The Blue Balloon Campaign Platform
The Blue Balloon Campaign is conceived as a grassroots effort to call attention to legislation and policies that create unnecessary suffering for law abiding citizens who suffer chronic and severe pain. The are multiple levels of participation, from public demonstrations, to sending messages to key officials.
Options for Participation
Balloon Releases and Balloon Distribution
Starting on May 15th, 2019, Blue Balloon events will include releases of balloons in public places - especially places visible to employees of government agencies that affect availability of prescription pain medications (e.g., DEA, CDC, FDA), state capitols and medical facilities. In addition to balloons being released, balloons can also be distributed to the public.
In addition to releasing and distributing balloons, please have flyers on hand to distribute to passersby. Your event will be noticed, and it is an ideal way to share our concerns with the public.
Those organizing balloon releases should contact local newspapers, TV & radio stations, bloggers and You Tube channels. Also, record or photograph your balloon release to upload onto the internet.
People who are unable to travel to a public event have other options, including releasing balloons from home, sending balloon bouquets (with a message), or sending letters to key political officials.
Important: May 15th, 2019 is the launch date, Please be prepared to think of this as the first of
Writing Letters
Since so few people actually write letters to their elected representatives, they take letters they receive seriously. If it's possible for you to do so, consider sending a letter written by hand with a nice flag stamp on the envelop. In American etiquette, the way to communicate the fact that your message is of the highest seriousness to you is to write that message in your own handwriting.
Balloon Bouquets
In addition to public releases and distribution of balloons, another option is to send balloon bouquets (with message included) to key government officials to encourage them to the suffering and obstacles faced by law-abiding citizens with chronic and severe pain - a 50-million-member strong segment of the American population.
Persistence
We should be prepared for the fact that it will take time to effect change. We will likely have to stage multiple events over time.
When you feel the enormity of the task ahead of us, know you are not alone. Also keep this proverb in mind: Water drips through stone.
Internet
One way we can show the size and importance of this issue is to share videos, photos, testimonials (keeping personal info private is fine - show images of balloons if you prefer to maintain anonymity). Once videos and photos of Blue Balloon events are posted on the internet, they stay there. As more events are staged, images and videos are added to internet platforms, our issues will have a larger presence.