The IDF has finally announced the SCID Initiative on its website.  I thought that an e-newsletter would be forthcoming as well, but perhaps it’s still in the works.  The SCID Initiative is a concept that I’ve been working on with Marcia for several months now.  It’s a dedicated fund held by the IDF for the purpose of pooling contributions into SCID specific programs.  My hope is that it will allow anyone with an interest in SCID, but most especially those families who’ve been affected by SCID, a way to join their efforts together in order to make a difference for education, awareness, diagnosis, newborn screening, and the search for a cure.  Direct donations to the fund can be accepted online:

https://www.primaryimmune.org/youcanhelp/donate_scid.asp

Since the money is collected through the IDF, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization, all contributions are tax deductible to the maximum extent allowed by the IRS.  I also hope to see additional fund raisers initiated by members of the SCID community.  I’ll be sure to post more about such fund raisers as the information becomes available.

I know IDF is about to launch a new website design, so the above link may change when that happens.  I’ll post a new link if this one stops working.

The following is the announcement from the IDF site:

The Immune Deficiency Foundation (IDF) is proud to announce the creation of a new project, the IDF SCID Initiative. Driven by requests from the Severe Combined Immune Deficiency (SCID) community, this new dedicated fund has been created for the purpose of supporting SCID specific programs which include education, awareness, diagnosis, newborn screening, and the search for a cure. The creation of the IDF SCID Initiative is a new step for IDF, as this is the first disease specific initiative to be proposed by the organization. As another first, IDF has developed an oversight committee for the Initiative fund, comprised of community members with specialized interest and knowledge specific of SCID.

In creating the IDF SCID Initiative, IDF encourages members of the primary immunodeficiency community with an interest in seeing the development of new SCID programs, to step up and contribute specifically to the IDF SCID Initiative. Meeting the aggressive program goals of the IDF SCID Initiative will require community support and resources. Special recognition goes to the opening contribution made by Molly Rennels and her fiancé Nick Lazzara as part of their wedding commitment to one another. The donation was made in memory of two members of Molly’s family, Raleigh Houck and Colin Marquard, both of whom lost their battle with SCID. This thoughtful tribute will help launch the first scheduled program, the SCID Conference 2008. More specifically, the IDF SCID Initiative will provide scholarships to assist families who might not otherwise be able to attend this conference. For more information on the SCID Conference 2008, contact Heather Smith at Heather@scidangelsforlife.com.

Anyone wishing to make a contribution to the IDF SCID Initiative can do so by donating now online, or by mailing their contribution to:

IDF SCID Initiative
40 W. Chesapeake Avenue Suite 308
Towson, MD 21204

IDF is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization and your contributions are tax deductible to the maximum extent allowed by IRS regulations.