Happy National Iced Tea Day!

 

Today is National Iced Tea Day! If you have yet to participate in Bone China Tea this year, consider hosting a Bone China ICED Tea event! The OIF’s NEW Bone China Iced Tea event will be available all summer long.

Invite your friends and family to sip on tea, soak up the sun, and support the mission of the OI Foundation. Fundraisers like Bone China Tea directly support the mission of the OIF to improve the quality of life for those living with osteogenesis imperfecta through research, education, awareness and mutual support. Now more than ever, we rely on community members like yourself to help us achieve our mission.

To request invitations, contact Christina at cteufert@oif.org. For more information visit, www.oif.org/campaign/bonechinatea. Summer campaign available until August 2020. #NationalIcedTeaDay

Investing in Sustainable Health + Wellbeing

Investing in Sustainable Health + Wellbeing
 
On Thursday, May 28, the OI Foundation hosted a virtual cooking demo and dialogue with Stefanie Sacks, Culinary Nutritionist.
 
During this virtual session, Stefanie prepared several simple, nutritious, and delicious recipes based on input from a short pre-event survey. She shared her cooking wisdom and expertise to educate, inspire and give you practical tools for food lifestyle change.
 
Watch the recording of this session below:

Register to Attend the Virtual OIF Conference!

 
In place of the in-person OIF National Conference this year, the OI Foundation will host a Virtual Conference on July 10-12, 2020. The Virtual OIF Conference will provide live online versions of some of the most popular informational and social sessions at the biennial OIF National Conference.
 
OIF Virtual Conference is free of charge, but you must register for each session you would like to attend. To learn more, or register for the OIF Virtual Conference, visit www.oif.org/virtualconference.

A Note from OIF Board President, Cameron Penn

OI Foundation Board President, Cameron Penn, shared a special message with the OI community:

 

Dear friends and fellow members of the OI community,

I never imagined writing this letter under these circumstances. Life, for most of us, has been on hold. We’re unsure of our place in the world. The sheer senselessness is far beyond most intelligence.

But, what we’ve already seen from the OI community during this unprecedented pandemic is incredibly positive. In the midst of searching for answers and coping with anxiety, all of you, our medical professionals, and the staff of the OI Foundation have stepped forward in ways we never thought possible. Virtual community support groups have emerged, parent groups are energized, and group video sessions have enabled the entire community to stay engaged and informed. We’re pushing forward, as cliché as that sounds and as corny as it feels.

There will be modifications, there will be adjustments, and there will be challenges in the upcoming months. The OI community knows this better than anyone, and we know we’re far from invincible. As we’ve seen time and again over the past 50 years, we’re strongest when we’re together. So, to the folks out there who want to tell us – especially those of us in high-risk populations – that getting back to normal is some sort of fantasy, we know this, too, shall pass.

Normally – there’s that word again – we would be regaling you with plans for the OIF National Conference right around this time. We would be looking forward to reconnecting with hundreds of our closest friends, and we at the OI Foundation would be asking for your help, to make all of this possible.
Yes, fundraising. Donations. The mission never stops.

We know that during these challenging times, it would be unrealistic to set some arbitrary fundraising goal. Individuals are hurting. Families are struggling. Under these conditions, ends don’t always meet and it is hard to consider making a donation. We know that.

So here’s what we would like to ask: continue reaching out, keep connecting, continue the dialogue and take part in the OI Foundation’s Virtual Conference July 10-12. We’re helping each other through this, we’ll be back, and we’ll be better, because we’ll be paying more attention to each other. We’ll be more aware. We’ll be #strongertogether.

For those of you who are able and would like to contribute to the OIF’s mission during this time of extreme need, you’ll be helping us face the unique challenges that come with this climate. The need to support our community hasn’t evaporated, it has doubled. We would greatly appreciate your continued support, even in the smallest way. To contribute, go to www.oif.org/donate or return the enclosed envelope with your special gift. More than ever, a single dollar goes a long way. Especially because thanks to one generous donor, we will match the first $10,000 raised through June 15th.

Someday, we won’t be too scared to join together again. To hug. To high-five. To embrace. Gatherings of family and friends will begin to return – even if we are still struggling or still a bit unsure. We’ll do it, because it means so much. Those small, but powerful moments safeguard our memories. They are the way we celebrate being alive.

Even though the world has been transformed, and “getting back to normal” means something different now, that’s what we’ll do, no matter who or where we are. Because that’s what living is.

Until we can once again gather on a grand scale – mark July 8-11, 2021 on your calendars now for the re-scheduled OIF National Conference in Omaha, NE. All of us on the OIF staff and board of directors hope you, your families, friends, and co-workers are and will remain in the best of health. We encourage you to reach out to the OI Foundation with any questions or concerns you may have.

Warm Regards,
Cameron Penn
President, OIF Board of Directors
cameron@heyguymedia.com

Happy 50th Anniversary, OIF!

Fifty years ago, our founders had a vision of an organization that would help families living with OI. Today, the OIF provides information to more than 15,000 constituents each year, hosts regional and national conferences, and brings together medical professionals and researchers from around the world to help direct and advance new OI research. The OI Foundation has come a long way, but we wouldn’t be here without with the generous support of our members. Looking forward, there is still so much we can accomplish over the next 50 years. Our continued success is only possible with your generosity and commitment. Join us in celebrating the 50th anniversary of the OI Foundation by becoming a member today! #OIF50 #strongertogether

Learn More about COVID-19 from OI Experts

 

OI community members were invited to join OI experts, Dr. Robert Sandhaus (pulmonologist at National Jewish Health in Denver, CO) and Dr. Sandesh Nagamani (clinical geneticist at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX), to discuss how COVID-19 is affecting the OI community. During this session, the speakers provided updates on how COVID-19 may impact those with OI, and provided best practices in approaching the changing landscape of social distancing policies across the United States.

 

Below is the recording of this session:

 

Investing in Sustainable Health + Wellbeing

Investing in Sustainable Health + Wellbeing with Stefanie Sacks, Culinary Nutritionist
A Cooking Demo + Dialogue

Is COVID-19 creating edible challenges for you and your family?
You are not alone! Routines are greatly disrupted including what and how we eat. Food shopping, once considered a mundane task for many, is layered with newfound stress whether it’s compromised access to the nourishment you normally buy or the fear of getting sick. Many are facing a culinary conundrum as home cooking is now a necessity.

An invitation to be your healthiest self with Stefanie Sacks, MS, CNS, CDN, Culinary Nutritionist + author of What the Fork Are You Eating

One-hour Virtual Cooking Demo + Dialogue
Thursday, May 28, 2020 // 3:00pm ET

*All registered attendees will receive a FREE copy of Stefanie’s book, What the Fork Are You Eating?!

 

There is no better time than now to invest in your sustainable health and wellbeing. Bring your questions and concerns to the table whether you have pantry items that baffle, foods that you just don’t know how to cook, inquiries about culinary techniques as well as dietary challenges? Stefanie will prepare two simple, nutritious and delicious recipes based on your input from a short pre-event survey and then answer all of your burning questions in this one-hour interactive demo and discussion. Stefanie’s wisdom and expertise will educate, inspire and give you practical tools for food lifestyle change…from her kitchen to yours. An invitation to be your healthiest self during COVID19 and beyond!

*To participate in this event, please complete the steps below:
Step 1 Register for the EventClick here to register for the event.
Step 2 Complete a Brief SurveyClick here to complete a brief survey created to help the OIF and Stefanie Sacks tailor the presentation to topics you care most about.

If you have any questions, please contact the OI Foundation at bonelink@oif.org.

Thank you for participating in National OI Awareness Week!

NATIONAL OI AWARENESS WEEK
May 2-9, 2020

National OI Awareness Week is a week dedicated to raising awareness for OI and sharing your Unbreakable Spirit®. OI Awareness Week is scheduled around Wishbone Day (May 6), the international OI Awareness Day.  Each year during National OI Awareness Week, OI community members request state proclamations, hang flyers, hold events, and share social media posts to raise OI awareness. Check out some of the highlights of OI Awareness Week below!

  • We reached over 206,000 people on social media throughout National OI Awareness Week. Thank you for liking, sharing, and retweeting!
  • We received 26 official National OI Awareness Week proclamations. Click here to view all of the National OI Awareness Week proclamations.
  • 90 OI community members created National OI Awareness Week Facebook Fundraisers. OI Awareness Week fundraisers brought in more than 435 individual donations and raised $19,094 for the OI Foundation! You can create your own Facebook fundraiser at any time here.
  • We raised OI awareness across the globe on Wishbone Day. To view the OI Foundation’s #SHAREforAWARENESS Wishbone Day posts, click here.