I am participating in the People's Coast Classic, a charity bike ride to raise money for the Arthritis Foundation. I want to raise at least $2,300 because I was 23 when I developed auto-immune arthritis. I am riding because much to my suprise and delight, I still can. So for me, it's personal, but also about making sure there's information and resources for people who need them. This can range from having specialists available to community-based exercise programs.
The Arthritis Foundation is the only national not-for-profit organization that supports research and education on the 100+ types of arthritis and related conditions. There are over 50 million people in the United States with arthritis, including osteoarthritis and rheumatic diseases. This includes about 300,000 kids.
I met one of these kids at a party this weekend-- she's the child of a someone I know from college, and right about 20 months old. She is just coming out of being a sick little girl who 'just stopped moving' one day because the joints in her arms and legs were so inflamed. They were referred to one of the few pediatric rheumatologists in the Pacific Northwest after going through a hospital stay and a tentative diagnosis of leukemia. Her parents are just now sorting through their options for what they can do if she has another flare.
My ride will be from September 13-16, 2011. The goal for my team is $10,000, and nearly $150,000 has been raised via this ride to support the Arthritis Foundation.
- 49¢ goes towards funding research.
- 19¢ goes towards public education programs, such as Kids and Teens camps.
- 8¢ goes towards patient and community services, such as lifestyle improvement exercise programs.
- 4¢ goes towards professional education programs that update medical providers on the latest in arthritis treatment.
- 10¢ cents goes towards fundraising efforts.
- 10¢ cents goes towards administrative costs.
0 comments:
Post a Comment