Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Crohn's and Colitis Walk

Over 1.4 million American adults and children are affected by digestive diseases -- one in every 200 Americans! While many suffer in silence, Take Steps brings together this community and encourages them to make noise and be heard. The money you raise through Take Steps helps support patient programs, education efforts, and furthers crucial research. In the past three years alone, we have been able to bring together over 100,000 people and raise close to $22 million to help further CCFA's mission.

Founded in 1967, CCFA is a non-profit, volunteer-driven organization with the mission to cure Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis and improve the quality of life of children and adults affected by these diseases. today, the organization has grown to 40 local chapters, with more than $150 million raised and invested in research for a cure. This funding has enabled many groundbreaking treatments, improved the quality of care for individuals with these conditions and brought hope to countless lives.

As many of you know, Steve was diagnosed with Crohn's at 19 years of age. This year, our family will be walking in the Take Steps for Crohn's & Colitis Walk. Take Steps is CCFA's national evening walk and celebration and the nation’s largest event dedicated to finding cures for digestive diseases. We will enjoy a casual 2-3 mile stroll around Silver Lake Park on Sunday, May 15th at 5pm to raise money for crucial research, bringing us closer to a future free from Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

Your donation will help support local patient programs, as well as important research projects. This cause is very important to us and I appreciate your help as we fight for a cure! In addition to donating, you can join us at the event as a member of our team. There will be food, music and kid's activities (bouncing house, face painting, and crazy hair!). The more money we raise, the closer we will be to making life more manageable for patients who live with these diseases every day.

Click on the following link to join our team or donate to our efforts to support CCFA in finding a cure! Team Gatzke.