Hi, I’m Jo Dewhirst—founder of The Lupus Foundation of Northern California. After being diagnosed with lupus in the 1970s, I quickly realized that there was a lack of information and support available for lupus patients. Because I wanted to help fill the gap for this need for others, I founded the Bay Area Lupus Foundation in 1978, and have been working to help lupus patients ever since.
Never in the last 42 years have lupus patients needed your help more!
The Lupus Foundation of Northern California serves an ethnically and economically diverse population, providing the widest possible access to services and resources. The foundation 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 past 6 months, amid the global 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.
Please help me raise funds for the Lupus Foundation of Northern California this August, and help lupus patients in need today. Get your motivation and shoes, bike, or kickboard, and let’s go!
