[Accelerated Cure Project Status] status for the month of January 2008

[Art Mellor]

Accelerated Cure Project informal status for the month of January 2008

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>>> ALERT - Subjects Needed

o Are you newly diagnosed and have never been on treatment?
  We need you! Please read this announcement:
  http://www.acceleratedcure.org/pipermail/acp-announce/2008/000102.html

o If you don't meet the criteria for the above study, but have been
  diagnosed with a demyelinating disease like MS, TM, NMO, ADEM, or
  ON, then you may be able to participate in our main study:
  https://www.acceleratedcure.org/repository/involvement.php#subject

>>> Joining/Leaving Us This Month

o No activity on this front

>>> Research

Repository:

o At the end of January, we had 953 subjects enrolled from our six sites.

o Sara met with Laurie Peters (study coordinator) at Beth Israel
  Deaconess in Boston and had a call with Karen Wenzel at the Rocky
  Mountain MS Center about possible participation in the repository.

o We finalized the CRF (questionnaire) for use at longitudinal follow-up 
  visits.

o Johns Hopkins received approval to conduct longitudinal visits.

o We signed a contract with the Mayo Clinic to provide them with samples 
  from cases with NMO.

o Art and Hollie met with staff at Innocentive about setting up a 
  challenge around analyzing our repository database to find
  associations. We have submitted a grant proposal to the Rockefeller
  Foundation to fund this effort.

o Art was the first subject in the pilot repository and finally went
  and redid his enrollment for the main repository.

Other scientific projects:

o Hollie and Art met with Alexandra Joseph who is on the scientific 
  staff at Genzyme.

o Hollie attended lunches for the UPOP internship program at MIT to meet 
  potential candidates.

>>> Fundraising

o As a result of meeting the Water Cove Charitable Foundation's $1
  million matching challenge in October of last year, the Foundation
  has offered to extend the program up to another $175,000.

  Make a gift of $1,000 or more and the foundation will match it one
  to one.  Pledge that same gift for 3 years and they'll double match
  it.

  If you can't pledge $1,000, gifts of any size always help.  For more
  details contact Melissa O'Shea 781/487-0011 or
  melissa at acceleratedcure.org.

o Accelerated Cure Project has a partnership in place with the Mary J.
  Szczepanski "Never Give Up" Scholarship Foundation through which
  eight $500 scholarships will be awarded to seniors at Michigan high
  schools for raising the most funds for Accelerated Cure Project
  during the 2007-2008 school year.  For more details visit
  http://expansion.acceleratedcure.org/msscholarship

>>> Education

o Poll - Have you received any alternative treatments for your MS?

  http://msnews.acceleratedcure.org/node/3080

o Book Review: Life Interrupted, Its Not All about Me by Chris Tatevosian

  http://www.acceleratedcure.org/msresources/library.php#bookreviews

o Our latest press mentions:

  http://www.acceleratedcure.org/news/bcp.php

o We continue our daily MS News updates

  http://msnews.acceleratedcure.org

>>> Community Building

o We had meetings with the following people:
  - Sarah spoke at the Fremont MS Support group in Fremont, CA.
  - Sarah met with David Hartman, President of the Northern California 
    Chapter of the NMSS to discuss ways the two organizations could 
    support each other in the Bay Area.
  - Art participated in the regular MS Coalition conference call
  - Art visited with the staff at The Boston Home, a nursing home for
    people with MS

o As always, a few more T-shirt pictures are available:
  http://www.acceleratedcure.org/events/tshirt.php

>>> Events

Detailed information about all of our upcoming events can be found on
our web site: http://www.acceleratedcure.org/events/calendar.php

o March 15: Come celebrate Saint Patrick's Day in Bucks County, PA
  while enjoying great food, live music, and a chance to win a trip to
  Ireland in the auction!
  http://www.acceleratedcure.org/events/eventpages/20080315_stpatrick.php

o March 27: Enjoy drinks & appetizers, live music and a silent auction
  while listening to speakers passionate about the work of Accelerated
  Cure Project for Multiple Sclerosis and MSFriends in San Francisco.
  http://www.acceleratedcure.org/events/eventpages/20080327_reflecting.php

o April 19: The Medeiros Family 6th Annual Sports Scholarship and MS
  Research Fundraiser, held in loving memory of Edmund Medeiros, is a
  great night out supporting two great causes.  Taking place in
  Somerville, MA the event features dinner, music, dancing, and
  chances to win fun raffle and silent auction items.
  http://www.acceleratedcure.org/events/eventpages/20080419_medeiros.php

o April 21: Our 2008 Boston Marathon Team has begun training and
  fundraising!  Read about our nine runners and what's inspiring them
  to go the distance to raise money for Accelerated Cure Project:
  http://expansion.acceleratedcure.org/bosmar08/default.asp
  http://www.acceleratedcure.org/events/eventpages/20080421_marathon.php

o May 31: Our 7th Annual Hunt to Cure MS Scavenger Hunt will be held
  starting at the Skellig in Waltham again. Save the date and get your
  teams ready.
  http://www.acceleratedcure.org/events/eventpages/20080531_hunt.php

o November 7: Save the date for the 2nd Annual Dance to Cure MS in
  Windham, NH, a fun night out for adults coming together to
  socialize, dance and eat, but most importantly to give hope and
  support to those who have Multiple Sclerosis.

>>> Previous Events

o January 13: Job well done to Cher Kore and Ama Allara who raised
  approximately $2,000 with their first Wellness Resolution event in
  Allston, MA.

>>> Operations

o We are now filed as a foreign corporation in the state of
  California.  This necessary step will allow us to register that
  state.

o In the accounting department, we closed out 2007.  We are now
  preparing our unaudited financials, which will appear soon in the
  2007 Annual Report.

o After some haggling with the IRS, we have now been added to their
  Publication 78 Extension list, which shows that we are officially
  recognized as an organization eligible to receive tax-deductible
  charitable donations under the name Accelerated Cure Project (which
  we adopted 2 years ago!).  We should be added to their standard
  Publication 78 list when they do their quarterly update next month.

o Thanks to the generosity of our new landlords, DivcoWest Real 
  Estate Services, we received some good used furniture for our offices.

>>> Volunteers Reporting Time Last Month

o Admin:
  Joyce Ananian
  Kelly Novak

o Repository:
  Bonnie Hakkinen

o Community Building:
  Pat Phelps

o The Wellness Resolution:
  Cher Kore
  Ama Allara

o Barbara Ann Cohen Katz Memorial Fund:
  Debra Lynne
  Nancy Katz Eder

o Accelerated Cure Party 2008:
  Jeff Shapiro

o Sing to Cure MS 2007/2008:
  Marion Leeds Carroll

o Dance to Cure MS 2008:
  Deb DuFault

o Glow and Behold:
  Jennifer Sheehan
  Kristina Kozak
  Gwen Leung

o Contributed Goods and Services
  Allston Village Main Streets
  Arena Coaching
  Cambridge Center for Adult Education
  Clockwork Design Group, Inc
  DivcoWest Real Estate Services
  Jason Clairday Design
  Jemileh
  Kameleon Healing Aromatherapy
  Karen H. Tausch
  LDM Studios
  Lee Smith
  Mark Allara
  Pita Pit
  Richard Zetlin
  Rock City Body
  Samadhi
  Shaws
  Stingray Body Art
  Susan Maguire
  The Post Club

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