Post by IdaB on Apr 29, 2008 12:22:48 GMT -6
Hi all!
For any newcomers or others who don't know me, my name is Ida Bostian. I was diagnosed with several spinal cord tumors (myxopapillary ependymoma) in 2000. I am also the Vice President of the Spinal Cord Tumor Association, Inc. (SCTA), the 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that, among other things, sponsors this bulletin board and runs the main website at www.spinalcordtumor.org.
I'm writing this post to ask, on behalf of SCTA, for your help. As you hopefully all know, SCTA is holding our 4th Bi-Annual Conference this July in the Chicago area (July 17-19, to be exact).
But to make it happen, we need your help.
First, if you can, come to the conference!!! The higher the attendance, the more successful the conference will be at achieving our goals AND the less of a financial toll it will take on the organization. We REALLY try to keep registration fees low, and spend a lot of time shopping around for a hotel, to try to make the conference both wonderful AND affordable. This year the registration fee is $100 per adult and $60 per child over 13 (free for younger children). Fees will go up slightly after July 3. To register for the conference, just go to www.spinalcordtumor.org and download the registration form (you can also see all of the fantastic speakers and activities we have lined up).
Second, if you can't come to the conference, please consider donating the amount of a registration fee in support of the conference. We know these are difficult financial times for many people, which is one reason we try so hard to keep the conference affordable. So if you can afford $100, but just don't have the time or extra money for the trip, please consider donating that money to SCTA to make this conference successful.
This conference is completely for the benefit of spinal cord tumor survivors and their families. It is a place where we can meet some of the (few) others who share our condition, where we can compare stories, share information, feel 'normal' for a change, and learn from medical and other experts about ways that we can cope with our condition and improve our situations, both now and in the future. These conferences are - and I am not exaggerating - amazing experiences. Three days in which you see nods instead of confused looks when describing what you go through, and where you start to feel that you can take more control over your situation.
Plus, the conference creates momentum for the medical community to care more about this rare disease, and momentum for SCTA to do more as an organization - all leading toward better treatments for everyone. Thus while we wish everyone could come, even for those who don't, I firmly believe that all spinal cord tumor survivors benefit from a successful conference.
Just in case you're wondering, SCTA is 'staffed' by officers and directors who are all spinal cord tumor survivors and who are all, 100%, volunteers. We operate on a shoestring budget, and the conference is far and away one of our largest expenses. The conference registration fee is designed to offset conference expenses, but has never in the past covered them completely. Thus we will need donations for SCTA to hold this conference.
Also, without boring you with the conference details, it's important to know that we have minimum commitments for rooms and food that we have agreed to (and must, with any conference-hosting hotel). So it's very important to bring the attendance up. That said, we know that some years you just can't make it. If that's the case, we're asking you to help defray the costs in this way.
In short: If you can't come to the conference, please help with a donation. Just send a check made out to:
Spinal Cord Tumor Association, Inc.
P.O. Box 461
Jay, FL 32565
SCTA is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, and your donation is tax deductible under the fullest extent allowed by IRS laws.
OR, you can go to www.spinalcordtumor.org, click on "Support SCTA" on the left hand banner, then click on the lower-left hand menu on the next page for "make a donation" to use paypal. If you use paypal (for donations or registrations), please add $3 to cover Paypal fees.
Of course, we welcome donations over or under $100 at any time - whatever you can afford to give to help SCTA! We just wanted to present this challenge/opportunity to both encourage people to attend, but if you just can't attend this year, to help us in this way, by "donating your fee."
Thank you all in advance!
Ida L. Bostian
Vice President and Director,
Spinal Cord Tumor Association, Inc.
For any newcomers or others who don't know me, my name is Ida Bostian. I was diagnosed with several spinal cord tumors (myxopapillary ependymoma) in 2000. I am also the Vice President of the Spinal Cord Tumor Association, Inc. (SCTA), the 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that, among other things, sponsors this bulletin board and runs the main website at www.spinalcordtumor.org.
I'm writing this post to ask, on behalf of SCTA, for your help. As you hopefully all know, SCTA is holding our 4th Bi-Annual Conference this July in the Chicago area (July 17-19, to be exact).
But to make it happen, we need your help.
First, if you can, come to the conference!!! The higher the attendance, the more successful the conference will be at achieving our goals AND the less of a financial toll it will take on the organization. We REALLY try to keep registration fees low, and spend a lot of time shopping around for a hotel, to try to make the conference both wonderful AND affordable. This year the registration fee is $100 per adult and $60 per child over 13 (free for younger children). Fees will go up slightly after July 3. To register for the conference, just go to www.spinalcordtumor.org and download the registration form (you can also see all of the fantastic speakers and activities we have lined up).
Second, if you can't come to the conference, please consider donating the amount of a registration fee in support of the conference. We know these are difficult financial times for many people, which is one reason we try so hard to keep the conference affordable. So if you can afford $100, but just don't have the time or extra money for the trip, please consider donating that money to SCTA to make this conference successful.
This conference is completely for the benefit of spinal cord tumor survivors and their families. It is a place where we can meet some of the (few) others who share our condition, where we can compare stories, share information, feel 'normal' for a change, and learn from medical and other experts about ways that we can cope with our condition and improve our situations, both now and in the future. These conferences are - and I am not exaggerating - amazing experiences. Three days in which you see nods instead of confused looks when describing what you go through, and where you start to feel that you can take more control over your situation.
Plus, the conference creates momentum for the medical community to care more about this rare disease, and momentum for SCTA to do more as an organization - all leading toward better treatments for everyone. Thus while we wish everyone could come, even for those who don't, I firmly believe that all spinal cord tumor survivors benefit from a successful conference.
Just in case you're wondering, SCTA is 'staffed' by officers and directors who are all spinal cord tumor survivors and who are all, 100%, volunteers. We operate on a shoestring budget, and the conference is far and away one of our largest expenses. The conference registration fee is designed to offset conference expenses, but has never in the past covered them completely. Thus we will need donations for SCTA to hold this conference.
Also, without boring you with the conference details, it's important to know that we have minimum commitments for rooms and food that we have agreed to (and must, with any conference-hosting hotel). So it's very important to bring the attendance up. That said, we know that some years you just can't make it. If that's the case, we're asking you to help defray the costs in this way.
In short: If you can't come to the conference, please help with a donation. Just send a check made out to:
Spinal Cord Tumor Association, Inc.
P.O. Box 461
Jay, FL 32565
SCTA is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, and your donation is tax deductible under the fullest extent allowed by IRS laws.
OR, you can go to www.spinalcordtumor.org, click on "Support SCTA" on the left hand banner, then click on the lower-left hand menu on the next page for "make a donation" to use paypal. If you use paypal (for donations or registrations), please add $3 to cover Paypal fees.
Of course, we welcome donations over or under $100 at any time - whatever you can afford to give to help SCTA! We just wanted to present this challenge/opportunity to both encourage people to attend, but if you just can't attend this year, to help us in this way, by "donating your fee."
Thank you all in advance!
Ida L. Bostian
Vice President and Director,
Spinal Cord Tumor Association, Inc.
