The spirit of the giving season, I want to bring your attention to a fundraiser I’m helping promote this week for a great gluten-free cause. This week only, giving just $2 of your hard-earned money will go toward providing scholarships for children to attend a gluten-free summer camp hosted by the Celiac Disease Foundation (CDF) next summer in Southern California.

But this week, donating $2 doesn’t mean you’re just donating $2…This week through Sunday, December 25, Gluten-Free Saver has partnered with Van’s Natural Foods to raise money to send children to next summer’s CDF-sponsored summer camp, and Van’s is matching all donations up to $1,000! The goal is to raise $2,000 – and when you donate $2, you’re really contributing $4. You can read more about the fundraiser here: www.glutenfreesaver.com.

The summer camp will be held in San Bernardino in Southern California from July 30 to August 3, 2012, and it’s open to all 7-15 year old gluten intolerant and gluten-sensitive children – not just those diagnosed with celiac disease.

Sure, receiving gifts this time of year is always fun, but the feeling of knowing that your generous donation of just $2 can bring a tremendous amount of joy to a young child… well, now that’s priceless.

Please help reach the goal of donating $2,000 to the Celiac Disease Foundation this week. Every $2 helps. YES! I want to help send a child to a gluten-free summer camp and donate $2 right now!

P.S. 100% of all donations will go directly to CDF.

P.P.S. If you’re feeling extra generous this holiday season, you aren’t limited to donating just $2 – you can give as much money as your heart desires!

Miranda Jade

GlutenFreeHelp.info

I so wanted to be a winner in her December contest and get those delicious cookies ( the gift) delivered to my door BUT the another wonderful baker got the prize. Lucky gal!

You can see my competition here and see my muffins sitting right next to the winner in the top left:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=128591&id=9321268761

You can also view the photo of one of my GLUTEN-FREE cupcake parties in which I donate all the money rasied to National Foundation for Celiac Awareness( NFCA) on her second page. See all the lovely kids and moms!

My hats off to Yvonne M.B. for coming in first place with those adorable cookies.

Check out my recipes anyway as they are scrumptious.

OK folks, next time – right! …..:)  Tina Turbin

What exactly is celiac disease then? It is an autoimmune disease caused by an allergic reaction to the component of wheat, barley, and rye, called gluten, which can affect the entire body. There are many painful symptoms which are confused for the symptoms of other diseases, and most doctors, uneducated in celiac disease, fail to diagnose it correctly.

Why is it that you and your doctors probably haven’t heard about celiac disease? Although the amount of research on celiac disease is growing, it depends entirely on the generosity of benefactors for its funding. Without these charitable donations, there would be no way to continue this research and the efforts to raise awareness. Out of the estimated fifty autoimmune diseases that have been discovered by doctors, it is the only one for which research isn’t supported by the U.S. government.

Despite the lack of funding, thanks to the hard work of celiac disease advocates, there has been some progress made in the fight to raise awareness. In 2003, an unofficial group of celiac community leaders came together to help persuade Congress to pass a law which would require food labels to include information about allergens. The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act was signed into law on August 3, 2004, greatly helping those who suffer from celiac disease or who are gluten-sensitive to shop for gluten-free groceries. When this was achieved, the need for a permanently established advocacy organization was seen, and this advocacy group became the American Celiac Disease Alliance (ACDA), which continues to this day to represent the celiac community to Congress.

Thus, strides have certainly been made in respect to helping the celiac community, but this isn’t good enough. After all, out of the three million Americans who are estimated to have the disease, only about three out of every hundred of them have been diagnosed. I am one of the lucky three who discovered the cause of the physical, and emotional, agony sufferers of celiac disease go through. I spent years going from doctor to doctor, getting test after test, trying a variety of suggested solutions, but with no answers and no relief. That’s when I began my own research. It was a long, hard road, and I’m determined that no one else have to follow it—if they’re even able to.

That’s why I support centers such as Columbia University’s Celiac Disease Center and the ACDA, but I’ll tell you something—they’re going to need more than just my own support. They need the advocacy and financial support of the government in order to end the suffering of three million of its citizens.