Spring 2015

Spring 2015
Grassroots Newsletter
Inside Story Headline
Strange Body Raises Money For AARDA
22100 Gratiot Avenue
East Detroit, MI 48021
(586) 776-3900
www.aarda.org
Twitter: @aardatweets
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/
autoimmunity
Boston — Lilly Stairs and
her “50 Cents for 50 Million
(50c50m)” group hosted the
Laugh for Immunity Comedy
Show on March 25. The
event was held in Boston and
raised more than $2,000 for
AARDA!
Stairs, a recent Northeastern University graduate, has
been diagnosed with
Crohn's Disease, psoriasis,
hypothyroidism and psoriatic arthritis. This led her
and a couple of her close
friends created the 50c50m
campaign. The campaign included partnering with Boston based restaurants, t-shirt
sales, jewelry sales and online
donations. In total, the campaign netted more than
$11,500 for autoimmune disease research! Way to go!
Youtube:
www.youtube.com/
aardatube
AARDA, Inc is a 501
(c)(3) tax exempt nonprofit charitable organization. Administrative
expenses are less than
10% of all contributions.
Autoimmune Walks Successful From Coast to Coast
Autoimmune Walkers from all across the country made an impact last year! Many cities that included Chicago, Atlanta, New York,
St. Louis and Washington, DC raised more than $66,000 for autoimmune disease research. We salute everyone that donated,
walked or wanted to walk. Visit www.autoimmunewalk.org for 2015 Walk Information. We will see you at the finish line.
Volume 3, Issue 1
Page 2
How You Can Be a Leader in the Fight Against Autoimmune Disease
2015 is the year to
put into action the
Grassroots Fundraising activity that
you have been
dreaming about.
Whatever your talent is, you can turn
it into a fundraiser
for AARDA! Do
you like to draw?
Create cards to sell
throughout the
year. Do you like to
bowl? Awesome!
Gather your friends
and host a bowling fundraiser at your local bowling what they love to do. Would
your employer allow a
alley.
Denim Day where employWe recommend that
ees pay a set amount, say $2,
AARDA supporters organ- to wear jeans? Autoimmune
ize fundraisers around
Walks are always awesome.
Not only do the
Walks help you
move at your
pace but they
also offer the
opportunity for
community involvement. If
you have a
fundraiser that
you would like
to host, please
contact Sharon
at SHarris@aarda.org.
All Team Leaders receive
a cool Team Leader’s hat
as a thank you from the
50 million people that suffer from autoimmune disease.
Tips For Planning a
Grassroots
Fundraiser:





Be creative. People
may grow tired of
participating in the
same types of
activities so be sure
to think outside of
the box.
Use your networks
to recruit allies.
Use Social Media
(Facebook, Twitter,
etc.) to bolster your
project.
Be prepared for
questions.
Be sure to say
“thank you”.
Dancing Divas Shimmy For Autoimmune Disease Awareness
Earlier this year, The Step by Step (SBS) Dance Studio in Millstone Township, NJ hosted the Student Choreography Benefit – 2015. The fundraiser raised $1,800 for AARDA! The "Divas" chose AARDA because one of their teachers, Tiffanie Cohn-Masi, bravely lives with Takayasu's
Arteritis. Prior to her diagnosis, Tiffanie was experiencing “blurred vision, migraines, frothy urine, shortness of breath and elevated blood
pressure and heart rate.” A two week stay at two different hospitals with a team of 20 specialists eventually diagnosed with Takayasu's Arteritis almost eight years ago. She said that she feels fortunate to have the support of Step by Step Dance Studio. And AARDA does, too!