Jan. 8, 2009 – Delegate Donna M. Christensen will be honored with a special plaque during a press conference at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 13, in the AARP State Office. She is being honored for her exemplary work to spread AARP's Divided We Fail (DWF) message and help the movement reach its national goals prior to the presidential election. Dr. Cora Christian, AARP national board member, will also be on hand to talk about the future of AARP's DWF initiative.
AARP launched the Divided We Fail initiative in Washington, D.C. in January 2007. During the last two years, AARP has worked hard to garner support in Congress and simultaneously raise the average American's level of awareness about the dire need to address its most serious health and financial issues. Since DWF's inception AARP's staff and dedicated volunteers have collected over 1.6 million pledges from residents in states and territories. An impressive 2,217 pledges have been signed in the Virgin Islands.
Two years ago Delegate Christensen became one of the first members of Congress to sign a DWF pledge. In doing so, she indicated that she was committed to working with fellow elected officials, regardless of party, to develop and implement policies that would provide Americans with access to quality, affordable health care and lifetime financial security. Shortly after signing the DWF pledge, Delegate Christensen began her public demonstration of support by being the only congressional representative to speak before a crowd of 3,200 AARP employees at a DWF rally on the steps of Congress.
The Delegate has proactively urged her Congressional Black Caucus colleagues to lend their support. During the 110th Congress 42 of the 43 CBC members signed DWF pledges largely due to her influence.
But most significantly, DWF pledges and/or letters of support were received from 372 Members of Congress and 20 Governors; including the Virgin Islands' own Governor John P. deJongh. These are the key policymakers who can make the difference.
Delegate Christensen's ongoing effort to champion DWF among her colleagues is more important now than ever before. Her work to keep the dialogue with her colleagues going will include efforts to identify solutions, develop plans and press for implementation legislation on these issues.
Although we have just learned that the delegate must be in Washington, D. C., and that she will be sending a representative to accept her plaque, AARP would still like all Virgin Islanders to join us in publicly thanking Delegate Donna M. Christensen for becoming a catalyst for change for all Americans by becoming a dedicated Divided We Fail supporter.
