Within the next few weeks, a fundraising campaign will begin on Shippensburg University’s campus and in the community to raise money for the South Central Pennsylvania Sickle Cell Council (SCPASCC).
Donation boxes will be placed in health centers and local businesses that will allow anyone to donate some spare change to the work the council does for sickle cell patients and their families. This fundraising event is sponsored by the Shippensburg Chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), which has recently taken on the council as a new client.
The SCPASCC is a non-profit organization that provides health services to persons with sickle cell disease. The group is based out of Harrisburg where it also works to raise awareness of the disease and educate the families affected by it. The group was founded by Dr. Donald W. Spigner, and a small handful of other members devoted to fostering the awareness of the disease in their community.
Some of the services they provide include support groups, counseling sessions, blood testing and psychosocial behavioral testing. In November 1994, the council decided to team-up with the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in order to more efficiently deliver its services. This also made it possible for a specialized clinic to be opened within the Hershey Medical Center where sickle cell patients can receive more aid.
Sickle cell disease is a genetic blood disorder in which a person’s red blood cells take on an abnormal ‘sickle’ shape due to hemoglobin mutations within. This mutation decreases the flexibility of the cell greatly and results in various complications such as shortened life expectancy given a traumatic experience.
People living with the disease can live beyond 50 years of age but this is only possible with proper management and the right resources for treatment.
This information and much more will be found within informational items that will also be distributed during the campaign in the effort to raise awareness and initiate advocacy in the area.
The PRSSA committee working with the council will also be planning other efforts throughout the semester to spread the word and to continue to raise money for the organization.
It will continue to urge students and community members to become educated on the disease that affects more than 90,000 Americans today.
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