Check out our new Facebook page!

We are changing facebook pages for the 2011 Walk Season. Please "like" us at Take Steps Louisville (non-profit)

What are you Thankful for?

As we are approaching the Holiday season, we are asking everyone to share what they are thankful for.

We will start by saying that CCFA Kentucky is thankful for such a successful year and starting to build community presents with support from all our patients and volunteers.

Please click the city below and share with us on our facebook page

Lexington

Louisville

CCFA Testifies at Hearing- Thursday November 18, 2010

CCFA Testifies at Hearing:

Tomorrow morning Ally Bain, a CCFA advocate and National Youth Leadership Council member will be testifying in front of the Department of Justice (DOJ) on behalf of the Foundation. CCFA recently submitted comments to the (DOJ) requesting that IBD patients be allowed access to “employee only” restrooms under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

In addition to this hearing in Chicago, there will be two other hearings in DC and San Francisco.

To view the Press Release, Click Here.

Now Accepting Applications for The Leadership Board (Board of Directors)

We are currently accepting applications for the Leadership Board for Kentucky as we develop a Chapter for CCFA.

For more information about the positions avaialble and an application

Please contact Jenny Silberisen

(646) 623-2620

jsilberisen@ccfa.org



Nominate Lexington's and Louisville's next 2011 Honored Hero

Nominate the 2011 Honored Hero



Nominate the next 2011 Honored Hero for our Lexington and Louisville 2011 Take Steps. The Honored Hero puts a face on digestive diseases for the 2011 year. The Honored Hero works with the Crohn's and Colitis staff to reach out to the community via media outlets and events. The Honored Hero will attend the Kick Off Party and Walk Day and will speak on behalf of CCFA as the Honored Hero on Walk Day. They will also have their picture and a brief bio placed on the website and used as a marketing tool possibly placed in print media. The Honored Hero will be required to have a Walk Team.

Please type in a Word Document 300 words or less why you think your nominee should be our next Honored Hero. Please use the font Times New Roman in size 12 font and attach a photo of your nominee. Please indicate what city you are nominating for.

All nominations must be received via email (jsilberisen@ccfa.org) or mail (P.O. Box 573 Prospect, KY 40059) by November 30, 2010

Requirements for Nominee's: Individual must be affected with a digestive disease and must be between the age of 13- 18

Louisville Join Jenny Monday November 1st

Join Jenny on Monday November 1st

at the Bon Air Library

6:30PM- 7:30PM

Learn about getting involved in Take Steps 2011

Learn your committee & who you'll be working with if you already joined

Learn about starting and managing a Team

Learn about different ways to fundraise

LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING EVERYONE!

For more information contact Jenny Silberisen Community Development Manager (646) 623-2620

jsilberisen@ccfa.org

Bon Air Library is located at 2816 Del Rio Pl Louisville 40220

Don't miss this fun and exciting event in Louisville!

COMING TO LEXINGTON!!!!!

Wednesday November 10, 2010

Embassy Suites Lexington Hotel

Guest Speaker: Dr. Willem de Villiers, University of Kentucky

5:30pm, Check - in

6:00pm-8:00pm, Program

 Embassy Suite Lexington Hotel is located at 1801 Newtown Pike Lexington, KY 40511

 -----------------------------

Registration is required

Register Online

Call (646) 623-2620

Email Jenny Silberisen at  jsilberisen@ccfa.org 
 -----------------------------

Sponsored by

Centocor and Shire

Register Now! Understanding IBD in Louisville

 

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Jewish Community Center of Louisville

Guest Speaker: Dr. Gerald Dryden, University of Louisville

5:15pm, Check - in

6:00pm-8:00pm, Program

 Jewish Community Center of Louisville is located at 3600 Dutchmans Lane Louisville KY 40205

 -----------------------------

Registration is required

Register Online

Call (646) 623-2620

Email Jenny Silberisen at  jsilberisen@ccfa.org 
 -----------------------------

Sponsored by 

Lexington Mark Your Calendar's....Join Us for Dining to Donate!

YOU MUST PRESENT THIS FLYER WITH YOUR RECEIPT IN ORDER FOR US TO GET CREDIT!

Please Print this Flyer. If you are having trouble, contact Jenny Silberisen 646-623-2620 or jsilberisen@ccfa.org

The ABCs of IBS

I came across this article and found it very interesting and wanted to share. Click the link below and scroll down about half way through the website.

Click Here to Read "The ABCs of IBS"

Photos from Lexington!

Enjoy all the wonderful photos from our Lexington Walk May 22nd.

Lexington Walk Day Photos May 22, 2010

From one of our own, Kevin Gibson!

Kevin Gibson hate's his own guts and anyone with Crohn's and Colitis completely understands and relates to his sense of humor as he shares how he handles life's unexpected surprises.
http://leoweekly.com/guest-commentary/why-i-hate-my-own-guts

Come out for a fun Friday Night ........"Comedy for Crohns"

Comedy for Crohns

Friday, June 25th,
Doors open at 6:15, show starts at 7:15 p.m.

 Featuring
Spanky Brown and Gabe Kea

$20 per person
Or
$30 per couple

Tickets MUST be purchased at the River City FOP
968-0117
Proceeds benefit the Crohns & Colitis Foundation
In support of Louisville’s Honored Hero, Nick
Winters

Congrats to Louisville for a successful FIRST Take Steps June 5th

Thank you for making Louisville's First Walk a HUGE Success, raising over $50,000 to date! Congrats!

Congrats to Lexington for a successful FIRST Take Steps May 22nd

Thank you to everyone that came out and supports Lexington's First Take Steps Fundraising Walk which benefits the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation.

Happy World IBD Day!

We are coming together as a Community to raise awareness about IBD! 

An international community of IBD patient groups will join thousands of gastroenterologists from around the world to launch the first "World IBD Day" -- dedicated to Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis awareness. This event is led by patient organizations representing 27 countries on four continents. Patient groups from the United States, Canada, Australia, 23 European nations, and Brazil are working in collaboration with the World Gastroenterology Organization (WGO) to draw awareness to inflammatory bowel diseases. Learn more about World IBD Day http://ibdday.bvsalud.org

Have you done you part today to spread the word about Crohn's and Colitis?
* Fundraise on Facebook, by downloading the Boundless Fundraising Application 
* Email all your contacts about World IBD Day
* Post the IBD Picture on your facebook and my space account

Meet Louisville's Honored Hero Sunday May 23rd

Join the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation for a 

Pankcake Breakfast & Meet Louisville's Honored Hero

Nick Winters

All you can eat pancakes $5 (add sausage, just $1) 

River City FOP 614

6204 Price Lane

Louisville, KY  40229

All proceeds benefit the Team of Nick Winters Walkers for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, Take Steps Walk Saturday June 5^th

For more information contact Jenny Silberisen

(646) 623-2620

jsilberisen@ccfa.org

Two Fundraising Events for Lexington- Saturday May 15th

We haev two events in Frankfort and Lexington this weekend, Saturday May 15th and would love to see everyone out there.

***Saturday May 15th at Macadoos in Frankfort (610 Ridgeview Dr Frankfort KY) ***

* Lots of Food & Drink Specials Kitchen Hours 11am-9pm Bar Hours 10p-1am
* Free... Car Wash 11am- 2pm Donations will be Accepted

* Cornhole Tournament 2pm

              $20 per team minimum1 pro per team
                 1st place two $100 Gift Cards to Resturants.com
                 2nd place two $50 gift cards

There will also be drawings for $25 gift cards (from local businesses) for anyone that pre-registers and pre-pays for $25 gift cards from local businesses

****Saturday May 15th at Natasha’s Bistro & Bar (112 Esplanade Alley) ****
                                               5pm until Close
We will be raising awareness about Crohn’s & Colitis, and our FIRST Take Steps Walk in Lexington

Team "The Irritables" Says It All!

The name says it all; it expresses so often how our body feels! In the mornings we awake with this disease that has no cure and often times we feel helpless and even hopeless. Many of us feel alone in our suffering-our family and friends can’t really relate and sometimes they simply don’t understand the extent of our pain. I personally have battled Crohn’s since 2003 and the past 7 years have been full of difficult challenges (tests, drugs, surgeries, sickness and the expense of toilet paper). However, this time has also been filled with many wonderful moments (a new job/career, family closeness, courage, faith, and getting married). Crohn’s has changed my life in a monumental way, but it hasn’t and it will not keep me from living out all of my hopes and dreams!

At the first of April when I became aware of the “Take Steps Walk,” I knew immediately I wanted to participate. My husband was the first to tell me about this great opportunity to raise money for research and more importantly get the word out about Crohn’s and Colitis. We began our search for the perfect name for our team. We wanted it to be creative but also clean (this is kind of hard when dealing with a digestive disease). Due to our lack of creativity, we enlisted the help of our friends and family. Our first contact was my very smart and creative Uncle Mark; within a few hours he had a list of 5-6 names. “The Irritables” jumped out at us immediately.

Now we had a team name, what do we do next? I began to work on our team’s website and inviting as many friends and family members to partner with me. I decided to set my personal goal at $500, but soon realized I needed to raise that goal. Asking for donations from family or friends just doesn’t come easy to me. However, due to many generous people I have already raised approximately $1500 and our team has raised around $1630. Most of our donations have come from our loving family and close friends. As we move closer to the date of the walk we begin to think of new ways of raising funds for research. It is our hope that as we begin to ask new people to give we will be encouraged by their response and support.

My primary goal for participating in the walk is to join with others who can relate to the many challenges we face on a daily basis. I am excited for the day of the walk to come and I hope every day for a cure!

50% goes directly towards your team!

Need a new idea to boost your fund-raising. Here's a simple and great way to raise awareness about your Cause and you get 50% make towards your team!

The Partylite fundraiser is rather hassle free and offers great rewards. Partylite has created a product line that offers a variety of items for you to sell at a reasonable price. Your organization will receive 50% of all funds that are raised. If you qualify for tax exemption, the taxes on the products will not be charged. Shipping is also free. All orders ship directly to the seller which also make for a hassle free distribution of the product!!!! It can't get any better than this. So all you really have to do is sell sell sell!!!



For more information, click below.

http://www.partylite.biz/sites/jessicatorres/fundraisers

We Hate Susan's Guts!

Susan Sparks has had to put up a battle with Cron's disease for 13 years now. Her sister Emily and herself has set a goal and have done everything in their power to make our FIRST walk in Lexington a success.

 

Susan's Story:

My sister and I signed up for the Crohn's and Colitis walk as soon as we saw that the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America was having one in Lexington.  It is near and dear to me because I have battled Crohn's disease for 13 years.  We told everyone in the family about our team and then began asking friends to join.    

It is important to have my friends and family support me in this because it affects my everyday life and they see how controlling of a disease it is.  By showing their support, makes me feel like we have a chance at a cure.  It is also important that people are educated about the disease to understand how debilitating it is.  The more people we can educate, the more funding and research the foundation will get to help people with this disease and their quality of life until a cure is found.

We set a large goal for our team and have broken it up into smaller amounts between the team.  This way no one sees it as having to get this large goal on their own.  If they can get their small goal then they may be able to move on and achieve more without so much pressure.  The more you break the amount down the more obtainable the goal seems.  We send out e-mails and facebook our team and friends regularly for support and to remind those who have not donated they still can.  If everyone does a little bit, our goal will be met with friends, family, donations, education and a cure for a better life.

To join Susan and Emily's Team, http://online.ccfa.org/goto/wehatesusansguts

Host a Game Night

Having a diffcult time raising funds towards your team, why not host a game night?

Find something you enjoy, card games, bowling, skating, corn hole. Organize an event at your house, invite everyone over and ask for a donation from them in order to play.

For example; get corn hole teams together ask for a $10 donation towards your Take Steps Team and host a corn hole tournament.

It's simple, it's easy and it's spring so everyone will enjoy it!

Reaching $10,000 to find a Cure for Crohn's

Team Captain Laura Fackler of Team Fackler is very passionate about finding a cure for Crohn's and Colitis. After watching her son Collin suffer for years, she is ready to make a change.


Learn how Laura plans to reach her goal of $10,000.....

My son Collin has had Crohn's for 10 years and last year has had a horrible time with 2 surgeries and numerous stays in the hospital for several weeks. After seeing him suffer I decided to get involved in the walk coming to Louisville. I would love to find a cure and work on more treatments for all IBS. I first sent an email introducing our story to all our email friends and family. We received almost $3,000.00 in response to our letter. My sister then offered to help out by having a pre-walk party at her farm to raise additional money. I started out thinking if I raised $5,000.00 that would be great but now I want to raise that to $10,000.00. After working on the event I felt I needed to go for the moon. I am hopeful to get 100 people to attend so that would help me achieve my goal. I need to pray for good attendance and weather. Wishing all good luck in their fund raising efforts.

~ Team Captain Laura Fackler
 
To Learn more about hosting a Team Wrap Around Event just like Team Fackler, contact Jenny Silberisen at jsilberisen@ccfa.org or (646) 623-2620

Cutting for Crohn's and Colitis

Everyone gets their hair cut, why not ask your hairdresser for support and help to get the word out.

Ask your hairdresser to donate $2.00 of every haircut they complete over a week. We can make a sign to hang at their station and get their clients aware of your cause!

OR

Ask your stylist to co-host a Cuts for CCFA night with you. They open their salon, give you a donation from each service, while you bring in treats (wine, cheese, crackers, etc...all donated of course) and other festive Take Steps inspired items. Invite all of your friends and family, teammates, co-workers and this will be a win-win for both you and your stylist (team fundraiser for you, new clients for them).

Louisville's Local Honored Hero, Nick Winters!

NICK WINTERS INSPIRES LOUISVILLE TO TAKES STEPS TO FIGHT DIGESTIVE DISEASES

Nick Winters from Fern Creek is inspiring people in the Louisville area to participate in the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s Take Steps. Nick Winters is not alone in his struggle with Crohn’s Disease, nor is he your typical 16 year-old. Nick, who suffered from the painful symptoms at a very young age, was diagnosed at age 11. Over the last five years he’s endured several medical therapies which eventually stop working to rein in the pain he suffers on a daily basis. Yet Nick manages to face his life head in a positive way.

Due to growth delays associated with the disease Nick is not very athletic, and he misses a lot of days from school. However, he is smart and focuses his efforts on his education. He is an avid history lover with a special interest in the Military and law enforcement, and is an active member of his ROTC at Male High School.

According to Tessa, Nick’s mom, “He has good days and bad days, but he never complains and he has a great attitude. God gave my son the right temperament and personality to deal with his daily struggles, which is a benefit to conquering this disease.”

“To me the ‘walk’ is very important. It is a chance to spread the word about Crohn’s and Colitis and hopefully raise some money to fight it,” said Nick. “I feel very proud to be the honored hero for Louisville and I hope to be able to inspire people to do something to help the cause for fighting Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis in their city. I hope that awareness and money is raised by this event. The only way to find a cure is to have events like these to support research. If we have no awareness, we have no hope in fighting this horrible disease and finding a cure. I want to live to enjoy the cure when it is found.”

Join Nick is his fight against Crohn’s http://online.ccfa.org/goto/nickwinters

Customizing your Personal and Team Page...Makes a Difference!!!!

Customizing your Team page and your Personal page helps all your friends, family and others getting involved and supporting you and your team to better understand you. Below are 10 ideas to get you started in putting that personal touch on your page.

1. Add a photo of your inspiration for walking

2. Include your personal story. Why are you getting involved and why are you so passionate about Take Steps?

3. Share your individual and team fundraising goal. How did you get your goal and what do you plan on doing to reach your goal?

4. Talk about your Team. How did you create your team name?

5. Spread the word about your upcoming Fundraising events.

6. Share photos from your Fundraising Events

7. Let your donors know how their fundraising dollars are used. 81 cents of every dollar donated to CCFA goes towards research.

8. Highlight your top supporters.
9. Update your page as your supporters increase and your goals change
10. Invite others to join you by walking, donating or volunteering.

Have fun putting the personal touch on your fundraising campaign!!!!!

Warning: Contents Under Pressure

Prior to the news about a “Take Steps, Be Heard” event happening in Lexington KY, I didn’t much involve myself with the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America. This might have been due to my hesitation in accepting a life of Crohn’s disease or simply a loss for how to help. However, with a little pushing from my very supportive mother, a breast cancer survivor that has done her share of fundraising, I feel like I have truly been able to contribute to a wonderful cause.


My family has always been supportive of my illness, and I knew they were the first ones I would recruit for my team. Luckily, with a family of six plus all of their significant others, I had a team formed in no time. The next step was the most important, a good team name. The brainstorming was mostly done with my fiancé, who has become quite familiar of all the unfortunate (and embarrassing) symptoms of a digestive disease and knows how important humor is. We wanted something witty, but also something explanatory of Crohn’s and Colitis. Therefore some ideas were “The Combustibles”, “Crohn’s Is A Pain In My Butt”, and “Spontaneous Combustion”, but we finally settled on “Warning: Contents Under Pressure!” for a double meaning, 1). The obvious similarity this popular safety warning has with a symptom of digestive diseases, and 2). The feeling patients with Crohn’s and Colitis can have about the underrepresentation our diseases have in the medical community and society.

Once our team name was picked, I set a modest goal of $250, and started off the donations by putting up $25 myself. This way, when my team members registered for my team it gave them incentive to go ahead and start donating right away, plus not having a $0 amount next to their name was a good motivator. From there, I just started asking everybody I knew. Luckily, many of my coworkers and friends already know about my condition and were more than happy to do their part and within weeks my team had overshot their goal! Just in the last week or so, once this pool of people dried up, I had to start reaching out to acquaintances and even strangers! This part has actually been the hardest for me, but the responses have been great. I might not have gotten much monetary gains from these interactions, but I know at least explaining Crohn’s and Colitis to them will increase their chances of donating in a future event.

Now that the weather is finally acting like spring, I have some outdoor fundraising ideas I hope to put to good use. A lot of them center on setting up a table at some local events selling hotdogs, drinks, baked goods etc. Many of my friends have already offered to help and hopefully we can reach Lexington’s goal of $30,000!

-Cheryl Lindsay
Team Captain: Warning Contents Under Pressure!

Learn 5 easy ways to spread awareness about Take Steps

1. Promote the walk on your Facebook by clicking on the Fundraise with Facebook button on your Participant Center home page.

2. Include your Take Steps online fundraising page link in your email signature

3. Log into your Participant Center and set up your personal fundraising webpage. Your online donors will visit this page, so personalize it with a photo and your story.

4. Wear your Take Steps T-shirt or Team t-shirt to the office

5. Host a "Dress Down Day" at work

Meet Lexington's Honored Hero, Jason

Sometimes you know when some things are not quite right, and sometimes you know when things are perfectly pleasant. That’s my life with Crohn’s Disease and this is my story.

I was always active as a kid, but one day while visiting my grandparents, I fell ill. It was subtle at first, but by the time the day ended I was lying in a hospital in agonizing abdominal pain. Three days later, feeling like the 14 year old I was, I was released from the hospital with what doctors said was mono.

Fast forward to 19 years later.

Over the years I developed poor health habits. Not much exercise, a fairly poor diet, and the everyday stresses of operating and owning a business. About the same time, I fell for a beautiful girl that had recently come back into my life. Rachelle was an old high school classmate. After 15 years of no communication, a popular online networking website brought us together again. As we got to know each other again, Rachelle became concerned with my health, and for good reason.

On most occasions throughout my life I was fine after eating a meal. Sometimes, though, not long after a meal, my abdomen would roll and swell as my food digested. I knew something was not right, as the occurrences became almost an everyday event. Even when I was vacationing with Rachelle on the night that I proposed to her in New York City, I felt the effects and was not feeling well, on what should have been the perfect night.

Then it happened.

The last weekend in September of 2009, as Rachelle and I settled into our new home together, I became increasingly uncomfortable due to pain in my abdomen. By the time the weekend ended I was in the hospital. The doctors were obviously concerned and ran tests to find a cause. Not long after stabilizing my condition, the diagnosis was Crohn’s Disease. After learning this, it all became clear that I was living with Crohn’s most of my life and didn’t know. Fortunately I avoided surgery, and with great doctors I am in remission with the help of drug therapy.
Unfortunately, at the time of my admission into the hospital I did not have health insurance. With the expense I accrued and the potential expense of future therapy I was looking at a difficult financial road. Realizing the magnitude of the situation, Rachelle stepped in and made the suggestion that changed everything. The week following a 6 day stay in the hospital Rachelle became my wife at the local courthouse.

After enrolling in Rachelle’s employer’s health insurance plan, things have dramatically changed. With the support of my new wife, Rachelle, drug therapy, a healthy diet, and the reduction of stress, life has been good. I continue to educate myself on all of the issues and on Crohn’s itself. I’ve learned that life with Crohn’s doesn’t necessarily have to be difficult and it can be managed.

Now a lot of my times are perfectly pleasant!