Letter from President

Dear Friends,

Spring is coming and with it comes May and May is Lupus Awareness Month!

Lupus Awareness Month is an opportunity for everyone to help educate his or her community about lupus.  We have 2 Illinois Lupus Walks in May for this reason.  We also have tools to help everyone promote lupus awareness and we will again have those available.  We also ask everyone to let us know what he or she are doing and how we can help.  The Illinois lupus community has always been committed and creative in its efforts and we are here to support you in all ways! 

LSI hosts four walks a year – the two in May (the Northern Suburbs on May 6th this year and the Southern Suburbs on May 12th this year), the Western Suburbs on August 11th and Chicago on September 23rd.  We are currently looking for new committee members for all of our walks so if you want to get more involved, please let us know.

Walks are critical to achieving our mission.   We are only able to provide our services at no cost through the generosity of our walkers, donors and sponsors.  We just hosted the Support Group Leader training last Saturday (more on that in the newsletter) and we just announced our first web-meeting educational event coming up on June 13th.  Lupus & Your Teeth will be presented online and accessible via computer, tablet, smartphone or regular phone.  This is our first webinar and we are excited to bring this new opportunity to you.  Registration is required to get the login information and toll-free call in number.  The presenter, Dr. Celia Mimms, has presented for us in the past and her personal connection to lupus makes this an especially valuable presentation.

Finally, we need to thank the LSI Junior Board for hosting an incredibly successful friend-raiser and fundraiser on March 18th.  The event was planned over several months, brought over 50 people to Brewers’ Lounge, and raised over $2,100.  This dedicated group of lupus supporters is creative, hard working and fun.  If you are between 21 and 40-ish, you should look into joining this terrific group of people!

As we look forward to spring and Lupus Awareness Month we hope you remember that we are here for you.  Don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions.

Together we make a difference.

Mary Dollear
President, Lupus Society of Illinois

Support Group Leader Training

A support group is run by and for people with a common life situation and comprised of people willing to talk freely and to trust openly in the good will of other group members.  A support group provides a source of information, a place to be yourself and is open to the public.

LSI's volunteer support groups' goal is to provide participants knowledge, skills and support to manage their lupus effectively.

Support Group Facilitator Training is designed to help LSI's Support Group Facilitators learn what’s entailed in facilitating a support group and to teach them skills to help them facilitate a support group effectively.

LSI Junior Board's Brewers' Lounge Event was a HUGE Success!

Congratulations to the LSI's Junior Board for hosting a wonderful friend-raiser and fundraiser on Sunday, March 18, 2018.  The event brought out over 50 people and raised over $2,100 for the LSI!

Click here for more pictures from the event and information on the LSI Junior Board!