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Thank you for visiting my Personal Fundraising Page. Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to make a contribution to our fundraising efforts. You may also make direct donations through mail or in person, that will be sent in. Many thanks for your support -- and don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too!
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About Me!:
My Name is Kaycee Albertson. I am 15 years old and I live in South Carolina with my mom, dad, and 10 year old sister, Sydnee. I am freshman at Easley High School, and a member of the Freshman Scholars. One of our goals, as Freshman Scholars, is to give back to the community. By choosing a charity of our own! This past year (2006), close friends of our family were advised that two of their children, Vincent and Madison, both have Angelman's Syndrome. Please take a moment to think about the following statistics of AS: It is estimated that 1 in 15,000 to 1 in 20,000 children are diagnosed with AS. And this family has two children diagnosed with the syndrome!! That is the challenge that this family is facing every day. This really inspired me to want to help out families and children who face this rare syndrome in life. So I began to develop a growing interest in the syndrome, did some research, and found out that Angelman Syndrome Foundation holds an anual Walk-A-Thon to raise money for the research for Angelman Syndrome. I knew this is what I wanted to do! I will be participating inthe 2007 ASF National Walk-A-Thon, on May 19th, in Atlanta, Georgia. My ultimate goal is to spread awareness of AS and try to get more people involved in making a difference in the research for it. My personal fundraising goal is to raise at least a thousand dollars before the Walk-A-Thon for the Angelman Syndrome Foundation. If you will, please take the time to read on below about Angelman Syndrome. This is a rare neurological disorder, and I think that more people should be educated about what it is, and the effects that it may have on families. Spreading the word is the first step to finding a cure or helpful treatment to this syndrome. **If you need to be in contact with me about the fundraiser, donating, or any other reason, you can email me at Kaycee0906@yahoo.com
**Recently, one of my best friends decided that she wanted to participate in the Walk-a-thon and help make a difference also. She will be participating in Atlanta with me. If you would like to view her page, its:
www.firstgiving.com/chellie
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About ASF, Firstgiving, and the donating process:
The Walk-A-Thon is hosted by the Angelman Syndrome Foundation. ASF is a medical community of parents and Angelman children. Their mission is to advance awareness and treatment of Angelman Syndrome through information, research, and support. Last year, the Walk-A-Thon raised over $585,000 from 12 cities across the United States, to benefit research for Angelman Syndrome. When signing up for the walk, you are given a personal fundraising page, ran by Firstgiving. Firstgiving is a private company that uses modern technology for charitable fundraising. They have two offices, located in London, England, and outside of Boston, Massachusetts. Using an online fundraising page is beneficial by enabling donators to give to the charity from anywhere, using a credit card. Donations on these pages are automatically processed for the charity and deposited into the bank account electronically. Firstgiving is a secure service using industry standard Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption certificates from VeriSign, the leading provider of digital trust services. Donations can be made by visiting a personal fundraising page, sending in check or money order to Angelman Syndrom Foundation, 3015 E. New York Street, Suite A2265, Aurora, IL 60504, OR calling the ASF office at 800-432-6435. The ASF National Walk-A-Thon also allows corporations to support the mission of ASF. Companies can donate or match gifts through the organization. Personal donations can also be accepted by either their personal fundraising web page, or by off line donation. Donations can be accepted via mail, phone, or in person. The personal page shows how much you have raised online, how much you have raised off line, your total, what your fundraising goal is, and a personal message to family and friends who are donating or simply visiting your page.
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*****About Angelman Syndrome:*******
Angelman Syndrome is a genetic disorder, causing developmental delay and neurological problems. This syndrome is caused from the absence of a functional copy of the UBE3A gene. The syndrome was first identified my a man named Harry Angelman in 1965. Infants with this syndrome usually have no visual appearances of having it, but often will have problems feeding and begin to have noticeable developmental delays. Between the age of two and three they sometimes begin to have seizures. Other effects that Angelman Syndrome can cause are speech impairment, small head size, movement and balance disorders, hyperactivity, and sleeping disorders. MORE ABOUT UBE3A: UBE3A is a human gene that provides instructions for making the enzyme ubiquity protein Ligase E3A. It also is involved in breaking down the p53 protein, which controls cell growth and division. Breaking down proteins is a process that removes damaged or unnecessary proteins (maintaining the functions of cells). Both copies of the UBE3A gene are active in most of the body’s tissues. In the brain, however, only one copy of the gene is active, while the other copy remains dormant. In a Angelman Syndrome patient, there is only one UBE3A gene present in the brain, leaving no active gene to function. This results in developmental delay and neurological complications. TREATMENT: There is currently no specific therapy for this syndrome. However, there are many scientist and companies researching and testing theories, trying to find a cure or helpful treatment to the syndrome.
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OTHER INFORMATION:
If you would like to know anything further about the Walk-A-Thon, or the organizations themselves, here are some useful links:
http://www.angelman.org/angel/
http://home.wi.rr.com/kaja/bandofangels.html
http://www.angelman.org/angel/index.php?id=177
http://www.k12academics.com/as_prognosis.htm
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