[bostoncure.org] Status 03/19/2002

[Art Mellor]

Boston Cure Project informal status since last reported on 2/21/02:

It's been a busy past few weeks here at the Boston Cure Project. Below
is a sampling of the things we've been working on:

o We've been kicking our fundraising efforts into high gear. Meetings
  with contributors, getting pledges, spreading the word. We're trying
  to build our base of contributors in number and size, so any
  contribution you can make or solicit for us is greatly
  appreciated. Over the coming 3 years we need to have a significant
  percentage of our funds come from a broad base of people to maintain
  our public charity status. You can give by following the directions
  at http://www.bostoncure.org/default.php?nav=involved
  
o Work on the Cure Map continues as our main effort. We are currently
  concentrating on phase 1 of our pathogens investigation and just
  beginning phase 2 (a review of MS literature) for genetics. This
  largely involves Tim, Hollie, and me as well as our Scientific
  Advisory Board.

o Lot's of help getting our budgeting and accounting reports pulled
  together from our volunteer Jill McGaffigan.

o We sublet from Gold Wire Technology and they moved into new space on
  the third floor of the same building, so we moved with them.

o We're talking to a number of possible summer interns from Harvard
  Business School about a project documenting the "market space" of
  the health care system. The goal is to understand the players
  involved in health care, their interactions with each other, and
  their motivations. When completed, we'll publish it on the web.

o Our operations manager, Andii, hit her 6 month mark at the Boston
  Cure Project. This pretty much marks the 6 month point of the
  organization since she and I started full time around the same
  point. It's hard to believe that it's only been half a year!

o Our volunteer tax attorney, Eva Alpert, has helped us prepare out
  tax filing.

o Our first quarterly newsletter is at the printers and should be sent
  out in the next week or so. We'll send out an announcement about
  this and also put it on the web.

o Our annual report just came back from the printers yesterday. We'll
  be sending this out to anyone who contributed $100 or more last year
  and also making it available electronically on our web site. An
  announcement will go out when that has happened. Many thanks to
  Michael Mackenzie, Karla Nelson, and Sam Lindberg for making this
  happen. 

o Debbie Burrage has been coordinating our volunteer effort. Some of
  the things going on at the moment include:
  - Brian Del Vecchio and Chad Tempest of Clockwork Design Group are
    getting our MS news portal ready for trial. Software is up and
    running and initial design is worked out.
  - Dave Burrage is helping us beef up our firewall rules to help
    protect us from the digital Huns.
  - Suresh Tiperneni is helping update our web site
  - Margaret Doris has started work on a paper explaining clinical
    trials that we intend to make available on the web site when it is
    done. 
  - Alicia DiBernardo is writing a critical review of the MS
    literature that we will also make available later this year when
    complete. 
  - Melissa Boule came in and tutored me on some immunology.

o We've been meeting with more people in the science/MS space
  including David Hafler of th B&W, the geneticist Leroy Hood of the
  Institute for Systems Biology, and Rob Perez, VP of CNS at Biogen

o We're ramping up for our first house party at Ken Siegel's amazing
  abode. A house party is private fundraising event sponsored by one
  of our contributors. Ken is inviting a number of his friends to come
  and hear about the Boston Cure Project at a party hosted by him. Let
  us know if you'd be interested in sponsoring an event like this.

o Alicia DiBernardo and I are going to try out an idea for a class we
  call "MS 101" - this will be announced in a separate message.

Feel free to contact me with any questions you have. Info to do that
is below.

- Art


-- 
...............................................................................
    Art Mellor     : HTTP> http://www.bostoncure.org : Boston Cure Project
art at bostoncure.org :       * Donate Online *         : for Multiple Sclerosis
Cell> 617/899-2360 : Main> 781/788-0880              : Fax> 781/788-8118

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