Dear Addy: Off to College

Dear Addy,
My family is active with our local bleeding disorders community, but now I am going to college in a different state. How do I find an organization near my school so I can remain involved as a community advocate in a new state and at the national level?
Signed,
Active Young Advocate

Dear Young Advocate,
Congratulations on going to college! Staying active in the bleeding disorders community is hard with college transition stress. Local and national organizations like HFA offer many opportunities to keep you engaged, as well as resources to support you in this next phase of life. Here are tools to get you started:

• HFA Member Organization List: Plug in your new zip code to find information about the organization closest to your school. Reach out to introduce yourself, find area resources to manage your bleeding disorder, and learn about local programs.
• Young Adult Advocacy Summit: HFA brings young adults to Washington D.C. each fall to discuss issues affecting the bleeding disorders community, provide policy, advocacy and communications training, and offer opportunities to network. Attendees also spend a day on Capitol Hill meeting with congressional staff to put their training into practice.
• Print and Online News: HFA’s Dateline magazine and other newsletters make it easy to stay informed about community news and events wherever you are!
• Events Calendar: Check out the calendar to find events organized by HFA, Member Organizations, and NHF. If you see something of interest outside of your area, talk with your new local organization about offering a similar event.
• Internships & Scholarships: If you want to take your community involvement to the next level, consider applying for HFA’s Policy & Government Relations Internship! HFA also has a list of scholarships for the bleeding disorders organization available online.
• NHF Washington Days: NHF hosts their annual advocacy event in late winter/early spring. This large-scale fly-in gives you the chance to meet legislators and community members from around the country. Connect with your local organization to see how you can participate.

While HFA’s resources can help you be an active advocate, these opportunities are what you make of them. The best advice is to get involved with your new local organization and keep a connection to your old one. The bleeding disorders community is small, and chances are, you’ll meet people in your new area with connections to those back home. Best of luck in the pursuit of your goals!
Sincerely,
Addy
 
Have a question? Click HERE. Your name will be changed in the response.
HFA frequently receives questions from the bleeding disorders community related to advocacy issues. The questions often impact the entire community. In an effort to reach the largest audience possible with our responses to these widely applicable questions, HFA developed “Dear Addy.” Questions submitted to this column are edited in order to protect privacy and should be considered educational only, not individual guidance.