Promote Longevity Research on October 1st, the International Day of Older Persons

A few weeks from now, on October 1st, advocates for longevity research around the world will hold local events and show their support for the cause. We'd all like to see faster progress towards the control of degenerative aging and elimination of age-related frailty, disease, and aging. Coordinated events are one way to gain greater attention for the staggering cost of degenerative aging and the potential for near future medicine to treat and ultimately reverse the causes of aging. The yearly October 1st events are grassroots efforts encouraged and coordinated by groups such as the International Longevity Alliance and Longecity. A strong grassroots is an essential part of growing the community, generating an environment in which more new ventures launch, more advocates undertake new work, and more seed funding can be raised for early stage research. Big donors only arrive much later in the process, and even then only because a strong grassroots advocacy community has spent years successfully generating growth and public support.

The first step to getting anything done in this world is to make a contribution yourself, and then persuade a few friends to join you in that effort. Enormous, world-changing movements grow from such small roots and successes:

Promoting Longevity Research on October 1 - The International Day of Older Persons

Dear friends,

There are now efforts by longevity activists around the world to organize events (meetings, lectures and publications) dedicated to promotion of longevity research on or around October 1 - the International Day of Older Persons. This symbolic day can be a great opportunity to raise the topic of longevity research in the mainstream (including the media, officials and wide public).

Just about 1 month is left until October 1 - a good time to prepare small events, create publications and distribute materials. Last year, events for that day - ranging from small meetings of friends to seminars and rather large conferences, alongside publications, distributions of outreach materials (petitions and flyers) and media appearances - were held in over 30 countries. Longecity will support these efforts. It will offer small reimbursements for the best events organized by longevity activists around the world toward that day.

The criteria for choosing the event to be supported include (but not restricted to):

1) Maximum outreach,
2) Building up the local pro-longevity community,
3) Educational value,
4) A special preference will be given to events organized in countries where little or no longevity activism existed so far.

If you would like to organize an event, please contact us and send us a description. You are welcome to give additional support to these and further local events by longevity activists around the world by donations. This initiative is a part of the general effort to promote Regional Longevity Outreach and Activism around the world, by forming and developing local activist groups.

Coincidentally, October 1st is also the launch of the Fight Aging! 2014 matching fundraiser in support of SENS Research Foundation programs. The Foundation funds ongoing scientific research focused on repairing the cellular and molecular damage that causes aging. All of that funding is provided by charitable donations from people like you and I who feel strongly that this work should move forward rapidly. We're aiming to raise $50,000 before year end, and to help meet that goal have assembled a $100,000 matching fund: every $1 donated will draw down $2 from the fund. Do you want to triple the effect of your charitable donations this year? Then look no further!

If you are considering organizing an event for October 1st, take a look at the full size posters assembled for the fundraiser:

Print them out, and show them off to your circle. Your help in reaching this fundraising goal in support of SENS research would be greatly appreciated: it makes a real difference to the pace of progress.

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