Register for a walking, running or cycling event, then join Team Jo to help fundraise!
Stay Healthy. Raise Money. Have fun.
Jo Dewhirst—founder of The Lupus Foundation of Northern California—is a pioneer for lupus warriors everywhere. Her passion for bringing access to lupus health care, support services, education, and information to people who had hardly heard of lupus 40+ years ago changed the future for lupus patients and continues to do so today. Her insight and ability to recognize a need in the community has led to decades of helping families and individuals who live with lupus on a daily basis. Accessing information to help with earlier diagnosis of lupus, support groups to connect peers who live with lupus on a daily basis together, and providing education about how to get disability insurance or the effects of lupus when pregnant or for youth, are only a few of the many ways Jo’s vision has extended to reach thousands of people over the years.
Help Jo raise funds for the Lupus Foundation of Northern California this August, and help lupus patients in need today.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the ability of the Lupus Foundation of Northern California to operate as normal, and the Foundation’s two major fundraisers for 2020 have been seriously impacted. The Outrun Lupus Fitness Challenges are continuing throughout the year to help assist in raising the funds which are normally raised during the in-person 5K event.
Jo founded the Lupus Foundation of Northern California as the Bay Area Lupus Foundation in 1978. Jo was elected to be the first Chairperson of the Board and served in this position from 1978-1982. She was hired by the Board to be the first Executive Director of the Foundation and held this position from 1982-2009. Dedicated to serving an ethnically and economically diverse population and to providing the widest possible access to services, the Lupus Foundation of Northern California offers programs designed to meet both social and educational needs of patients and their families in English and Spanish, both in-person and online. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Foundation has converted all programs and services to virtually run options, and continues to identify opportunities to assist those with lupus and autoimmune conditions in new and unique ways, including:
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Adding access to direct primary care via telemedicine appointments
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Virtual office hours with skilled physicians
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Phone access to our outreach team
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Offering wellness events online
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Broader online communications about upcoming events and opportunities
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Virtual support group meetings
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the ability of the Lupus Foundation of Northern California to operate as normal, and the Foundation’s two major fundraisers for 2020 have been seriously impacted. Let’s get moving together to support Jo in continuing to offer essential patient programs and services, push for research and advocacy for all those who are affected by lupus.
Get your motivation and shoes, bike, or kickboard, and let’s go!
