Dear Marilyn,

Spring has sprung in my neck of the woods, and with it comes renewed energy and commitment to advance the mission of Unite 2 Fight Paralysis:

"We will unite and empower the international spinal cord injury community to cure paralysis through advocacy, education, and support for research."

We have never shied away from setting ambitious goals, and as science and clinical practice move forward, U2FP will take a leading role in building our advocates' voice and participation in the decision-making processes that will shape the future.

This year's Working 2 Walk Symposium in Minneapolis will focus on the successful advocacy model built in Minnesota. Led by U2FP Advocacy Director Matthew Rodreick, a coalition of spinal cord injury advocacy groups put aside their differences to build a powerful partnership, aimed at passage of state legislation to fund paralysis research. We will hear from the various stakeholders who joined the coalition, and learn about their successes and how they are impacting the cure effort.

Hotel Reservations can now be booked at the RadissonBlu Mall of America. We have secured a special group rate of $149/night; please follow the instructions on our web page to get the proper accommodations.

Speakers: We continue to build the agenda for Working 2 Walk, and want to ensure that we feature cutting-edge research and recovery news for our audience. We've just announced our first list of confirmed speakers, and think you will agree that it's an outstanding group who will touch on a variety of important issues in the quest to advance research, including science, translation, and advocacy. The topics are sure to trigger some lively discussion and strategizing across stakeholder groups.

Supporters: There is still time to join the Working 2 Walk team as a conference supporter. Our publicity efforts, web traffic, and social media conversations will increase steadily over the next several months; be part of the buzz as an official W2W Supporter. Click here for information on all of our Supporter packages.

Registration for the Working 2 Walk Symposium will open mid-summer.

Questions about Working 2 Walk should be directed to Marilyn Smith, marilynsmith@u2fp.org.

Deadline to register for the October 9 Chicago Marathon is Tuesday, May 24, 2016. If you're a racer or know someone who wants to enter the marathon and raise funds for U2FP, please contact marathon@u2fp.org. We have a few charity spots left, but they must be claimed by the 24th.