Don’t Stop the Presses: All Pitch In to Make Scleroderma Awareness Month a Success

Walkers from the 2007 Indiana walk in South Bend

Walkers from the 2007 Tri-State Chapter walk in Manhattan

From California to New York and points in between, through fundraising awareness walks to profiles of individuals living with the disease, word of scleroderma spread during Scleroderma Awareness Month, which ended June 30.

The month was highlighted by 27 “Stepping Out to Cure Scleroderma” walks, the nationwide program that raises funds and awareness. Eleven of those walks were held in the Tri-State Chapter of New York, Connecticut and parts of New Jersey, and walk attendance in that chapter increased by 50 percent from 2006 totals. Tri-State was not alone. Big attendance boosts were also seen in South Carolina, Utah and Tennessee Chapters, while chapters in Southern California, Greater Chicago and Michigan continued to record huge turnouts at their events.

Big crowds usually translate into increased funds raised thanks to the pledges secured by the walkers, along with generosity of sponsors who help to cut expenses, thus increasing revenues. However, National, chapters and support groups did a superb job raising awareness of walks in particular. Also, awareness was raised by individuals through outreach to the print and electronic media as well as the Internet.

Sister Mary Rose Noonan

It started off magnificently with the June issue of “Reader’s Digest,”—a monthly magazine with a circulation exceeding 11 million—published a story on Emily Woods, a stem cell transplantation survivor. Other highlights included a news broadcast of Sister Mary Rose Noonan, June "Voice" profile member. Sister Mary Rose’s story was originally aired in Albany, New York, and was subsequently picked up in 15 other markets, with an estimated viewership exceeding 530,000.

TV stations in 12 markets broadcast stories throughout June to either promote "Stepping Out" walks, or to report walk results. Scleroderma was mentioned 26 times during the month to viewers in excess of 1 million.

A press release distributed by national announcing "June Is Scleroderma Awareness Month" was used in 30 Web sites, with estimated traffic exceeding 25 million.

Traffic also increased on our Web site in June. The number of individual “hits” on www.scleroderma.org increased by about 1,300 daily from May. Compared to a year ago, daily hits have increased about 20 percent from 57,000 to nearly 69,000.