Welcome!
Welcome to the Western Missouri/Greater Kansas City Chapter
...where approximately 660,000 men, women, and children are affected by arthritis and related diseases. This chapter encompasses 50 counties in the western half of Missouri and includes Johnson and Wyandotte Counties in Kansas. Educational brochures, a physician referral list, exercise classes and support groups are some of the services offered to our community.
Commitment to a Cure
This morning we held our Annual Campaign event: Commitment to a Cure. We would like to thank all of the table captains and their guests for coming out this morning. Thank you especially to all of the individuals who were touched by the stories shared this morning and who made multi-year gifts. We also sincerely thank Sharon Muir, Frances Pugh, and Andrea Byrne for taking the time out of their mornings to share their touching stories with us all.
If you have any questions about this event, or would like to also make a multi-year gift to support the Foundation, contact us at 913-262-2233, or use the easy contact form at the bottom of this page.
Hero of the Year
The 2008 Hero of the Year was a great success! Thanks to all of our candidates for their amazing efforts. Congratulations to winner Dale Loomis and runner up Angela Bramble. We also want to thank Ambassador Sydney Young and her mother Stephanie Young for sharing Sydney’s story of her struggle with Juvenile Arthritis. We appreciate all of the support!
Fall 2008 Chapter Newsletter
Our Fall 2008 Chapter Newsletter should be arriving in our Arthritis Foundation Members' mailboxes in the coming days. If you're not yet an Arthritis Foundation member, or would just like to read your copy before it gets to your mailbox, click here for a PDF version of our Newsletter!
Jingle Bell Runs coming up!
Get in the spirit this holiday season at the Arthritis Foundation’s Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis®. Be one of the thousands of runners and walkers who hit the nation’s pavements, pathways and parks this winter to fight arthritis, the nation’s most common cause of disability.
Jingle Bell Run/Walk® is a fun and festive way to kick off your holidays by helping others! Wear a holiday themed costume. Tie jingle bells to your shoelaces. Run or walk a 5 kilometer route with your team members and celebrate the season by giving.
Come to the Jingle Bell Run nearest you!
Zona Rosa in Kansas City North - November 23, 2008
Overland Park, KS - November 16, 2008
Lees Summit, MO - November 22, 2008
Springfield, MO - December 13
Chapter Honors Program Partners at Annual Meeting
Two local organizations recently received the highest honor that the chapter presents to programs partners, the Arthritis Foundation Circle of Excellence. These two organizations are the first two groups to receive the designation as a Circle of Excellence organization and are being held up as examples to other partners with whom the chapter works.
John Knox Village is a long time programming partner with the chapter, offering AF Exercise and AF Aquatic Exercise classes on a regular basis, the AF Self Help Course periodically, hosting AF public education programs annually, and participating in AF development activities like the Arthritis Walk and the Jingle Bell Run. “John Knox Village has consistently focused on providing a variety of programs for people with arthritis and has partnered with the organization in so many ways to bring its residents the latest in quality education and information about arthritis and ways to better manage the disease,” explained Chapter President Brad Ziegler. “We are proud to recognize their commitment to people with arthritis with this award.”
Mid-America Rehabilitation Hospital is the other inaugural honoree with the Circle of Excellence designation. As a host to a variety of AF exercise programs over the years, Mid-America Rehab has recognized the value of these programs to their constituents. More recently, they have begun to host AF Self Help Courses and are hosting a Tai Chi program leader training in early 2009. Mid-America Rehab also supports the chapter development events as a sponsor, and through their staff, as participants. Debbie Cooper, chapter Director of Health and Exercise, has worked closely with Mid America Rehab for a number of years, noting “we are so pleased at how Mid-America Rehabilitation Hospital has continued to deepen their relationship with the chapter and in doing so, has added so many arthritis programming options for those that they serve.” The local chapter of the Arthritis Foundation works with dozens of programming partners throughout the chapter area in many different ways, and hopes to recognize more Circle of Excellence partners in the future.
Feedback and Inquiry
Arthritis Sphere
More resources for Arthritis Foundation content - YouTube, Flickr, RSS, Google Pics or MySpace
Wellness Partner of the Western Missouri Chapter
Advocacy
A delegation of Missourians joined more than 400 others from across the country to converge on Washington D.C. for the Annual Arthritis Advocacy Summit. Our delegation of volunteer advocates joined three chapter staff members from the Heartland Region and called on the offices of each of the Missouri Congressional Representatives and Senators to ask for help with passage of the Arthritis Prevention Control and Cure Act, which is before both the House and the Senate. For more information, click here.
Volunteer Spotlight
Meet the 2008 Chapter Board of Directors
Donate Your Car for a Cure!
Heartland Region
The Western Missouri Chapter is a proud member of the Heartland Region: 
Contact Western Missouri/Greater Kansas City Chapter
Toll-free: 888-719-5670
