the CAA would spend the funds might have allowed me to hold my nose and vote for them on this one occasion. I would just throw them under the bus at a later date after they gave the funds to a deserving organization for research.
Click to expand...

You can always thrown them the bus later...:cool:. I know the CAA did not give funds to the WPI for XMRV research - and that infuriates some people - but if you can get past that and you're wondering about what kind of research the Chase money will go to - check it out below. Its really not that different from what the WPI is studying. Both are heavily focused at finding the pathogens and immune abnormalities present in CFS...and the CAA has a few more interests they are funding.

  • endogenous retroviruses
  • epstein-barr virus
  • characterizing the gut flora (Peterson says the gut is key...)
  • blood vessel problems lower blood volume levels and reducing blood flows to the brain
  • the Light studies showing greatly abnormal receptor levels for muscle damage, SNS and immune activity
  • increased lactate in the brain - possibly caused by mitochondrial problems
  • cytokine and neuroendocrine studies
 
O
From Chase Giving's official rules:
?$500,000 to the Charity receiving the most votes (rank 1);
?$400,000 to the runner-up Charity (rank 2);
?$300,000 rank 3;
?$200,000 ranks 4-5;
**?$100,000 ranks 6-10;**
?$40,000 ranks 11-15; and
?$20,000 ranks 16-25.
(WPI in 7th with 3 days to go, behind the 5th spot by only 1,500 votes)

Please, let's re-direct ALL our energy into getting $100,000 extra dollars for WPI (currently 7th and 1,500 votes behind the 5th spot which is worth $100k extra) instead of debating whether we should try to get $20,000 more for CAA. CAA is currently 29th and needs to be in 25th spot for $20k, but is irrelevant to my point about DROPPING THE DEBATE and WORKING LIKE MAD to bring home this extra $100k for WPI. Are you kidding? $200k just by clicking a couple buttons and asking others to do the same? If we can't do this, ME/CFS self-advocacy is doomed.

3 days to go. Please bother everyone you know with a Facebook account and ask them to:
1) Vote for WPI
2) Re-post for their FB friends to do the same

Once we lock in this extra $100k for ME/CFS, I promise we can get back to grumbling, infighting, and wondering what Chase will do with our personal info on Facebook.

There is no excuse for us not getting WPI into the 5th spot. I like flowers and drum music as much as the next guy, but seriously...these are human lives and suffering we're talking about here.

Love you all. I mean that.
 
helen41
I have an idea. Right now we are about 1500 votes off 5th place, and people who are passionate about ME/CFS have voted already, so those will be hard votes to get. There are other charities in this same position.
I picked medical charities, just because I'm horrified at marching bands being called charities LOL. We could approach the International Rett Syndrome Foundation. They are in 12th, and need 600 votes right now to get to 10th, where they would get an extra $60,000. I'm sure they are as motivated as we are to get votes. The National Marfan Assoc is in the same position. They are in 17th, and 400 below the 10th place, where they would get another $20,000.
I have votes left, and suspect many do. I would like to approach them, to benefit us all. Does anyone object, and will people agree to vote?
 
S
helen - I think we will have to do something like you are suggesting, I will think about it tomorrow just because I am fried right now and can't think anymore, but just thought of another strategy - if we can get healthy people to bring a laptop into a Panera Bread (or another hotspot) and ask a manager to set up a table (booth) with a poster about CFS or something and just ask people that come in to click not to donate - I think people would be relieved that you aren't asking for money!

There is always long lines at Panera for lunch, people could log in quickly while that are waiting in line. Also, if they do it really quick like that, they won't have time to study any of the other charities and vote for the competition with their remaining votes.
 
O
helen41 said:
I have an idea.

I picked medical charities, just because I'm horrified at marching bands being called charities LOL. We could approach the International Rett Syndrome Foundation. They are in 12th, and need 600 votes right now to get to 10th, where they would get an extra $60,000. I'm sure they are as motivated as we are to get votes. The National Marfan Assoc is in the same position. They are in 17th, and 400 below the 1[5]th place, where they would get another $20,000.
I have votes left, and suspect many do. I would like to approach them, to benefit us all. Does anyone object, and will people agree to vote?
Click to expand...

I love this idea, Helen. I personally feel it is ethical and is a correct placement of priorities to emphasize alleviating human suffering over other causes, and to cross-promote other organizations that do the same. That's exactly what Annette is doing with her suggestions to support the 2 groups in Florida. But I think your idea makes even more strategic sense b/c the 12th place and 17th place groups have even more voters to ally with, they also have admirable causes, and it's unlikely they will leapfrog over WPI (just over the non-medical causes) or bump them down 3 full spots out of the top 10, especially if they respond in-kind.

Just one word of caution with this and any other clever ideas people are mulling to get more votes. Chase's official rules give this warning:
"Chase is not...required to count...votes achieved through automated means, by registering more than one user profile...as well as those that are achieved through other fraudulent means, unsportsmanlike conduct or in a manner otherwise inconsistent with these Official Rules."

I'm with you, Helen, and am strongly considering voting for Rett's at #12, and adding a note to their Facebook page-feed with an appeal to vote for both WPI and Rett's because of the importance of reducing human suffering (you'll notice the Virginia wildlife groups at #3 and 6 are doing the same). But, after re-reading the rules, we should refrain from saying our cause is more important than drumming or flowers :) for example as that would be unsportsmanlike. :angel: I don't have a problem saying that on this board, but I won't put that on the Chase giving page on Facebook. I'm sure you weren't planning to do that either, but you asked for objections, and that is about the only I can think of.

So, to recap, people with CFS are now endorsing up to 6 health-focused charities with our 5 votes each:
1) WPI (7th with 4,655 votes)
2) CAA (30th with 1,712 votes)
3) Rett's (12th with 3,139 votes)
4) Marfan (17th with 2,584 votes)
5) Epilepsy (28th with 1,766 votes)
6) Vision (64th with only 763 votes and a long-shot to win a round 2 award)
I'm sure we'll all have our own preference on which to leave out.
 
helen41
I noticed that people have already started voting for Marfan and Rett Syndrome, and posting in their comments, so I posted on their respective Facebook walls asking for return votes. The Marfan foundation has sent a message asking me to call them, but no one was in the office yet. I posted a variation of this on each Facebook page
Let's help each other in the Chase Community Giving and we'll all win! We would like to set up an informal coalition to help each other. Many of us have a few votes left but have tapped out resources for our own charities. We all have medical issues and we all could help each other. WPI supporters have started voting for you and we hope you will return the favor. http://t.co/Ev8j2dP Two other groups we are hoping to involve are Marfan foundation http://bit.ly/jFw0Q4 and CFIDS http://t.co/VZEd5Pk We aren't in direct competition with each other and this could benefit each group." The Rett syndrome url is http://bit.ly/fcnRBp...
I hope that's ok with everyone, I tried to be clear it was informal, just voters helping each other. I didn't wait for further discussion because we are running out of time. I would be happy to modify anything and take criticism well...
 
S
Great job Helen - thanks for taking the lead and contacting them! I have three unused votes, definitely interested in vote swapping.

Is everyone just trying to vote swap for WPI or are you asking for WPI and CAA both? Probably we can only ask for one of ours for one of theirs??
 
helen41
I just heard from the Director of the Marfan Assoc. He is delighted at the idea of a coalition, and said he sees a good fit between the groups I mentioned (Marfan, Rett syndrome, WPI and CFIDS). He says he has emailed each group to try to make it a more official alliance, asking each group to contact their members to vote.
I notice that the CFIDS Assoc removed my Facebook post, but they have posted the Marfan url, and also posted on the Marfan page. Presumably that's an indication that they will be agreeable as well.
Given that there is little time, he asked if we would just go ahead and presume all will agree and do their share in generating votes. Could this be put on the action list? We could get there yet!!!!
Marfan http://bit.ly/jFw0Q4
Rett Syndrome http://bit.ly/fcnRBp...
CFIDS http://t.co/VZEd5Pk
WPI http://t.co/Ev8j2dP
 
Cort
helen41 said:
I noticed that people have already started voting for Marfan and Rett Syndrome, and posting in their comments, so I posted on their respective Facebook walls asking for return votes. The Marfan foundation has sent a message asking me to call them, but no one was in the office yet. I posted a variation of this on each Facebook page
Let's help each other in the Chase Community Giving and we'll all win! We would like to set up an informal coalition to help each other. Many of us have a few votes left but have tapped out resources for our own charities. We all have medical issues and we all could help each other. WPI supporters have started voting for you and we hope you will return the favor. http://t.co/Ev8j2dP Two other groups we are hoping to involve are Marfan foundation http://bit.ly/jFw0Q4 and CFIDS http://t.co/VZEd5Pk We aren't in direct competition with each other and this could benefit each group." The Rett syndrome url is http://bit.ly/fcnRBp...
I hope that's ok with everyone, I tried to be clear it was informal, just voters helping each other. I didn't wait for further discussion because we are running out of time. I would be happy to modify anything and take criticism well...
Click to expand...


Isn't that something Helen! Well done! That's how this stuff gets done.....That so cool...:D

You know this is also practice for the smaller non-profit Chase Giving Contest giving contest coming theoretically because we'll have so many more groups involved - we could bring in ALOT more money...I think you should be in charge of networking for the next contest :thumbsup:

, I still have two votes to give.

I agree OneWaySurvival is right... the logical organization to focus most of our attention now is the WPI....The last couple of days are usually crazy with big up and down swings......
 
D
Cort said:
I agree OneWaySurvival is right... the logical organization to focus most of our attention now is the WPI....The last couple of days are usually crazy with big up and down swings......
Click to expand...
I think that is debatable. I think it is easier to get $20,000 for the CAA than another $100,000 for the WPI (i.e. one of the $200,000 prizes) which looks like it would be very hard to get. So I'd encourage people promote both.

Also, I think it may be easier to get people to move if they think there are two lots of money to be won. It motivated me to put in more effort to promote the competition anyway.
 
D
In the Vivint contest, 4 ME-type charities qualified for Round 2:

- IACFS/ME International Association for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome & ME
http://www.vivint.com/givesbackproject/charity/1124

- National ME/FM Action Network
http://www.vivint.com/givesbackproject/charity/855

- Nightingale Research Foundation
http://www.vivint.com/givesbackproject/charity/1129

- Whittemore Peterson Institute
http://www.vivint.com/givesbackproject/charity/769

Voting for Round 2 started today. I think only really the Whittemore Peterson Institute and maybe the National ME/FM Action Network have a chance of winning their region (i.e. voting for a group that doesn't have a chance of winning its region is a waste, in my opinion).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back