Thank you for having me, my name is Allie Avishai and I am the Regional Camp Director and Program director for the Arthritis Foundation Pacific Region, the National Organization LEADING the fight to cure arthritis. There are nearly 300,000 (6,000 in Arizona) children diagnosed with some form of arthritis nationwide. More children have arthritis than cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, and juvenile diabetes combined. The Arthritis Foundation’s mission simply put is to lead the fight for the arthritis community through being a champion of yes! Now what does that mean? Children and adults with arthritis are told “no” a lot through their lives. No, you can’t pick up your child, it’s too straining on your shoulders. No Timmy, you can’t go to Johnny’s birthday party today, you need to rest. No Alex, you can’t play soccer anymore because the impact is too hard on your knees. No Terra, you can’t go outside to the beach today because if you get burnt your arthritis will flare. The Arthritis Foundation wants to turn those “No’s” into yes’s through funding research, talking to our legislators, providing cutting edge informational tools to give help and support anytime, anywhere, and by providing a peer network and adaptable programs for families of children with arthritis.

 

The largest program we provide nationwide, and particularly in Arizona are our resident camps for children with arthritis and related diseases. Camp Cruz is an overnight resident camp for children with juvenile arthritis and related conditions ages 7-16. JA is wearing on a child. Various conditions discourage children from being in the sun, increase fatigue throughout the day, and limit the amount of impact a camper can place on their joints. Any activity that is hard on joints, kickball, soccer, running, etc. can be detrimental to the child’s recovery. Camp Cruz is already helping these children reach new goals and turn no’s into yes’s by providing adaptable programming geared for their condition. Camp Cruz provides smaller, lightweight archery bows, and stands that allow for campers to easily pull back the arrow. Camp is accessible for those campers in wheelchairs, and staff are trained to create a flexible schedule and include additional rest times.

 

Camp is also important for a child’s social development. In 2014, in a post-camp survey, 79% of campers (out of nearly 500) in the Pacific Region (Arizona, California, Hawaii, and Nevada) of the Arthritis Foundation stated they are the only one at their school with some form of arthritis.

One camper’s parent described the importance of peer support at camp: As a parent, she always would ask how he was feeling that day, and his answer was always the same: “I’m ok mom!” One afternoon she walked in on him talking to another camper his age (12), and heard him discussing the symptoms of his arthritis, and detailing his feelings, and what the pain felt like. She said, “From that moment I realized the importance of camp and his peers, he was never going to talk to me like that.”

 

I am asking for a grant of $10,000 to help support this program, and more importantly these children. Please become a champion of yes and give these kids a week where they will hear, “Yes, you can go horseback riding. Yes, you can climb that rock wall. Yes, you can shoot an arrow. Yes you can talk to your peers and adults about arthritis because they will understand you.YES.”