Show Your Rare: 10+1 Fundraising Ideas to Honor Rare Disease Day

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Today is Rare Disease Day! How will you #ShowYourRare in solidarity with rare disease patients all over the world?

We’ve put together 10+1 ways to get involved and support SRNA’s 25th Anniversary this year. Check them out and get involved today!

In 2018, there were five Walk-Run-N-Roll events organized by our members. This year we’d like to double that number. These events are a great way to raise awareness and funds, and to meet others. Last year, an average of 100 people registered for a Walk-Run-N-Roll. This year, we have our special 25-year branding ready to be showcased at your very own Walk-Run-N-Roll!

As Barbara mentions in her blog post, hosting a restaurant fundraiser is a simpler way to get involved…and you don’t have to know someone who owns a restaurant. Groupraise is a great site that allows you to search by zip code for restaurants in your area that will give a percentage of sales to SRNA.

Speaking of local businesses…you don’t have to use a restaurant. Ask your yoga teacher, dry cleaner, or favorite retail shop to donate a portion of their sales on a certain day. Our friends at The Candle Lab in Pittsburgh, PA donated nearly $1000 last May as part of our Candles for a Cause event.

From things that smell good to things that taste good: set up a bake sale at your work, church, or school. People are going to need a drink to wash down those delicious cookies. Do you have kids? Let them get involved and do an old-fashioned lemonade stand.

No one likes wearing work clothes. Be the best friend of all your co-workers and plan a Casual Friday fundraiser. Each person who donates gets to dress down. TGIF indeed!

Two things that everyone has: Facebook and a birthday. Combine them and ask your friends to donate to SRNA in lieu of buying you a gift. These fundraisers are easy to do and make a big difference! Not a fan of Facebook? Or birthdays? Not to worry! You can always create a fundraiser through our website and share it with family and friends. Just as easy!

Donate $25 or more and we will give you a pair of the warmest, coolest, and most caring socks in town. Get your special pair of #caresocks now! This will not only make your feet look good, but also spread awareness about rare neuroimmune disorders!

Recognize this special 25-year anniversary of SRNA by making a commitment to make a monthly donation of $25 each month during the year. If you can afford $250 a month, that would get us even closer to helping us achieve our/your important goals. You will, of course, get a pair of #caresocks as a thank you. Become a monthly supporter today!

Want to raise awareness or share positivity? Write your local newspaper’s health reporter and tell them your story. Or, become a SRNA Hope Ambassador and help share a message of encouragement to our community. Submit your story and raise awareness!

Take it a step further and write a local politician. Do you want to see better funding for healthcare? Is there a prescription drug bill that you are hoping will pass? Write or call your elected officials and tell them your story. And make sure to let us know about it!

Go a step further and get a day in honor of your diagnosis. Our Georgia Support Group Leader, Kim Harrison, is participating in her fourth Rare Disease Day in Atlanta. She’s also worked with the legislature to get February 15 to be Georgia TM Awareness Day.

As always, if you have other great ideas, we’d love to hear them. Please contact Jeremy Bennett at [email protected] for more information and tell him how you plan to get involved. He’ll even send you cool 25-year SRNA materials to use.