Western Missouri/Greater Kansas City Chapter
Stephanie Taliaferro
Volunteer Spotlight - Stephanie Taliaferro
Sharing Her Talents While Helping Her Former College Roommate
Stephanie Taliaferro didn't think a lot about arthritis until she met her friend and college roommate, Ann Stepp. "I watched Ann take treatments, medications and surgeries to help manage the pain and discomfort," she says. "It did not occur to me at the time that young people could suffer from arthritis."
Taliaferro's friend was diagnosed with arthritis as a child, and became involved with the Arthritis Foundation so she could learn more about the disease and stay abreast of current treatments and pain management techniques. "Arthritis is a very complex family of diseases," she says.
A public relations manager at Sprint Nextel and Arthritis Foundation board member, Taliaferro was always involved in community service and volunteer work, but she became interested in the Arthritis Foundation because of what her friend was going through. "I wanted to know more about the disease and how I could help."
For the last six years, Taliaferro has helped generate public awareness about arthritis through her service on the Public Relations Committee. She works closely with the staff to identify opportunities to get the word out to the public through the media about the Arthritis Foundation's programs and support services.
Taliaferro says she likes working on the annual Art for Arthritis fundraiser. She is the chair for this year's event. She enjoys pairing local artists with children and observing them work together on the art projects. "We have children ranging in age from 3 to 15," says Taliaferro. "The artists love the event and the kids have a lot of fun." After months of planning and managing details for Art for Arthritis, it is the smiles of the kids that Taliaferro finds most satisfying at the end of the day.
