ARTICLE
By now, you should know what the Texas Chiropractic Association is all about. We are THE Voice for All Texas Chiropractors, and our purpose is to protect, preserve, and promote chiropractic in the Lone Star State. But what you may not know is the how. How does TCA do what it does for the chiropractic profession? You help us by paying your membership dues, attending TCA conferences like Chiro Texpo and the West Texas Conference, and showing up at district meetings. Membership is the backbone of TCA, but it doesn’t pay all the bills. It takes hundreds of volunteer hours and thousands of dollars. Back in 2010, TCA launched the Chiropractic Development Initiative (CDI), a long-term commitment to affect change in statute, regulation, as well as government and public perception. Specifically, TCA was created to fund our association’s advocacy, legal defense, and public relations initiatives. Anyone who has been a Texas chiropractor for a decade or more knows the battles we’ve faced. It wasn’t that long ago that our right to diagnose patients and treat nerve-related conditions was at the mercy of the Texas Legislature and the court system. Fortunately for you and me, TCA won big every single time, and chiropractic in Texas was saved. Check out the video from TCA Vice President Dr. Andrew Oteo for a brief history. Because of TCA – and specifically CDI – a whopping 11 pro-chiropractic bills have been signed into the law over the past decade, and TCA achieved a landmark victory in the Texas Supreme Court to preserve nerve. And that barely scratches the surface. CDI is what paid for our incredible lobbyists and legal team. Without CDI and the generous support of Texas chiropractors and our friends across the country, TCA could not have afforded to stay in the fight. May is officially CDI Month, and I am asking you to step up and do your part by contributing to the Chiropractic Development Initiative. Here’s what you can do: Become a CDI 100 x $100 contributor or donate $50/month. Sustained fundraising allows us to keep fighting for you and your patients. You’ll be recognized as one of our CDI Champions. Make a one-time donation online. Attend our TCA Tour of Texas, our road show across the state where we give you the latest updates and raise funds and awareness for TCA. This year, we’ve had events in McAllen, Lubbock, and Houston and the next Tour of Texas stop is Tuesday, May 12, in El Paso. RSVP for our El Paso stop! I proudly serve on the TCA Board of Directors as the TCA District 9 State Director and as a member of the TCA Legislative Affairs Committee. The past few years it has been my privilege to co-chair the CDI Committee. I want to personally thank you if you’ve donated to CDI in the past and hope you will consider contributing again. If you’re not currently giving to CDI, now is the time to step up to protect your livelihood through our Funding Future Victories campaign. Sadly, fundraising has lagged this year, and we need you now more than ever. Every dollar matters! I look forward to seeing you at Chiro Texpo ’26, June 26-28 in Austin. TCA will recognize our CDI Champions at our state convention. Hope you can make it! Stacey Rodgers, DC TCA District 9 State Director CDI Committee Co-Chair