Honestly, I never knew visiting legislators at the State Capitol could be this fun. On Tuesday, nine MomsRising members, five kids (the youngest was 5 months!) and I spent the day urging legislators to do their part to expand healthcare coverage for kids in California.

We came bearing an unusual and welcome treat for each legislator – a bag of real lifesavers along with personalized messages from MomsRising members. As we went to each office to hand out these sweet packages, I noticed how immediately the legislative staff understood the deeper message we were sharing – healthcare is a lifesaver for kids. It's easy to get lost in the shuffle in Sacramento, but an attention-grabbing (and sweet) message always gets noticed.

The purpose of the visit was to urge CA legislators to act soon in order to take advantage of federal funds that are available to help expand healthcare coverage for kids. Currently, 683,000 children in California don’t have healthcare coverage. And, as the economic crisis deepens, thousands of parents find themselves turning to state-funded health care programs like California’s Healthy Families. Programs like these, which are more affordable, can be a real lifesaver for children who have no other way to get medical coverage.

Along with the candy lifesavers, we delivered more than 800 personalized messages from MomsRising members telling their leaders why children’s coverage is a priority for them. Here are some examples:

My daughter was born with a rare genetic condition that makes private health insurance out of our reach. Please don't leave her and the rest of CA kids high and dry!

Please, give hard-working families a chance to get ahead! Help us prepare for health emergencies by giving us access to health care for our children. Every time my children get sick, I pray that I don't have to take them to the doctor because I don't have health insurance for them - give us some peace of mind when it comes to our children's health.

Candy is dandy but health care is a lifesaver! Healthy kids mean better school attendance and improved life skills, a chance to get ahead and be productive workforce members -- that means more taxes paid to fund our economy. Parents with healthy kids do not have to take off work to help them!!

This lifesaver delivery is just the latest action MomsRising members in California have taken in support of expanding coverage for kids. We’ll continue to take action, both online and on the ground, until every child in California has healthcare coverage. And, we’ll definitely continue to have fun while we’re at it!

If you have something to share about why healthcare coverage for kids matters to you, post it here