Fundraising & Epilepsy Education Tips
Fundraising Tips
The
first thing to keep in mind is that most people give just because they
are asked! That goes to show you that more people want to give than we
think, so go on, get out there and do the ask! Remember, there is no
winning or losing, for every person you ask that is one more person
educated about epilepsy!
Get Creative!
Making a telephone call, writing a letter and sending an email are tried-and true ways to ask people to give, but why not add in a few new ways of asking to give while having a blast doing it?
~ Host an event: a car wash, bake sale, craft sale, garage sale, dinner or movie night!
~ Share your talents & knowledge by presenting a class: Invite potential donors to attend a class conducted by YOU and charge a fee that goes towards your fundraising goal. Love being in the kitchen? Host a cooking class featuring your favorite recipes! Love the ocean? Host a class about the wonders of the deep blue sea at the beach! Love dancing? Teach your friends a new dance move at a local park!
~ Schedule a game night: Host a monopoly, bingo or other game night and charge admission.
~ Coin saving: Ask five to ten people to save their change for you for a month. Give them buckets or jars (decorated to make it a bit more fun!) and collect them at the end of the month.
Ask Anyone & Everyone!
Think of everyone from your grandmother to your barber. Be prepared by carrying the Epilepsy Freedom Walk brochure and Pledge Sponsor Form with you at all times!
~ Is there a business you frequent regularly? From the grocery store to your local coffee shop - potential freedom supporters are lurking everywhere!
~ On an athletic team? Take your Pledge Sponsor Form with you to your next practice and ask your teammates to sponsor your participation in the walk.
~ Attending a summer BBQ? Make it your freedom mission to speak with every person there!
Share Your Story With Enthusiasm!
People often give because they see how important it is to you. Share with others why you want to make a difference by participating at the Epilepsy Freedom Walk!
~ Speak up and out about how you are affected by epilepsy. Are you participating at the Epilepsy Freedom Walk because you are living with epilepsy? Or is it your child, sibling, good friend or co-worker? No matter your affiliation with epilepsy, YOU are living proof of how epilepsy affects the lives of everyone.
~ Read up on current facts about epilepsy. Did you know that over 3 million Americans live with epilepsy? This is just one of the astonishing facts you can quote when highlighting the importance of ensuring not another moment is lost to seizures.
~ Learn more about the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Los Angeles and how they serve the 180,000 living with epilepsy and the thousands more affected by epilepsy in the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino and Ventura.
Epilepsy
Thank you for recognizing that it takes teamwork to educate others about epilepsy. For more indepth information about epilepsy, visit our website at www.EpilepsyFoundationGLA.org or click here.
Quick Facts!
~ Epilepsy is the third most common neurological disorder in the United States after Alzheimer's disease and stroke.
~ Epilepsy affects about 3 million Americans of all ages - - more than those with cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease combined.
~ In the USA, epilepsy currently affects more than 326,000 children under the age of 15, and more than 90,000 of them have severe seizures that cannot be adequately treated.
~ Epilepsy research is substantially underfunded. On a per patient basis, epilepsy research got only $33 of federal funding in 2001 compared to $233, $175, $139 and $133, respectively, for multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, autimes and Alzheimer's.
~ Of major chronic medical conditions, epilepsy is among the least understood even though 1 in 3 adults knows someone with the disorder.
~ Lack of knowledge about proper seizure first aid exposes affected individuals to injury from unnecessary restraint and from objects needlessly forced into the mouth.
~ The leading non-medical problem confronting people with epilepsy is discrimination in education, employment and social acceptance.
~ Thirty to 40 percent of people with epilepsy are severely and continue to have seizures despite treatment.
~ Epilepsy can strike at any time in one's life.
~ The mortality rate among people with epilepsy is two to three times higher than the general population and the risk of sudden death is 24 times greater.
~ Epilepsy is not a single entity but a family of more than 40 syndromes. To learn about the different types of seizures, please click here.
Combating Myths About Epilepsy & Seizures!
~ FACT: People with seizures are NOT possessed by demons. Prior to existing anatomical knowledge of seizures, those experiencing seizures were often said to have been "seized by the devil", as a result of their involuntary and uncontrollable movements and because people did not know what caused these "attacks". This negative connotation as mystified and stigmatized the medical event known as a seizures.
~ FACT: During a seizure, people can NOT swallow their tongue. It is physically impossible to swallow your own tongue. Observers should not put anything in a person's mouth while they are having a seizure. Efforts to hold the tongue can injure the teeth or jaw of the person having the seizure and/or the person trying to help. To learn about seizure first aid, please click here.
~ FACT: Epilepsy is NOT contagious and you can NOT catch it from another person.
~ FACT: People with epilepsy are NOT mentally ill. Epilepsy is not connected to an individual's mental condition or stability. It is possible for both conditions to exist in the same person but that has nothing to do with epilepsy. Symptoms of some seizures are sometimes confused with mental illness. To learn more about symptoms that may indicate someone has epilepsy, please click here.
~ FACT: Children with epilepsy CAN participate in sports or gym class. In general, school sports activities and gym should be open to all children, including children with epilepsy. Safety measures such as harnesses, shock absorbing mats and adult supervision can reduce risks. In fact, research suggests that people are likely to have fewer seizures when they are physically active. Special attention should be given around water and heights.
Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Los Angeles
The mission of the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Los Angeles is to improve the lives of people affected by epilepsy by promoting care, prevention, research and cure through education, support services, programs, advocacy and awareness. Our vision is to ensure...Not Another Moment Lost to Seizures. To learn even more about the local Epilepsy Foundation, please visit our website at www.EpilepsyFoundationGLA.org.
Support/Social Programs
To promote self-esteem, combat isolation, empower
~ Epilepsy Teen Retreat
~ Epilepsy Family Camp
~ Winter Retreat for Adults
~ Support-Education Groups, Adult Therapy Group, and connect parents and individuals in person, by phone, email and via online communities
~ Seminars and referrals to help navigate challenges in insurance, school, respite care, SSI, driving, and employment, etc.
~ College scholarships
~ Teen Opportunity Program
~ Social activities to connect families and children
Education
To promote early intervention and seizure freedom and reduce the impact of epilepsy
~ Referrals to specialists
~ Basic education about epilepsy
~ Epilepsy Brain Storm Summit and Seminars to connect families with the experts
~
#800 Helpline for Healing & Hope and package of materials for all new callers
~ Information in Spanish
~ Seizure Recognition and First Aid presentations in schools and in the community
~ Brian Alan Sitomer Memorial Resource Center
~ Annual newsletter - Epilepsy News & Views - and bi-monthly emails
~ Website - www.EpilepsyFoundationGLA.org
Outreach & Advocacy
To increase awareness and understanding of epilepsy, and advocate for research and services
~ Advocate for individuals with epilepsy
~ Participate in Epilepsy California (www.EpilepsyCalifornia.org) - the voice of people with epilepsy in California
~ Inform and educate policy - and decision-makers at the local, state and federal levels so they are aware of the needs of people with epilepsy.
Care & Cure
To change the course for children with epilepsy
~ Support and promote epilepsy research
~ Support training and work of epilepsy specialists in our region
~
Provide programs that care for and connect children with epilepsy and their families.
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