What's New for Kids With Food Allergies, Inc.

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Kids With Food Allergies Announcements for 2008:

July 2008:

• Peanut-free baseball games with the Reading Phillies

July 25 and August 15: The Reading Phillies will be offering two more games this season with peanut free sections. No peanuts will be sold and an entire section will be reserved for those with peanut allergies. KFA will be exhibiting an allergy awareness table to provide educational materials to fans.

June 2008:

•KFA Exhibits at PAAA Annual meeting

We're back from the Pennsylvania Allergy and Asthma Association (PAAA) Annual Meeting in Hershey, PA, where KFA exhibited and met physicians and allied health professionals to tell them about what KFA can offer their patients' families.

•Announcing Fundraisers to Benefit Kids With Food Allergies

• July 19th Palm Desert, CA: Bitty Banquet
  
  We are pleased to announce the "Moms & Toddlers’ Bitty Banquet" to benefit Kids With Food Allergies on Saturday, July 19th in Palm Desert, California. Hosted by KFA volunteer Kristin Johnston, this event features a fruits and veggies banquet, children’s entertainment, and a spectacular giveaway for moms & children. If you live in Southern California and would like to join in this celebration, please feel free to RSVP via email to BittyBanquet@gmail.com.
• October 4th Tampa, FL: Amazinflates
  
  We are pleased to announce that Amazinflates of Tampa, FL has selected Kids With Food Allergies as its designated charity and will be sending a portion of its revenues as a monthly donation to KFA. In addition, owner Ronnie Rivera, parent of a young son with food allergies, will be organizing a fun, child-oriented fund raiser on October 4 in Tampa, FL with all proceeds benefiting KFA. If you live in the Tampa area and would like to volunteer to assist with this event, please contact us. More details coming soon!
  
  
  
  

May 2008:

• Food Allergy Awareness Week May 11-17

Are you planning any special activities for Food Allergy Awareness Week? If you'd like copies of KFA's brochures to share with families who may find what we offer helpful, you can place an order for free brochures.

• Peanut-free baseball game

The Reading Phillies will be hosting a "Peanut-free game" on May 16, 2008, and will have an entire section reserved for those with food allergies. Kids With Food Allergies will exhibit a food allergy awareness table at the game.


April 2008:

• KFA works with ABC to promote food allergy education

KFA has been working together with ABC as it strives to provide comprehensive coverage on allergies. This month, ABC News has launched a new section on its Web site dedicated to allergies. OnCall+ Allergy features videos of allergy experts across the country answering commonly asked questions, including one from David Hauswirth, M.D., a member of KFA's Medical Advisory Team answering "What is eczema, and what causes it?" and Robert Wood, M.D. from John's Hopkins University answering "Why are my child's RAST levels rising?" There is even an "'Additional Resources Section" that lists Kids With Food Allergies as a national nonprofit resource for those visiting the OnCall+ Allergy Web site!

• KFA launches a new support forum dedicated to celebrating birthdays and special occasions with food allergic children

A new support forum is available for Family Members. Join us to share ideas, tips and recipes to celebrate birthdays and other special events with allergy safe cakes and desserts. Need help baking wheat-free desserts? Looking for a great milk-free and egg-free cake? Don't know how to make frosting? Want to share cake decorating tips or allergy-safe party themes? First birthday cake with food allergies? Come think "Outside the Bakery Box" and join the allergy safe celebration!

• KFA President interviewed on NPR's "The Health Show"

Lynda Mitchell, Founder and President of Kids With Food Allergies, answers questions about food allergies, symptoms of anaphylaxis, and more on NPR's "The Health Show."


March 2008:

• KFA exhibits at annual AAAAI meeting

We're back from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) Annual Meeting, where KFA exhibited and met physicians and allied health professionals to tell them about what KFA can offer their patients' families. We'll be sending information packets and brochures to close to 200 physician offices that requested them for their patients!

• KFA President to be keynote speaker at AAFA of Minnesota Conference

Anaphylaxis and Food Allergy Association of Minnesota (AFAA)
Saturday, April 5th 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
(Registration 8:30 a.m.)
University of Minnesota Radisson Hotel
Individual Registration -- $35
Family Registration -- $50
Register Online

• KFA Celebrates its 3rd Anniversary

February 28th marked Kids With Food Allergies' three year "anniversary"! During the past three years, we've grown to 10,000 members and 10,000 newsletter subscribers. Our members have posted 300,000 messages seeking and offering support to other parents of food allergic children. And every month, we get busier. Our Web site already has had nearly 150,000 visitors so far this year. 

We've accomplished a lot in the past three years through hard work and teamwork. Already this year, we've added two new forums, Parents of Children with FPIES , for parents with children having Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome, and Share Your Food Allergy Journey , where members can share their stories. We've also switched our e-newsletter to a twice-monthly format to provide you with a more timely connection to the news. We hope you find these new features helpful. And there is more to come!

We have you to thank for our success to date, in addition to our awesome team working on the forums or behind the scenes. Those of you who participate, donate, support us with your family memberships, volunteer countless hours or tell others about Kids With Food Allergies all make KFA a great place. Our volunteers in particular are so vital in filling many different roles to help us continue to grow. We also continue to rely on our Medical Advisory Team for guidance and for developing resources for our Web site.

We are committed to run our organization professionally and in a fiscally responsible manner. Your contributions and family membership fees all go directly into paying for our costs in providing services to you. No one is making a profit. As a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charity, we are accountable to you; our records are open for public inspection in accordance with what the IRS requires of us.

We will continue to respond to our members' needs and in providing a source of informative and supportive resources on our Web site. We welcome hearing from you if you have additional suggestions to offer.



February 2008:

• Medical Advisory Team Update

We extend a warm welcome to Karen Stickler, Psy.D., who has joined our Medical Advisory Team. Dr. Stickler is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist with a special interest in health psychology. She received her B.A. in Psychology from Boston University and continued her graduate training at the Illinois School of Professional Psychology - Chicago Campus where she received her Master's and Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) degrees in Clinical Psychology. She completed her Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Health Psychology.

Dr. Stickler has a longstanding history of food allergies and intolerances. She has successfully been managing her food allergies since her formal diagnosis at age 15. She not only has professional training that allows her to empathize with her clients and their families around this issue, but is able to draw from her own life experiences. Dr. Stickler is extremely passionate about working with children and families who are living with food allergies and celiac disease.

We are delighted that Dr. Stickler will be sharing her professional expertise and insights with KFA and look forward to working with her.

• KFA Iron Chef Competition Winner

KFA Iron Chef Valentine's Battle "Indulge Us" was a success. There were nine fantastic recipes submitted which ranged from Chocolate Covered Cherries to Sinfully Delicious Eggless "Cheese" Cake.

The winning recipe of the Valentine's Battle was Black Forest Brownie Torte submitted by Kathy Przywara. This delicious brownie is perfect for that next special dinner, or a special occasion where you need to bring dessert. Plus, it can be made free of all eight top allergens!

Family Membership subscribers can find all of the Iron Chef recipes by logging in to our Safe Eats Recipe Database.



January 2008

• Send Valentine's e-Cards

New Valentine's e-Cards are available now. These Valentine's cards contain a food allergy awareness message and display the Kids With Food Allergies logo. Spread love and food allergy awareness with these adorable cards designed by children of KFA volunteers.

 

• KFA Iron Chef Valentine's Battle: "Indulge Us"

For the first battle of 2008, we pay tribute to a food holiday that celebrates the sweeter things in life...Indulge us with your confections so that we can celebrate Valentine's Day with our food allergic children.
Battle Theme: Desserts and Candies.
Secret Without(s): Your family's allergens in addition to tree nuts, peanuts, fish and shellfish.
All dishes must be a dessert, candy, or confection that would typically be eaten on Valentine's Day. It must be free of tree nuts, peanuts, fish, shellfish and any additional allergens that you avoid for your family. Recipes are due January 13th, 2008. Interested in entering a recipe, or judging the entries? Read more information about this fun food allergy recipe contest.

• Send us your children's artwork!

We will be creating cards featuring children's artwork this year and invite your children to submit their creations! We will be creating an ALL-OCCASION card, and a HOLIDAY card. Your children are welcome to submit artwork for one or both cards. Please have your children use regular 8.5 x 11 inch sheet of paper for entries. To view examples of our current greeting cards, check out our Holiday Cards and our Greeting e-Cards. All cards have a food allergy awareness message and the Kids With Food Allergies logo.

Winning entries will receive a KFA "Please Don't Feed Me" monkey to stuff and certificate; all runners up will receive consolation gifts and a certificate of participation.

Send art to our business mailing address:

73 Old Dublin Pike
Ste. 10 #163
Doylestown, PA 18901

Deadline: April 30th, 2008. [Entry form]

 

• Medical Advisory Team Update

Welcome to Todd Green M.D., who has joined Kids With Food Allergies' Medical Advisory Team.

Dr. Green is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, PA. He grew up in Pittsburgh and earned his undergraduate degree from Yale University, then returned to the University of Pittsburgh for medical school. He completed a residency in Pediatrics at the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital in Portland, Maine. He developed an interest in food allergy and performed clinical research in this area during his fellowship in Allergy and Immunology at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina. He continues to enjoy working with food allergic patients and their families at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, where he has been active in helping to expand the food allergy program there.

Dr. Green will be joining his colleagues, Dr. Roger Friedman and Dr. David Hauswirth fellow allergists on our Medical Advisory Team, as well as Sherry Jenkins, Pharm. D., Debra Indorato, R.D., L.D.N. and Lynda Mitchell.

We appreciate Dr. Green accepting our invitation to join our Medical Advisory Team and look forward to his assistance as we work on expanding our educational program offerings in 2008.