Following the successful gathering of manufactured home owners from communities owned by Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS), held in Chicago in May, Jan McMeans and Pam Bournival were honored to be invited, via MHOAA and the Center for Community Change (CCC) to participate in the “White House Senior Community Leaders Summit” on Tuesday, June 26th. The summit, sponsored by the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare (NCPSSM), and attended by more than 100 activists, provided a unique opportunity for participants to share directly with the Administration their personal experiences with and outlook on the Affordable Care Act, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.
    The summit included policy briefings, panel discussions, and a question and answer session on proposals that would impact these vital federal programs which touch the lives of virtually every American family. A seemingly small but key point made was usage of the term "earned benefits" instead of "entitlements", which implies a type of welfare assistance. People have been paying into Social Security and Medicare their entire working lives; they have, indeed, earned these benefits.
    Five seniors, from the group, shared their personal stories about how Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid has made a significant differences in the quality of life for themselves and their families. Those speakers included:
? Carol Berman – West Palm Beach, Florida
? Rosie Lee Words – Richmond, Virginia
? Fred Robinson – Goffstown, New Hampshire
? Margaret Metzler – San Jose, California
? Roy Aragon – Albuquerque, New Mexico
These stories and more information can be found at www.NCPSSM.org
    In addition to the White House summit, Pam and Jan also participated in three days of engagement and education activities including a White House tour, legislative briefings, and a trip to Capitol Hill to lobby Members of Congress on the importance of strengthening, not cutting, programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Jan and Pam visited the staff of Senators Rubio and Nelson and Congressman Buchanan, all from Florida.
    It was a very exciting time and they learned a lot to bring back to their Networking for Progress group in Florida. This is the grassroots organization they began which includes membership from all the age-qualified communities in Florida which are owned by ELS. They are already planning the annual meeting and hope to invite homeowners from all communities in Florida, not just ELS-owned communities to attend the annual meeting. Elected officials will be invited and the Social Security and Medicare messages will be shared.
    Pam and Jan thank Mary Dailey from CCC for recommending them to the National Committee and Ishbel Dickens for giving them the courage to attend.