July 15, 2009
DKSCSSF becomes a member of the SCDAA
The Diggs Kraus Sickle Cell and Social Service Foundation has been accepted to be a member of the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America (SCDAA). The official orientation will occur at the national conference in Orlando, FL on September 29, 2009-October 3, 2009.
June 27, 2009
MF&AM Donate $1500.00 to DKSCSSF
The Modern Free & Ancient Mason International organization chose the Diggs Kraus Sickle Cell and Social Services Foundation as the local Sickle Cell chapter of the SCDAA to receive a donation at their international conference held in Memphis, TN at the Hilton Hotel. They donated $1500.00 at the annual banquet and DKSCSSF Board Treasurer James H. Taylor was in attendance to receive the donation.
June 5, 2009
Moore Twins raise more than S1600.00 for DKSCSSF
Autumn and Adrienne Moore hosted a "Party with a Purpose" to benefit the Diggs Kraus Sickle Cell and Social Services Foundation. This is the Second Annual Party with a Purpose in which the twins raise funds for a cause. This year they decided to support Sickle Cell because their friend Morgan Harris suffers from the disease. Approximately 60 teens were in attendance and received information concerning Sickle Cell Disease. The event was held at the Whitehaven Link Golf Course Club House.
Mentor/Mentee Cookout Saturday, May 16, 2009
The Mentor/Mentee Cookout was a collaboration with Memphis city
Schools CONNECT mentoring program and adolescent consumers from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. In order to address our common goals of celebrating and implementing mentorship programs, the two organization integrated resources in order to have a successful cookout. We had approximately 150-200 people in attendance through out the day.
We provided free food to all participants. Additionally, we provided Face painting, Rock Climbing Wall and a slide down the obstacle giant slide as activities. Furthermore, we provided prizes for Mentors to compete with their Mentee in horse shoes, sack races and three-legged races. Additionally, Hula Hoops and Karaoke activities were hit for all ages!
Sickle Cell consumers attended the event to get screened for Iron Overload. We had 19 Sickle Cell Consumers screened for Iron Overload within four hours. This number exceeded our expectations.
Saturday, May 9, 2009 AMEF Sickle Cell Poster Contest
The Alpha Memphis Education Foundation sponsored the 1st Annual Sickle Cell Poster Contest at East High School in Memphis, TN. The event was support by the Diggs-Kraus Sickle cell and Social Services Foundation. Mr. Mardrecus Linsey, an 8th grader from Airways Middle School won 1st Place and was the recipient of a $1000.00 Savings Bond. The Theme for the Poster Contest was One Voice for Sickle Cell.
April 25, 2009
New Birth Ministries Greater Bethlehem M.B. Church
Community Health Fair
Eugene Woods Civics Center
212 W. Polk
West Memphis, AR
April 17-18, 2009
Iron Overload Screening at Africa In April
The Diggs Kraus Sickle Cell and Social Services Foundation provided Iron Overload screening at Africa In April. The DKSCSSF volunteer team was phenomenal. A total of 15 volunteers worked Friday & Saturday, contributing a total of 96 volunteer hours of service. DKSCSSF screened 36 people for Iron Overload. The foundation and Memphis Community has set a record for the largest number of people being screened for Iron Overload at a single event by Novartis Pharmaceutical Corporation. Chris Sabin (Novartis representative) was amazed at the DKSCSSF team work, profesionalism,organization and the connection to the community. The results of the event was unprecedented compared to other major/medium size cities. The foundation has now set the standard for Iron Overload screening. Additionally, we were the first foundation to test pilot using an RV as a screening vehicle by Novartis. We want to thank everyone who participated in making this event successful.
April 11, 2009
DKSCSSF Donates Cases of Water to House of Mtenzi Annual Feed The Homeless Project. (Picture Left to Right: Brian, Stanley Campbell, Founder of House of Mtenzi, and Trevor K. Thompson, President/CEO).
March 22, 2009
Trevor K. Thompson was initiated in the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society on March 22, 2009. He was recognized as one the finalist for the Phi Kappa Phi Scholarship for graduate students. This invitation to join the honor society is bestowed upon the top 10 percentage of graduate students at the University of Memphis. Congratulations Mr. Thompson.
January 12, 2009
Novartis Pharmaceutical Corporation selected the Diggs-Kraus Sickle Cell and Social Services Foundation to be a 2009 Be Sickle Smart Partner. The foundation was selected based on recommendations from the National Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, patient demographics and commitment to sickle cell disease patients and health professional education in your area. Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation established the Be Sickle Smart (BSS) in 2006. Be Sickle Smart is a disease awareness community health-education program, created to raise awareness and understanding of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) and Iron Overload (IO) among sickle cell disease patients and healthcare professionals. Building on past program successes, in 2009 they are expanding their efforts to 10 cities in order to help more patients by having a greater emphasis on patient education efforts and healthcare professional programming. The 10 cities/regions are: Baltimore/D.C., Baton Rouge, Cleveland, Houston, Jackson, Memphis, Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, New York City, Raleigh/Durham and SF/Oakland.
The 2009 Be Sickle Smart program highlights include:
• BSS Patient & Caregiver Educational Materials
• BSS Nurses Speakers Bureau
• Physician Speakers Bureau
• Serum Ferritin Screening
• Patient Education Symposium with celebrity/PR support
Pictured left to right: Dr. Patricia Adam-Graves, Diggs-Kraus Clinic Director, Selena Webster-Bass, Novartis Pharmaceutical Corporation representative, Trevor Thompson, President/CEO, Bridgette O'Neal, Prime Access, Inc. representative (picture taken February 19, 2009)
NIH State-of-the-Science Conference Statement on
Hydroxyurea Treatment for Sickle Cell Disease
Trevor K. Thompson was a contributor to the National Institute of Health Consensus Conference on Hydroxyurea. The NIH Consensus Development Conference on Hydroxyurea for Sickle Cell Disease was webcast live February 25-27, 2008. The webcast is archived and available for viewing free of charge at http://consensus.nih.gov/sicklecell.htm. Below is the report.
The Sickle Cell Disease Walk-A-Thon in Memphis originated in 2007. It has been developed to create a greater awareness in the Memphis community of Sickle Cell Disease and to raise money for patient care, social services, and research. All proceeds from the Walk-A-Thon will directly benefit people living with Sickle Cell. The ultimate goal is to improve the quality of life for individuals living with this debilitating disease. The 3rd Annual Sickle Cell Walk is scheduled for September 19, 2009, at Overton Park in Memphis, Tennessee at 8:00 AM. More details to come in the near future.
