All In A Year! Imagine what can be achieved in the next 12 months…
Lauren loved Bon Jovi’s ‘We Weren’t Born To Follow’ and, as we listen to this track, we recount the last year in running her charity. LCTF was developed, not to ‘follow’ but to lead innovative Vasculitis support and funding initiatives – this is the ethos that runs through everything we do. The charity started in Oct 2010 shortly after Lauren died from Wegener’s Granulomatosis. The Lauren Currie Twilight Foundation was set up, due to a shortage of national funding, to support and raise awareness of Vasculitis, in memory of an amazing and fun loving 15 year old.
Its ethos led to delivering bespoke projects, fundraising and awareness campaigns that has helped to raise the awareness and profile of Vasculitis throughout the UK. The Foundation has invested in the four key corner stones i.e. Awareness, Education, Research and Patient Support. Our Awareness campaign is a continuous campaign that gets the message out to the general public and the medical community. It has also enlisted Biffy Clyro, Platinum selling Rock band, and Kirsty McCabe, former weather presenter on ITV Daybreak, to further support the Vasculitis awareness work. To further enhance awareness, LCTF developed its own events with an annual 5k at Dean Castle Country Park and the annual Vasculitis Charity Ball. These events attract around 200+ people and are managed by the Foundation to raise the profile of Vasculitis and support fundraising.
Education has had a significant investment with the launch of online live webcasts featuring leading Vasculitis specialists in the UK and now works alongside high profile media celebrities who want to join the work of the Lauren Currie Twilight Foundation in advancing the guidance material on Vasculitis. These high profile medical figures have involved Dr Hilary Jones, Dr Linda Papadopoulas etc. We are now in production for a bespoke DVD that will be distributed in June 2012 to GPs and Hospitals. This DVD will assist in raising awareness and supplying guidance material that may just diagnose a patient early – saving them from serious organ damage or death.
Lauren’s Foundation funds and manages its own support groups ensuring that patients are free to relax and network with other Vasculitis sufferers. LCTF has invested in launching groups in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Bristol. Our funding is not just to start up a group but ongoing funding to cover venue hire, visual equipment, materials and catering for as long as there is a need to support patients. We also provide online support groups should a patient be isolated due to their location and a bereavement group to counsel and support the family and friends who have lost loved ones to Vasculitis.
Our research will start in Autumn 2012. The Lauren Currie Twilight Foundation has already committed an amazing £50,000 in research in 2012 alone and we anticipate this fund will increase annually.
All in a year! Imagine what can be achieved in the next 12 months… Join us, support us and help continue the valuable and bespoke work of the Lauren Currie Twilight Foundation to make the next 12 months even better for Vasculitis – Together We Can Fight Vasculitis!
