With the Gutsy Walk right around the corner, I thought that it was the perfect time to share with you all why I volunteer for Crohn’s and Colitis Canada. 

For those of you that don’t know, I am the Head of Social Media for the Crohn’s and Colitis Windsor Chapter. Therefore, myself and two other ladies spend our time every week to post to our Facebook and Twitter page (we have been rooting for a Instagram, so hopefully that is coming soon). Beyond this role, I help out at all of our charity events throughout the year, and I am also starting a Youth Group in our area in September 2019. 

So, now that you know my roles, I am able to express to you WHY I volunteer for this charity. The main reason being that I want people to feel LESS ALONE and I want to PROVIDE WHAT I WISH I COULD HAVE HAD. I know how isolating IBD or any other chronic illness can be, so it is my mission to help people feel connected. 

1.  TO HELP PEOPLE FEEL LESS ALONE

I choose to help with social media for my local chapter mainly so that people can feel less isolated and alone. Social media allows us to connect, allows us to share stories, tips and tricks, and allows us to know that there is a massive amount of people not only in our area, but in the world going through similar struggles. 

2. TO PROVIDE WHAT I WISH I COULD HAVE HAD

Just like the social media, I wanted to start a youth group to help kids connect with others with IBD. From the time that I was diagnosed in 2008, we have made leaps and bounds in terms of the treatments and resources available. When I was an 11 year old freshly diagnosed, I WISH that there was a group for me to turn to. It is hard enough to be a kid/teenager, let alone adding a chronic illness on top of that! Therefore, I am hoping that I can provide a safe space for kids to go to, even if it is only once a month. 

3. TO RAISE AWARENESS (AND FIND A DANG CURE)

The final reason that I volunteer for Crohn’s and Colitis Canada is to help raise awareness and funds. 80% of the money raised for this charity is placed directly into funding research, and that research is in hopes of finding new treatments and hopefully a cure! The other 20% of the money is used to fund local chapter meetings and events, with only a small chunk going to the administrative employees. 

I am passionate about raising awareness and funds for Crohn’s and Colitis because without the treatments, tests, and research done so far, I don’t know if I would be sitting here writing this today. Two of the three medications I was on in the last 3 years have been out for less than 5 YEARS. Like I said before, we have made leaps and bounds and continue to do so as time moves on because of all of the donations and funds raised! 

I hope that this post gave you a bit more insight as to WHY I volunteer, and maybe it will even inspire you to volunteer for a cause you are passionate about! As I said earlier, the Gutsy Walk is coming up soon! I would love it if you could donate anything you can to my team! 

Thank you so much for reading! If you liked the post make sure to share it with a friend and subscribed to my blog to get email updates every time I post. Also be sure to follow me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to get more updates from me on my day to day life.  

Your trusty, gutsy gal, 

Nathalie xx

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