Dear Friends, 

We hope all of our supporters had an enjoyable and relaxing Christmas day. On our end, it is back to raising the funds necessary for our 2025 budget as we enter the most important few days of our fundraiser. We have the daunting task of trying to reach a total of $140,000 by midnight Dec 31st. 

Since Monday, we’ve raised $2,420 from 17 donors. This was doubled thanks to our $4,500 Christmas Eve doubling challenge from a super angel, bringing our total to  $33,763 from 277 donors. We’re incredibly grateful for your support. Thank you!

DONATIONS STILL DOUBLED – The next $760 will continue to be doubled.

Maple syrup promo – Remember, anyone who donates $150 or more will still be entered into a random drawing for the remaining 10 pints of pure Vermont maple syrup offered by Jack Crowther.   

How To Make A Tax-Deductible Donation

• You can make your donation online using either our new secure fundraising page: https://fluoridealert.networkforgood.com/projects/176427-everyday-giving
  
• Or our original secure fundraising page if your computer browser is a bit older: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/1415005
  
• You can also donate by check, payable and addressed to: 
  
  Fluoride Action Network
  PO Box 85
  North Sutton, NH 03260

Many of you are familiar with the above cartoon. Over the 15 years I’ve been with the Fluoride Action Network we’ve included it in at least one bulletin each year, often at a time when it seemed like we were facing adversity in our fight to end fluoridation. But we carried on year after year, making steady incremental progress that eventually led to major victories that have put us in the position we’re in now, on the verge of ending fluoridation globally. We never gave up on our mission, and our supporters never gave up on FAN. 

As I interact with many of you throughout the year, I’m reminded each day of how fortunate I am to be surrounded and supported by so many principled people dedicated to scientific integrity and to protecting public health despite immense push-back from health “experts,” media pundits, and government officials. The truth has always been on our side, and I think we all understood that eventually the truth would win. Together, we’re very close to making that a reality.

I’d like to share one story about never giving up that has inspired me for years. It’s about the Ozark Mountain Regional Public Water Authority (OMRPWA), which serves more than 22,000 residents in 18 towns in parts of Boone, Newton, and Searcy counties in Arkansas. In 2011, the Arkansas legislature passed a statewide fluoridation mandate–after a well-funded lobbying campaign occurred outside of public view–requiring that all water systems with 5,000 or more connections add fluoridation chemicals to the public drinking water. From day one of this mandate, the Ozark water district fought against the requirement. 14 years later, they remain the lone holdout, choosing safe water over water polluted with fluoride.

During the summer of 2015, the Ozark Mountain water district held a meeting of their customers to hear a presentation on fluoridation from the Arkansas Department of Health. A representative from each community expressed their views after the presentation, unanimously opposing the practice due to health and safety concerns. At that moment, they collectively committed to doing whatever was necessary to remain fluoridation-free until the state mandate could be overturned. This was a commitment to protect public health rather than follow political policy. 

At first, they delayed, asking the state for an extension due to a number of unforeseen expenses and repairs that would have to be made prior to initiating fluoridation. As other communities gave in to the mandate, the Chair of the Ozark board, Andy Anderson, said he saw lead levels rising in communities that introduced fluoridation chemicals, particularly in the towns of Harrison and Eureka Springs, which all of a sudden started to exceed the EPA threshold for lead in drinking water, a level of 0.015 ppm. 

Their next step was to sue the state in Circuit Court, claiming that the district didn’t meet the vague inclusion criteria for the mandate because they served only 18 customers, not 5,000. Their customers were the 18 communities that purchased water from the district. However, the court ruled against them in 2020. While they had successfully delayed fluoridation at this point for 9 years, they were now being fined $500 per week by the state for their noncompliance. But they didn’t give up. 

Now, nearly 5 years later, the fines have added up to $113,000, but the water district board doesn’t care and nor do their customers. This is because they were right to oppose fluoridation. They’ve watched as study after study was published linking neurotoxicity, dental fluorosis, liver and kidney impairment, thyroid impairment, and changes to birth weight to fluoride exposure levels found in fluoridated communities. Their consciences remained clear, because they made the right choice when others didn’t. 

Andy Anderson, who has long been a supporter of FAN, recently said that “their water authority was heartened by a recent federal court ruling that EPA must regulate fluoride as a neurotoxin.” Our victory in court has also helped inspire the introduction of two bills in the Arkansas legislature this session that could finally free the Ozark water district, and all of the other water systems in the state, from the 2011 mandate. 

The story of this water district is truly inspiring. They made a commitment and honored it in the face of extreme adversity. They knew what they were doing was right and just, and no amount of pressure, ridicule, or fines caused them to give up their principles or their will to protect their customers. 

Hopefully, their story will inspire you in your own fluoridation fight. FAN is working with locals in Arkansas to support their legislative efforts, and it’s my hope that by this summer we can end the mandate and the $500 per week fines. Never give up!