From the moment The FPIES Foundation announced
the day in August to the official proclamation released on Global FPIES Day
itself, the FPIES community has been making a great impact for the first Global
FPIES Day! Immediately, our community set out to raise awareness in families'
hometowns and host fundraisers, assisting the Foundation in building awareness
and support to empower families and the medical community on this special day
and all year round!
Global Day was
established by The Foundation as a day specifically set aside for FPIES, a day
to hone in on specific awareness, education and outreach objectives. An “FPIES:
Be The Voice” awareness ribbon was developed for The Foundation and Global Day
by an FPIES family. The unified colors of teal and orange hold great
significance. Teal represents Food Allergy Awareness and Orange signifies
strength and advocacy, mirrored in the Foundation logo.
On the days leading up
to Global Day, the sharing of the "Be the Voice" Ribbon Frames was
astounding! In all, this Facebook album reflects the faces of 220+kids (and
advocates supporting them!) from around the globe! Additionally, over the week
our social media pages increased in followers, and our FB posts reached over
21,000 viewers!
Awareness was built
through your “Share Your 14”efforts in your community, by sharing what Global
Day means to your family, and by creating the “Be the Voice” Ribbon frames!
Fundraisers raised awareness and funds from events such as: T-fund Global
T-shirt sales, Jamberry Nails, Etsy shops, and HP Threads custom designs.
Jersey Mikes in James City, North Carolina, set the tone for establishing local
awareness! The Cafe Press-FPIES Foundation storefront and Bravelet sales
demonstrated the FPIES community's commitment to spreading awareness,
fashionably!
We were thrilled to see kids getting in the action! There was Vivian and her custom glitter tattoo (made to her request!), and the magnitude of photo shares of kids raising awareness in Global day t-shirts. We “met” siblings creating unique Global Day flags, and were so moved by the actions of countless others! It is so powerful to see such a community of budding advocates! Great work, kids!
Our partners at Sarah's
FPIES Clubhouse hosted events all month long, leading up to the big day! From
naming the Awareness Heroes (be sure to stop by The Clubhouse and meet Super
Sally and Flying Freddy!), to mazes and coloring events created just for the
day, the Clubhouse was the place to be for kids in action!
We were excited to see several families sharing their stories in
news stories, as well as online and print publications:
·
"I want you to Know about Why
My Son Can't Eat", published on
the Leaky Boob.com.
· "Local Couple Seeks to Raise Awareness on Invisible Allergy" published on the Beaumont New
· Cohen's Story, appearing on WOAY Newswatch
· "Local Couple Seeks to Raise Awareness on Invisible Allergy" published on the Beaumont New
· Cohen's Story, appearing on WOAY Newswatch
The work doesn't stop
here! The Foundation has been following the guidelines set out to establish the
day as an officially recognized National Health Observance Day. Please continue
to follow our website's “News & Events” and social media postings, as we
work with Advocacy representatives assisting this community in achieving this
goal. There are always ways for all families and communities to pitch in-- keep
posted to learn how you can help
throughout this process and beyond!
This post was written by the Executive Board of The FPIES Foundation
